School Board Meeting

The July 14 school board meeting held many surprises.

Just prior to that meeting, Gov Crist appointed former district superintendent Earl Lennard to be Hillsborough’s Supervisor of Elections.

Then, Superintendent Elia announced a Middleton High restructuring and the transfer of Principal Green to Brandon High.

Then Elia announced that she’d be taking a 5% pay cut to coincide with no pay raises for district employees.

Two things occurred to me as I sat through this board meeting.

First, when any issue regarding curriculum or instruction was addressed, board member and accused rubber-stamper Doretha Edgecomb always asked the best, brightest, and most knowledgeable questions.

The “Hubris El Grande” award went to April Griffin. She’s more full of herself than Al Sharpton meets Howard Cossel. Every time she said anything, the sentence started with “I want,” “I need,” I, I, I, I. There was never a “we.” As a self-appointed Maverick, she isn’t a team player and doesn’t play well with others.

One classic example happened when Griffin instructed the district’s chief financial officer Gretchen Saunders, to “give me a call. I have issues I want to discuss with you.” This was said in open meeting.

Our favorite GED grad Griffin, who has a track record of failed jobs and businesses, keeps forgetting that she’s dealing with real educated experts, with real manners. The shame is, our district’s staff has to suffer her ignorant and sophomoric bull Schmidt.

I hoped Earl Lennard would run against Griffin in the next election. No doubt Elia would have been a bit uncomfortable with a former superintendent on the board, but at least she’d get rid of the Merry Maid of Mumbo-Jumbo.

posted by admin @ 6:17 PM