This is so disturbing on so many levels. The architects fees are so ridiculously high relative to the budget for the school and reflects total mismanagement of the process. Find a commercial project with accountable fiduciaries where $6.5M has been spent for a $40M project that HASN’T BROKEN GROUND!
Regarding the legal fees to the attorney for the teacher, this is 100% and needs to be investigated. Her lawsuit had nothing to do with D65. She brought a lawsuit against an organization for defamation and lost. It had nothing to do with D65 and there is no way they can use taxpayer money to do this.
I have a love/hate relationship with FOIA Gras. I love reading it, but I hate how my blood boils thinking about what this current BoA is doing to our district and city. I saw an old classmate on the riff list last time. We are not at an age where you want to be looking to start over in your career, but looking towards winding it down. They will land somewhere and be ok, I am sure. But I find it so aggravating that while Rome burns, architects get fat paychecks, and the admin continues so say “Let them eat cake (or gyros).” The Board spends other people’s money and it shows. Where is the edict from on high to stop any and all non-essential spending? If your latest tax bill wasn’t a wake up call, wait until the next assessment. Our district is in shambles financially. Where do you all think the shortfalls will come from? Your pockets, and at the expense of your kids. When the other schools start closing, prepare for your kids to get bussed because there is no neighborhood school. (Which is NOT a big deal. I took a school bus in this city across town and lived to tell the tale. That’s not my point.) It’s the irony of ending up needing bussing because your plan to end bussing caused more bussing. So much avoidable waste and expense, all so those ridiculous people could get their backs slapped by a conman and self-righteously believe they fixed racism in our horrible city. They’ve illegally finagled funds to build a school we didn’t need in order to “fix” something that happened 60 years ago, to help one segment of the population that isn’t even the majority of the ward anymore. Meanwhile, the fastest-growing segment in the area gets screwed because their beloved TWI school got demolished, and they can’t even have the new school in their ward house it. And at least two other schools will have to go to pay for this civil rights win, and the remaining schools will still not get the infrastructure repairs they need funding for. Teachers will be axed (maybe they can reapply at the new Devon Horton Elementary school??), student-facing potions will be eliminated, they will ask for money via a referendum (DON’T YOU DARE VOTE YES- YOU CANNOT TRUST THESE PEOPLE TO SPEND IT WISELY). I don’t want to be all doom and gloom, but despite many kids having a great year and things for most (white) students going swimmingly, the fact is this district has many, many problems. Chief among them is no matter how much money they throw at whatever butterfly flits by and distracts them, they cannot seem to properly educate the minority student population, and in fact are sending kids unprepared educationally for the rigors of high school and beyond AND who are undisciplined and causing havoc in the halls of ETHS. There needs to be a housecleaning in district 65. What is it going to take for this city to realize it?
I find it quite sad that the Board was patting itself on the back for cutting 12 admin positions. Equally sad is the fact that my first thought when they celebrated being able to cut more than asked for was are those numbers legit or partially pulled from the ether.
The District is possibly paying the legal fees for an employee who, IN HER PERSONAL CAPACITY, filed a lawsuit against someone with whom they had a dispute that had nothing to do with her work!?!?
The only way the District was involved is that the defendant sent a letter about Sebaggala to the School Board. The letter had nothing to do with her work at D65 and the District is not even part of the lawsuit. Sebaggala's co-plaintiff is something called "Abolition Coalition."
Is this some sort of variant of a Trump-esque defense--The Assistant Principal Immunity Doctrine?
I can do whatever I want as an Assistant Principal and the District will fund it?
The lawsuit was so frivolous to begin with--when you read the complaint, it amounts to nothing more than Sebaggla being upset that someone was commenting on her Facebook posts with stuff she didn't like (ever hear of the delete button?) and reposting things Sebaggla said in public comment at school board meetings in another district.
Looking forward to see what your FOIA on this comes up with.
