Minnesota School Districts Fear Losing Taxpayer Funds to Promote a Referendum

Why would DFL members of a government committee be interested in shutting down the testimony of a stay-at-home mom?  Could it be that school districts across Minnesota have reason to fear the taxpayers for the "education" they supposedly provide to students? 

On February 3, 2015, a bill was introduced into the Government Operation and Election Committee by Representative Glenn Gruenhagen that would prohibit public funds to promote or defeat a ballot question.  Sounds like common sense to me but, apparently, school districts don’t like the odds unless they outspend the voters who have opposing viewpoints.  Doesn’t seem like a fair fight when the money they use to push a referendum down our throat is money they received from us.  

 

Word of my testimony must have reached the South WashingtonCounty School District because former school board member, Jim Gelbmann, made an appearance.  While I realize the Jim has a job at the MN State Capitol, I found it interesting that he would choose to attend this particular hearing.  After all, his spotty attendance as a school board member was a contributing factor to his resignation in 2014.

Apparently, this bill is bringing out some powerful opponents.  An expert in opposition to HF208  rushed to the microphone after Rep. Gruenhagen introduced the bill. This so called expert stated that the bill was for state ballot questions only and excluded local ballot questions like school referendums.  He implied that taxpayers who took time off from work to give testimony  in favor of the bill  could pack their bags and go home. 

 

Attorney Erick Kaardal of Mohrman, Kaardal & Erickson was quick to provide his professional opinion as to why HF208 did include school referendums and local elections. Kaardal is a defender of citizens in their fight against big government and has made hundreds of appearances on behalf of his clients in federal and state courts.  I am relieved that he is on our side.

Don Huizenga a taxpayer from the Anoka-Hennepin County School District, was also present to offer his support of HF208.

Not easily dissuaded, I made my way to the microphone despite the objections to my testimony by DFL Representatives Michael Nelson and Carolyn Laine.  After what seemed like constant interruptions, I  told  the committee that two stay-at-home moms are now being charged up to $48 per hour by South Washington County Schools for some data requests.  This gave me the opportunity to speak on behalf of the taxpayers of Woodbury, Cottage Grove, St. Paul Park and Newport who are appalled that their tax dollars are used to support a positive outcome for referendum campaigns.

My testimony to the committee is as follows:

Testimony in Support of HF208

 

Like most Minnesotans, I support prohibiting public officials from using public funds or resources to promote or defeat any ballot initiative.  It is crucial that school districts stop using taxpayer dollars to assure a positive outcome for referendum campaigns.  It leaves taxpayers and voters disadvantaged should they have an opposing viewpoint.

In 2013, South Washington County School Principal, Julie Nielson, was pulled off of her job at Middleton Elementary to aid the district in promoting the referendum.   This necessitated the hiring of a substitute principal to fill her position.  Therefore, taxpayers were funding both Ms. Nielson, whose salary for 2013 was $106,686, and the substitute principal whose salary remains a mystery. 

Emails from Ms. Nielson were sent to all legislative representatives in the South Washington County district.  This email provides the proof necessary to substantiate the claim that Ms. Nielson was, indeed, placed on special assignment to support the 2013 referendum campaign:

Hi  ---------: This is Julie Nielson wanting to connect with you to set up a one hour meeting time with our Superintendent.  I am on special assignment to start the year working on the district's referendum campaign and am in charge of all details surrounding getting accurate information out.  Dr. Jacobus has requested time to meet with each legislator individually.  I am hoping that you might be able to find time in the next 3-4 weeks to schedule a coffee, breakfast, lunch, or any time in between with Dr. Jacobus.  Feel free to send back a couple of dates/times that work for you and I will check his calendar.  If it is easier to give me a call, I can be reached at ------.  Thank you for your support and I look forward to hearing from you.  

As a taxpayer, I find this waste appalling.  Our District is now facing a budget shortfall of $8.5 million this academic school year.  Proposed cuts include the elimination of the elementary music program and a reduction in school nursing staff.   To add insult to injury, the district will be asking for over $180 million from taxpayers in the fall.  Our children are being short-changed and taxpayers overburdened.

