Delaware State Board of Education’s Wild Sunset Review & They Are Still Missing A Member

Delaware State Board of Education

The State Board does not hear or receive official complaints.

As the Delaware State Board of Education goes through their sunset review with the Delaware Sunset Committee, it has become more clear than ever this is a state agency in need of massive change.

After board member Jorge Melendez resigned last fall, the Delaware State Board of Education still has six members on their seven seat roster.  Three weeks into Governor Carney’s four-year term, there has been no nomination for Melendez’ replacement.

My concern is what happens if the State Board of Education votes on an action item which results in a tie vote.  Who breaks that stalemate?  How long will Carney wait to choose a replacement?  As well, the Governor has the authority to replace the existing State Board of Education President with Senate confirmation.  Will Carney do this which has been a typical thing in the past?

At present, the Delaware State Board of Education is under Joint Sunset Review by Delaware legislators.  Donna Johnson, the Executive Director of the State Board, submitted a very lengthy questionnaire to the committee last October.  Johnson provided an extensive and very thorough history of the State Board of Education which included items I had no clue about.  Included in the document is a list of Delaware Attorney General opinions that affect the agency.  There have been 21 such opinions dating back to 1996 with an average of one per year.  Eight Executive Orders, all issued for former Delaware Governor Jack Markell, had an impact on the State Board as well.  There is one section that talks about bringing the former Delaware Teacher of the Year on the board as a non-voting member.  Donna Johnson’s role was changed in 2010 from Policy Analyst to Executive Director.  Aside from her, the only other staff is an administrative assistant through the Delaware Dept. of Education (awesome lady by the way, Dani Moore).  Donna Johnson’s performance review is also included in the below document, but there is no indication of who approved this review aside from the State Board of Education in 2015.  I do not recall seeing this performance review on a State Board of Education agenda, but that may not be required under Delaware code or perhaps I missed it.  The most shocking part of this document exists towards the end.  The State Board of Education does not receive or recognize complaints about their own agency.  Perhaps this is why they are often perceived as a state agency that acts with an air of impunity and infallibility.  I believe that needs to change.

 

Governor Markell Tries To Grow A Spine: “We can either bemoan changes in our world or embrace them”

Governor Markell

This guy has a lot of nerve.  Jack Markell operates a shadow state government through his friends at Rodel and the Delaware Business Roundtable and he has the unmitigated gall to tell people we need to embrace change?

Yesterday he spoke before a Rotary Club in Lewes, DE to talk about the Pathways to Prosperity program he has been pimping non-stop since the beginning of the year.  Every single chance he gets.  But as we all know, this is Rodel’s baby.  I have no doubt he is referring to people like me who question his every education move and see through the pretentiousness he carries with every word that comes out of his mouth about education.

The Cape Gazette, who wrote an editorial on Markell’s incessant babbling about the Pathways program, said the following:

Effective politicians act. That’s what Markell has done.

I completely agree with the Gazette.  Markell is one of the best actors on the political circuit.  If he isn’t busy promoting something that puts education money into the very greedy hands of corporations, he is setting up policy to destroy public education through the Rodelians whispering in his ear at every moment.  How the hell anyone in this state thinks he is this “great” Governor is not in touch with reality.  Or they have somehow profited from his shadowplays behind the scenes.

He denies access to the truth on a constant basis.  He puts out Executive Orders that others seem to write and sets up commissions and committees that the public never have access to.  These are the groups creating all this change we “bemoan”.  And standing front and center in front of every single one of Markell’s education decisions is Rodel CEO Paul Herdman, getting richer by the day as the students of Delaware become educationally poor.  But this devastator duo thrive on this destruction.  They spin it and say “Oh, we need to do more”, and the crap just piles up more and more, year after year.

This is a guy who hires all the people in education that continue to build up things that will eventually destroy public education.  I pray to God every single night this man never sets foot in public office again.  Why the people of this state don’t collectively organize, regardless of political party or affiliation, and stand up to these bullies is beyond me.  How they can sit at the same table as Rodel with a straight face and actually not see through the fraud and lies is beyond me.  Time is rapidly running out for people to act.  I can write about this stuff every single day but it means nothing until YOU do something about it.  There will come a day when many of you will say “Holy crap, he was right about everything.”  I don’t say that for my own personal edification.  I would rather have you believe me now AND act on it now.

If you think for one second this will stop once Markell leaves office, you are dead wrong.  John Carney already read the Rodel script and is pushing it in his own way.  He swallowed the bait Rodel dangled for him.  His own campaign manager sits on the Rodel Advisory Board.

Two weeks ago, Paul Herdman wrote about HIS version of education on Rodel’s blog.  He said “We get it, education isn’t a business.”  This coming from the guy who makes more than any state education employee.  I challenge Paul Herdman to go home tonight, look in the mirror, and really look into his soul and say the words “Education isn’t a business” and truly believe it.

As always Delaware, it is up to all of you…