Midlands Superintendent Resigns
ONE DOWN, EIGHTY-FOUR TO GO
FITSNews - July 31, 2008 - Less than a month after we published our exquisitely-written expose on the shenanigans going on in his school district, Superintendent Scott Andersen submitted his resignation to the school board of Lexington-Richland District Five today.
From La Socialista :
The (Andersen) controversy comes at a time when the district is dealing with several key issues — among them a $243.7 million bond proposal for school renovations and new construction.
Peggy Rast, who has three children currently enrolled in district schools, said it is important now for the district to move on.
“I hope we don’t bog down in this,” said Rast, who supports the bond proposal.
“I hope we can rise above this and think about the children.”
Sheez. Of course this dim bulb PTA mom supports the bond referendum … and of course her reason is that we should “think about the children.” It’s always “for the children” with these idiots.
Our question to Mrs. Cleaver is this - do the “children” of whom she speaks include the 2,000 students which Superintendent Andersen conjured up out of thin air in a transparent effort to justify spending this quarter of a billion dollars? Oh it’s “for the children” alright - especially the ones who exist only in greedy educrats’ incessantly scheming imaginations.
UPDATE - For those of you wondering about the sub-head, South Carolina has eighty-five school districts. 
Comments
By baker on July 31st, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Will,
A couple thoughts:
1. I think you’re a little harsh on the lady who favors the building referendum. So you disagree with her, and you may be right that the student enrollment projections are high. But language like “dim bulb” and “these idiots” only serves to make the pro-voucher (tax credits) movement appear mean and arrogant.
Further, where’s the consistency? You tout all the wonderful things that will happen if we just give parents “choice” (regardless of dealingn in any credible way with the very real practical problems with Mark Sanford’s choice plans). But when this parent, a voter, chooses to support a building referendum you don’t like, she’s an idiot, etc.
2. On the subject of consistency, folks like you and Randy Page seem to often tout the need for local school control, flexibility at the local level for education leaders to make decisions, less interference from the big-bad DOE. Then you turn around and say you want all local superintendents to be fired. Yes, I caught the smiley-face, but it’s still obviously part of the anti-so-called-”educrat” campaign.
In this case, it actually seems that the system has worked in a reasonable way. D5 saw a problem with its administrative leadership and made a change. Happens all the time — a government entity, a non-profit group, a for-profit business, maybe even a private K-12 school hires a jerk or an incompetent to run things, and then a board has to make a change. I hope D5 does a good job finding a replacement.
As for the building referendum, I hope they come up with a reasonable figure for an investment. And if that request comes with a few ‘extras’ that have a legitimate educational purpose “for the children”, then I hope folks like you won’t simply cry “greed.”
By um will... on July 31st, 2008 at 4:27 pm
You should watch who you’re calling a dim bulb, Willie. Might find she’s better connected to your philosophical leanings than you realize. (Hint, take a look at the SC Club for Growth roster…)
By fitsnews on July 31st, 2008 at 4:34 pm
#2-
We don’t care if she’s connected to the friggin’ pope, her comments here are idiotic.
-FITSNews
By Sanford Anonymous on July 31st, 2008 at 4:35 pm
Wasn’t this the district that churned out the likes of Andre Bauer? This Gov is NOT surprised!!
Let me pick a new Supe for D5 to keep little bastards like Andre from ever running for office.
I’ve got a friend (won’t tell you his name but you can buy his T-Rav shirts on this site) who I could appoint to that district and we’d have the most industrious kids in the state.
C’mon PEOPLE!
By Wilbur on July 31st, 2008 at 5:10 pm
He was having sex while on the payroll (during the day). Look at his credit card reciepts and you will be amazed at what u find.
While at it, take a look at the the others, and for one female sup you might want to check the Friday night Outback Steak House bills…
These people know no restraint.
By chris valley on July 31st, 2008 at 6:14 pm
Her comments are spot on. We have needs and they have not changed just because the sup. has resigned.
By gotta disagree... on July 31st, 2008 at 6:30 pm
What’s idiotic about a parent expressing her desire that her school district - now notorious for taking its eye off the ball to deal with issues like Mr. A’s zipper - quickly get back to the work of educating her child? Lay off the poor (correct) woman Will and save your ire for those who keep distracting that poor district away from its once rightful place as the state’s best.
By investigative journalism time? on July 31st, 2008 at 6:53 pm
WIS now reporting a female employEe filed complaint with richland county sherrifs dept. could she be the same young lass you’ve mentioned previously? get the fits girls on it!
By baker on July 31st, 2008 at 7:02 pm
Here are Ms. Rast’s quoted comments:
1. “I hope we don’t bog down in this.”
2. “I hope we can rise above this and think about the children.”
Not bogging down on the superintendent controversy doesn’t seem “idiotic” to me.
And “think(ing) about the children” in trying to sort through a school district administrative mess doesn’t seem particularly idiotic, either. Obviously, children are — or should be — the focus of education.
