I’m afraid the ELITE among our community have self-anointed themselves to that position, perhaps believing they are more educated or experienced, especially in legalese, than we poor dumb serfs. Thank you for your final words in this podcast that echo in my head as I reflect on a time, two hundred forty-nine years ago, when men of honor and good will stood up to tyranny and sacrificed their lives and property to secure their freedom to govern themselves. The self-anointed ELITE may have been educated, or perhaps a better word would be brainwashed, into believing they now have the ultimate ability to dictate to the rest of us. I applaud you and all contributors to this BLOG for being involved with surveilling the actions of our ELITE community leadership.
All i know is that the COST OF THE BOND was barely mentioned in advertizing and information meetings, articles. It is huge and almost doubles the price tag. Who will get this money? Which bank will benefit? Which parties are getting the Bond Interest? And how can we tax payers afford the real price?
Great questions, Jean. The Board of Commissioners supported this and, in the same breath, will tell you how they are focused on housing affordability. People are being driven from their homes because of these huge tax hikes that are passing.
Staying out of the weeds, we have the world's most expensive education with the world's worst results. So we just give the system more money ! ? I believe the underlying problem to be Government involvement. Let each citizen, ( parent ), keep the money extorted via Government means and invest it in whatever private education means and method they choose. Clearly the ROI on our current system is terrible. I have seen some amazingly successful home schooled students. If parents have that tax money to invest in a private school education, private schools will arise and thrive. Private schools will not protect an under performing teacher with union contract language.
Everyone living in a school district needs to fund the schools, not just property taxpayers. This includes the Tribe. The burden must be equally shared, because the philosophy of a public school is that educating the children benefits the whole community. Is there a consultant group out there that knows a more equitable method of sharing this unsustainable burden?
It was called a Constitutional Republic and education was highly valued and affordable...people could earn degrees by self-study and testing...I just heard from a Dr. who has $470,000 debt and 16 years in school and is a slave to the system and does as he's told...no creative means of healing allowed or even to be discussed.
B. Franklin said the Republic could only end in despotism because the majority cannot self-govern to the degree required to support and sustain a Republic...so here we are.😳
The business of a school is to educate the children, period! Our children are graduating high school and yet they are functionally illiterate, beautiful buildings will not change that.
Does Washington prohibit school districts from spending public money on the marketing of bond referenda? Other states do. Because soliciting outside donations to pick up the cost of marketing a bond referendum could be seen as a way of intentionally circumventing that prohibition.
Most statement of assurances in federal grants have language preventing most forms of lobbying. I am willing to bet the Sequim School District violated their statement of assurances they signed in federal grant contracts...
Will comply, as applicable, with provisions of the Hatch Act (5 U.S.C. §§1501-1508 and 7324-7328) which limit the political activities of employees whose
principal employment activities are funded in whole or in part with Federal funds.
Now with a new administration coming in, this statement of assurances is going to tie a lot of communist Educator's hands..
Will comply with all applicable requirements of all other Federal laws, executive orders, regulations, and policies governing this program.
I bet they are up federal grant shit creek. They never had to worry about that when the Democrats were in charge..Now, there is a new federal Sheriff in town. Standing on the corner with swastikas' signs won't save them from federal grant "debarment.
Nice comment and a direct hit on the local criminals of humanity who we need to purge from our government and hopefully from all involvement in our communities' affairs~! Sincerely, Mike
Not just the 'government'...these 'folks' will continue to cause mayhem wherever they poke their heads up...remember the gangs are often run from inside the prisons as well as the in-prison gangs. It's a system.😊
So if Sequim School District had 2600 students and 1.6 percent are native or Alaskan, that would mean 41 kids are represented. Is my math wrong?
Why does “Tail Wag Dog”, still? If you think learning the local native language will put you ahead of other applicants for college, I think you will be very disappointed. The globally accepted language of business is English! Learning local cultural words is a worthy hobby that is on the tribe, not my school funded tax dollars. Could we all agree that the students be-able to pass the minimum requirements? How has our public education dumbed down America on the international stage?
My answer: lack of accountability as witnessed by teachers unions fighting to keep the inept in front of the class.
