SF School District

Looks like some arm twisting was going on

l3wis May 11, 2009 1Comments

Politics as usual in Sux Falls. After the big bad school board told the Event Center task force to pony up before they can have Howard Wood, it seems in just a few short days they are having a change of tune.

The Sioux Falls School Board’s offer last week to sell Howard Wood Field to make room for a new arena came with a high price but no deadline.

 

Roman Holiday film

The board said it will need at least $15 million from the city or donors to build a new track and football field elsewhere; if that doesn’t happen, it will go ahead with a $6.3 million plan to renovate the existing field.

 

If all goes as expected, it will be another 18 months before the board has an answer. But even as the 52-year-old field increasingly shows its age, board members say they are in no hurry to renovate.

“We would hate to make investments and then a few years down the road learn that we’re not going to use the facility,” Doug Morrison said.

Kind of sounds like a few board members got some calls over the weekend?

“Yeah, Doug? Woster here. Um, word on the street is that you and the rest of the school board members that decided to not let us have Howard Wood are now being labeled as anti-growth and anti-progress. You know, it’s not me saying those things, I’m just hearing it from a lot of ‘citizens’. Not sure what you can do, but I sure wouldn’t want to be in the same boat as those tax petitioners. Know what I’m saying?”

Funny how things go in this town.

Need to kill some time? Run for the Sioux Falls School Board

l3wis April 7, 2009 21Comments

This race looks about as exciting as watching paint dry;

Three candidates will vie for two seats on the Sioux Falls School Board during next month’s election.

 

Board President Darin Daby is seeking re-election to a second term May 12.

 

“I think I’ve learned a bunch over the last three years, and think I can offer even more over the next three years,” said Daby, a 44-year-old private banker at U.S. Bank.

Parker, 35, works as a research specialist for the Department of Health. She has an undergraduate degree in education and a graduate school degree in public administration.

Married with two sons, ages 4 and 1, Parker has a particular interest in early childhood education.

 

“I think that’s going to be very important down the road,” she said. “I certainly think it’s something we as a community need to strive for.”

Deitschman, 39, is a senior paramedic at Rural/Metro Ambulance and a substitute teacher for the district.

 

He is married with three children: a high school graduate and one each in middle and elementary school. He said his varied experiences with the district would benefit the school board.

If I voted today, I would pick Daby and Deitschman. Hopefully more people would throw their hat in the ring.

Super Homan’s decision not to do her job has more consequences.

l3wis January 15, 2009 6Comments

Just another symbol of hypocrisy and arrogance.

As I have said in the past, the flier issue could have been handled quickly and easily if Pam would have just done her job and reprimanded her communications director for not doing her job, then apologizing to the public. Now another organization is suffering because of it;

Youth Enrichment Services, which provides after-school programs for children ages 5 to 12, traditionally has set up a booth at the district’s annual information night on kindergarten. But the ban on fliers approved in November means the group no longer can set up at such events to hand out literature.

Of course another solution would be to ban Leslee Unruh from Sioux Falls all together and take her virginity dime store with her.

“We’re all frustrated,” board member Deana Barth said. “It’s an awful environment we live in that laws sort of take precedence over what kids need. But that’s where we are now. Our hands are tied.”

Um, Deana, why did you vote for the ban then? I think the message to send would have been to tell your employee, Homan, to go do her job and fire the communications director and hire one that is interested in upholding policies, that would have been FOLLOWING THE LAW.