We survived

I'm back from Disneyland!

And we have electricity!

And there's more trouble brewing at home in the politics of the School Board. You guys, I'm seriously not sure I can do this anymore. No, like, really.

There was a dust-up at a Board Meeting in March. Guy came to the podium, accused us of not following the Board Policy, angry words, etc. So the Board asked the High School to research their end of this controversy and asked a subcommittee of the Board to research our end of this controversy.

Never heard back from the High School. Typical.

I sit on the Sub-committee, but we couldn't research the policy because we hadn't been given the password to access online sample policy revisions. Typical.

We got the password on May 23. Sample policy includes the line (which we don't have in our policy) "in accordance with procedures prescribed by the Board." A-Ha! Controversy? OK then, let's prescribe procedures.

Brought forward a sample policy revision and all hell breaks loose. (All documents to be considered are released to the public on the Friday before a Thursday meeting.) Before the meeting, before the Board had even discussed it, before anyone could say whether or not they agreed with it, two cranks in the community had sent the policy to the DA and asked for an investigation.

Um. Hello?

If we haven't enacted the language, how can you investigate? For example:

"I think from now on, all Board members should paint their faces blue."

"We need to investigate the Board for even considering face painting," says the public.

"But we haven't started requiring anyone to paint their face," says the Board.

"Too bad. I hate you anyway. And I'm getting the District Attorney to say so too. And you're not invited in our treehouse anymore!"

Sample languge? Draft proposal? Does anyone get what that means? ARGH!

And the real story, which is getting drowned in all of this, is that once again, for the third time in two years, the District has found a budgeting error, a major error, which appears just after we have sent a proposal to negotiations, but just before we have to certify the budget. For example:

"Oh, we don't have enough money to offer a raise! Why look, we barely have enough money to cover our base expenses. In fact, if you do a highly suggestive ten-year projection, you'll see that we'll be in the hole to the tune of about ten million dollars in a few years."

"We've finalized a Tentative Agreement with the employee groups."

"Oh look! We just found a huge budgeting error, so now our ending balance is more positive than we thought it was, and now we can roll into next year with a positive projection towards the future! Yay!"

Ermm.

I've tried pointing this out before, I've tried "fighting the good fight", but, really? I'm just tired of it. And I'm looking ahead this summer, knowing that I've got not one, but two, internal investigations; a forensic audit to schedule; and I have to finish redlining and bolding a section of Board Policy which now measures 5"; and on and on.

I feel as if I'm moaning like Chris Sarandon from the Princess Bride:

"I've got my country's 500th anniversary to plan, my wedding to arrange, my wife to murder and Guilder to frame for it; I'm swamped."

But Disneyland was fun.

Getting sick of the Homelife though.