Topic: School Board Elections This Fall

[NotJustinsOtherName]

Im not caught up on every post here so forgive me if I missed this. Has anyone asked him (Thompson) If he intends on rehiring Freshwater?

[seabiscuit]

Unfortunately the Freshwater issue has been off limits in both of the "Meet the Candidates" venues.

[Bubbleburst]

I put the Freshwater issue before Thompson in an interview. In his own words here:

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=325cb2cee60fbe36d9d5c56d04dfa8b0e49147db9a93f249ea4ac78345cbe4ce

[seabiscuit]

I would have to relisten but I don't think he was ever directly asked if he had the opportunity to vote as a school board member to rehire John, would he, given the legal implications of doing so (i.e. the district losing its liability insurance)?

The other question I would like to have asked of Mr. Thompson is what is his post high school education?  The other 3 candidates last night gave that information but I didn't hear Mr. Thompson give any additional education information.

[NotJustinsOtherName]

I would have to relisten but I don't think he was ever directly asked if he had the opportunity to vote as a school board member to rehire John, would he, given the legal implications of doing so (i.e. the district losing its liability insurance)?

The other question I would like to have asked of Mr. Thompson is what is his post high school education?  The other 3 candidates last night gave that information but I didn't hear Mr. Thompson give any additional education information.

 
Im not sure how his HS education plays into this.

[NotJustinsOtherName]

Unfortunately the Freshwater issue has been off limits in both of the "Meet the Candidates" venues.

And so what the speech police forbid it? Who mad it off limits and why would anyone vote for someone that chooses to hide from a current issue?
 
Let me just say this again. I like John. My kids think he is great! That has nothing to do with electing someone that may have a hidden agenda concerning the man. How much does the district have to pay for this situation. Howmany times?

[seabiscuit]

Im not sure how his HS education plays into this.

I know what his High School education is, he's a graduate of Mt. Vernon High School.  I'd like to know what his POST HS education has been.  What education he has had beyond high school?  What course work he has taken to further his education albeit degrees, workshops, etc.  All of the other candidates have discussed this but as of yet he has not.

[cateyes]

 At one point I think he said he has a business degree...and in charge of Ariels supply purchases..he spoke of this later in during the meeting..not in the front as some did.

Have to double check the business degree now that I am thinking about it more..

Heck Mr Kirk when he was giving us his background...thought I would fall asleep listening..he has a MILE long of stuff....degrees awards..lots and lots of stuff...but as I said..I will not take a chance on wasting my vote for someone that may not legally be allowed to stay on board....too much to loose...

Did we really "loose' our insurance...or spent it out...??

I would have to relisten but I don't think he was ever directly asked if he had the opportunity to vote as a school board member to rehire John, would he, given the legal implications of doing so (i.e. the district losing its liability insurance)?

The other question I would like to have asked of Mr. Thompson is what is his post high school education?  The other 3 candidates last night gave that information but I didn't hear Mr. Thompson give any additional education information.

[NotJustinsOtherName]

Im not sure how his HS education plays into this.

I know what his High School education is, he's a graduate of Mt. Vernon High School.  I'd like to know what his POST HS education has been.  What education he has had beyond high school?  What course work he has taken to further his education albeit degrees, workshops, etc.  All of the other candidates have discussed this but as of yet he has not.

my bad.. I missed the "post"

[The_Rooster]

1. By law, John Freshwater is allowed a contract termination hearing.  He was given two options at his firing. One was to take the contract termination hearing in front of the school board or in front of a referee.   Guess which one he chose?


2. Nothing good comes from a Freshwater discussion in the public.  People are learning there are still people that think this whole Freshwater thing is about the Bible on the desk.  It's not but it gets spun that way and the conversation gets hijacked. John Freshwater supporters are nuts.  Google Jeff Cline and you'll get more than you'll need to know.  If given a venue, they'll trainwreck the process.


3.   And if you've not noticed, being a candidate for  school board is bigger than John Freshwater.  People need to recognize there larger issues at play here than John Freshwater. And being a school board member comes with a lot of issues to deal with.

Unfortunately the Freshwater issue has been off limits in both of the "Meet the Candidates" venues.

