It’s time to panic!
The gray lab coats at the Policy Werkes tore their ears off the freezing cold train tracks this morning to report that nothing new is coming this a-way. The change train that visited Virginia, New York City, and Seattle ain’t stopping at the Emerald City.
Neighbors here on the SW side are outraged that the so-called safety coordinator for our public schools blows off police trying to track down kids showing off their illegal firearms in a stolen car a block away from Madison East high school. Doesn’t return their phone calls. Refuses to share photographic evidence with staff who might be able to prevent harm and hurt. (Related here.)
“I fully expect that administrators are held accountable for their actions,” one neighbor demanded. New to Madison, are we?
That’s the problem. Administrators ARE accountable to the elected school board which has made known its antipathy toward safety in myriad ways. Expelling police from our troubled high schools in June 2020 was only the final battle in the progressive war on discipline, fought in the name of equity, diversity, and inclusion.
In other words, Madison schools’ safety un-coordinator is doing exactly what this school board expects. Three of the 7 school board seats are on the ballot this spring; deadline for declaring candidacy is 5 p.m. Tuesday Jan 4. (See sidebar at right for more info.) Two days hence. Based on the candidates who have already announced, we can expect more of the same.
No one is challenging school board President Ali Muldrow. Only one candidate has announced for the seat held by Ananda Mirilli (a DPI equity bureaucrat). That would be Nichelle Nichols, who performed equity for pay for the Madison Metro School District. Her current job: system leader at the National Equity Project.
Nichelle Nichols’ National Equity Project
‘Our current systems perpetuate inequity by design.’ — Nichelle Nichols’ National Equity Project
“While we are not explicitly teaching or promoting CRT curriculum, … It is critically important that we learn about how race, racism, and bias of all forms have shaped and continue to influence decision making in every area of schooling including the curriculum we select, who we hire, how we think about and implement discipline policies.” — National Equity Project
Yeah, that’s critical race theory to a T.
Two are running to replace Christina Carusi. Shepherd Joyner is described as “a trans, nonbinary teaching artist.” That’s not even her real name; it’s Shepherd Janeway but, somehow, will be listed as Joyner on the ballot. Excuse us, the preferred pronoun in this case is “they.”
“They” entered the race after another candidate declared in favor of two genders. That candidate got a whiff of progressive grapeshot and backed out just a week later. They is a community organizer. Janeway/Joyner’s priority is to kowtow to the teachers union. “I want to make sure that the school board maintains a healthy relationship with the teachers union,” according to Channel 3000.
The other candidate for the Carusi seat is Laura Simkin. Her campaign website declares:
Issues that are dear to me are: diversity, equity and inclusion; safety in our schools; retention experienced teachers [sic]; curriculum that is challenging for all students; early childhood education systems and funding.
We’re asking if “safety” includes restoring school resource police officers. Look for updates.
Blaska’s Bottom Line: Like the lottery, you can’t win if you don’t play. Kvetch all you want for the next two years because you’ll have plenty of reason.
Blaska Policy Werkes 
11 responses to “Happy new year. Welcome to the same old …”
The problem with Madistan is if you have ANY common sense and are even liberal thinking, you don’t have a snowball’s chance in hell. The arrogance of the left in this city is disgusting. They know it and they don’t care because of the sheep that follow them.
Voter apathy among conservatives in Madistan is disgusting. They don’t think they have a chance, but if you get off of your asses and vote, you WILL make a difference.
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I agree but that is also why I can’t wait to get out of this deteriorating city which will only be made worse by the likes of the highly privileged and just plain annoying Nichelle.
We are paying through the nose for these privileged incompetents to wreck every aspect of our city.
The public school system is churning out aggrieved ideologues who can barely read or write, who will as adults drag this city even further down.
I have a plan to leave the county which a winning lottery ticket would accelerate.
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Part of the problem may be that people with good sense have either left Madison or are planning to leave.
Another problem are the options available on the ballot. Last spring, I could choose from “meh” or dismal. I would have voted for the “meh” if I thought it would have made a difference. But one or two “meh” candidates at this point aren’t going to create the type of change we need. Last spring was the first time in I don’t know how long that I didn’t vote.
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There is a reason that the woke among us use specific words and phrases to make their case. I was looking at the MMSD description of the sandbagging administrator, Aguglia:
” committed to teaching and coaching educators in evidence-based critical response with alternative forms of mental health support as a tool to reduce violence in school buildings, promote mental health support as a first response, and minimize reactionary and exclusionary practices, specifically resulting in disproportionate rates of students of color in behavioral referral data and the justice system.”
That’s because the truthful translation would be:
Aguglia does not believe in punishment, particularly for criminal activity. Old fashioned ideas such as personal responsibility and negative reinforcement, are passe. She prefers the notion that evidence-based critical response with alternative forms of mental health support will do the trick. Aguglia’s number one task is to prevent police involvement in any way, unless the students involved are white. Police mean arrests. Arrests become a recorded statistic. Arrests statistics of black and brown children are depressingly dismal Arrests are the “reactionary” practice and expulsions and jail are the “exclusionary” practices that she refers to. Gotta get that referral data down. No arrests, no problem.
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Patrick, you make some clear and noteworthy comments that are correctly attributed to the responsible parties. One thing that amazed me when I researched this Aguglia gal’s ever-so-recent past (B/C she’s so young!) was that she had no clue in her degree choice or “after-college” career. She literally fell off the turnip truck and landed at MMSD by no hard choice. Welcome to the age of ghosting, temp employment and no real commitment.
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It’s pointless to kvetch at this point. This is the new normal in Madison, and it would take a miracle for it to change at this point.
I can’t wait to leave, and I’m certain I’m not alone in feeling this.
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Madison is a giant socially reinforcing Munchausen syndrome by proxy experiment.
The results speak for themselves.
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My little local Lutheran Church has a contingency plan for an active shooter.
Does MMSD? (No, wiseguy, although the stench from 545 E. Dayton St. smells the same, NOT Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District, the other MMSD, Makistan Metropolitan School District.)
I doubt it.
When the chit hits the fan and every second counts and the proverbial “good guy with a gun” is only minutes away, you’ve got to have a plan. Here’s a plan.
It’s called ALICE, ……. (A)lert, (L)ockdown, (I)nform, (C)ounter and (E)vacuate.
The local police chief runs the program. It includes 16 hours of tactical training.
MMSD’s former safety and ex-MPD Captain, Luis Yudice would approve.
It’s not just for schools, but for any active shooter event.
I’m also in favor of MSCR teaching a class on gun saftey and gun control.
As an elective “enrichment” class, it’d prove to be very popular.
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Thanks Good Dog, Happy Man,
We have a similar program where I work so that we can save the lives of our staff as well as members of the public who use our facilities but it is always good to see other methods and training.
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[…] Blaska’s Bottom Line: Odd, Ali Muldrow’s school board wants police nowhere near their students. She is unopposed for one seat, critical race theorist Nichelle Nichols for the second seat. In the third, a “a “trans, nonbinary teaching artist” is one of two candidates. (More here.) […]
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I’m surprised that more people haven’t left Madison. I did 20 years ago. That is an option for most people. I would like to see the net population growth/decrease over the last couple of years. School boards, school administrators and officials, liberal prosecutors and liberal judges are driving people out of Mad City. (How appropriate that name now is!)
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