That said, I judge them harshly. Carins, DeBruyn, the bunch. It would be nice if they sold their building and moved.
I certainly hope there was an expeditious and just hearing today, the indication at the meeting being the 14th was the hearing date.
I hope Look and Dehen got a judge with balls, because the council had none.
The mayor was worse, at his bloviating worse, and is overdue for replacement by a ham sandwich, for all I care, it would improve things.
I understand he will be opposed. I bless any person opposing him.
But, the law is clear. The PACT school position is preposterous. Insultingly so.
Finally, I heard way too much of the name Jungbauer.
Every time I heard Jungbauer's name my meter unpinned and went mid-range. If he has any role in this I have a problem with that.
However, I see Look and Dehen 100% right, and I fault the remainder of the council and suggest all up for reelection, including especially Olson who took a hike, and except for Strommen, who is not going to run again anyway. Were she to run again I would support her being voted out with the other three.
I saw the PACT school effort from the start as problematic, but the entire Town Center impressed me as dumb from the start except for the Kuraks who wanted to cash out big time, so at least they had a good reason for supporting it.
Others, brain fart.
The PACT school, the crowded ugly buildings, the unneeded traffic lights, and the Norman palace cramdown - and the ramp in the middle of nowhere - all stupid. Felons and bank fraud and all to boot.
At least the Port Authority and the humungo additional tax burden that would accompany it, so far, has been forestalled. May that persist.
_________UPDATE__________
Here's the story on PACT, p.6, of 11/26/01 District 11 meeting, online here, two interesting paragraphs:
Mr. DeBruyn reviewed the school's history beginning with the first contract approved in the spring of 1994. Ms. Slegh explained that PACT offers a small school learning environment as an alternative to the traditional public school setting. Students tend to feel safer, learn more and experience a greater sense of community between students and teachers in a small school setting. Teachers can be more responsive to the needs of students and assess basic skills more frequently in this setting. Ms. Slegh reviewed PACT's test scores. Mr. DeBruyn stated that students are graded on effort as well as achievement and receive a score on their efforts in achieving character traits.
"Graded on effort as well as achievement and receive a score of their efforts in achieving character traits." Whoa. That's something to swallow. The people who cheat on the rules and invent disingenuous justifications for cheating, want to "score efforts in achieving character traits." The pickpocket trainer in Oliver Twist was encouraging efforts in achieving character traits also. Be like Mr. DeBruyn, or Mr. Cairns as a role model. Mock the law and the only way it can reasonably be read. Fire up the parents to pack a council meeting and clap for idiocy and dissembling. Teach the children.
This too, same page:
Dr. Wenzel questioned the amount of staff time and financial resources required to monitor PACT Charter School. Dr. Giroux met with PACT leadership. The district is involved with oversight of the contract on a yearly basis that requires time, energy and attention of district staff and the Board. The only control that the district has is whether or not it renews PACT's contract. His recommendation is to renew the contract through June 2003 rather than extend the term. He suggested that there are other agencies that might approach their involvement as a sponsor of a charter school differently. It was suggested that the PACT board might wish to explore other possible sponsors.
That's District 11 saying, these folks are a heavy load but one we will carry another year or two, but go find some other chump, please.
No other way to read that, is there?
Bethel now is chump de jour.
And Ramsey, siting them, helping with bonding hocus pocus Cairns-inspired, never mind fundamental truth, use the blighted land statutes. Ah, lawyers. And he would not trust an opinion, he said so, on a statute, except from another lawyer, he said that too.
And then there is the track record of bending rules, before this current instance, being above the law [as a character trait I suppose, in their own vision], online per Anoka County Union, June 20, 2002, a year after the District 11:
PACT Charter School in Anoka [the good old days] will no longer give preferential enrollment treatment to children of employees after the PACT School Board voted unanimously to remove the provision from its policies June 13.
The action came after a parent brought the practice to the attention of the charter school's sponsor, the Anoka-Hennepin School District, through a letter dated April 11, according to Dale Zellmer, District 11 director of supplemental programs.
The parent's action set in motion calls among Zellmer, PACT Administrator Dan DeBruyn and Minnesota Department of Children, Families and Learning officials. After consulting attorneys representing both District 11 and PACT Charter School, it was determined that the policy, in place since 1996, violated state law regarding admissions.
The woman alleged that at least one child has been first on the waiting list for four years, while children of employees and others have illegally bypassed him.
Minnesota law provides that once a sibling is accepted into a charter school, other siblings are given preferential enrollment treatment. But there is no such provision for children of employees.
DeBruyn seems a constant in all this. He was what they wanted, and was kept.
To set a character example, for the children.
I supposed they wanted diversity, by preferentially favoring employees' children. Outsiders are not diverse enough. And sibling preferences are just fine with them too, same story I guess, for diversity.
I say, diversity is best achieved by having separate parallel campuses, and that option should be their goal instead of eating up more of Town Center.
That would be Diversity, exactly as they say they want.
And that is straight. No hyprocrisy to it.
A diversity initiative, of sorts.
I think they'd be even more diverse with their entire operation in Oak Grove.
________FURTHER UPDATE________
Dec. 3, 2009: Due to ABC Newspapers archive management, one link for a quote in the UPDATE is now a dead link. However, a more recent ABC Newspapers report; this link; states that PACT school has resumed giving preferential treatment for enrollment to children of employees and volunteers.
The school holds lotteries to fill its enrollment vacancies and gives preference to siblings of current students and to the children of employees and volunteers.
It is unclear how the more recent item and the earlier item, from when PACT was in Anoka renting space from GOP Rep. Jim Abeler, and under District 11 sponsorship, are to be reconciled; absent error in reporting or in an about-face on the reform of preferential practices once sponsorship changes were attained by the charter school. It is possible the school, John Cairns, or others might have attained amendment of the governing statute to permit preferential treatment in ways that in June 2002 were believed to be contrary to statute.