Block Grant.pdf (398.08 kb)

Unbelievable.  Click here for details.

 Buena Vista teachers voted Monday to continue working even though their district had run out of money./Image courtesy of Michigan Education Association

It’s been two days since students and teachers in Buena Vista, Michigan, were sent home and shut out of their schools indefinitely. And barring a plan by the school district and the state department of education, 400 students, their parents and teachers are left holding the bag for “gross financial mismanagement.”

Buena Vista’s 27 teachers voted Monday to work through Friday to give district and state officials time to keep schools open for students while they developed a plan. The local board rejected the offer that evening.

 “As teachers in the Buena Vista School District, we find ourselves, along with our students, pawns in a high-stakes game that we did not choose to be a part of,” said Joe Ann Nash, an elementary school teacher and Buena Vista Education Association president. “Our first priority is making sure our students get the education they deserve, and we’re committed to working with the state and the district to make sure that happens.”

It’s not the first time Buena Vista teachers have sacrificed. They have agreed to freeze their pay four consecutive years.

Steve Cook, an education support professional and president of the Michigan Education Association, blamed local and state officials. “These dedicated educators wanted what is best for their students — to give their school district and the state the time and assistance necessary to work out a plan to keep school open for this final month of the year. But [Monday] night, we yet again saw proof that politicians, administrators and other so-called ‘leaders’ consistently put money first and our kids last,” Cook said. “Faced with a selfless offer of help from their employees to continue working, without the guarantee of a paycheck next payday, Buena Vista’s school board and administration gave up on their students and employees and laid everyone off.”

Cook also placed responsibility for the school district’s financial meltdown — and the financial straits of other school districts — on Governor Rick Snyder. Snyder has cut $1 billion from school funding.

The state Department of Education cut off funding to Buena Vista to recover more than $400,000 in overpayments for a program in which the district no longer participates.

In the meantime, Buena Vista students, parent and teachers are left with an uncertain future. The last day of school is June 13. 

Jim Porter, newly elected President of the NRA. 

Click here.

Wild Wayne LaPierre

This is even funnier than the one below.

·         “Pickleball”
Carteret County, North Carolina, received a $400,000 CTG grant funded by the health care law, used to promote Pickleball - a combination of tennis, badminton, and ping pong. More on the "sports craze" Pickleball here.

·         Massage Therapy, Kickboxing, Kayaking, and Zumba
Waco, Texas, received a $235,000 CTG grant to offer residents massage therapy, aerobics classes, kickboxing, Zumba, kayaking, and paddle boarding. The Waco funding was from the $10 million CTG grant the Texas Department of State Health Services received.

·         Signage for Bike Lanes
Pitt County, North Carolina, a recipient of a CPPW grant funded by health care law, used these federal taxpayer funds to place “signage to promote recreational destinations including public parks, bike lanes, and more.”

·         Promote Free Pet Neutering
The City of Nashville, which received a $7.5 million “Communities Putting Prevention to Work” grant, promoted free pet spaying and neutering.

·         Urban Gardening
The City of Boston received $1 million for “urban gardening.”

·         Lobby for Soda Tax
The New York Department of Health used a $3 million taxpayer-funded grant to lobby for a soda tax initiative.

·         Block Construction of New Job-Creating Fast Food Small Businesses
According to a presentation by CPPW Program Director Rebecca Bunnell, the program’s early “successes” resulted in a nine-month moratorium on fast food construction in Baldwin Park, California, and increased cigarette taxes in South Carolina.

·         Boosting Bike Clubs
The Cascade Bicycle Club Education Foundation received a portion of the $3 million grant awarded to Seattle and King County Public Health and used the taxpayer dollars to “improve the walking and biking environment.”

This has nothing to do with education or Medicaid or Congress.  But it is my website and I can post whatever I like.  I laughed out loud.  I'll bet you do, too.

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Read all about him here.