With the obviously manipulative and corrupt local school district clown show, I have to wonder if they should be in involved in educating our local children? At what point does the Jamestown tribal government' interferences with our local school's amount to criminal misconduct~? Great comment John Worthington~! Sincerely, Mike
OSPI (Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction) the governing body has no direct blanket prohibition specifically barring schools from paying consultants for services related to bond issues. OSPI seems to be "hands off" on how these bonds are marketed to us.
Does the state "co-mingle" its federal funding with state funding? I bet they do. If they got a federal construction grant from DOE, they were leveraged into doing what the feds want them to do and have to abide by the statement of assurances. I bet they co- mingled funds because the Biden administration would not mind it one bit. I think they can even lobby, but they have to disclose their lobbying. I am willing to bet they did not file what they needed to file. The Biden Admin would not have cared.
(c) If a State, local, or Tribal government is required to contribute matching funds to supplement a Federally supported activity, the matching funds are considered commingled with the Federal assistance and therefore subject to the requirements of this part.
Does this mean the employees get to ride along in the process with third parties? I see they can work hand in hand with Consultants, but with third party government's like Jamestown tribe that is different. Other than that, it looks very similar to work done by others. These same groups do nursing homes and other buildings. https://lanassociates.com/school-bond-referendums-architects-engineers/
If you have any questions related to auditing U.S. Department of Education funds, interested in free training or to speak with a member of the OIG Non-Federal Audit Team, please select Additional Resources, Trainings, and Contacts or email oignon-federalaudit@ed.gov.
Under federal law, school board members are prohibited from using their official positions to promote or influence the outcome of bond ballot measures. This restriction ensures that public resources are not used for political campaigning. brickergraydon.comirs.gov
Specific Prohibitions
Campaigning on Official Time: School board members cannot engage in activities that promote bond measures during official duties or using school resources.
Solicitation of Contributions: Board members are also restricted from soliciting campaign contributions from employees while they are performing their official duties.
Permissible Activities
While direct promotion of bond ballots is prohibited, school boards can engage in certain activities:
Educational Meetings: Boards may hold meetings to discuss the implications of bond measures, provided these discussions are conducted in a neutral manner and are open to the public.
Voter Education: Non-partisan voter education activities, such as providing information about the bond measures without advocating for or against them, are allowed.
Conclusion
School board members must navigate these legal restrictions carefully to avoid violations while still fulfilling their roles in educating the community about bond measures.
except the latest ploy by school districts is to tell the children to tell their parents.... "mommy, the teacher says our school is falling down, and you have to vote for the bond"
I remember teachers telling us to be sure your parents vote for _____blah blah blah. Using scare tactics like “ What if you came to school and the doors were boarded up”? It was 6th grade and my mom gave me my first civics lessons.
It doesn't matter, Eric...we do what we can with what we have and it doesn't matter if we study all the rules and details...we know what we know and we can be ok with that...we can hold the ground and the truth as long as we can...then we let it all go.
Thank you for showing up and asking the questions and participating in the dialogue.
We are not all in the same boat but we are all in the same ocean, on the same planet (we think)... and there's nothing we can do about it... except whatever we ARE doing about it!😊
From what I have traced... most federal funds (grants, boondoggles, whatever) go into a designated holding group, that then doles out the money, which precludes any qui tam (false claims act) lawsuit potential.
The feds consider matching grants to be co-mingled wherever they put it. I bet they doubled down on the federal grant. My gut feeling is the Biden administration would have given it and the Sequim School District would have taken it. Time for a PRA request.
This is my question wrt to the funds HFH is wanting from the BOCCC. HFH had already acted outside of the guidelines to receive public funding when they hired JST Excavating, but now want to agree with the renainder of the project being compliant just with the dollars they are asking for.
Hey MK, just to clarify, HFH didn’t sign a contract with JST, although the original intention was to use them (after getting a bid from them and comparing it to an initial bid from the prior owner) prior to the County funds. HFH is preparing to put out the project to bid after substantial revisions being done by Zenovic, and in line with the requirements of public funds
It’s just like financial advisors telling you your investments are not commingled with others. Oh right! If they weren’t the advisor wouldn’t get that commission and be at the tier that eliminates fees. Oh, you’ll still pay fees bc you are not in the “ special level investor “ group.