This is so disturbing on so many levels. The architects fees are so ridiculously high relative to the budget for the school and reflects total mismanagement of the process. Find a commercial project with accountable fiduciaries where $6.5M has been spent for a $40M project that HASN’T BROKEN GROUND!
Regarding the legal fees to the attorney for the teacher, this is 100% and needs to be investigated. Her lawsuit had nothing to do with D65. She brought a lawsuit against an organization for defamation and lost. It had nothing to do with D65 and there is no way they can use taxpayer money to do this.
Grecian Kitchen….sigh.
I have a love/hate relationship with FOIA Gras. I love reading it, but I hate how my blood boils thinking about what this current BoA is doing to our district and city. I saw an old classmate on the riff list last time. We are not at an age where you want to be looking to start over in your career, but looking towards winding it down. They will land somewhere and be ok, I am sure. But I find it so aggravating that while Rome burns, architects get fat paychecks, and the admin continues so say “Let them eat cake (or gyros).” The Board spends other people’s money and it shows. Where is the edict from on high to stop any and all non-essential spending? If your latest tax bill wasn’t a wake up call, wait until the next assessment. Our district is in shambles financially. Where do you all think the shortfalls will come from? Your pockets, and at the expense of your kids. When the other schools start closing, prepare for your kids to get bussed because there is no neighborhood school. (Which is NOT a big deal. I took a school bus in this city across town and lived to tell the tale. That’s not my point.) It’s the irony of ending up needing bussing because your plan to end bussing caused more bussing. So much avoidable waste and expense, all so those ridiculous people could get their backs slapped by a conman and self-righteously believe they fixed racism in our horrible city. They’ve illegally finagled funds to build a school we didn’t need in order to “fix” something that happened 60 years ago, to help one segment of the population that isn’t even the majority of the ward anymore. Meanwhile, the fastest-growing segment in the area gets screwed because their beloved TWI school got demolished, and they can’t even have the new school in their ward house it. And at least two other schools will have to go to pay for this civil rights win, and the remaining schools will still not get the infrastructure repairs they need funding for. Teachers will be axed (maybe they can reapply at the new Devon Horton Elementary school??), student-facing potions will be eliminated, they will ask for money via a referendum (DON’T YOU DARE VOTE YES- YOU CANNOT TRUST THESE PEOPLE TO SPEND IT WISELY). I don’t want to be all doom and gloom, but despite many kids having a great year and things for most (white) students going swimmingly, the fact is this district has many, many problems. Chief among them is no matter how much money they throw at whatever butterfly flits by and distracts them, they cannot seem to properly educate the minority student population, and in fact are sending kids unprepared educationally for the rigors of high school and beyond AND who are undisciplined and causing havoc in the halls of ETHS. There needs to be a housecleaning in district 65. What is it going to take for this city to realize it?
I find it quite sad that the Board was patting itself on the back for cutting 12 admin positions. Equally sad is the fact that my first thought when they celebrated being able to cut more than asked for was are those numbers legit or partially pulled from the ether.
Woah, woah, woah--wait a minute?!?!
The District is possibly paying the legal fees for an employee who, IN HER PERSONAL CAPACITY, filed a lawsuit against someone with whom they had a dispute that had nothing to do with her work!?!?
The only way the District was involved is that the defendant sent a letter about Sebaggala to the School Board. The letter had nothing to do with her work at D65 and the District is not even part of the lawsuit. Sebaggala's co-plaintiff is something called "Abolition Coalition."
Is this some sort of variant of a Trump-esque defense--The Assistant Principal Immunity Doctrine?
I can do whatever I want as an Assistant Principal and the District will fund it?
The lawsuit was so frivolous to begin with--when you read the complaint, it amounts to nothing more than Sebaggla being upset that someone was commenting on her Facebook posts with stuff she didn't like (ever hear of the delete button?) and reposting things Sebaggla said in public comment at school board meetings in another district.
Looking forward to see what your FOIA on this comes up with.