~Updated 7:20am 2/4/15~AMB

A Question of Ethics?

It just gets dirtier and dirtier.

In order for South Washington County District 833 to acquire Crosswinds school and move the Woodbury Elementary students into that school to make room for the little darlings of Spanish Immersion in Woodbury Elementary, the offer by Perpich Center for Crosswinds must be defeated in the Minnesota Legislature.  To believe that this issue would be treated fairly is to believe that the Democrat leadership in the Minnesota Legislature is fair, which, judging by the load of crap coming out of the legislature this session, would be a false belief.

It turns out that The Crosswinds-Perpich bill (Minnesota House HF592 and Minnesota Senate as SF530) has been stalled, and is not being heard in the Education Committee.  According to the rules (made by the Democrats at the beginning of the session), if a bill is not heard in a committee, the bill is dead.  But why would the bill be stalled in committee? And who would be stalling it?  The "official" person stalling the bill is Patricia Torres Ray (DFL-63), Chairwoman of the Education Committee.  However, one of the primary members of the Minnesota Senate Education Committee also happens to be none other than Susan Kent, Freshman Democrat Senator from District 53.  District 53 includes parts of the South Washington County School District 833 where Senator Kent just happens to have a child in the choice Spanish Immersion program.  It is rumored that Senator Kent has been pushing Senator Torres Ray to keep SF530 stalled - if the bill receives no hearing, it effectively dies and South Washington County School District 833 will acquire Crosswinds to use as they please, including moving elementary students into a school designed for 6-10th graders.

It is always amazing how there are so many people who seem to only get involved in local politics to further their own agendas:  David Kemper, SWC School Board Member, also has children participating in the Spanish Immersion program.  Certainly there is no way he'd allow that to cause him to put the well-being of the district's most diversely populated elementary school students below the happiness of a small group of Spanish Immersion kids...or would he?  During the last big battle over Spanish Immersion kicking neighborhood kids from their school, David Kemper refused to remove his vote from the issue.  No conflict of interest here, folks, nope. Just keep moving.

FYI: The Spanish Immersion Program of District 833 is one that requires students to begin the program in full-day Kindergarten.  Full-Day Kindergarten is only offered as a fee-based program (except in two district schools where the Free/Reduced Lunch Program participants is equal or over 50% of the population) in SWC 833.  If parents cannot afford the fee, there are sometimes funds available.  However, to get into the school a family must enter a lottery (after showing they can pay the $2K+/yr fee for all-day Kindergarten) where slots are filled at random, unless the family somehow "hit the Spanish Immersion lotto jackpot" with an older child, then the siblings of the child already in the program are allowed to participate without having to be part of the lottery.  This system is elitist from the outset, since most of the families interested in SI are those who can afford to pay the Kindergarten fee, and it seems that the longer the families are in the cocoon of SI, the more "entitled" and vocal they become.  It would seem that David Kemper and Susan Kent have not been immune from the elitist attitudes exhibited by their cohorts in the choice program.

More information:
Crosswinds School information
It has been mentioned that Joanne Ward (DFL 53A) might be willing to vote in favor of the Perpich Center acquiring Crosswinds if she feels that she has support from her constituents to do so.
"Perpich Center for the Arts would Sustain Diversity at Crosswinds"
District 833's plans for Crosswinds
Information re Spanish Immersion in District 833
Previous post on this topic

Updated 3/1/2013 2:56pm

Take America Back

It's been a while since I went political here, but Hillary Clinton finally testifying in front of the Senate combined with his majesty's coronation this week has prompted a need to say a few things.

