School Board Meeting

Our team was well-represented at last night's school board meeting. Carla brought Zaeem, Suzanna brought Ned, Nayef and their younger brother and Kathy and I brought Jack. Other WSC people were there including the president and fields coordinator. If you want a brief recap from the Record, click on this link. For my perspective, read on...

On entering I found an agenda with no mention of the field fees. There was a lot of hoopla early in the agenda, then a chance for public comment but only on items on the agenda. Then a lot of boring votes and finally a chance to comment on items not on the agenda. Very sneakily orchestrated! They had the news cameras there until the first public comment was over and then they left. This allowed the president of the school board to give his own rant about how the fees were always there, that the public was reacting to rumors and that everyone was unfairly blowing this issue out of proportion and that clubs like WSC were making money off the free fields they got from the schools.

When I went up to protest during the first public comment session I was told I was not allowed to speak because this was not on the agenda. I told the president that it must be considered part of the agenda since he talked about it but he refused to let me continue. I told him, in my best Arnold Schwarzenegger, 'I'll be back.'

We had to sit through another hour of boredom until we could speak. I protested that this was going to cost us $300 per child and that any extra amount was unfair since we already paid for these fields with our taxes.

Then Jason Krakower, our fields coordinator made a rousing speech interrupted by many bursts of applause. Some of his comments were that they orchestrated the agenda to allow only one side of the argument appear on the TV news, that WSC was indeed non-profit and staffed by volunteers, that there were no RUMORS, he received an e-mail from the board detailing the fees.

Robert Keenen, who started a Facebook page Thursday to protest the fees, said “I’m going to have to tell my daughter … ‘You’re going to have to decide.’ That stinks,” he said. "Sports," he added, are “our opportunity to get kids away from iPads, iTouches and TVs.”

A baseball coach asked for the board members addresses so that he could send them a bill for all the maintenance he has done on fields.

There was also a lot of criticism directed to decisions by the new superintendent, Ray Rodriguez, for firing good people and bringing in his own lot. He hired a Public Relations firm which certainly didn't help the public with this issue, and an un-needed assistant while firing the Vice Principal of Schuyler.

All in all, it was a fun event to attend but I learned that they like to meet in secret and then do what they like and tell us about the decisions when it's too late to do anything about them. I'd like you all to vote the arrogant president, Pavlak, out in November if we get the chance.

Next step is that the board meets with WSC in the next few weeks to decide how much to charge us.

For fun, I wrote a new set of lyrics for 'Master of the House' from Les Miserables in honor of the occasion. Enjoy:

Welcome, Monsieur, settle ye down

Here in the best New Jersey town

As for the rest, all of 'em crooks:
Rooking the homeowners, crooking the books

Seldom do you see
Honest men like me
A gent of good intent
Who's content to be

Super of the board, doling out the charm
Ready with a handshake and an open palm
Tells a saucy tale, makes a little stir
Taxpayers appreciate a bon-viveur
Glad to do a friend a favor
Doesn't cost me to be nice
But nothing gets you nothing
Everything has got a little price!

Super of the board, keeper of the zoo
Ready to relieve 'em of a cent or two
Cut out half the arts, NJ-ASK’s the cure
Fire all the teachers ‘fore they get tenure
Everybody loves a school board
Everybody's bosom friend
We do whatever pleases
Jesus! Won't we bleed 'em in the end!

Super of the board, slow to catch yer eye
Tries to keep the passersby a’passin’ by
Servant to the poor, butler to the great
Comforter, philosopher, and lifelong mate!
Everybody's boon companion
Everybody's chaperone
But lock up your valises
Jesus! Won't he skin you to the bone!

Enter Monsieur, enroll your son
See back to school night, enjoy the fun
Wayne sure is nice, taxes a curse
And here we strive to lighten your purse
Here the Scouts are charged
PAL is fried
Boy’s and Girl’s club pays
Till I'm satisfied

Vice principal fired. Teacher does his part
Call the whole thing ‘cycles’ and you don’t need art
Lane for just the bus, speed-bumps make you glower
Filling up the parking lots with solar power
Residents are more than welcome
School board still is occupied
Reasonable charges
Plus some little extras on the side!

Charge 'em for the fields, extra for the geese
Two percent for playing without saying please
Here a little slice, there a little slit
Three percent for slipping in the goosey shit
When it comes to fixing prices
There are a lot of tricks he knows
How it all increases, all them bits and pieces
Jesus! It's amazing how it grows!

Super of the board, slow to catch yer eye
Tries to keep the passersby a’passin’ by
Servant to the poor, butler to the great
Comforter, philosopher, and lifelong mate!
Everybody's boon companion
Gives 'em everything he's got
Dirty bunch of geezers
Jesus! What a sorry little lot!

We used to dream that we would meet a prince
But God Almighty, have you seen what's happened since?

Super of the board? Isn't worth me spit!
`Comforter, philosopher' and lifelong shit!
Cunning little brain, regular Voltaire
Thinks he's quite a teacher but the kids don’t care

Here sits Mister Ray Rodriguez. He’s amassing quite a hoard
God knows how we've lasted living with this bastard on the board

Super of the board

Super and a half

Comforter, philosopher
Ah, don't make me laugh!
Servant to the poor, butler to the great
Hypocrite and toady and inebriate!
Everybody bless the super!
Everybody pray to the lord!
Everybody raise a glass
Raise it up the super's arse
Everybody raise a glass to the Super of the Board!