Ok, yesterday was this big whoopdedo to break ground at the two high schools. We’re paying a whole lot for that, remember?
One of you wrote asking why weren’t we invited? No one’s talking yet. But I e-mailed Gibson and asked about the bus that drove VIP’s to the schools. I also asked if there was any catering. His reply:
The bus that provided transportation from Central to East between ceremonies was offered compliments of CG Schmidt Construction Company, the district’s construction manager for the two building projects.
Someone will get back to you next week with the cost of the bakery, fruit, and coffee (Panera) at Central. There were no refreshments at East as the audiences were largely the same. Thanks.
Sadly, I firmly believe Matt Gibson thinks that bus didn’t cost taxpayers. It’s why I didn’t (and really still don’t) trust him to manage this effort.
Meg Wartman, Elmbrook School Board President, was on the bus according to one source. Guess she’s not smart enough to get it either.
Pathetic, don’t you think?
13 responses so far ↓
1 Dan H // Oct 10, 2008 at 3:07 pm
Is coffee and donuts that big of deal, Cindy? Sure its tax payer money, but you buy Speakers, and the rest of City Hall’s, coffee and donuts every morning. And getting to ride on the bus is just part of the territory - look at it this way, they saved some gas with everyone driving together. Big Whoop.
2 Cindy Kilkenny // Oct 10, 2008 at 3:42 pm
Dan, you were a big backer of the referendum, so I can see where you wouldn’t care.
I’m more concerned about Gibson’s fundamental understanding of economics than “coffee and donuts.” He evidently believes in a free lunch. That’s going to continue to be very expensive to those of us who are expected to pay.
3 Kathryn // Oct 10, 2008 at 4:24 pm
Is the construction company a sunk cost?
4 Cindy Kilkenny // Oct 10, 2008 at 5:51 pm
What difference does it make?
5 Anonymous // Oct 12, 2008 at 4:13 pm
several CRIMES occured at PPMS and your administration is covering it up, ignoring the problem, the victim, the law, while being chauffered and coddled.
Does the $62M cover video monitoring, police, proper safety guideline training? Does it remove the emotional and physical scars on the little girl who was beaten or the trauma of the other students who were threatened or intimidated by the bullys and lack of protection the district failed to provide?
All students have the right to a SAFE school invironment. Where is the outrage when all this taxpayor money is spent on education yet a child cannot be kept safe, nor be assured her rights as a person let alone a victim of several violent crimes.
Their actions point to MONEY and POWER. Decrease liability, increase nonreident enrollment CASH, skew the statstics, burry the problems.
6 Dan H // Oct 12, 2008 at 4:33 pm
That 62 mil is actually going straight into a spelling program so that future generations learn how to spell words like ‘burry’.
7 Anonymous // Oct 13, 2008 at 8:41 am
How sensitive Dan. The issues I point out can be addressed with proper leadership and a minor amount out of existing budgets.
If you have children in the district and are not concerned about the events at PPMS and the districts failure to act, please think again.
It could have been any child… well any child that would stand up to bullies, report the dangerous behavior, and hope there would be some assistance from the adults you and I pay to make sure the kids are safe.
Please review the Sept 17 Elmbrook Nonresident blog.
Thank you
8 Kathryn // Oct 13, 2008 at 8:54 am
Anonymous, please don’t take the following as a challenge, because I have only your account of the incidents from which to gather details. What do you believe should have been done that was not done? If the victim did not speak up, and other students did not speak up, and even the victim’s parent was in the dark until pretty far along in the chain of events, and no adult knew the extent of the violence prior to the medical exam–what could have been done that was not done? Specifically, what can we do now to protect other children?
9 Anonymous // Oct 13, 2008 at 9:56 am
Thank you for your concern.
The school was notified on the abuse months prior to the last day of school. The school was informed on the last day of school regarding the beating, yet sent the child home on the bus.
When notified by parent and the wounds were shown, the district refused to contact authorities.
The disrict has a respopnsibility to address his behavior, and chose not to do anything several times, including the failure to immediately investigate, address the victims issues, address the perps actions timely instead of delaying review at least 5 weeks.
They would not address a plan to keep the victim safe.
They do not want anyone to know this happened.
the district must report these events, set up a system to allow students to report abuses and protect them.
The schools need to educate students and staff how to deal with bullying, provide police presence at middle and high schools.
Create a parental oversite committee or indepndent committee to investigate and provide oversite.
This would be a start.
Thanks
lan to
10 Kathryn // Oct 13, 2008 at 1:36 pm
I am perplexed. I live on the west side of the district, so have a different chain of schools, but have never brought anything, big or small, to an administrator that was not dealt with promptly. One of my children had a long ordeal with another student behaving inappropriately, but always there was a response from the school.
Did anything come of the police involvement?
11 Dan H // Oct 13, 2008 at 1:44 pm
Put your kid in a sport. Have him/her make friends that back him/her up. Teach him or her karate.
All good ideas to prevent bullying.
I was bullied all through middle school. Then I started lifting weights…
12 Kathryn // Oct 13, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Dan, I agree with you to a point. Kids who know they can defend themselves can walk away from most confrontations without an incident, and they can intervene when someone else needs help.
However, we are talking about kids here, and we have a fiduciary obligation to protect them. We don’t really want them to be in the position of hit or be hit. The goal is play nice and be safe.
13 Anonymous // Oct 13, 2008 at 10:05 pm
Dan, this was 3 on 1, at school. These are 13 year olds.
The GIRL is out for sports, and has a yellow belt in TKD. One boy brings a knife to school, 2 others use track spikes to beat her 3 times, and all 3 beat her with 3 foot clubs the last day of school. She was threatened with death, and others knew.
There were plenty of witnesses on the last day, but they did not go for help. Only one stood up for her, and they threatened the girl who stood up by telling her her friend would be killed if she didn’t stop.
This was on the playground during school, over a 15-20 minute period.
Kathryn, thank you for your concern. The police arrested all 3 perpetrators. There were several witnesses that came forward.
Many times there were concerns brought to the schools attention, and each time the perpetrator and victim were brought into the same room to work it out.
Each time, the victim got hurt, either by a punch, hand slammed in her locker door, held in the hallway so she would be late for class, homework destroyed on several occasions. Sometimes it was destroying her personal property, and other times it was metal spikes BURIED into her knees, thighs and shins, or clubs whipping her back, arms, legs. Every time it was reported, the violence escalated.
The victim is traumatized. She heard that one of the perps will be back in Elmbrook schools next September.
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