In a recent post you read how future School District Superintendent Hazel Bauman wants to convert you, the taxpayer, into voting for yet another levy to fix Lakes Middle School. OpenCdA has obtained a copy of the script read by the dutiful acolytes making the conversions.
Here is a link to the script, which opens as a PDF file. It shows the actual text being read by the “volunteer (parent/grandparent).” Be converted.
And, oh by the way, should I give you the info flyer or not?
Simple, clear and designed to get the YES vote out. Nothing overtly criminal. That it is being given to staff who might feel pressured and to parents who might feel intimidated is problematic. Questions unanswered are who prepared the script, who distributed it and who paid for same?
Comment by Pariah — May 8, 2008 @ 4:27 pm
I would like to know if, in fact, parents of students are targeted in these calls and how the phone numbers were obtained. I would also like to know if teachers are going to be making calls.
Comment by Mama Bear — May 8, 2008 @ 5:54 pm
Pariah,
Here’s a link to the 2002 SPFL ballot.
I suspect the court of public opinion will and has judged the District more harshly than a criminal court would. The public, the taxpayers, expect the District to ask for an SPFL amount based on solid professional estimates. There is nothing in the 2002 ballot that says, in effect, “If costs go ballistic, here’s the projects we will complete and the order in which we will complete them. We’ll keep going until we run out of money.” In fact, the last clause (“…;and, if any funds remain, the same shall be used for the purposes set forth herein”) implies that the District contemplated there might be money left over.
It should not surprise the District that taxpayers are insisting on something more than the District’s assurance that it will do it right this time. I suspect the District’s clumsiness is more a failure of competence than a criminal act.
Unfortunately, there has been no demonstration that the District has been trying to improve its competence, only its campaigning techniques. Recall that Mary Souza asked for the bids and documentation the District used to estimate remodel versus replacement costs on Lakes. She has Washington State’s meticulous procedure for making that determination in its schools. If Idaho has a similar process, the District didn’t use it.
We have a pretty good idea exactly who prepared the script and who distributed it. Who paid for it — that’s an excellent question. The notation at the bottom of the script suggests there may have been a followup mailing. Who paid for that and the postage? I suspect we’ll eventually find out.
Comment by Bill — May 8, 2008 @ 6:06 pm
The architect’s contract states that he gets paid a percentage of construction costs (7.25%) and does not seem to have a cap on the amount. It does not motivate the architect to be careful with costs; he gets paid more if the cost of materials goes up. Unlike in Spokane where they set a maximum cap for the architect’s fee, so if the price of gas or copper wire or concrete goes up, the architect does not make more money.
Comment by mary — May 8, 2008 @ 7:20 pm
So we can lower the paranoia level just a bit, the script you all are referring to was prepared by the Levy Steering Committee, a group of parents and concerned citizens not connected to the school district.
Scripts are often used in political campaigns or in a campaign like this one for the convenience of the volunteer caller. Sometimes volunteers get nervous if they have to articulate a position on their own and the script provides an easier way for them to communicate about a cause they believe in. It also allows a campaign to send out a consistent message. As I said almost every campaign uses scripts, even Republicans and conservative groups.
The question of the info flyer was a question of whether the Levy Steering Committee was sending out the informational flyer or was the school district doing so. After a discussion with the district, we determined the school district should do that, as it is a strictly informational flyer. All expenses by the Levy Steering Committee are paid by donations to the committee for the express purpose of passing the levy.
As I emailed Bill yesterday on a related topic, there is neither conspiracy nor impropriety here and we have been very careful to follow all applicable laws and ethical concerns.
Mark W. Altman- Co-Chair of the Levy Steering Committee
Comment by Mark W Altman — May 15, 2008 @ 8:10 am