Anonymous wrote:Does anyone else feel like school board members are all just idiots? In mean, almost everywhere? I sort of feel like running for school board on a platform of “I don’t really know anything about his but I’ve got kids in public school and I’m generally not an idiot and I’m willing to listen.” I wouldn’t want to actually campaign though.
It just seems like this is not a good way to run an educational system.

They just don't do their job in MCPS. Supposed to be oversight, instead they rubberstamp whatever the current Superintendent blathers on about for 20 minutes of their 30 minute discussion time. If a board member asks a question that pushes back, they prattle on another 10 minutes without actually answering the question or saying anything meaningful, and then times up.

The other challenge is you need a majority to get anything done, so one lone dissenter can't get anything done either.

They all need to go, every current Board member, and everyone currently working in central office. We need more teachers in schools, more paraeducators in schools, especially in special ed

It’s happening in FCPS as we speak.

Lopez is trying to get back on the board. I hope the voters in SF won’t let her!

Does anyone else feel like school board members are all just idiots? In mean, almost everywhere? I sort of feel like running for school board on a platform of “I don’t really know anything about his but I’ve got kids in public school and I’m generally not an idiot and I’m willing to listen.” I wouldn’t want to actually campaign though.
It just seems like this is not a good way to run an educational system.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The turnout was tiny. They were booted out by fewer votes than elected them! That’s why fringe groups love special elections that they gin up, basically they are the only ones voting.

You need to update your stats. The total vote has still not been fully counted, but turnout was not tiny and the recall count is now greater than the number of votes when they were elected.

I'm in SF and was a poll worker in this election. I saw a steady stream of Asian voters and moms/dads of all groups.

What the conservatives and liberals miss about this election is the anti-Asian sentiment Trump and his crazy "China virus" talk created a lot of concern in the Asian American community overall. We've had elders attacked here and there's a lot of fear and anger at being on the receiving end of this right-wing stupidity.

Then these three school board members changed the merit entrance system at Lowell, which has been a cherished path to college and the middle class for many Asian-Americans in SF, at the same time that some (e.g., Collins) expressed flat-out anti-Asian racism from the left-wing POV (e.g., the "house n***ers" comment).

The Asian-Americans in the city that I know have just had it with all of this. They are getting it from both sides and they are done.

We also had really high turnout in the Castro, which no doubt was concerned when these board members refused to appoint a gay dad to a parent's council because he wasn't "diverse enough." Not seeing this particular moment in the post-election analysis, but I certainly think it was part of the vote.

And we had a city full of parents who have struggled to keep their kids on track while they also tried to maintain their employment and health. And did our school board even care about those parents? It sure didn't feel like it. Our mayor at least marshaled some resources to provide learning centers, but where was the school board?? All we heard was how privileged we were because we still had jobs, even as we ate stomach acid trying to meet professional obligations as we home schooled or rushed our depressed teens to therapists with 3-month waiting lists. How much crap were we supposed to happily endure??? I mean, opening schools earlier would have helped, but frankly, if these board members had just been able to show even the tiniest bit of compassion for all parents, not just the ones they perceived as "deserving victims," they would not have been recalled.

Then, on top of that tone-deafness, we have a huge deficit, our superintendent quit from disgust (and the board had to sign a contract promising to treat him civilly just to get him to finish the school year), and the board refused to provide any meaningful resources to the management of the pandemic. How much more incompetent do you have to be?

That said, anyone who thinks this recall was a sign of a nationwide pushback about progressivism is engaged in wishful thinking or stupidity.

And 99% of the times the attacker is either black or "progressive."

You seem confused. You guys are the ones with the racist mobs who attack Black people, Asians, and gays, all while egged on by your messiah Trump. That’s who you are and who you’ve been since the seventies. Own it. Hell, your core election strategy to preventing Black people from voting. That’s why you guys had a consent decree with the Justice Department for 30 years.

Now of course, as a party you have wholeheartedly embraced insurgency and anti-democracy. The party of January 6th is entirely illegitimate and needs to STFU.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The turnout was tiny. They were booted out by fewer votes than elected them! That’s why fringe groups love special elections that they gin up, basically they are the only ones voting.

