I suppose it says something about an official when they run unopposed. Sometimes it's an indication of a person's character which means more to me than party affiliation.
Would You Vote For These Commissioners Again Knowing What They Don't know?
- Thread starter Misty
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Thanks for posting good to see you step up!
I'm not voting to re-elect anybody. I'm a registered Republican but I'll vote for any Democrats who are running in the general election.
You are right on track. Mr. Davis being the exception, I will vote to get all of them out. From Obama right on down to the mosquito control people. New blood cannot do worse and just might be an improvement. And you are also right that party means little these days. Republicans are pushing big government on both the state and local level.
As far as the school board goes, I don't think it makes any difference who's on the board. From what I'm told, they only vote on issues because it's required by law and as far as personnel recommendations go they don't even know who the applicants are, with the exception of relatives. I do know that my school board representative couldn't explain to me why some good teachers were laid off when no personnel cuts were required.
You are right Annie, the recent actions of Tallahassee have taken most of the authority over education away from the local school boards and placed it in the hands of bureaucrats. About the only thing left for the local school board to do is build buildings. This is one of the big reasons we need to change things in Tallahassee.
The DOE has said that local school districts are autonomous and can act as they please. They are not required to show any accountabiltiy and in Walton county they don't have to justify any decision that they make. The superintendent makes all decisions and the board always approves them. The Walton School District has even breached the collective bargaining agreement and won't explain why or even address the issue.
DOE is being less than truthful. Ask the teachers and administrators (and school board members) who controls education in this state. Or better yet, ask DOE if a local school district can opt out of FCAT or any part of the so-called Student Success Act.
It is my understanding that personnel cuts and hiring are the responsibility of the superintendent, as the school board is not involved in the day-to-day business of the school system (hiring/firing). When I asked Mark Davis about the teacher layoffs at Bay, he looked into it and got back to me with an answer. And yes, it was all about money/budget, and it stunk, but it is happening all over the country, not just here. The superintendent could have explained the the situation much better instead of leaving it up to the principals to be the "heavies", IMO. But that is al water under the bridge now.
It makes a huge difference who is on the board. If you have ever been to a school board meeting, you know what I am talking about. It would be fantastic for our community if the South Walton schools and parents really banded together as a unit to make sure our needs are met and we are heard, and heard loudly, in DeFuniak. Of course my dream would be a SoWal independent school system. Oh a girl can dream....
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I taught school for more than 30 years. I taught 4 years in Walton county and was laid off in 2010. I had good evaluations and my students' performance was excellent. There were no cuts in the number of teachers only teachers like me with masters degrees and years of experience. In fact the number of teachers hired increased. I applied for more than 50 of those jobs with no consideration. I was told by my representative on the school board, Mrs. Wilkerson, that it was the policy of the board not to rehire former teachers. If that's ethical I'm out of touch.