You can now pull your kids out of classes they don't like their kids to take. This ruling is just the beginning. Soon, the educators will have to disclose all they are teaching. This ruling unwinds the blue state bills they have passed the last few years. It's the basis for home schooling everywhere. https://www.yahoo.com/news/supreme-court-says-parents-pull-163638492.html
Why didn’t I get to skip the classes I disliked in college and knew they would mean nothing in my career? It’s character building, educational stamina, and exposure even when psych 101 is taught by a loaded hippie! I hope the home schoolers learn to adapt to professors they don’t agree with and free thinking isn’t penalized. Otherwise, the job market is going to be culture shock when you must tow a company line instead of your moms!
Well Susan, it's like this. The Sequim Middle School principal explained to me personally that, no matter what the circumstances, no child will be held back in her school. We had to homeschool our girl so she would learn her 6th grade curriculum. I can't imagine how lost and discouraged some of these kids must be who have just been shoved along to make the schools look ok. No real care for individual students in this district.
Washington's educational system is ranked 27th overall in the nation. A recent study showed that more than two-thirds of Washington's 4th graders failed to meet reading standards, and 70% of 8th graders weren't proficient in math. We are far below the national average. Yet, the focus is always on NEW BUILDINGS, MORE BONDS.
I'm always appalled when I see "facilitate listening sessions" in any consultant document -- that means pretend to listen, do what you want. I see it repeatedly. "Oh we listened to the people." which should be followed with "but we discounted what they had to say."
The focus is all wrong --- buildings don't teach kids. Maybe we should rethink the idea of building teachers housing (something NEEDED) to thoughtfully use the excess land. Have affordable rent that in 10-15 years would be pure profit for the schools to use.
The listening they are doing is identical to the CRC water steward group headed by Comm. Picket. He clearly stated in a general meeting that he wants feedback from those with concerns so that he can address them as the proposal is assembled. Proof of this tactic was in the last water steward sub-group meeting earlier this week where the entire group worked hard to address the concerns and crafted the proposal around them. Not just from nay-sayers, but also Craig Smith et al pro group.
Listening is intended to fold/spindle/mutilate any opposition to make it palatable, and the SSD is no different.
It's like when I was on the Planning Commission where dozens, and I mean DOZENS of people came and begged the city to not put in the STR regulations, or at least, not make them so draconian. We had to sit through this parade -- but, then we were completely ignored, and words put into our collective mouths "to approve".
I'm getting really tired of this faux "listening".
Don't forget about the part that once again basically illustrates the mechanics of the all too familiar refrain "General Public - you've had your SAY - now here's what we're going to do"
No requirement to be honest with the voters. This is how we're raising children to be unethical. I'm so embarrassed for the lack of integrity our educational system exhibits.
Excellent research! So, the taxpayers in Sequim SD pay for this consulting company. Our tax money is going to PR corp. to influence us, even though biased.
I was confused how the SSD found the money to hire these persuaders considering the budget restraints🤔.
Well, thanks to the great efforts of Jeff Tozzer and the many good folks here who contribute to the discussion on The Watchdog, I seriously doubt that many of us are very surprised to confirm that our community and local government has been contaminated by very corrupt people who could care less about the will of the majority of folks here. The abuses of our government and by extension our entire community are appalling and the opposite of Constitutionally compliant. The premeditated gall to orchestrate these ongoing perversions of our system of government could not possibly be an accident or simple harmless political differences, so I am afraid that there is a VERY evil undertone and agenda that is intentionally in process. We can't afford to wait until it is too late to address these low-level criminals within our community, so I hope that enough good folks can soon get together to take serious legal actions against those who have denied anyone but them a say in our community~! Sincerely, Mike
I fail to understand why the tribe was consulted at all...they don't have a nickel invested in our schools. They should have no more say than the rest of us mere citizens.
