The Edison School Board Giveth, The Edison School Board Taketh Away
A letter sent home with students that attended school today has taken away excused absences for the students during this strike. Previously it had been decided that all students that did not attend school during this strike caused by the Edison District School Board would be excused. Now Lisa Carmichael, in here true to form back stabbing actions, as revoked this decision. It simply amazes me that this woman and the Edison School Board continue to just do as they please without any type of reprimand. It is absolutely ridiculous and unprofessional for this type of behavior to exist in our school system and for nothing to come of it is just absurd all the way around.
Why would I continue to send my children to school when Lisa Carmichael can not even give an accurate count of subs currently in the schools? Why would I send my children to school when Lisa Carmichael denies access to the subs BCI background checks? Why would I send my children to school when the subs leave at 2:15 and leaving the children with the aides? Why would I send my child to school when no school nurse? With only 51 eligible subs on a list to take the place of 140 teachers, I highly doubt this is neither a safe environment nor an educational environment. Speaking of safe, it has come to our attention that one of the subs currently on the list as a sub for the Edison Local School District just happens to be one of the subs let go from during the Harrison Strike for touching an 8th grade girl!
If the intention of Lisa, the Weasel, Carmichael was truly to keep our children safe then she would actually try and negotiate a fair contact with the teachers instead of turning this event into finger pointing contest. She thinks she has the upper hand right now due to the ruling from Judge Henderson to limit picketers and their actions. Taking excused absences away form the students right now is just in response to the charges filed against her for Unfair Labor practices. She is like a two year old that didn't get her way – she is throwing a temper tantrum directed at our children. Rumor has it she will be leaving her position as superintendent and moving onto the MRDD. Either she is intentionally trying to get fired from her current position so the Board has to honor her contract OR she is trying to prove to the MRDD that she can act like the people she will be handling.
No wonder the Edison School District is in such peril. She and the board make a decision and then can't make up their minds afterwards and turn around and reverse that decision. More than likely this is how they appropriated the funds left over after giving themselves hefty raises and giving OAPSE a real contract that OAPSE was allowed to accept. One minute they figure they would not give it away and stuff it in their own pockets and the next decide they feel generous to a select few, including themselves still and decide on sharing a bit. Of course this is all just speculation and our own opinions, but if you really think about it, it does make sense. I think before The Weasel leaves her current position a FULL audit should be done by the state and for all the discrepancies that are found she should be held accountable. Maybe fraud and misappropriations of funds would look good on her resume, but then again who around is actually taking a real stance against her and knocking her off her little perceived pedestal?
As far as I am concerned, children should stay at home under the "Act of God" bullet listed in the letter sent home. What Act of God am I referring too? If there is a god it has to be by his/her own mercy that he allows such a despicable serpent like Lisa Carmichael be the superintendent in charge our children and their young impressionable minds.
Protect your children and do NOT send them. We have rights as parents to stage our own strike and picket against this....what say yee?
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Very well stated! She and the current board need ousted.
# Posted By Angel
| 11/14/07 11:06 PM
I am not sending MY child back!! No way! Carmichael has proven to everyone that she cannot be trusted..
PERIOD! She says one thing and does another, and you are right, she is acting like a 2-year-old
who got mad because the union is taking her to court over the mailings to the teachers about
being fired for not showing up. She will NOT last long in ANY position she takes on, so if she is hired
through MRDD, it won't be very long before she shows her true colors there as well. Once a snake,
always a snake. We need to continue to stick together as a community and see this through. There
is strength in numbers!!!
# Posted By Renee
| 11/15/07 11:09 AM
For what it is worth, I would like to add my opinion to this matter. I know this will not be a popular post on this thread but I am currently working the strike as a substitute teacher. I have my Teaching Cerftificate but have subbed in many of the districts as I have desire to remain in the valley at this time. Coming from a district in Jefferson County that seemingly does everything right, I find it tragic the oppisite is true at Edison.
