Red Clay back at it with the tin cup referendum act

36 Days until the Capital Referendum!

Re ferendum Questions of the Week:

Q: Why is the district asking for HVAC work at so many of the schools?

A: Most schools will receive badly needed work on its Heating and Air-Conditioning system (HVAC). Projects vary in size, depending on the age of the system and the need for repairs. Five schools need major overhauls, including A.I. High School, A.I Middle School, Brandywine Springs School, Warner Elementary School and Dickinson High School. These systems were not included in the last capital referendum, which was approved by voters in 2002. At that time, the systems were functioning. However, like many systems in our own homes, they have since reached or surpassed their life cycle and cannot sufficiently heat in the winter or cool in the late spring and summer. The district is constantly making minor repairs and replacing parts on the older systems. New and upgraded systems will be more reliable and require less maintenance. In addition to making schools more comfortable, the district expects to save substantial dollars in utility costs as the outdated systems are made more energy efficient.

Yes there was a major capital referendum in 2002 and I voted for it even for the new North Star school. Trying to age all the renovations and equipment to the year 2002 is bullshit. How many years did it take to complete all the renovations?  But no big deal! You notice Red Clay didn’t archive the details of the last referendums. They laid it all out which buildings was going to get this and that down to how many interior doors. Yea yea there isn’t enough room on the server. Fine ! So why not put those files back you to show the community exactly what was done. But yes equipment such as HVAC does need to be replaced. I am not sure if the referendum with be a two question ballot. One for these needed repairs and the other for the new school on Graves Road. I’ve been waiting for the department of election to post sample ballot. I’ll vote for those renovations but will not for a new elementary school when there are seats available in Red Clay’s Wilmington schools Also the new dual language charter school that for sure will be approved will bring Lewis school to its knees. Lewis is at 73% capacity now and once that new charter school opens 2013-2014 school years Lewis population will fall big time below 50%. Shortlidge another Red Clay city school is at 54.4% and Warner at 86.7%

Q: What happens if the referendum does not pass?

A: The unfortunate reality is that the district will not be able to make much-needed repairs at buildings and will have to consider other options for over-crowding, including readjusting feeder patterns in most elementary schools to shift the population to our schools in the city. This would be disruptive to all of our schools, and impact important programs in place at our city schools. The district must also reconsider the K-8 Brandywine Springs model and continue to rent or add additional trailers at other schools?

Ain’t this some shit,”readjusting feeder patterns in most elementary schools to shift the population to our schools in the city”. Code for forced busing of students back to the city. But no body gives a rat’s ass about city middle and high school students being forced to ride buses to suburban schools because there are no traditional Red Clay middle and high schools in the city. 50% of A.I. High School student are out of feeder choice students (Red Clay admins creates new math. Re: Building Capacity) and Dickinson has space! The tea leaves of Red Clay’s school choice (discrimination within ?)

Red Clay is out to build a Camelot neighborhood school zone for the suburbs and seems not to give a rat’s ass about neighborhood middle and high school for the city kids! And they have some nerve asking city Red Clay taxpayers to foot yet another school building in the suburbs on top of Brandywine Springs and North Star and let’s not forget the maintenance of those buildings. VOTE no on the new school and remind the district fair and equitable education means all students. I can see why the Hispanic / Latino wants their own dual language school. So who now gets screwed again?  Don’t count on the righteous men of Wilmington to step up! Some are too busy trying to save an old but important school building in Hockessin thats been empty or over 50 years and are blind to the injustices at schools that currently have students within. Sister! Make your stand and be heard.

Update! Sample ballot is now active! The referendum will be a two-part vote. Vote yes to question 1 and NO to question 2 (new school). 

A poor man can carry as much pride in his pocket as rich man.

Markell’s $1.4M in campaign ammo a record for Delaware

Gov. Jack Markell is sitting comfortably these days with more than $1.4 million in his campaign war chest — a record for modern Delaware governors heading into a re-election year.

Markell raised more than $1.3 million in 2011, according to a campaign finance report filed Friday with the Delaware Public Integrity Commission

Yea Kilroy did jump ship and supported Markell for his first term! I was so discourage with the Republican party move so far to the right that those of us in the middle or right to center weren’t being heard. And in deed I voted for Obama. I wanted change like many others. But I’ll be honest, I network with legislators from both sides and there are good caring people in both parties. I got   support from the House and Senate on legislation (HB#26 signed 6/08/2011) requiring the Delaware State Board of Education to digitally record their board meeting and put online. Then there was legislation (HB#76 signed 6/16/2009) pertaining to local school board oath of office (Section 1.  Amend § 1053(a), Title 14 of the Delaware Code by striking the phrase “America and the Constitution of the State of Delaware” and by substituting in lieu thereof the following: “America, the Constitution of the State of Delaware, and the laws of Delaware governing public education,”. Markell did delivery in one thing requested and that was putting the state checkbook register online. A bit weak in details and excludes P-Card expenditures but it add another layer of financial transparency to government and public schools. The charter school web-pages are a mess where many  aren’t current with board meeting minute and financials reports. We do have hard working legislators in Delaware and they do find common ground.

Governor Markell is in a world of his own obsessed with his political aspiration of wanting to be President of the United States! Yes that’s what I said, President of the United States. Jack Markell is slicker than dog shit ! This national agenda to reform public schools (feed Wall Street) is a high-power Republican and Democrat agenda tied to many misguided business roundtable of American and Jack sees it as his political ticket. That is if he can keep rolling minorities under the bus a few more years. A banker and Wall Street billionaires reaching down to make education better for minority children ????? Damn, if they cared some much about black children they wouldn’t fuck-over their parents with high interest mortgages and loans. Look at many of the officers of these companies especially Wall Street education related companies. Don’t see too much diversity there. They’ve manage to sprinkle enough tokens to help feed the lie. Minorities looking at the Washington / Wall Street education connection as the ticket to education salvation better wake-up.

Those who lead marches that end up in backrooms with the governor aren’t civil rights leader nor men. Back in the day they’d be called Uncle Toms. Letting the landlords own your home is one thing but giving them the souls of your children to profits is a damnation. Letting your landlord hold your child’s hand during the race of their life is a cowards way out. A poor man can carry as much pride in his pocket as rich man. And he who can swallow one’s own pride for the sake of their children is a better man. Behind every successful man is a women and perhaps it’s a sister who needs to push aside the greed of men and deliver children out of poverty. Poverty in education is a profit center and  the question remains, whose cashing in? Any child can succeed as long as his parents succeeds as parents. There is no price tag for pride and dignity.