We just got back from 'escaping' the fireworks fiasco by going to camp at Log Cabin Resort, Lake Crescent (inside the ONP...NO FIREWORKS). Requires booking in January to get a spot which you may 'request' a size of spot but not 'a spot'.
They 'assigned' us a spot quite too small on arrival and at our request called the people who 'no showed' another spot...transferred us to the bigger spot but did not inform us it was only for one night.
When they told us we'd have to move back to the 'undersized' spot or get a refund and/or vacate the spot under order of trespass when we challenged them (not their fault as seasonal employees of ARAMARK)...we moved again to the original spot only to have another 'camper' show up and tell us they had our 'spot' about an hour later.
THEN...on the evening of July 4th...a private party (in-holder) in the park lit off a fireworks 'event' worthy of a small town, for over an hour...local dogs ran away...some campers left in the middle of the night due to TRAUMATIC STRESS of themselves and their animals.
We tried to call law enforcement but no signal 'out' and no one ever showed up to challenge the whole illegal affair.
This is the state of the world and CCWD brings us news almost every day of the state of absolute insanity we are all participating in.
Thankfully we were able to get a first-come-first-served spot at Salt Creek on the way home and were able to 'decompress' before re-entering the nightmare that Port Angeles traffic has become and getting home before dark on Monday.
I realize these are 'first world' problems but we are old enough to know what true neigbhorliness and general respect were like.
The odd outlandish behavior was usually easily remedied by a verbal request or a Ranger presence if necessary.
I can't say if it's 'the end times' but it definitely is not 'the best of times'!
We must have signed up for the drama...cause 'here we are'!😊
Good to be home, even if it is in the middle of CC!🙄
Can't wait for 'the next life' adventure!😎
Pray for a solar-flare-tsunami-earthquake adventure...then we'll find out real fast who's 'for real'!😊. Just kidding...or maybe not...you know humans are always at their best when SHTF!😎
Just move to a neighborhood downriver from a dike that the County and Tribe are partnering on removing... you might get your wish for a new adventure REAL quick.
Oh my gosh, Jeff! This occurred to me too! Are we being set up for a major dam breach on the Dungeness when an earthquake occurs? Is anyone working on making Sequim a fifteen minute city?
The 'densification' of our 'corridor' tells us all we need to know...but I've searched...and not many options on where else to go...it's 'globalism'! There seem to be more conservative regions to look at but they are not immune to 'globalism' in my research!🤔
I’m afraid the ELITE among our community have self-anointed themselves to that position, perhaps believing they are more educated or experienced, especially in legalese, than we poor dumb serfs. Thank you for your final words in this podcast that echo in my head as I reflect on a time, two hundred forty-nine years ago, when men of honor and good will stood up to tyranny and sacrificed their lives and property to secure their freedom to govern themselves. The self-anointed ELITE may have been educated, or perhaps a better word would be brainwashed, into believing they now have the ultimate ability to dictate to the rest of us. I applaud you and all contributors to this BLOG for being involved with surveilling the actions of our ELITE community leadership.
Excellent comment Eric Fehrmann~!
Sincerely, Mike
Old story...new age...or epoch...or whatever! How many times do we have to do this before we 'get it'!😎
All i know is that the COST OF THE BOND was barely mentioned in advertizing and information meetings, articles. It is huge and almost doubles the price tag. Who will get this money? Which bank will benefit? Which parties are getting the Bond Interest? And how can we tax payers afford the real price?
Great questions, Jean. The Board of Commissioners supported this and, in the same breath, will tell you how they are focused on housing affordability. People are being driven from their homes because of these huge tax hikes that are passing.
Too many questions, not enough answers... no accountability...predictable outcome!😊
Staying out of the weeds, we have the world's most expensive education with the world's worst results. So we just give the system more money ! ? I believe the underlying problem to be Government involvement. Let each citizen, ( parent ), keep the money extorted via Government means and invest it in whatever private education means and method they choose. Clearly the ROI on our current system is terrible. I have seen some amazingly successful home schooled students. If parents have that tax money to invest in a private school education, private schools will arise and thrive. Private schools will not protect an under performing teacher with union contract language.
