“that’s political suicide.”
Emily Gersema over at the AZ Republic wrote a very interesting article recently that is definitely worth a read.
Apparently current board member and board candidate Denise Standage is feeling miffed that she was not endorsed by the folks over at Change In HUSD. (Yeah, you read right… the incumbent candidate is irked about not being endorsed by a group called Change In HUSD…) Well more specifically, she is miffed that after she missed the appointment they went ahead and made their endorsements anyway. We get this gem of a quote from the article:
Standage thinks that she and the mothers are at odds solely because she supports Lutrey.
In the current political climate, she said, “that’s political suicide.”
Anyhow, it is interesting to read in the article how people have gone about dismissing the concerns board member Kim Anderson has brought up over and over throughout the years. Apparently when she complains about the culture in HUSD that is driving the best teachers away and keeping morale low her complaints are dismissed as actually being some personal vendetta over her brother losing a job years ago.
Oh the drama of it all.
Look, it is not hard to see results. If a lot of good teachers have left that is not because Ms. Anderson has a personal beef with Ms. Lutrey. It sounds like the company line right now is “The district has released data showing that retention actually is on the rise”. That is good news. However, since I know of good teachers that left in disgust or who felt railroaded I read that to mean “HUSD doesn’t suck at retaining teachers as much as it used to”. I hope I am just being cynical though…
Judy:
Ms. Standage feels miffed about not being endorsed? What has she brought to the table in the past years that would earn an endorsement? I have attended several board meetings in the past few years and have watched the board members actions and reactions to the parents/public. I may be wrong, however it always appears that Ms. Standage needs to look at Dr. Lutrey for expressions before making expressions of her own or answering a question. I find it disturbing that this person wants to make a statement in our district but has not put her children in a public school. In addition, you are representing the board, which is a professional panel of sorts yet you come in looking like you just left the gym. The only time it appears that you put effort into appearance was when the newspaper was taking photos at the last work session. That may seem like a little thing, but appearance goes hand in hand with professionalism. If you want to be taken seriously, look the part and speak for yourself, from the heart. The district needs change.
As for Kim Anderson, I have heard over and over it is a personal issue between she and Lutrey. I have watched them both and it only seems to get heated when Ms. Anderson disagrees. I believe we all are entitled to an opinion and she seems to be the only one willing to put hers out there. Ironically, it is usually what the parents/public are wishing they could ask.
Bottom line is, I would like to believe the voters are going to go with what is best for the children and not what they are led to believe through their church, leaders, etc. The wonderful thing about our country is that we are able to make our own decisions.
October 20, 2008, 5:38 pmPeggy:
I agree 100% with Judy.
October 26, 2008, 12:35 pmMs. Anderson is the only board member who ever questions the HUSD administration. She often votes “no” for board agenda items, and in turn is criticized- but she knows that the board is not given all the details to make an informed vote. The other current board members are just dolts that can be convinced of anything that Lutrey and Birdwell tell them. Thank goodness Ms. Anderson has a brain and a mind of her own.