To be a district that provides quality education, everyone needs to stick together. I understand some of those educators outside on the picket line are not thrilled that us sub's are in their building but many of us are because we genuinely care about the students who do show up. While IMAC does have substitute teachers in these buildings, there are many local subs that are here too. The same substitute teachers deemed to be quality educators by the very teachers outside today stating different today. Just two weeks ago, I was in this very building subbing for a teacher and he told me I did a great job during his absence. Today - Im a no good scab that is poison to his district in his opinion. Not only are there quality local subs in the building who regularly work the district, there are also teachers that have crossed the picket lines already in the building. THe school is safe to send your children to and its a shame that some are buying into the over-reaction and hype. IMO, there are many educators out their on that picket line who need to reevaluate their priorities because many of the actions they did during the first 72 hours of the strike were unexcuseable. There are already students in this very building I am in with the logic that they do not have to listen to Teacher X because he was cussing at me as I came in on the school bus.
This neccessary relationship is forever changed between these few students and those educators outside and it will not be quickly forgotten in mere days. Edison has required the children to return to school. The state has laws which require a certian percentage of students to attend in order for a school day to count. That has not been met and currently the school has not had one day in the last 6. Those days will have to be made up and it will only grow worse in the coming weeks as winter returns.
I do not understand how the educators believe they can recieve more money when the district itself is under fiscal emergency due to the lack of funds. To be blunt, you guys do not pass levies out in this district and that is where a good chunk of your funding coems from. Talking to the students, some of them did not even know a levy was on the ballot until the next day when they discovered it had failed. This is in stark contrast to what Im used to in my home district as we pass levies regularly understadning the importance of money to providing a quality education.
I read many of your comments on here and I am puzzled. I do not want to demonize the entire edison teacher body because not all are bad. Some of crossed the line already ahd have talked to me about the district - in the end, it is sad and IMO its not as simple as it is Lisa's fault. Edison has had its fiscal problems before she took control.
I apologize for the misspellings and poor grammer, Im just typing as I think. I feel very strongly about this strike and the dynamics currently going on in the district. I just wish everyone would take a breather.
# Posted By Chris Stevens
| 11/15/07 12:41 PM
I am currently a sub for the Edison Strike. While I have no emotional connection to this school
district, I am from the area and it pains me to see the way these strikers are acting. I do not
know all of the politics of the situation, so I will not claim to know how the strikers feel. I am,
however, a certified substitute in the State of Ohio and am in the process of obtaining my
teaching certificate, so believe me, I have the students' best interests at heart. So please,
whomever on this blog is clinging to the belief that we subs are ruthless and uneducated,
you can rest assured that we certainly are not.
While I understand that the people in this valley make the concerns of the strikers their
priority, please understand there are others involved in this situation. The safety
of all should be at the forefront, not just that of the striking teachers. I can tell everyone
reading this there have been attempts, some successful, to break car and bus windows. On
last Friday, the strikers tried to tip the bus I was riding on. One striker cracked the
windshield of our van with a rock while wearing a jacket bearing his name. Are these the
behaviors that should encompass caring and responsible people entrusted to
educate America's youth? Most rational people would say no. If you said yes, you need to
re-evaluate your priorities. Teachers are supposed to be role models, the few strikers that
have acted inappropriately are, in my opinion, not worthy of having the right to that
moniker. When will the people of this valley get that? When the strikers' actions cause bodily
injury, or God forbid, death? I sincerely hope not.
So please keep in mind, the STUDENTS are the priority here. Their right to education is being
impeded by the very people that claim to care so much. So much, they curse at buses carrying
students and teachers that are trying to make the best out of a very bad situation. How can
the striking teachers say they care and then physically defile the vehicles carrying the only
people willing to teach "their" students during this time? What if someone would have gotten
hurt? The students would suffer even more. The strikers need to get their priorities straight.
I truly hope the teachers and board can come to an agreement soon because the students are
missing out on crucial education they are rightly entitled to.