Everyone living in a school district needs to fund the schools, not just property taxpayers. This includes the Tribe. The burden must be equally shared, because the philosophy of a public school is that educating the children benefits the whole community. Is there a consultant group out there that knows a more equitable method of sharing this unsustainable burden?
It was called a Constitutional Republic and education was highly valued and affordable...people could earn degrees by self-study and testing...I just heard from a Dr. who has $470,000 debt and 16 years in school and is a slave to the system and does as he's told...no creative means of healing allowed or even to be discussed.
B. Franklin said the Republic could only end in despotism because the majority cannot self-govern to the degree required to support and sustain a Republic...so here we are.😳
The business of a school is to educate the children, period! Our children are graduating high school and yet they are functionally illiterate, beautiful buildings will not change that.
Keeping up appearances while bilking the public...how unique!🤣
Does Washington prohibit school districts from spending public money on the marketing of bond referenda? Other states do. Because soliciting outside donations to pick up the cost of marketing a bond referendum could be seen as a way of intentionally circumventing that prohibition.
Most statement of assurances in federal grants have language preventing most forms of lobbying. I am willing to bet the Sequim School District violated their statement of assurances they signed in federal grant contracts...
Will comply, as applicable, with provisions of the Hatch Act (5 U.S.C. §§1501-1508 and 7324-7328) which limit the political activities of employees whose
principal employment activities are funded in whole or in part with Federal funds.
Now with a new administration coming in, this statement of assurances is going to tie a lot of communist Educator's hands..
Will comply with all applicable requirements of all other Federal laws, executive orders, regulations, and policies governing this program.
I bet they are up federal grant shit creek. They never had to worry about that when the Democrats were in charge..Now, there is a new federal Sheriff in town. Standing on the corner with swastikas' signs won't save them from federal grant "debarment.
MIGHT THEY HAVE TO BE TRANSPARENT?
Ha Ha Ha!!!
Nice comment and a direct hit on the local criminals of humanity who we need to purge from our government and hopefully from all involvement in our communities' affairs~! Sincerely, Mike
Not just the 'government'...these 'folks' will continue to cause mayhem wherever they poke their heads up...remember the gangs are often run from inside the prisons as well as the in-prison gangs. It's a system.😊
Absolutely correct~!
Infiltrating the government is a key to their operations, but the criminals always operate a FAR larger criminal conspiracy that knows no bounds ;-)
Keep your head on a swivel and stay alert my friend!
Sincerely, Mike
Head swiveling is giving me a neck-ache!🤪
So if Sequim School District had 2600 students and 1.6 percent are native or Alaskan, that would mean 41 kids are represented. Is my math wrong?
Why does “Tail Wag Dog”, still? If you think learning the local native language will put you ahead of other applicants for college, I think you will be very disappointed. The globally accepted language of business is English! Learning local cultural words is a worthy hobby that is on the tribe, not my school funded tax dollars. Could we all agree that the students be-able to pass the minimum requirements? How has our public education dumbed down America on the international stage?
My answer: lack of accountability as witnessed by teachers unions fighting to keep the inept in front of the class.
With the obviously manipulative and corrupt local school district clown show, I have to wonder if they should be in involved in educating our local children? At what point does the Jamestown tribal government' interferences with our local school's amount to criminal misconduct~? Great comment John Worthington~! Sincerely, Mike
The 'normies' are still asleep and trust the gov't to 'take care' of their children while they are chasing 'the American Dream'.
"It's called the American Dream because you have to be asleep to believe it."
George Carlin😊
That's what happens in a 'lawless' culture!🤓
OSPI (Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction) the governing body has no direct blanket prohibition specifically barring schools from paying consultants for services related to bond issues. OSPI seems to be "hands off" on how these bonds are marketed to us.
