Have you ever heard the expression "caught between a rock and a hard place"? You probably have and that it means you are stuck without good options. That’s how I feel about the two candidates for School Board District 2.
To begin, I have never met either candidate. If it weren’t for their pictures in the Florida Times Union I wouldn’t be able to pick either out of a lineup. Though I have read both their resumes and suggestions and neither leaves me feeling very confident.
Neither has been a teacher. Neither has worked in schools, and as far as I can tell their experience with children is limited at best. Theresa Graham ran for the City Council in the past. Fred “Fel” Lee is the Vice Mayor of Neptune Beach. Both of these little facts scream career politician to me, or wannabees. Sadly this is not new when it comes to the School Board. The Board has long been littered with politicians or wannabees who have used the position as either a stepping stone up or an exit on the way down. The wreckage these people have left in their wake has seriously diminished education in Jacksonville as a whole.
Mrs. Graham talks about the need for early childhood literacy. This has become the siren call for the uninformed. Although early literacy programs are important, kids in those programs have been shown to lose most of the gains by the time they reach middle school. We must figure out what goes wrong in between if we want to make a meaningful impact.
On the flip side, Mr. Lee says we need to run school like a business. That slogan train left the station years ago. Running schools like a business would be dreadful. If students were employees and we expected them to act accordingly, come to school and do their work, sadly, we would fire a third of them right off the bat. Mr. Lee, I am going to need more than a tired old slogan to be convinced you have any idea you know what you are doing.
I look at these candidates and shake my head when I think of what could have been as 17-year teacher John King was once a candidate for this seat. Not only was he a dedicated teacher but also he had ideas that didn’t come off the back of matchbooks. They came from spending almost two decades in the classroom and working in a school system that many think, despite 1701 Prudential drives assertions to the contrary, is headed in the wrong direction. Perhaps best among Mr. King’s ideas was that’s everybody with a certificate teach, including, administrators, district people and academic coaches, everybody with a certificate, is in at least one classroom delivering instruction everyday. So many of our leaders including our school board members are disconnected with what’s going on in the classroom. They have no clue and sadly don’t seem very interested in getting one. A trend I fear will continue when either Mrs. Graham or Mr. Lee is elected.
I sincerely hope whoever gets elected to prove me wrong. Until then, I will continue to believe district 2 is caught between a rock and a hard place.
Chris Guerrieri
School Teacher
Showing posts with label John King. Show all posts
Showing posts with label John King. Show all posts
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Sunday, August 22, 2010
John King, school board district 2
I wouldn’t go to a Doctor to take care of my legal needs and I wouldn’t go to a lawyer to take care of my medical ones either. Yet the city, election after election, chooses to go to politicians or people only with a tenuous connection to education for it’s educational needs. This Tuesday however we can say enough is enough and put educators on our school board.
Will teachers automatically be better than businessmen or politicians? I think yes. They have been working with the counties children, next to it’s teachers, in its schools and this more than running a business or being a career politician makes them better qualified. John King has been teaching for the last seven-teen years, dedicating himself to the cities children and this makes him better qualified than his opponents. Though it doesn’t stop there.
I’ll let his own words speak for himself.
John’s desire to become a School Board member is not an intentional launch of a political career. He would rather refer to it as a detour. He wants to expand the reach and services of education to all students of Duval County. He believes losing students to home schooling and private schools is unacceptable. Failing Schools can be improved. Failing students can be motivated. But this will take patience, compromise, courage, and money.
John exercises the first three, as for money, the state must be forced to re-allocate funds by active parents/voters. High reaching educational goals cannot be sacrificed nor can they be obtained on a skeleton budget. John will fight all budget cut plans.
The simply stated mission or role of the Duval County schools should be to provide each and every student with a good start in becoming a productive citizen. The school systems failure to provide differentiated pathways of graduation excludes many students whose objectives in life do not include an immediate four-year university degree. His motive is to be a VOICE for those who feel unheard, a LISTENER for those who feel ignored. By being actively involved with the student body he has continued to hear the student’s concerns about graduation requirements and the instructional path forced upon them. He wants to foster a Duval County School System that graduates more students prepared to be productive citizens in our community. (Taken with permission from, http://votejohnking.com/)
Friends Tuesday you have a choice. You can say you are okay with the status quo and how things have been running or you are not. You can say lets continue to allow career politicians to use the school board as a stepping stone on the way up or on the way down or not. You can say the school board should be made up of people who have never been in classrooms but despite this think they can fix our schools problems or not. You can do those things or not. To not do so, and to instead vote for our cities children is to vote for John King, school board district two.
Chris Guerrieri
Will teachers automatically be better than businessmen or politicians? I think yes. They have been working with the counties children, next to it’s teachers, in its schools and this more than running a business or being a career politician makes them better qualified. John King has been teaching for the last seven-teen years, dedicating himself to the cities children and this makes him better qualified than his opponents. Though it doesn’t stop there.
I’ll let his own words speak for himself.
John’s desire to become a School Board member is not an intentional launch of a political career. He would rather refer to it as a detour. He wants to expand the reach and services of education to all students of Duval County. He believes losing students to home schooling and private schools is unacceptable. Failing Schools can be improved. Failing students can be motivated. But this will take patience, compromise, courage, and money.
John exercises the first three, as for money, the state must be forced to re-allocate funds by active parents/voters. High reaching educational goals cannot be sacrificed nor can they be obtained on a skeleton budget. John will fight all budget cut plans.