# Posted By Stan Albright
| 11/15/07 12:47 PM
please don't pretend that you subs are doing this only because you care about our kids you are doing because you are making $200.00 a day if you were asked to cross that picket line for the same pay as our teachers are gettig you would be there either. it takes alot of nerve to critize the very people whose tax dollars are helping to pay you
# Posted By cindy howell
| 11/15/07 4:16 PM
and beside that if you are so concerned about educating our students don't you have a class you should be teaching
# Posted By cindy howell
| 11/15/07 4:18 PM
I have said this before and I’ll say it again, I do have to commend you for having the guts to even come on and post your side of the story. We have posted about everybody else’s side of the story accept the subs and I see no reason to since several have posted there comments on here already. But I would like to know one thing, if the shoe was on the other foot and you were not actually a sub but a hired teacher, would you not be out there with your fellow teachers fighting for your rights as a teacher? You are a sub and you take every available opportunity to get in and teach. You need the experience and hell at $200 a day I am sure that money is coming in handy especially right before the Holidays. Are you really concerned for the children? Hmm maybe, maybe not. I am sure you went to college to become a teacher for a good reason, more than likely for the same reasons the actual teachers that are out there picketing did. Just keep in mind there may come a day when the role is reversed and when and if it does you remember your comments made here.
# Posted By Tepes
| 11/15/07 4:44 PM
For Stan:
I think you are over-reacting Stan. I don't foresee teachers dying for the board and Lisa Carmichael
anytime soon. They want a fair contract. Do you not know what that is by (GEORGE)? A fair
contract? Let's get to the REAL concern here Stan. Our teachers deserve to get a fair deal and
are TIRED of being RAKED OVER THE COALS by the board and by Carmichael. The board and
Carmichael decided that the teachers should get a contract that isn't worth peanuts, so you have
to consider the source of why these things are going on. Looks like the board and Carmichael
can't give up their control quite yet, so they have to throw peanuts to the teachers. The
money is gone. The board spent it.. plain and simple... it's gone. Check out the Hummer
sometime Stan.
You say the students are our priority here, yes they most certainly are, and they LOVE their
teachers!! So much so, that they stood out there picketing right along with them!!! Do you see
them out there supporting the board and Carmichael? NO.. that must tell you something there Stan.
Seems to me, from where I sit, they SUPPORT their teachers and don't look at them as YOU do. And
You ask, "when will the people of this valley get that?" well... again.. looks like they got it Stan.
So much so, that they got fed up with the board and Carmichael lying to them, that when the teachers
went on strike, they came out to show solidarity and let the board and Carmichael know where they stood, and
they STAND.. and those wonderful, caring, bright-eyed students stood with their teachers and other parents, and their community and showed how much they truly care.. The community and students ride by every day and honk their horns and give the thumbs up to the teachers Stan. These precious students care Stan.
They care about their families and their teachers and their community. This is where they live
and they will fight for it.
Maybe, just maybe, something good will come out of this meeting tomorrow.. but.. I won't be
holding my breath. It's hard to trust someone who will say one thing and mean another....
# Posted By Renee
| 11/15/07 8:51 PM
Renee, try reading Stan's post a little more carefully. I believe he was referring to the teachers injuring other people, not themselves. When they try to wreck a van with 19 people on it on the interstate, injury or death is a very real possibility. Also, if the shoe were on the other foot, and I was the one on strike, Yes, I would absolutely picket and support my fellow teachers, just like I support these teachers. The difference is that my support would not become violent as has happened here. Finally, as a local substitute who is working this strike, I do support these teachers. My being in the school does not detract from their cause in any way. It's just that students are coming to school either way, strike or no strike, so someone needs to make sure that those who are still attending get the education they came for until things can return to normal. Hopefully soon!
# Posted By rc57
| 11/15/07 10:09 PM
rc57,
I read what *HE* said, and I stick by what *I* said. Period.
