Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Gimme back your money, bitch!
Ha ha. Outgoing SF School Superintendant Arlene Ackerman, chased out of town for the crime of improving schools, is now being asked to give back the money she received through a contract agreed upon by both parties. After the school board agreed to give her severance pay as they forced her out of the position, the Board of Supervisors wants her to give the money back, because the city has treated her so well, or something.
Why? Well, the city has problems funding its schools. The BoS wants folks to believe that the problem is the $375,000 Ackerman got, rather than the fact that the school board absolutely refuses to take the necessary actions (closing schools) to maintain financial stability, because it's politically uncomfortable.
But others said it was inappropriate for Ackerman to be paid such a large amount. "These kinds of guarantees that corporate America has gotten used to should not be in the public sector," argued [councildude Jake McGoldrick]. [Other councildude Sean Elsbernd] noted that Ackerman already was being paid a high annual salary. "She was extremely well compensated," he said. "I strongly support this resolution."
Well, hey, she has too much money, and here's a gratuitous jab at "corporate America," so give us back the money that was agreed upon in a contract! And we're only arguing about this because the money is getting paid, rather than arguing about it when the contract was signed, because that's the way we do things in politics.
The Examiner has a way of being a little too brief on some things. For example:
Charlie Walker, a prominent African-American activist, said it was wrong for supervisors to target Ackerman, The City's first African-American superintendent. He also suggested The City should set up separate schools for African-Americans.
"I wish you would leave Mrs. Ackerman alone," Walker said.
Seperate but equal, I'm sure.
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