By FITSNews || We’re not sure how we missed this, but last week the Jim Rex for governor campaign (such as it is) announced that forty-seven local education superintendents had endorsed his bid for governor of South Carolina (which was about as surprising as forty-seven pigs endorsing slop, when you think about it).
But wait … forty-seven local superintendents? There’s only forty-six counties in South Carolina, right?
That’s correct … in fact, our founding editor can sing them (in alphabetical order) to the tune of Yankee Doodle Dandy if you’d like.
Abbeville, Aiken, Allenda(y)le, Anderson, Bamberg, Barn-well …
On second thought … scratch that.
Anyway, the reason it’s possible for there to be forty-seven local superintendents supporting Rex’s bid for governor (and we use the term “bid” loosely) is that there are a whopping eighty-five school districts in South Carolina.
And so right off the bat, Rex is proving one of our main points – that the education bureaucracy in this state is way too big. In fact, according to statistics released last October by the S.C. Budget and Control Board, bureaucratic costs increased in 2008 by $220 million – an 8.5% increase from the previous year that sucked up nearly two-thirds of the state’s total funding hike.
Wait … funding is going up in the middle of the worst recession in eight decades?
Of course it is – by record amounts, in fact.
Amazingly, though, rather than pass real reform, Rex and “Republican” lawmakers want to furlough teachers to make up for those expanding bureaucratic costs.
Sheesh.
Our second point is this – why aren’t all eighty-five superintendents endorsing Rex?
Seriously, this guy has given local public school bureaucracies everything they’ve asked for – more money, less accountability and zero competition. What does it say about Rex that this local superintendent list didn’t include the “leaders” of all eighty-five districts?
Finally, when you get right down to it local superintendents shouldn’t be playing politics – they should be educating our kids.
We know of at least one of these local superintendents who has been blasting Rex’s promotional material out on their taxpayer-funded email address, and we have no doubt that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
WEB EXTRA
Indigo Journal: Rex Picks Up Endorsements of 47 District Superintendents
By Liberty for Me March 1, 2010 at 10:49 am
Of course the lieutenants support their Godfather.The public school system is one of the most corrupt parts of the government,but they are so entrenched and hidden it is like getting rid of the teamsters themselves..Schools should be about the most efficient and effective methods of teaching our children.Instead it is about a socialist power and money grab.
By Barker March 1, 2010 at 10:50 am
Old news. I read this in the Blogland a few days ago. You’re starting to play catch up to a guy who has a day job and kids. Not a good sign.
By FITSNews March 1, 2010 at 11:43 am
Barker,
Sorry. We were busy covering real news.
-FITS
P.S. – Sic Willie has a day job and kids as well :)
By Frequent Flyer March 1, 2010 at 2:10 pm
Here is the deal…The district superintendents are NOT lieutenants under the command of Rex, rather they are hired employees of the respective school districts working for the school board of each district. That is what makes these endorsements so ludicrous. These overpaid folks have gotten a little big for their britches.
By Barker March 1, 2010 at 7:29 pm
Sure, uh huh … gigilo and playah is a f/t job?
By BIN News Eidtorial Staff March 1, 2010 at 8:09 pm
More voucher barf from sic(k) willie funded by Howie the Voucher Clown in Chief. What m@r@ns. Paid political pimps barfing up the same old voucher scam rhetoric. Nothing new. Just voucher barf.
And “educrat” is a voucher barf word.
If you see “educrat” you can smell voucher barf.
By Bobby March 1, 2010 at 8:42 pm
What are you advocating? That there should only be 46 school districts? I’m sure it would work well to put all of Richland County into a district just like smaller counties. There is a reason South Carolina let you people have the legislature and governor’s mansion but not the education department.
By fitsnews March 1, 2010 at 8:47 pm
Bobby-
Negative ghost rider. From Sic’s opus, the 95 theses:
64) For the purpose of eliminating administrative duplication and putting more money into classrooms, South Carolina’s 85 school districts are hereby consolidated into one statewide district which is divided into thirty “regional education councils” for the purpose of operating individual schools within their region.
-FITS
By BIN News Funding Editor March 1, 2010 at 11:54 pm
“regional educational councils” = school boards. sic(k) willie is a voucher pimp with nothing but voucher clown rhetoric.
By beetrave March 2, 2010 at 7:22 am
I am all for the “regional education councils” if they allow us to consolidate Richland 1 with schools in Irmo & Northeast — and then let students within this consolidated region to attend any school they want and provide subsidies for transportation. But something tells me that the Voucher Patrol wouldn’t put their weight behind that kind of school choice.
By Sad for SC March 2, 2010 at 9:18 pm
Disgusting. Just disgusting. Very disappointed in Hefner, thought more of him.
By Sad for SC March 2, 2010 at 9:19 pm
And for BIN— be gone! Go hug a child and get a life.