The simply stated mission or role of the Duval County schools should be to provide each and every student with a good start in becoming a productive citizen. The school systems failure to provide differentiated pathways of graduation excludes many students whose objectives in life do not include an immediate four-year university degree. His motive is to be a VOICE for those who feel unheard, a LISTENER for those who feel ignored. By being actively involved with the student body he has continued to hear the student’s concerns about graduation requirements and the instructional path forced upon them. He wants to foster a Duval County School System that graduates more students prepared to be productive citizens in our community. (Taken with permission from, http://votejohnking.com/)
Friends Tuesday you have a choice. You can say you are okay with the status quo and how things have been running or you are not. You can say lets continue to allow career politicians to use the school board as a stepping stone on the way up or on the way down or not. You can say the school board should be made up of people who have never been in classrooms but despite this think they can fix our schools problems or not. You can do those things or not. To not do so, and to instead vote for our cities children is to vote for John King, school board district two.
Chris Guerrieri
Friday, August 20, 2010
Shame on the Times Union for not supporting the city's children
It's disappointing to see the Times Union pick career politicians over teachers for two of the school board races. In effect they are saying the way we have been doing things (putting career politicians using the board as a stepping stone, undoubtedly up for Mr. Lee, and down for Mr. Smith) is working and nothing could be further from the truth.
The board desperately needs people who are working with the cities children next to its teachers in its schools. They better than people filled with hubris how have a tenuous relationship to education are what we need. Becki Couch and John King where not as experienced politically are better qualified.
Doing the same thing over and over yet expecting a different out come is a common definition of insanity. To follow the times unions picks where perhaps not insanity is certainly folly. I am not questioning the character of their picks, I am questioning their qualifications and unless they have been in the schools day after day then they are undoubtedly out of their depths.
Shame on you Times Union for supporting the status quo, when it's the status quo that has contributed to running our city into the ground. How about next time instead of extoling experience you instead look out for the best needs of the cities children.
Very disapointing
Chris Guerrieri
School Teacher
The board desperately needs people who are working with the cities children next to its teachers in its schools. They better than people filled with hubris how have a tenuous relationship to education are what we need. Becki Couch and John King where not as experienced politically are better qualified.
Doing the same thing over and over yet expecting a different out come is a common definition of insanity. To follow the times unions picks where perhaps not insanity is certainly folly. I am not questioning the character of their picks, I am questioning their qualifications and unless they have been in the schools day after day then they are undoubtedly out of their depths.
Shame on you Times Union for supporting the status quo, when it's the status quo that has contributed to running our city into the ground. How about next time instead of extoling experience you instead look out for the best needs of the cities children.
Very disapointing
Chris Guerrieri
School Teacher
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
The Times Union, doesn't get it
The Times Union just doesn’t get it. One of the biggest problems we have here in Jacksonville is that our school system is run by politicians on their way up or way down and casual observers filled with hubris who have at best a tenuous relationship to education. I am not saying they are of bad character or lack compassion and passion. I am saying they are out of their depth and the school system, our children and the entire city suffers for it.
So what does the Times Union do? It endorses a politician on his way down, Eric Smith and a politician on his way up, Fred “Fel” Lee. Admittedly, they do so while giving a nod to two teachers who have been in the classrooms and roaming the halls of schools in the county for a combined 29 years, Becki Couch and John King, saying they wouldn’t be bad choices. However a nod is not good enough.
Just like I wouldn’t turn to a Lawyer to take care of my health needs or a plumber to fly me across country no matter how good they were at their respective jobs, I don’t think Jacksonville should rely on professional politicians to run our schools. Judge for yourself the track record they have had.
Our children can no longer afford for “school board member” to be a line on a resume. Instead we need people who have been passionate about and dedicated to education. People who have been with our children and who have worked side by side with the cities teachers in the cities schools. They, not casual observers will have the best ideas of what works or what doesn’t. They, better than career politicians, will have a better idea of what the district needs to be successful. There is not one current board member who has been in a classroom in over a decade. The board is made up of lawyers, life long politicians and consultants and has been for quite some time. We don’t just need some teachers on the board; we desperately need some teachers on the board.
When the Times Union endorses politicians over teachers to run our schools it says to its readers, things are fine and things aren’t fine. It says to the people of Jacksonville lets continue to do business as usual, when the city can no longer afford to do it that way and it says, we just don’t get it.
Chris Guerrieri
School Teacher
So what does the Times Union do? It endorses a politician on his way down, Eric Smith and a politician on his way up, Fred “Fel” Lee. Admittedly, they do so while giving a nod to two teachers who have been in the classrooms and roaming the halls of schools in the county for a combined 29 years, Becki Couch and John King, saying they wouldn’t be bad choices. However a nod is not good enough.
Just like I wouldn’t turn to a Lawyer to take care of my health needs or a plumber to fly me across country no matter how good they were at their respective jobs, I don’t think Jacksonville should rely on professional politicians to run our schools. Judge for yourself the track record they have had.
Our children can no longer afford for “school board member” to be a line on a resume. Instead we need people who have been passionate about and dedicated to education. People who have been with our children and who have worked side by side with the cities teachers in the cities schools. They, not casual observers will have the best ideas of what works or what doesn’t. They, better than career politicians, will have a better idea of what the district needs to be successful. There is not one current board member who has been in a classroom in over a decade. The board is made up of lawyers, life long politicians and consultants and has been for quite some time. We don’t just need some teachers on the board; we desperately need some teachers on the board.
When the Times Union endorses politicians over teachers to run our schools it says to its readers, things are fine and things aren’t fine. It says to the people of Jacksonville lets continue to do business as usual, when the city can no longer afford to do it that way and it says, we just don’t get it.
Chris Guerrieri
School Teacher
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