Tag: political football
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R-E-S-P-E-C-T
I’ve been thinking about a lot of things since last week’s school board meeting. That meeting sent me down a whole lot of rabbit holes. The analytical side of me wants to make a rational argument that supports my overall aim of improving life for all people in and around Shelby Co. While I think…
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Fact Check: Overspending Schools…etc.
One of the most common criticisms of our local schools, particularly MCS, is that they waste too much money…or in terms of politics speak, they spend too much. There are basically two ways to cut down on spending: lower your projected expenditures on the front end, or lower them on the back end based on…
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Tell Your Story, or Perish at Your Own Hand
I’m going to take a quick detour from the budget issues to talk about something that I believe ties in directly to the way we perceive our schools, and by extension, the amount of investment we’re willing to place in those schools. The Power of Narrative You have a story to tell. If you don’t…
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Funding Education 101 – Part 2 – Where the Money Goes
Last time, we looked at where the money for public education in Shelby Co. came from. As a reminder, this wasn’t the full budget of the two systems, but the “General Fund”, which is where the money for the nuts and bolts of education comes from. This time, we’re going to look at something a…
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Funding Education 101 – Part 1 – Where the Money Comes From
I’m going to be very honest. I haven’t been following the blow by blow with the School Board. Too many meetings, too little information, in writing, too much speculation. I like hard facts. I’m not interested in drama unless that drama furthers something relevant. For a whole host of reasons, some of which I covered…
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How the County Commission played the School Board for the fool
There are five simple rules that Kenny Rodgers taught me about life, politics, and the budget process: Know when to hold ’em. Know when to fold ’em. Know when to walk away. Know when to run. Never count your money, while you’re sittin’ at the table. There’ll be time enough for countin’ when the dealin’s…