Bart Birdsall gave me permission to copy an email he sent to Hooper of the SPTimes. Hooper is the guy I gave hell to for falling for Falliero's Jezebel ways when they had lunch together after which Hooper wrote a ga ga article about her. I think Bart's answer to Le Hooper is astute and on the mark.

It's ok for the administration and board to have no-bid contracts, hire dumb buddies for high-level jobs, and let the attorney refuse to obey the open-records law. But if a teacher takes Good Friday off, it's a killing offense.

I'll write Hooper a Parthian shot to add to Bart's rebuke. lee

You wrote: "....or if you're a Hillsborough School District employee
who took a personal day to teach the superintendent a lesson, ask
yourself this: What lesson did you teach the students? Work
ethic?......"

1. No one can teach the superintendent anything. She does as she
pleases without consulting or asking anyone's advice. This is a woman
literally drunk with power who has such a firm, unshakeable belief in
her ideas despite one catastrophe after the next caused by her
decisions. No one can teach or show her anything. She told a group of
principals once that they do not need to impress the school board,
because the school board does what she wants them to do. They have to
impress her. Ask principals you know to comment on this and promise
them anonymity. I bet they will tell you I am right.

2. Let's hypothetically say that some teachers took the day off to
teach the Superintendent a lesson. Those would be foolish teachers
indeed (see number 1 above). Anyway, let's pretend they have not
figured out my number 1 point above. If so, those teachers taught
students that there is a time when you must dig in your heels and
fight unchecked power. That is a very good lesson to teach children.
Everything I have done is for people who come after me. I want
teachers to stand up for themselves. I want students to see an adult
standing up for himself. Nothing I did the past 2 years in fighting
for what I believe in do I regret. I believe I taught people how to
stand up for themselves.

I went to work and it was a big waste of a day as far as learing is
concerned. Hardly any students showed up. Teachers could not teach
pivotal lessons with so many students out. But this was Elia's
decision backed by the board (see point #1 above once again).
Bart

Hooper, You are showing that you not only go ga-ga over tacky board members and write dippy puff pieces about one, La Falliero, but you demonstrate in this banal question above that you also lack subtlety of thought.

You have a pedestrian mind, Hooper. And you are stuck with it. lee drury de cesare

I have a note from someone who thinks Gonzalez will ignore my latest request for public information.

That would be good. Then I could turn him in again.

We will see how smart he is and earned all those millions of taxpayer dollars over the last fifteen years of his no-bid contract with the board. Hubris may have blinded him, but I doubt it.

That latest turndown for information would occur after the Ethics Commission has already accepted my charge that includes his not sending me requested public information.

I would add this latest evidence of his thumbing the nose at the law to his file to be sent to the commission.

Tomorrow is Gonzalez's due date for filing a rebuttal to my charges against him with the Ethics Commission. Then I have ten days to comment on his rebuttal.

We must be patient. Everything comes to those who wait.

lee

Someone wrote to ask when there will be an article about the Tribune meeting. The editorial page does not write news articles, and Brown of the news department was not at the meeting. What the group who went did was to inform Ms. Goodreau and her sidekick about the teachers' veiwpoints. She did not have these data before. They will influence her thinking when next she writes about the schools.

Nothing prevents your writing Ms. Goudreau and Ms. Brown and giving them your data. For God's sake watch your spelling and punctuation. lee

Tom, I have asked Linda Cobbe for these data, but I have heard nothing from her yet.

I think you will know the answer to my questions:

1. Who composed the preamble that Chair Falliero reads before a citizen speaks before the board?

2. How long has it been in use? Please tell the answers to these questions to Linda if you know them.

Lee Drury De Cesare