Same Stuff, Just A Different Day

  • Tuesday, March 8, 2016

We have a bit of a problem in our Hamilton County school system don't we.

We spend more money per studii than anyone in the state, with the exception of Memphis. Teacher morale is about as low as it can be. There are claims that up to 95 percent of budgeted tax dollars go directly to the classroom, but teachers don't have paper or adequate textbooks. Tax dollars are spent on textbooks that are known not to meet minimum standards.

Our children and grandchildren are forced to be in school with known criminals… drug dealers, thieves, violent offenders.

School should be, if nothing else, the last safe place for any child, but isn't.

Brand spanky new textbooks, still bundled in the plastic wrappers are thrown in the trash, and the person who goes dumpster diving for them will be threatened for absconding with county property… but the person who threw them there in the first place suffers no consequences for waste of taxpayer resources.

And leadership…

“The beatings will continue until morale improves” isn't a philosophy of leadership. That's nothing more than bullying and control by intimidation, the method of choice for at least the last three Hamilton County directors of schools.

Our teachers get no respect. They have been, and are, assaulted in their schools… our children and grandchildren too. Teachers are given all the responsibility, and blame, with no authority to carry out those responsibilities.

And a kid's, any kid's, safety and well-being become subordinate to a basketball score...

The last three directors of schools have been utter and complete failures in their assigned task of educating children to become self sufficient, taxpaying citizens. The first two, Register and Scales, were failures before they got here. Why? So those who brought them here would have some means of control over them? One must wonder. Their charge was to bring the school system up to standard. They doubled the cost, doubled the number of studii requiring remedial instruction before they meet minimum standards for college, and the number of failing schools is greater than before they came. I'm still trying to figure out why Scales needed to import a communications director from California.

Then came Mr. Fred R. “Rick” Smith. After spending 30 years in the Hamilton County school system he should have been able to hit the ground running and had the problems corrected, if not in a week, surely by the end of the first year of his tenure. And what was the result? SSDD… Same (stuff), just a Different Day. Schools are, again, in worse shape, morale is lower, the same problems are on-going, and he wanted more money to perform even more poorly. After reading his contract, lucky paragraph 13 on page 6 specifically, someone on the school board needs to grow a set, man or woman up, look him in the eye and say “Yo holmes. Bring it on. You were charged with these goals and paid handsomely to accomplish them. You failed. The system is worse now than when you assumed the helm. Now take your retirement and just go away.”

And the hand wringing begins, “Oh, we must have someone with a background in education.” Has there ever been a bigger line of hooey? Not hardly.

How's that been working for us? Any of us, nationwide.

When reviewing qualifications it would seem reasonable to first look at individual situations and ask why one might be applying for a particular job, this long before even looking at qualifications. Why do we need to import another foreigner, from 1,000+ miles away, with all of the accompanying expense? Could it be someone needs a check? Or wants someone else, in this case taxpayers, to pick up the tab for them to move where they want? Why would someone who's the president of a corporation look to leave his own business to step into a pile of, well, a pile? The same question might be asked of the founder and executive director of a foundation. Sounds like someone wants a paycheck. Government money spends pretty well, I guess, especially when there's a history of no accountability being required. Not to be insulting, but what does someone with no street creds bring to the party?

No background in education… that statement only accentuates the naiveté of the stater, versus the stator. Anyone who's spent time out here in the real world, realville, the land of profits and losses and returns on investment, understands that life in general is nothing but an on-going educational and learning process. The day we quit learning is the day we need to be planted.

Let's take this SemperFi Guy, Colonel Sadler, just for example.

In Marine Air we had everything from Cessnas and Beechcrafts to souped-up, dual turbo-charged, miniature rocket-ships with little bitty stubby wings so they had some maneuverability, that will scream through the sky at the edge of outer space doing mach 2.5+… with afterburners, and jet-jocks who will do everything they can to pop rivets out of the skin by exceeding the rated G-forces when they take one of those birds up.

Now, wouldn't any sane person want to be assured the men and women maintaining those babies are trained to the max? My personal favorite was always the F-4 Phantom. No matter what anyone says, well, there was always the SR-71… but we didn't have any of those.

Colonel Sadler didn't fly one of our aeronautical hot-rods. He did strap on one of the work-horses of the battlefield, helicopters. The same goes for them. One might imagine getting to the edge of a hot fire engagement and those 1,800 horsepower engines starting to spit, sputter, and caugh… or the blades go flying out into the wild blue yonder because someone hadn't been trained how to torque down bolts properly and the safety-wire them in place.

A pilot wants to know everyone touching his or her plane is as well trained as possible. Who ensures that? It certainly isn't the civilians. They may do initial training but on-going training is the responsibility of the operating organization. Basic training, cross training, advanced training, jury rigging, what works and what doesn't is all the responsibility of the officers and senior NCOs of every squadron and air group.

In a combat situation we can't afford to sit back and tell the CO we're waiting for parts to come from Stateside… not when there are missions to fly. And yes, Budweiser cans do work better to patch bullet holes than Schlitz or Olympia. Duct tape works better in combination with a beer can but works almost as well by itself.

How does a radio technician help out down in the ECM (electronic countermeasures) shop? How does a trained test equipment technician go work in the radar shop? Or the electric shop, or any of them flip wrenches with the jet-mechs?

I've done all of these things and the closest I ever got to combat was Thailand.

Teacher morale at the HCDE stinks. They need someone they can count on to run interference when they need assistance.

Classroom discipline stinks. Teachers need to know there's someone they can count on to enforce rules and back them to the hilt when it comes to controlling their classrooms.

Classrooms lack materials. A true leader will ensure his troops, teachers in this case, have what they need to accomplish their individual missions… educating our precious progeny.

The cycle must be broken. It won't be if all the school board does is the same old stuff, even though it's a new day.

Colonel Sadler has done all of these. He's strapped on one of those rotary wing aircraft too, the ones that go right into the middle of the fight when necessary, and haul the wounded out. He's had to face things full on that many of us can't even imagine, keep his cool, smile, and say “bring it, baby.”

And he has a really cool sword.

The HCDE is in trouble right now. It's about time SSDD is thrown out the window and someone with real creds, proven experience and abilities, is brought in to begin turning things around. I believe Colonel Sadler is that person. Any of the rest of us who do would do well to contact their respective elected officials... both school board member and county commissioner.

'Nanners is lobbying for her McNuggets. So are BooBoo Bear, Elvis, and The Sparkster. I sense a road trip coming on, and am truly thankful they aren't spoiled… then we'd be headed to Chic-fil-A, their absolute fave.

Royce Burrage, Jr.
Royce@Officially Chapped.org

Opinion
We Owe Rhonda Thurman So Much
  • 3/28/2024

Thank you, Rhonda Thurman, for your excellent representation and service. You have totally fulfilled your commitment to be the voice of your constituents. Balance is always the objective in making ... more

Democratic View On Top State Senate Issues - March 28, 2024
  • 3/28/2024

Constitutional amendment would ban state taxes on property. Who would benefit? 8:30 a.m. Senate Regular Calendar — HJR 0081 would amend the Tennessee Constitution to prohibit the legislature ... more

Democratic View On Top State Senate Issues - March 27, 2024
  • 3/27/2024

Gov. Lee reveals $797M of new spending, but withholds funding for legislature’s voucher proposals View the Lee Administration’s Budget Amendment — The Lee Administration made its last revisions ... more