Does the state "co-mingle" its federal funding with state funding? I bet they do. If they got a federal construction grant from DOE, they were leveraged into doing what the feds want them to do and have to abide by the statement of assurances. I bet they co- mingled funds because the Biden administration would not mind it one bit. I think they can even lobby, but they have to disclose their lobbying. I am willing to bet they did not file what they needed to file. The Biden Admin would not have cared.
https://www.ed.gov/grants-and-programs/grants-birth-grade-12/school-infrastructure-programs/supporting-americas-school-infrastructure-grant-program-sasi
(c) If a State, local, or Tribal government is required to contribute matching funds to supplement a Federally supported activity, the matching funds are considered commingled with the Federal assistance and therefore subject to the requirements of this part.
Does this mean the employees get to ride along in the process with third parties? I see they can work hand in hand with Consultants, but with third party government's like Jamestown tribe that is different. Other than that, it looks very similar to work done by others. These same groups do nursing homes and other buildings. https://lanassociates.com/school-bond-referendums-architects-engineers/
A complaint to the feds might answer some questions.
https://oig.ed.gov/oig-hotline
Audits..
If you have any questions related to auditing U.S. Department of Education funds, interested in free training or to speak with a member of the OIG Non-Federal Audit Team, please select Additional Resources, Trainings, and Contacts or email oignon-federalaudit@ed.gov.
AI Assist
Under federal law, school board members are prohibited from using their official positions to promote or influence the outcome of bond ballot measures. This restriction ensures that public resources are not used for political campaigning. brickergraydon.com irs.gov
Specific Prohibitions
Campaigning on Official Time: School board members cannot engage in activities that promote bond measures during official duties or using school resources.
Solicitation of Contributions: Board members are also restricted from soliciting campaign contributions from employees while they are performing their official duties.
Permissible Activities
While direct promotion of bond ballots is prohibited, school boards can engage in certain activities:
Educational Meetings: Boards may hold meetings to discuss the implications of bond measures, provided these discussions are conducted in a neutral manner and are open to the public.
Voter Education: Non-partisan voter education activities, such as providing information about the bond measures without advocating for or against them, are allowed.
Conclusion
School board members must navigate these legal restrictions carefully to avoid violations while still fulfilling their roles in educating the community about bond measures.
brickergraydon.com irs.gov
Our state auditor's reports are always an interesting read: https://sao.wa.gov/reports-data/audit-reports
however, the disconnect isn't with the transparency of auditor finds, its with the enforcement of violations.
except the latest ploy by school districts is to tell the children to tell their parents.... "mommy, the teacher says our school is falling down, and you have to vote for the bond"
I remember teachers telling us to be sure your parents vote for _____blah blah blah. Using scare tactics like “ What if you came to school and the doors were boarded up”? It was 6th grade and my mom gave me my first civics lessons.
Don't think I have the wherewithal to pursue this stuff.
That's what we pay auditor's for.
It doesn't matter, Eric...we do what we can with what we have and it doesn't matter if we study all the rules and details...we know what we know and we can be ok with that...we can hold the ground and the truth as long as we can...then we let it all go.
Thank you for showing up and asking the questions and participating in the dialogue.
We are not all in the same boat but we are all in the same ocean, on the same planet (we think)... and there's nothing we can do about it... except whatever we ARE doing about it!😊
'Laws' mean nothing to the 'Lawless'...that's what they are counting on!😊
From what I have traced... most federal funds (grants, boondoggles, whatever) go into a designated holding group, that then doles out the money, which precludes any qui tam (false claims act) lawsuit potential.
The feds consider matching grants to be co-mingled wherever they put it. I bet they doubled down on the federal grant. My gut feeling is the Biden administration would have given it and the Sequim School District would have taken it. Time for a PRA request.
This is my question wrt to the funds HFH is wanting from the BOCCC. HFH had already acted outside of the guidelines to receive public funding when they hired JST Excavating, but now want to agree with the renainder of the project being compliant just with the dollars they are asking for.
Hey MK, just to clarify, HFH didn’t sign a contract with JST, although the original intention was to use them (after getting a bid from them and comparing it to an initial bid from the prior owner) prior to the County funds. HFH is preparing to put out the project to bid after substantial revisions being done by Zenovic, and in line with the requirements of public funds
Well that’s just perfect, how could anyone think some misdeed is behind the arrangement
De-mingling is the order of the day, but nobody is asking me!🧐
It’s just like financial advisors telling you your investments are not commingled with others. Oh right! If they weren’t the advisor wouldn’t get that commission and be at the tier that eliminates fees. Oh, you’ll still pay fees bc you are not in the “ special level investor “ group.