Not quoted is her support for the building referendum. I guess maybe that’s what Will thinks is idiotic. But, here again, “choice” for parents is all-important….until Will disagrees with one’s choice.
By baker on July 31st, 2008 at 7:08 pm
Oh, and as for whether or not the referendum is idiotic, I don’t know….I don’t live in the Greater Irmo area. Maybe the dollar figure and enrollment projections were high. But perhaps it’s complicated. Maybe there are legitimate needs and some PARENTS decided to support even an imperfect plan because they see their children benefiting, overall. Who knows…..doesn’t make people idiots.
By fitsnews on July 31st, 2008 at 8:25 pm
Jeez. The masses are sensitive today …
-FITSNews
By Hypocrisy 101 on August 1st, 2008 at 12:00 am
I’m with the moderator on this one. Come on, people! This issue is not about “the kids”. That is simply a meaningless phrase which obfuscates the truth here. In my opinion, the kids are just fine…it’s the grownups that need to shape up. Let’s face it, there was little enthusiasm for a bond referendum this fall prior to the sordid downfall of the superintendent. Less than a year ago, the district spoke loudly at the election booth: “NO!” That didn’t seem to faze the pro-bond crowd, who figured that the rest of us must be misinformed, vindictive, or just plain dumb. Wrong. We were simply not convinced that such a huge referendum was justified, and several months later it would appear that perhaps we were right all along. Then comes the soap opera of the summer of 2008–true or not, it did nothing to bolster any confidence in our elected Board. In fact, those of us who were not particularly emotionally charged in either direction on this issue of “Peyton Place meets Room 222″ could easily discern that the incompetency of the Board was the real problem. How can these impaired public servants ask us on one hand to cough up more of our hard-earned money for a huge expansion of dubious need or urgency, while on the other hand washing their hands of the disaster that was Dr. AndersEn, even giving him a raise within the last few weeks? The crux of the problem is this: If I cannot trust this board, and these board members in particular, to handle a key personnel issue such as this in an appropriate manner, then why in the heck would I trust them with the stewardship of countless more millions of our hard-earned dollars? This board has utterly lost any thread of credibility with me, and I would bet that many other District 5 citizens feel the same way. I will not vote for the referendum, and I will campaign privately with my friends and colleagues to do the same. Until the corruption and incompetence are swept clean from the District headquarters, no such referendum stands a chance in my opinion. My suggestion is to support fresh blood in the upcoming board elections and galvanize further opposition to this ill-timed and ill-concocted referendum at the polls this November. Maybe we can eventually get over this hump, but it will take a long, long time for me to regain any trust in our school District administration and board. Seems to me that the Kim Murphys and Don Carlsons of the world aren’t so loony after all. I plan on joining them to prevent another huge enlargement of an already swollen and out-of-touch school bureaucracy.
By AMR on August 1st, 2008 at 9:51 am
Wow! When the inmates are running the asylum this is what happens. It is time to change the old guard and replace everyone on the school board with individuals who are not connected to the “Lex5 Club.” We need new leaders who put personal politics and vendettas aside in favor of hiring professionals who care more about doing something positive for the schools and community than how their last name is spellEd. Wow. The Board’s decision to fire this district’s greatest superintendent (Dr. Dennis McMahon) was the beginning of its long list of fait accomplis revealing its gross lack of leadership and overall incompetence. Our children are watching us–and unfortunately they are learning from us. We must put pettiness behind us and build not only new schools, but also build people with character and integrity who lead them starting at the top. Wow.
By Oscar on August 1st, 2008 at 10:23 am
Uh - yeah Will, you’ve jumped into a really big issue here & you’ve obviously only heard from one side. You might want to dig into this a little more before blowing any shred of credibilty you may have had left on this issue. By your comments, you obviously don’t know Peggy Rast (and her husband) as many of us do.
By fitsnews on August 1st, 2008 at 11:03 am
Oscar,
Couple things …
a) A really big issue? Whatever. It’s a local school district, dude - we eat those for breakfast around here.
b) Credibility is never something we’ve particularly concerned ourselves with, but thanks for your concern. We’ll definitely keep that in mind.
c) Perhaps you didn’t read our previous comments, but we could honestly give a rat’s ass who Peggy Rast (or her husband) is. We’re sure she’s a nice lady (judging by her inane regurgitation of the “for the children” myth in La Socialista the other day), but we call it like we see it on this website. If you want to keep reading that sappy shit then by all means renew your subscription to The State.
-FITSNews
By Draven on August 1st, 2008 at 2:29 pm
So it’s a myth when a pro-educrat says “for the children,” but a fact when a voucher vulture says it?
By Blogging brings out the CRAZIES! on August 1st, 2008 at 2:41 pm
You know… the thing about blogging is that it really gets all the JERKS out there saying the most inane ridiculous things. To jump on this lady who has every right to have her opinion shows the caliber of persons tend to frequent this particular blogging site.
Show some class - Have an opinion but respect others. HER name was used. You are a coward.