You need to update your stats. The total vote has still not been fully counted, but turnout was not tiny and the recall count is now greater than the number of votes when they were elected.

I'm in SF and was a poll worker in this election. I saw a steady stream of Asian voters and moms/dads of all groups.

What the conservatives and liberals miss about this election is the anti-Asian sentiment Trump and his crazy "China virus" talk created a lot of concern in the Asian American community overall. We've had elders attacked here and there's a lot of fear and anger at being on the receiving end of this right-wing stupidity.

Then these three school board members changed the merit entrance system at Lowell, which has been a cherished path to college and the middle class for many Asian-Americans in SF, at the same time that some (e.g., Collins) expressed flat-out anti-Asian racism from the left-wing POV (e.g., the "house n***ers" comment).

The Asian-Americans in the city that I know have just had it with all of this. They are getting it from both sides and they are done.

We also had really high turnout in the Castro, which no doubt was concerned when these board members refused to appoint a gay dad to a parent's council because he wasn't "diverse enough." Not seeing this particular moment in the post-election analysis, but I certainly think it was part of the vote.

And we had a city full of parents who have struggled to keep their kids on track while they also tried to maintain their employment and health. And did our school board even care about those parents? It sure didn't feel like it. Our mayor at least marshaled some resources to provide learning centers, but where was the school board?? All we heard was how privileged we were because we still had jobs, even as we ate stomach acid trying to meet professional obligations as we home schooled or rushed our depressed teens to therapists with 3-month waiting lists. How much crap were we supposed to happily endure??? I mean, opening schools earlier would have helped, but frankly, if these board members had just been able to show even the tiniest bit of compassion for all parents, not just the ones they perceived as "deserving victims," they would not have been recalled.

Then, on top of that tone-deafness, we have a huge deficit, our superintendent quit from disgust (and the board had to sign a contract promising to treat him civilly just to get him to finish the school year), and the board refused to provide any meaningful resources to the management of the pandemic. How much more incompetent do you have to be?

That said, anyone who thinks this recall was a sign of a nationwide pushback about progressivism is engaged in wishful thinking or stupidity.

And 99% of the times the attacker is either black or "progressive."

Anonymous wrote:Three numbskull school board members recalled.

https://www.npr.org/2022/02/16/1081035770/san-francisco-voters-recall-three-school-board-members

Most surprising thing I read in the article, though: SF has a population of over 800,000 but only 50,000 students in its school system.

Because it's a horrible system. Any family with options either goes private or leaves the city, it's kind of automatic, you don't even think about it.

"The turnout was tiny. They were booted out by fewer votes than elected them! That’s why fringe groups love special elections that they gin up, basically they are the only ones voting."

This native San Franciscan can tell why voter turnout was so low - the board members had no supporters. They were elected because no one knew who they were. I'm pretty up on local politics but I too did not investigate the 25 or so candidates running for school board (pick 5) - their policy positons or who really supported them. The winners get endorsements (big bucks in SF for those printing up and mailing out endorsement slates) from other known progressives or Dems etc. I only pick one candidate (power voting) for school (or community college) board and it's always a former educator. My daughter did go to private schools (as did I – I’m a registered nurse, I put 15% of my income towards her tuition), but she's 30 now so I'm out of the loop.

As for racism – yes Collins is a racist – perhaps her takedown has enlightened her. Incompetent opportunistic people come from every race and religion under the sun. To say otherwise IS racist.
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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The turnout was tiny. They were booted out by fewer votes than elected them! That’s why fringe groups love special elections that they gin up, basically they are the only ones voting.

The turnout was tiny, but a lot of people didn’t vote because it was obvious the recall was going to pass overwhelmingly weeks ago. I live near SF, have a lot of friends in SF who are all blue progressives, and I don’t know literally anyone who was opposed to the recall. Not everyone voted, but almost nobody was opposed.

It is pure idiocy to not see this as the rebuke it was.

It’s not. It just like Youngkin, it is so special that the drive by media think it’s a rejection of progressive. San Francisco is “woke” and anyone running on overthrowing the government to install trump will lose- ie republicans. This should be warning to the republicans with no party platform or any policy beside worship trump.

