Saturday, January 29, 2011

One Wonders

When Rob McKenna gets the GOP nomination for Governor in 2012, how are the folks at The Reagan Wing going to react?

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Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Today's Fake News from Olympia

Governor Gregoire Blames Her Budget on Giant Invisible Rabbit

(Gregoire, Right, and Harvey, Left)

Reiterating today that she "hates her budget", Governor Gregoire today moved from blaming her budget on voters and the economy to instead placing the blame squarely on the hirsute shoulders of Harvey, a six-foot 3.5-inch tall invisible rabbit who follows the Governor everywhere she goes.

"My friends, I've wrestled with reality for over 35 years, and I'm happy to say I finally won over it," said the Governor at a press conference today. "Harvey wrote this budget, Harvey made me do these things, and that's the way it is."

Efforts to obtain comment from Harvey were unsuccessful.

Lazy Assholes Lining Up to Run for Superintendent of Public Instruction

When Governor Christine Gregoire announced last month her plan to reorganize all the separate boards that oversee the education system in Washington State into one department that would be responsible to a governor-appointed Secretary of Education, some saw it as a takeover of the education system. Other perceived a needed reform that would make a difference for students.

Others, however, smelled opportunity.

"*uck yes I'm running for Superintendent of Public Instruction!" eagerly announced Ryan Grant, an overweight blogger from outside Spokane. "It'll be the easiest job in Olympia!"

Under the Governor's proposal, all power and decision making authority would be removed from the Superintendent and vested in the new Secretary of Education. The State Constitution, however, mandates that there be a Superintendent of Public Instruction, a legislative accident that has those looking for the very stereotype of a government job lining up around the block.

"$100,000 a year plus, and basically all I have to do is show up? Score!" exclaimed poitical hanger-on Prophet Atlantis, a perennial candidate. "With my name recognition, this could be a slam dunk!"

As of this writing there are roughly 3,000 announced lazy bastards in search of the sinecure.

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Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Two Places At Once


The Great Northern School District is located west of Spokane, nestled between the Spokane School District and the northern edge of the Cheney School District. It's a short drive away from the Northern Quest Casino in Airway Heights. Great Northern is what is known as a non-high district, in that they only serve about 41 kids in grades K-6.

The Steptoe School District is 50 miles to the south, in Whitman County. It's about an equal distance away from St. John, Garfield, and Colfax. It's a K-8 building that serves an average of 30 kids. Steptoe Butte is a beautiful place in the summer.

Different schools, different configurations, separated by 50 miles, a county line, and a couple different highways.

One thing they do share: a superintendent. Mr. Kay Frizzell, who's probably most associated lately with the work that he does for his consulting business.

No one likes to talk about school district consolidation. Washington is littered with the ghosts of spots that used to be places, places that used to have schools. Places like Tyler, or Espanola. Places that you wouldn't know if you didn't live within 5 miles of them, because there's no reason to. Not anymore.

But when you have entire school districts, separate administrative units, that can be run at distance by someone who also happens to have a consulting business on the side? When that's the system we have, then systemic change isn't just a good idea, it's a bloody necessity.

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