At Least She Sounds Smart

School Board member April Griffin likes to sound and appear smart. And why not? With only a GED in hand, she has to address district staff, teachers, parents, and many students who have attained a higher education.

She must be masking a huge inferiority complex. And to compensate, she likes to use buzz words and phrases that sound impressive. To her credit, Griffin does sound impressive to the naïve, kinda like a political mockingbird, which is so opposite her bubba Susan Valdes, about whom one local city official told me is the “shallowest politician she’s ever met.”

The other day in the paper, Griffin was quoted as saying, “Charlie Brown teachers come to board meetings.” At another board meeting, while discussing the relationship between the school district and Tampa city government, she said, “We are breaking down silos.”

Maybe the culture gap is getting to me again, but what the heck is a “Charlie Brown teacher” and what the heck does “breaking down silos” mean?

I always thought those who use jargon in public have an agenda: to impress upon us that they know something about something, when the truth is, they don’t know Jack…..Squat…..Bubkus!

A Vocal Minority:

I’ve noticed increasing numbers of vocal parents attending board meetings and using the allotted 3-minutes to voice their concerns. Recent issues have included school boundary issues, cell phone towers, and the management style of an “A” school principal.

Word has it, Griffin and Valdes are behind this sudden rally of parents and this outcry.

Why: Because Griffin and Valdes are so professionally disrespected within the educational community that their only source of credibility comes from disgruntled parents who don’t realize they are being played like pawns. Valdes and Griffin love to make the Superintendent and other board members appear weak. They keep fighting a losing battle. As an old farmer once said, “A cow turd in the milk bucket doesn’t make a chocolate drink.”

Perhaps tomorrow: Michelle Patty's marriage to Buddy Johnson

posted by admin @ 6:58 PM