Not commingled, right?!
I suspect that you may be correct Mimi Smith-Dvorak~!
If so, we need to make sure that the necessary changes to protect the children of our community and everyone else~! Sincerely, Mike
They are controlled by unions which are controlled by the deep-state.🤔
Is deep state code for Mafia or is it a different illegal activity ?
No accountability, no morals/ethics, what can we expect?😊
Great point and question mark Swanson~!
Sincerely, Mike
You can now pull your kids out of classes they don't like their kids to take. This ruling is just the beginning. Soon, the educators will have to disclose all they are teaching. This ruling unwinds the blue state bills they have passed the last few years. It's the basis for home schooling everywhere. https://www.yahoo.com/news/supreme-court-says-parents-pull-163638492.html
Why didn’t I get to skip the classes I disliked in college and knew they would mean nothing in my career? It’s character building, educational stamina, and exposure even when psych 101 is taught by a loaded hippie! I hope the home schoolers learn to adapt to professors they don’t agree with and free thinking isn’t penalized. Otherwise, the job market is going to be culture shock when you must tow a company line instead of your moms!
Well Susan, it's like this. The Sequim Middle School principal explained to me personally that, no matter what the circumstances, no child will be held back in her school. We had to homeschool our girl so she would learn her 6th grade curriculum. I can't imagine how lost and discouraged some of these kids must be who have just been shoved along to make the schools look ok. No real care for individual students in this district.
Washington's educational system is ranked 27th overall in the nation. A recent study showed that more than two-thirds of Washington's 4th graders failed to meet reading standards, and 70% of 8th graders weren't proficient in math. We are far below the national average. Yet, the focus is always on NEW BUILDINGS, MORE BONDS.
I'm always appalled when I see "facilitate listening sessions" in any consultant document -- that means pretend to listen, do what you want. I see it repeatedly. "Oh we listened to the people." which should be followed with "but we discounted what they had to say."
The focus is all wrong --- buildings don't teach kids. Maybe we should rethink the idea of building teachers housing (something NEEDED) to thoughtfully use the excess land. Have affordable rent that in 10-15 years would be pure profit for the schools to use.
The listening they are doing is identical to the CRC water steward group headed by Comm. Picket. He clearly stated in a general meeting that he wants feedback from those with concerns so that he can address them as the proposal is assembled. Proof of this tactic was in the last water steward sub-group meeting earlier this week where the entire group worked hard to address the concerns and crafted the proposal around them. Not just from nay-sayers, but also Craig Smith et al pro group.
Listening is intended to fold/spindle/mutilate any opposition to make it palatable, and the SSD is no different.
It's like when I was on the Planning Commission where dozens, and I mean DOZENS of people came and begged the city to not put in the STR regulations, or at least, not make them so draconian. We had to sit through this parade -- but, then we were completely ignored, and words put into our collective mouths "to approve".
I'm getting really tired of this faux "listening".
With blank stares and "Thank you for your comment" and go listen to the recording and figure it out for yourself. Don't ask any questions.
DON'T PAY ANY ATTENTION TO THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN.
What man? What curtain? Say it isn't so!😊
All by design.😱
Don't forget about the part that once again basically illustrates the mechanics of the all too familiar refrain "General Public - you've had your SAY - now here's what we're going to do"
Dog and Pony show..
Nice words🎭
It's called the Delphi Technique.🤔
https://www.washingtonpolicy.org/publications/detail/school-officials-are-misleading-voters-about-the-real-cost-of-proposed-school-construction-bonds
No requirement to be honest with the voters. This is how we're raising children to be unethical. I'm so embarrassed for the lack of integrity our educational system exhibits.
"It's not the votes that count...it's who counts the votes." Vladimir Lenin😊
Excellent research! So, the taxpayers in Sequim SD pay for this consulting company. Our tax money is going to PR corp. to influence us, even though biased.