And so what the speech police forbid it? Who mad it off limits and why would anyone vote for someone that chooses to hide from a current issue?
 
Let me just say this again. I like John. My kids think he is great! That has nothing to do with electing someone that may have a hidden agenda concerning the man. How much does the district have to pay for this situation. Howmany times?

[Hondo]

Why does anyone think one school board member would have the power to rehire anybody. I sense a real attack on people with genuine concern for "the kids" and an attack on anybody that declares they are a Christian. A degree in "common sense" is more important than 50 college degrees. And Rooster is right. This is more important than John Freshwater.

[seabiscuit]

Heck Mr Kirk when he was giving us his background...thought I would fall asleep listening..he has a MILE long of stuff....degrees awards..lots and lots of stuff...but as I said..I will not take a chance on wasting my vote for someone that may not legally be allowed to stay on board....too much to loose...

cateyes

That's funny because I thought the same thing, too!   

Did we really "loose' our insurance...or spent it out...??

No, the district has not lost our insurance.  However, if the school board in the future goes against the recommendations of the insurer's atty, then they will end their coverage which is essentially what happened in Dover, PA.  The school board there went against the insurer's atty so that when the class action suite was over, the district not an insurer paid the $1 million settlement.  That school district is still feeling the impact of that decision.

So, Rooster is right that the candidate selection should take in more than just the Freshwater situation; however, if we vote people onto the school board that could make the same unwise decisions that were made in Dover, PA in 2004, that one action could cost our district more than just about any other single action that a board member could make. 

[Steve.Deserved.Better]

Why does anyone think one school board member would have the power to rehire anybody. I sense a real attack on people with genuine concern for "the kids" and an attack on anybody that declares they are a Christian. A degree in "common sense" is more important than 50 college degrees. And Rooster is right. This is more important than John Freshwater.

Thank you both.   It is more than Freshwater.   I do fail to see how anyone can comment on what they will or won't do based on something that hasn't been resolved yet.   I would think they would operate by the regulations that are in place to conduct business.  Will they do that would be more of a valid question. 

Thanks again for the common sense remark. 

[seabiscuit]

Why does anyone think one school board member would have the power to rehire anybody. I sense a real attack on people with genuine concern for "the kids" and an attack on anybody that declares they are a Christian. A degree in "common sense" is more important than 50 college degrees. And Rooster is right. This is more important than John Freshwater.

You are right that just one person can't rehire Mr. Freshwater but if you took the time to read the Devil in Dover you could see how a school board was eventually taken over by people with a singular goal and that was to teach intelligent design in 9th grade biology.  This sparked a constitutional challenge that has left that district financially scarred.   I certainly don't want that to happen here.   Therefore, it is important to understand how potential school board members feel about the Freshwater situation.

All candidates are applicants for the job of School Board.  A voter asking for their credentials is no different than a potential employer asking for the credentials of an interviewee.  Why is that question such a problem for you?  Its certainly a simple one that surely has a simple answer.

This is far from an attack on Christianity.  That's an outrageous statement and I for the life of me can't figure out where you would get that from.  Christianity is made up of numerous denominations and no one denomination should be able to push their belief system on any other denomination.  So are you saying that those of us who are questioning Mr. Thompson are not Christian????  He is but we're not????  Where in the world do you get that from?  That's just a distracting question with no merit whatsoever.

When a person runs for office, they must be able and willing to answer the public's questions, some which they feel are valid and some which are not.  It's a public office for crying out loud!  If they don't want to answer, they can certainly say so. 

[wastintime]

Why does anyone think one school board member would have the power to rehire anybody. I sense a real attack on people with genuine concern for "the kids" and an attack on anybody that declares they are a Christian. A degree in "common sense" is more important than 50 college degrees. And Rooster is right. This is more important than John Freshwater.

I don't see it as an attack on Christianity really.  But, I think people in Mt. Vernon perceive it that way. (And I'm a Mount Vernon native by the way)

I agree with you Hondo, that common sense is a virtue.  But, my concern is that some believe that Mr. Freshwater had "common sense"  and that he was a very "likable" guy. The problem is that he abused that. 

I think a couple of the candidates are perceived in the same way, that is having common sense and being likable.  That could be a problem for our district.