Michael W. Maynard insults homeschool parents who attend Hernando County School District's outreach meeting to homeschoolers.
Read a parents response here.
Get a clue Mr. Maynard you generally don't insult people you are attempting to reach out to if you want favorable results.
LOL, you just have to love power of story, homeschoolers are the least of Hernando Schools' worries. ;-)
ReplyDeleteHere's the local news story from that meeting, reporting it was a sales meeting to make some money, at a time when Florida school budgets are hurting. No surprise -- and the superintendent has public-private family issues of his own (new here, hired from Connecticut and sneaked off to marry a mystery woman in some secret, Yankee nepotism controversy, whoops! mere days before this meeting) was at least reasonably politic and deferential to parents, not trying to bulldoze and guilt them into enrolling, the way this inapproriately aggressive, feeding-at-the-trough "public servant" (from a different district, not this one) Maynard was.
He's apparently active as a private individual on other matters, see this 2003 environmental meeting's minutes e.g. -- "Michael Maynard emphasized the importance of public awareness education through the
TAG – regardless of the status of Superfund funding, it is important for people to raise their concerns and know the problems associated with the site." -- which is fine. But as a public school employee, he literally works for the very parents he's working against on this issue. (If I were still working for a Florida school board, he'd have a problem with me!)
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Quote:
According to finance director Deborah Bruggink, each child pulls in approximately $3,998 in state funding. If all homeschooled students enrolled in district schools, that could add as much as $3.34 million to the district's budget. . .
a fact that Alexander acknowledged.
"Yes, I want to generate more funding," he said. "But we also have a wealth of programs (here). I would never insult your decision to educate your kids at home."
But there are more than 2,000 other local children who attend private schools, parents said. "Do you intend to get a list of kids at private schools and try to (recruit) them, too?" asked Spring Hill resident Doreen Gadow. "A lot of us feel we're being singled out as 'them,' and that might help soothe that feeling."
. . .Pasco County teacher Mike Maynard also stood at the podium and told parents their children would receive a better education in public schools - a statement that sent a rumble of angry laughter through the crowd.
Oh and the story gets better! In June this was the superintendent's quote, under fire from board members for proposing budget cuts that really could hurt kids (like swim safety and crossing guards) -
ReplyDeleteAlexander said he's "living, breathing and eating ideas on how we can raise funds."
Homeschooler recruitment among his "ideas" it seems.
But then read the comments below the news story. Sounds like this unpopular Yankee import got his own big raise and transportation locked down first, and isn't suggesting giving it back in the cuts! The community sounds pretty surly.
So I say self-directing, happy homeschoolers should just make popcorn and enjoy the show . . .
I get so sick of homeschoolers being singled out for recruitment, I guess they think we are easier targets then parents who send their kids to private school.
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