I was confused how the SSD found the money to hire these persuaders considering the budget restraints🤔.
Just write your property tax checks and don't ask any questions.🫣
Ah Ha~!
So, the fix was in right from the beginning~!
Well, thanks to the great efforts of Jeff Tozzer and the many good folks here who contribute to the discussion on The Watchdog, I seriously doubt that many of us are very surprised to confirm that our community and local government has been contaminated by very corrupt people who could care less about the will of the majority of folks here. The abuses of our government and by extension our entire community are appalling and the opposite of Constitutionally compliant. The premeditated gall to orchestrate these ongoing perversions of our system of government could not possibly be an accident or simple harmless political differences, so I am afraid that there is a VERY evil undertone and agenda that is intentionally in process. We can't afford to wait until it is too late to address these low-level criminals within our community, so I hope that enough good folks can soon get together to take serious legal actions against those who have denied anyone but them a say in our community~! Sincerely, Mike
THE SHEEP WILL BE SHEARED.
MORE NOISE... WHAT DO YOU EXPECT.
TYRANNY WILL INCREASE UNTIL IT MEETS RESISTANCE
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing," is one of the most well-known quotes attributed to Edmund Burke
That's what it's all about!😊
I fail to understand why the tribe was consulted at all...they don't have a nickel invested in our schools. They should have no more say than the rest of us mere citizens.
We can't apply logic to evil...it laughs at our gullibility!😎
We just got back from 'escaping' the fireworks fiasco by going to camp at Log Cabin Resort, Lake Crescent (inside the ONP...NO FIREWORKS). Requires booking in January to get a spot which you may 'request' a size of spot but not 'a spot'.
They 'assigned' us a spot quite too small on arrival and at our request called the people who 'no showed' another spot...transferred us to the bigger spot but did not inform us it was only for one night.
When they told us we'd have to move back to the 'undersized' spot or get a refund and/or vacate the spot under order of trespass when we challenged them (not their fault as seasonal employees of ARAMARK)...we moved again to the original spot only to have another 'camper' show up and tell us they had our 'spot' about an hour later.
THEN...on the evening of July 4th...a private party (in-holder) in the park lit off a fireworks 'event' worthy of a small town, for over an hour...local dogs ran away...some campers left in the middle of the night due to TRAUMATIC STRESS of themselves and their animals.
We tried to call law enforcement but no signal 'out' and no one ever showed up to challenge the whole illegal affair.
This is the state of the world and CCWD brings us news almost every day of the state of absolute insanity we are all participating in.
Thankfully we were able to get a first-come-first-served spot at Salt Creek on the way home and were able to 'decompress' before re-entering the nightmare that Port Angeles traffic has become and getting home before dark on Monday.
I realize these are 'first world' problems but we are old enough to know what true neigbhorliness and general respect were like.
The odd outlandish behavior was usually easily remedied by a verbal request or a Ranger presence if necessary.
I can't say if it's 'the end times' but it definitely is not 'the best of times'!
We must have signed up for the drama...cause 'here we are'!😊
That sounds horrible. I'm so sorry about your weekend.
It's always better when it's over!😊
Good to be home, even if it is in the middle of CC!🙄
Can't wait for 'the next life' adventure!😎
Pray for a solar-flare-tsunami-earthquake adventure...then we'll find out real fast who's 'for real'!😊. Just kidding...or maybe not...you know humans are always at their best when SHTF!😎
Just move to a neighborhood downriver from a dike that the County and Tribe are partnering on removing... you might get your wish for a new adventure REAL quick.
Oh my gosh, Jeff! This occurred to me too! Are we being set up for a major dam breach on the Dungeness when an earthquake occurs? Is anyone working on making Sequim a fifteen minute city?
Already in the works Susan...just because we're paranoid doesn't mean they're not 'after us'!😊. Almost nothing happens 'by accident'! Tangled webs!🕸️🤓
The 'densification' of our 'corridor' tells us all we need to know...but I've searched...and not many options on where else to go...it's 'globalism'! There seem to be more conservative regions to look at but they are not immune to 'globalism' in my research!🤔