So in your world you're either woke or a Trumper? Hmmm. I mean, maybe some good regular middle of the road Dems will run instead of racist woke lunatics or racist insane Trumpers.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The turnout was tiny. They were booted out by fewer votes than elected them! That’s why fringe groups love special elections that they gin up, basically they are the only ones voting.

The turnout was tiny, but a lot of people didn’t vote because it was obvious the recall was going to pass overwhelmingly weeks ago. I live near SF, have a lot of friends in SF who are all blue progressives, and I don’t know literally anyone who was opposed to the recall. Not everyone voted, but almost nobody was opposed.

It is pure idiocy to not see this as the rebuke it was.

It’s not. It just like Youngkin, it is so special that the drive by media think it’s a rejection of progressive. San Francisco is “woke” and anyone running on overthrowing the government to install trump will lose- ie republicans. This should be warning to the republicans with no party platform or any policy beside worship trump.

Anonymous wrote:The turnout was tiny. They were booted out by fewer votes than elected them! That’s why fringe groups love special elections that they gin up, basically they are the only ones voting.

You need to update your stats. The total vote has still not been fully counted, but turnout was not tiny and the recall count is now greater than the number of votes when they were elected.

I'm in SF and was a poll worker in this election. I saw a steady stream of Asian voters and moms/dads of all groups.

What the conservatives and liberals miss about this election is the anti-Asian sentiment Trump and his crazy "China virus" talk created a lot of concern in the Asian American community overall. We've had elders attacked here and there's a lot of fear and anger at being on the receiving end of this right-wing stupidity.

Then these three school board members changed the merit entrance system at Lowell, which has been a cherished path to college and the middle class for many Asian-Americans in SF, at the same time that some (e.g., Collins) expressed flat-out anti-Asian racism from the left-wing POV (e.g., the "house n***ers" comment).

The Asian-Americans in the city that I know have just had it with all of this. They are getting it from both sides and they are done.

We also had really high turnout in the Castro, which no doubt was concerned when these board members refused to appoint a gay dad to a parent's council because he wasn't "diverse enough." Not seeing this particular moment in the post-election analysis, but I certainly think it was part of the vote.

And we had a city full of parents who have struggled to keep their kids on track while they also tried to maintain their employment and health. And did our school board even care about those parents? It sure didn't feel like it. Our mayor at least marshaled some resources to provide learning centers, but where was the school board?? All we heard was how privileged we were because we still had jobs, even as we ate stomach acid trying to meet professional obligations as we home schooled or rushed our depressed teens to therapists with 3-month waiting lists. How much crap were we supposed to happily endure??? I mean, opening schools earlier would have helped, but frankly, if these board members had just been able to show even the tiniest bit of compassion for all parents, not just the ones they perceived as "deserving victims," they would not have been recalled.

Then, on top of that tone-deafness, we have a huge deficit, our superintendent quit from disgust (and the board had to sign a contract promising to treat him civilly just to get him to finish the school year), and the board refused to provide any meaningful resources to the management of the pandemic. How much more incompetent do you have to be?

That said, anyone who thinks this recall was a sign of a nationwide pushback about progressivism is engaged in wishful thinking or stupidity.

Anonymous wrote:The turnout was tiny. They were booted out by fewer votes than elected them! That’s why fringe groups love special elections that they gin up, basically they are the only ones voting.

The turnout was tiny, but a lot of people didn’t vote because it was obvious the recall was going to pass overwhelmingly weeks ago. I live near SF, have a lot of friends in SF who are all blue progressives, and I don’t know literally anyone who was opposed to the recall. Not everyone voted, but almost nobody was opposed.

It is pure idiocy to not see this as the rebuke it was.

Anonymous wrote:We left CA in late 2020. CA public schools are among the most classist and racist I have ever seen (lived in VA and MD with kids as well). In the central coast county that I lived in for 8 years (population of approximately 450,000) we had 25 separate school districts. Most were separated by class and race. They are definitely a do as I say, but as I do state. It was disgusting to see. COVID made it worse so we left.

Key words: central coast. The Bay Area mixed schools up to avoid that divide, which only made all schools equally bad (well, some cities). Parents fled to more homogenous schools and districts.
The sad thing about CA is not the school divide. It’s the fact that it’s the only way to keep some schools decent.