MUST … BE … NICE …
We were encouraged to see headlines out of Jasper County, S.C. this week informing us that local government education czarina Vashti Washington‘s contract had been terminated.
The leader of the worst government-run school district in South Carolina – Washington has consistently produced abysmal academic results, yet each year she’s been rewarded with pay raises and contract renewals.
Not this year, though …
After a two-hour closed-door session (ummm … where’s the transparency?), Jasper County terminated its contract with Washington effective December 31, 2015. Of course because this is South Carolina, where documented bureaucratic incompetence commands a soft landing, Washington isn’t actually losing her job.
In fact she’s signed a one-year deal to serve as a consultant with the district – drawing a $165,000 salary and full benefits.
Unreal …
As we’ve said repeatedly, crap like this would never be tolerated in the private sector. There if you fail – you’re fired. That’s how it should be in government, too. Instead it’s “the more you fail, the more you make.”
32 comments
What are we gonna have to do to stifle these incessant attacks against “public education”? Maybe a listing of the numerous scandals, failures, embezzlements, etc. connected to the charter school movement?
“What are we gonna have to do to stifle these incessant attacks against “public education”?”
Who funds charter schools?
I’m with You on that one .
Charter schools are publicly funded schools.
Just a little more independent.
http://www.uncommonschools.org/faq-what-is-charter-school
One of my children attends a public charter school. It is by far better than any private school we have attended. The parents vote for the BOD and are encouraged to attend the BOD meetings. Of course, there is no perfect school, but the charter school system works better than any public or private school that I have seen.
Yes, I agree with you and I was not trying to imply that charter schools aren’t any better than the traditional public schools, they are better..
Yeah. As much as FITS thinks schools should not be government funded, it’s just not realistic to undo public education. Home Schooling is a great option but not everyone is cut out for that. Charter schools are generally smaller and more locally controlled which is less likely to breed corruption and wasted money.
In the case of post-Katrina New Orleans What they did have was the backing of the national “education reform” movement, which pushes charters and high-stakes testing. With the public-school bureaucracy out of the way, powerhouses in the reform movement, such as the Walton and Gates foundations, came calling. In a 2006 interview with Education Next magazine, Mayor Ray Nagin put it this way: “They said, ‘Look, you set up the right environment, we will fund, totally fund, brand-new schools for the city of New Orleans.’ ”
And they did. http://inthesetimes.com/article/18352/10-years-after-katrina-new-orleans-all-charter-district-has-proven-a-failur
That’s not the case in most charter schools, now you’re cherry picking.
In fact, I’ll bet that all of the charter schools in SC are publicly funded.
Actually, Will needs to remind us what is his preferred alternative to “public” education.
An alternative in my personal experience is a totally privately-funded school run by the parents. I was a founding parent and first President of the Board of Directors of the Community Montessori School in Lexington, Kentucky. The school exists to this day and its students attain the highest academic. One Rhodes Scholar, so far. http://cmsmontessori.org/
From the first class that entered as 3-year-olds (they were only able to go as far as third grade in CMS then), five of them were valedictorians at their high schools at graduation.
Montessori is cool. Kudos to you.
Yes, I would agree, I would stand corrected if someone had any other info.
Okay they failed, great, that is the marketplace at work and maybe they deserved closing. A Public Ed school only fails to teach it’s students, have you ever seen a school closed for cranking out poor students? No, instead even more money is pumped in until you get a useless bloated institution of failure.
Certainly true (to some extent). But what is your point? That Jasper County “ain’t so bad” because several charter schools have also failed due to poor management or corruption?
Also, don’t forget to mention that several charter schools have failed because the local public school district doesn’t enjoy the competition and purposefully sabotages the charter school’s efforts? (e.g. Orangeburg)
Maybe “ease” up on the “scare quotes,” “dude.”
Is her cafeteria card included in that $165,000? If not they really are getting taken to the cleaners.
actually the private sector is very similar in rewarding execs on their way out the door – the janitors get tossed same day, but the top floor guys never leave empty handed. still its good to hear washington is finally out. you are right to complain about the closed doors. thats a good target for legislation. school boards are always too quick to close the doors and stop taking minutes.
Almost all government is too quick to claim executive session.
Wish there was some kind of independent review so the public could know how much it’s used illegally.
As much as I would like to agree with the last paragraph, I can’t. Having experience at private schools, I can tell you there are plenty of teachers, especially in the upper schools who are inexperienced, incompetent and incapable. When the teacher is the daughter of an alum, big contributor or a board member, she has job security no matter what. One teacher would spend the first 20 minutes of each class praying, one teacher Facebooked through the entire class and one teacher never learned my kid’s name.
Why are you always on the internet and ignoring me?
There’s a frozen pizza in the freezer for you.
With the exception of the “Rich” private schools, it is very difficult for a Private School to compete with a public school, for salary and benefits. Consequently, my experience is that most small private, typically religious, schools do not have the best teachers. They have the teachers who could not get a public school job. We sent our youngest to private school through eighth grade then moved him to public school. We should have moved sooner. We have very good public schools were we are.
I’ve dealt with the “Rich” private schools too. Tuition typically covers 80% of the expenses. The rest is covered by “The Annual Fund.” Each family is pressured by the administration and other parents to cough up a few thousand for this. Each year the school publishes an Annual Fund Report listing names of parents who gave and how much. You better be sure your name is listed in there if you expect to be treated fairly.
Some small private school grads try teaching in the public school and cannot adjust to teaching a class with many black children and their black parents. You should hear the complaints.
There are HR people in factories in these small rural counties, where so many of these schools exist, who can tell you that many private school graduates simply cannot work with black people.
If you are making the point that private school are not representative of the real world, you are correct.
The Jews suck too.
South Carolina is ecstatic to announce a new species of Fuckin’ Cockroach
Czarina Vashti Washington has been confirmed as the first verified Energizer Fuckin’ Cockroach
She just keeps going, and going, and going and going fucking taxpayers 24/7 never missing a stroke
Note: you did post her first name as Vashti (pronounced Va – sh – tee) how fucking appropriate
Jasper plans to sell Ms.Washington’s contract to the Citadel where they expect her to become the next director of the campus diversity office…
Sounds like Carly Fiorina runs the place. Fail, get paid, screw everyone else.
Can’t happen in the private sector? Two words, Carly Fiorina
Ummmm…Kemosabe—let’s help Will out by saying what he won’t—Jasper County has said…we figga
Like Richland County’s black thugocracy rehiring incompetent McBride—we ain’t gonna fire no… !!!
There is so much more to this story. Those two stooges down here who claimed to be with the FBI, simply left and never came back. There is a boatload of money missing and unaccounted for, but that’s appears okay with the U.S. Attorneys office and all of the politicians (including Fits fav, Tom Davis.) Jasper and Allendale Counties do not want decent teachers that might figure things out in their administrations.
As a liberal I’m ashamed Ms. Harris-Perry counts herself among us, the woman is a true moron.