Tonight it’s official. The dissection of our school district continues with the elimination of my cafeteria unit and more essential professional and support staff by “carpetbaggers.” For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, as an educator, let me educate you. Simply put, a carpetbagger is a term used to describe outsiders attempting to gain political office or economic advantage, especially in areas to which they have no previous connection. I use this term for two reasons. Number one, as a person who has mutigenerational family members that have attended this system starting with my grandfather, to my father, down to my brothers, this term is the most fitting, as the majority of people on the dais can not state that. Number 2, for ten years, we have had state monitors, also carpetbaggers, in here that have allowed mismanagement to prosper in my district. The biggest crime spree is going on right in our very own school system, where our eyes are being ripped from our heads. From Mr. Cowell’s $12,000 A MONTH salary, to his justification of $12,000 A MONTH BOE offices, to his exorbitant salary recommendations for new hirees, has anyone ever questioned why there’s a budget deficit? It sure isn’t because my cafeteria staff didn’t collect 50 cents for a bag of chips!
In closing, I have two points I want to make clear:
1. Mr. Parham’s statements last week in reference to the consideration of privatizing other units over the next couple of years will be retracted tonight. Make no mistake about it, it has been told to me that Ms. Lowell clearly stated in the BOE offices that she will be getting rid of cafeteria this year, security next year and custodial services the following year. And my lily white grapevine is as pure white as the driven snow.
2. Your RICE notices are flawed and incorrect. 18A and Board Policy 3146 are not being followed properly and without either union’s input. We were called in 5 hours after RICE notices were delivered and Mednick and the PSA were not even consulted.
Once again, I implore this Board to do the right thing, vote against the Cowell Lowell Attack Plan or the C.L.A.P. and tell the state to let you run this board and not the Carpetbaggers for the betterment of the students that we all here educate. My union, the APEA, are truly United For Our Children. Not you Mr. Cowell.