“Back Room Reality Therapy” For Senator Niederhauser

SenatorN

Senate President Niederhauser

In the July 9, 2013, school board meeting, we were all subjected to more of the self-congratulatory slap on the backs that the Board President and Superintendent are always heaping on each other.

In the face of a 52% dropout rate of Hispanic students in our District, I suppose that is needed in order to make sure their fragile egos don’t get deflated.

In this meeting the Superintendent declares that he subjected Senate President Niederhauser to:

 

“A Little Backroom Reality Therapy, It Was Good”

 

The Board President who also serves as the Vice President of the Utah School Board Association, in speaking of Senator Niederhauser stated:

“He really doesn’t get it, what he is doing by pushing SB 271 forward”  

 

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          AUDIO OF MEETING

The Board President is referring to Senate Bill 271: School Grading Amendments. If they worried about the District’s graduation rate as much as they worry about Senator Niederhauser, I think we could make some progress on behalf of the students in my community.

I listened to the Superintendent’s presentation to the Education Task Force, I fail to see what was so moving that would cause all the superintendents in the room to want to stand up and cheer. While many of his statements are accurate, he does not practice them in his own district. The Board President’s statement did cause the school board members in the meeting to stand up and clap as indicated on the audio.In the audio, you will hear the Superintendent state:

 “the education task force rarely has a quorum attending at their own meetings”

I am not sure what he is basing that statement on. After which you will hear Board member Laurel Young respond with a “wow”.

The fact of the matter is that the Education Task force has met twice. The record shows that they have a 14 member committee and one member was absent at the first meeting and two were absent at the second.

It is almost laughable to sit in school board meetings and hear these people talk about how they are smarter than all the other educators in the state of Utah. I want to stand up and ask:

If you are so smart, why are 52%
of your Hispanic students dropping out of High School? 

I instead remain silent and think to myself: “are these people, really this delusional, or is it me?”

Link to Superintendent’s Education Task Force Presentation on June 26, 2013

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