Fallen Redwood.........Something Not Revealed is NOT Something UnKnown

If the redwood falls in the forest and nobody is shown the video--trust me it still made a loud, crashing, and violent noise as it fell...... 

There is a saying we have all heard.....  If a tree falls in the forest and nobody hears it, did it make a sound?

Obviously the answer is simple:  Of course that redwood made a loud, crashing sound as it fell....

But if nobody wants to know about it, and nobody was there to hear it, and nobody is shown the video-- it is easy to sell folks on the idea that it made no sound---- right?.

Answer:  NO

I purposely, late last Friday on a holiday weekend, submitted paperwork to run for re-election to  my current office on the board of county commissioners.  I love my job and I thank God daily for his blessing bestowed upon me that has allowed me to serve my neighbors in District 1 first on the school board and now on the county commission.

But I also do have one eye on our local schools. I worry about the direction we are going.....

Just two weeks ago, a poll was conducted regarding the position of school superintendent for our local public schools.  I did not request this poll, nor did I pay for it.

I did not publish the results once I got them two weeks ago, BUT neither  did anyone else.

I'm publishing them right now though.  Right here, right now, below.

READ THE REST OF THE STORY BY CLICKING "READ MORE" BELOW, LEFT..

I feel these results have been deliberately held aside for political purposes, and it is because some folks don't want citizens to know where this election stands at the moment---------if we fail to bring our schools into the 21st century by allowing our board to hire the superintendent like 99.6% of school districts do currently in 2018.

It's okay though, I'm publishing the results here on this blog.  People need to know what the voters think.  And some that don't want to believe these results will soon be spending more money to poll the same question.  The results they get will be no different, though.  That's my opinion.

I'm somewhat humbled by the results, though. 

I think these results illustrate that star voters know I care about our schools and want to see the schools improve.  I think these results show people realize I don't give a damn about what the "powers that be" want in terms of the next election.  It shows that people know what I know: 

I only care about students, parents, and teachers.

Meanwhile--to be quite specific:

I support, strongly, the modern, efficient, and effective model of the appointed superintendent of schools being hired by and controlled by an elected, local, board of education.

The voters will address this question on November 6th of this year.  I hope they vote Yes for Escambia Schools.  Please vote YES at the end of your ballot this year!!!

If they don't though---all options will be and are on the table;

The "candidate" that has been anointed to take the place of our current ELECTED superintendent know this, because I told him in person when I ran into him at a Wal Mart about a year ago.

He knows if the voters decide to keep the status quo that all bets are off.  He knows I'll go personally to 20,000 homes door to door if I decide to run.  I think he knows that.  If not, he will once he reads this :)

Because If we are not going to hire the best, most qualified person from a national selection process to make our schools better, then the least we ought to do is elect a person that understands that  hiring a superintendent is the way to improve and modernize our system locally. And whomever it is that runs should be someone that will ACTIVELY try to work himself out of a job by advocating for an appointed superintendent for our schools locally.  We don't need a person that simply wants to maximize his/her retirement by riding out the next 8-12-16 years in the superintendent's office.  This does not move the ball forward in Escambia County.   This question needs to be at the forefront over the next two years of ANYONE that wants to run for this job.

I STRONGLY SUPPORT APPOINTING THE BEST CANDIDATE FOR SUPERINTENDENT AND ELIMINATING OUR BACKWARDS TRADITION OF ELECTING THE SUPERINTENDENT, AND I WILL NOT ALTER THIS POSITION NO MATTER WHAT OFFICE I ULTIMATELY SEEK IN 2020.

The next two years will be interesting!  Stay tuned!