First, we have only ourselves to blame for the re-election of PBHO.  The choice of Romney was a poor one, dictated by the GOP's little understood need to follow union rules of seniority when picking Presidential Candidates.  Only the fact that Romney picked Paul Ryan as his VP Candidate saved him from getting beaten worse than he did in November.  I know that I personally wasn't supportive of Romney until he picked Ryan.  (I was more excited about the idea that Ryan would be VP than anything else, actually.)  Also, whoever told both Ryan and Romney to back off Biden and Obama during the debates was foolish. They should have gone in there with their debate guns blazing and verbally taken them down.  What did they have to lose other than the election? Which is what happened anyway.  Perhaps if they had gone balls out and attacked the net, the American people would have seen the two people in power for what they are: liars and frauds and taken another look at the GOP pair? Instead, Romney went on the offense in only one debate, which lifted his polling numbers, but then backed down in the subsequent debates.  Why?  Did the powers that be go after him for his brilliant performance during the first debate?  Or did he get threats along the lines of the ones that Glenn Beck deals with on a daily basis?  No matter what happened, the fiery Romney of the first debate all but disappeared in the rest.

Part of the issue also was the fact that aside from Romney, there were no other truly viable candidates in the Republican Primaries.  We were offered Ron Paul: Libertarian, firebrand, crazy uncle who is entertaining during Thanksgiving dinner but a little scary too; Newt - been there done that cheated on my wife - Gingrich (although I would have paid good money to watch him debate Obama just for the sheer entertainment value it would have provided); Gary Johnson: "I'm a Libertarian but not like Ron Paul bring on the Occupy Wall Street dirtbags because I'm all in support of them"; Rick "I have 11 kids and counting don't I look good, ever see my wife? no because she's too tired out from raising all those kids and boy, I have soft feminine hands and like to attack Michele Bachmann whenever I'm allowed to speak"; Michele Bachmann: has more backbone than 90% of the Republicans in Congress but is known for shooting off her mouth a little too vehemently on the social issues and therefore giving the MSM extra ammo in getting the lazy libs who know more about the doings of Snooki than our government more reason to hate her; Tim Pawlenty, former MN Governor who decided that raising taxes on cigs were actually "fees" and believed in climate change until he decided to run for President and then changed his mind on climate change and who is now a lobbyist - there's integrity for you. Herman Cain was in there for about a minute until he faced a dual attack by Republicans and the Left for supposed sexual harassment (which once they got him out of the primaries mysteriously disappeared) of his employees.  (I would have voted for Herman Cain given the chance.)

Seriously, looking at the people we were offered as choices, it's no wonder that Romney stood out as the best of the bunch, even with his Romneycare background, his TV evangelist hair and ability to morph into a used-cars-salesman swarmy demeanor.  Where in the heck was Allen West or Rand Paul or Darrell Issa? Why couldn't anyone get Scott Walker or Jindal to run?  Why were the only people running has-beens or lacked so much integrity and/or charisma that there was no way they'd be able to beat Obama at thumb wrestling let alone a national election?  Does no one actually care where the country goes anymore?

Now we're stuck with four more years of serious attacks on our Constitution and liberties.  What are we going to do about it? Why hasn't anyone in Congress found the balls to stand up to Obama and write up Articles of Impeachment for his use of Executive Orders, Benghazi or Fast and Furious?  Why are all but Rand Paul and Ron Johnson letting Hillary Clinton off the hook for Benghazi? Why?

Here's the answer: Most of the people in America today don't even know what happened in Benghazi because the MSM has let it drift away like Hillary's concussion.  And if they do know, they have no idea what to do about it.  Those of us who do know what is happening also have families and jobs to do and we're busy and feeling defeated after two years of the psychological warfare of the national election.  Those of us who joined the Tea Party to help usher in a GOP controlled House of Representatives found out that we were held in contempt by those in power in our party.  We fought against Obamacare and it barely passed because we were standing there, holding our representatives and senators accountable.  But two years later, they were so full of their own power that they stopped listening to us and only cared about their re-elections. And for the most part, we as good little Republicans voted them back in for fear that if we didn't some crazy spending Democrat would take that spot and then we'd be really screwed.

We're already really screwed. Until we stand up and take back control of our American system, things will continue to slide toward Obama's vision of America, which is a little too close to the America envisioned by Ayn Rand in "Atlas Shrugged" for my taste.  We have no Galt's Gulch where we can steal away and begin anew, waiting for America to be brought to her knees before reappearing and taking her back.  We have to begin to take her back now.  We must get the Conservative message out to the people in a way that they can understand it - so that it makes sense to them.  Unfortunately, we may already be too late.