By Not a RINO on August 1st, 2008 at 2:58 pm
” I may not like what you have to say, however, I will defend to my death your right to say it”
again…. Will Folks for Superintendent
By "Anonymous" on August 1st, 2008 at 8:24 pm
Sic One for Guv, 2010!!!
By Believe It Not (a.k.a. SC Educrat Establishment) on August 1st, 2008 at 9:18 pm
Hey, Blogging Brings…, it’s not really a lot of jerks. Just sic(k) willie with a few fake posts and a couple of his cronies. For example, Hypocrisy 101 seems to be suffering from some a “swollen” “enlargement” (read the post) that needs medical attention. And a grammar lesson.
BIN News Editorial Board
Always with Flair and Balance
By Hypocrisy 101 on August 2nd, 2008 at 1:03 pm
Hey #20, if you’re going to criticize my syntax, you should gets your right first. Go back and read your sentence: “…suffering from some a “swollen” “enlargement”… What the heck?
First, your grammar is imprecise. What is “some a”? Second, you spliced two quoted words together. If you read my post, it makes perfect sense. Your critique is grammatically flawed, not my post. Thanks for reading it though. Maybe you’ll stop to think next time.
By Mike Reino on August 4th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
Will,
I just noticed that I used the same pic on a post of mine dated Aug.1 - strictly a coincidence. If I saw it, i’d have picked another one. Sorry buddy..
By Kim on August 6th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
Thank goodness for berg. We feared it would be Bollman.
By Well Orchestrated Plan on August 10th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
Reflecting upon the current controversy and chaos in School District Five, I have started to take a look at the big picture. Sometimes we get so mired down in the day-to-day happenings that we lose sight of what is really going on.
Let’s roll back the clock to July of 2006. The district recently hired a new superintendent. After a few months, Don Carlson, a vocal critic of the district, wrote an article in the IRMO NEWS praising the new superintendent. This shocked many in our community, as these were some of the only positive words he has ever uttered.
Meanwhile, at every board meeting, at least every one I have attended, Chapin resident Kim Murphy would show up and say something critical about what is going on in the district. Her topics have included Oak Pointe, sewer lines, growth, and of course, enrollment. She has spoken at almost every meeting with something negative to say.
Then in February of 2007, a group of district community members made recommendations about school facilities needs. Andersen worked with that group and supported those recommendations. As these recommendations were contrary to Carlson’s plan for the district, he and his gang of “concerned” citizens immediately began attacking Andersen. (Go back and read the Irmo News to confirm this.)
Why did they make such a flip-flop? Because they did, and still do not, want new schools built in our district. So as soon as Andersen went against their wishes, they sent out the wolves to attack him.
Then in November of 2007, the referendum was held and was defeated. When you analyze the election results by precinct, you will see there were a few areas in our community that strongly supported the bond. Where were they? The residents of the Dutch Fork community, specifically the River Springs precinct, were the biggest supporters of the bond.
Keep that in mind as you read on.
For the past three months, Kim Murphy has been coming to board meetings and publicly attacking board member Robert Gant. Murphy has specifically singled out Gant with negative and divisive comments. She is clearly trying to discredit Gant as she knows he is strongly supported in the Dutch Fork area, and is an avid proponent of addressing our facilities needs through the passage of a bond referendum.
But that is not enough. Murphy and her crowd of supporters, including a blogger with obvious political motivations of his own, have chosen to attack employees in the River Springs and Dutch Fork areas. For instance, there is a widely known attack, right here on this disgusting blog, of the principal of River Springs. And now, that smear is being extended to Oak Pointe employees and beyond.
Why?
By creating confusion, distrust and mayhem, the purpose of those who would destroy our district and public education in general is served.
It is so obvious and yet many cannot see it. Their plan is working and we are letting it work. We are now partnering with them in destroying our district and our community.
We have been consumed with one of the biggest distractions ever. Most of us have played a part in that by wagging our tongues and falling right into the trap laid by the bad intentions of a few.
It is apparent now more than ever that some members of our community are not indeed focused on putting all students first. Some are obviously not concerned about our children at all. Some of us have allowed ourselves to become entrenched in this divisiveness that has been generated by those who do not care about our children.
Don’t beat yourself up if you are one of those who genuinely care about our children, but have become caught up in this intended distraction. There are many others like you. I have been guilty as well. However, time is now wasted looking back, and I am determined to assume my role and take individual action that is going to move us forward in a positive direction. As a long-time resident of this great community, I am standing up and saying, “Enough is enough.” I am no longer going to be influenced by the well-financed, well-orchestrated and extraordinarily malicious tactics of a few people in our community.
Whether you are a parent, staff member, community member or board member, ask yourself this question…”When was the last time I participated in a conversation focused on providing the best educational opportunities for every child in this community?” After all, that is what it is all about. Just think of what we could accomplish if each and every one of us decided to no longer participate in the gossip, no longer participate in the tearing down of others, no longer participate in the negative, destructive talk, but rather to refuse to lose focus on what is at the heart of this issue – the future of our children.
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