# Posted By Renee
| 11/16/07 10:11 AM
How about this? Let's cut through all the red tape. Do you want your kids being taught by
someone that is trying to tip over a bus full of innocent people? Do you want your kids being
taught by someone that is resorting to violence to get their point across? Actually, you
probably do, or else you wouldn't blinded so badly by your ambition to stick for "your"
teachers so vehemently. I just hope you all realize it was the picketers that incited the
violence, not the other way around. Keep that in mind when you hear otherwise.
# Posted By teacher
| 11/16/07 10:24 AM
Well if you REALLY want to point fingers at who is to blame, lets start at the top. Had Mrs. Wonderful Lisa Carmichael not screwed the teachers in the first place by trying to cram a contract down their throat that they did not even get a chance to look at or vote on NONE of this would be happening. This boils down to having a corrupt and inept school board and superintendent. Had they not put all their eggs in one basket and counted on this levy to pass, had they not given themselves nice fat paychecks, had they not "given" a good deal to OAPSE and been fair and thought of the rest of the teachers, had they not over stepped their boundaries by forcing a contract on the teachers and had they just had the aptitude to manage a budget in the first place NONE of this would have happened. Personal opinion: The complete Incompetence of the Edison School Board of Education and Lisa Carmichael are to blame. All this bickering and fighting, name calling, finger pointing and violence will solve nothing. The only two hopes here is 1) Lisa Carmichael and the board have an amazing recovery from stupidity and incompetence (LOL not going to happen) and sit down and actually negotiate a FAIR contract 2) The state just steps in fires the whole School Board and Lisa Carmichael and takes over and gets this district running the way it is suppose to (best Option)
# Posted By tepes
| 11/16/07 1:05 PM
Morality is all relative, and strikes are no exception.
I personally feel that the board is not right. I also believe that the "sub" teachers are substandard. I believe that IMAC should be strripped of the security credentials; given that their background checks often fail,
as shown by almost half of their guard force being turned away, they are an irresponsible company that holds profit over effectiveness.
No one involved in this is innocent. I've not heard of the van episode; is there any proof that it was a striker's vehicle? I find that to be a far-fetched assumption.
As for the excused abscences becoming unexcused, I believe that the students have a right to express their voice here. If a student does not feel safe in a familiar school with, for the most part, a skeleton crew of
scrambled-in teachers, then he or she should not have an obligation to appear there. If he or she wants to, then go ahead. Besides, is anything actually being DONE in those classrooms other than babysitting?
Crossing a picket line, though, is a sign of disrespect to the picketers, and they do have a right to express disrespect back, as childish as that may sound.
# Posted By manapart
| 11/16/07 1:23 PM
Shame on the scabs that have crossed the picket line. I don't believe for a minute that this was done out of concern for the children or their education. It's easy money money to "teach" a classroom of 2 or 3 kids. By the way, what is being taught to these few students? Get real, this is nothing but and OVER PAID babysitting job. Everyone keeps writing about the safety of the children, of course I am always concerned about my childs safety, but that has nothing to do with why my child is not attending school. She is not attending school, because neither she nor I would ever cross a picket line. I am even more adamant in this case. Using threats to force anyone to sign a totally unnegotiated contract is just wrong. When this did not work with the teachers union, the school board stooped even lower, now they are threatening my child. My fear is not of the scabs or the teachers, my fear is for my child attending a school with such an unethical and unscrupulous school board. I have yet to recieve a letter from any Edison Local teacher threating my child, but I certainly do have one from Lisa Carmichael. I hope that these threats do not break the solidarity of the parents, teachers and children. Do not let this school board use our children as a weapon against the teachers. I, for one, will not be sending my child back to school until the teachers are back, regardless of how long it takes. I hope that others will do the same. Let's ban together and demand the resignation of Carmichael, before she does any more harm to this already fragile district.
# Posted By bb
| 11/18/07 10:13 AM
Well, it's our problem now. Thanks for athe heads up on your blog. I am looking forward to meeting her.
# Posted By Massillonsdone
| 11/12/08 5:24 PM
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