Comedian Lewis Black has a new show on the air called “The Root of All Evil.” Black serves as the judge while two fellow comedians make cases for why one person/entity or another is the worst blight on society. We could use a Nevada episode with the choice being between the Nevada State Board of Education and charter school “consultant” Tom McCormack.
McCormack is a Department of Education employee who was given the title of “Consultant” because, I suppose, it sounded better than Hatchet-man. McCormack is a paper-pushing bureaucrat who is as hostile to charter schools as any teachers union boss.
But McCormack isn’t just hostile to charter schools. He’s openly hostile to parents, as well – at least when it comes to them meddling in their children’s education. In fact, at the last board meeting in March, McCormack told the members that “any time you have a situation where a student’s success depends upon something the parent does, that is unfair to the student.”
Nice, huh? When the time comes to start laying off government workers, Tom McCormack should be the first to go.
On the other hand, the collective bird-brain known as the Board of Education decided in December to slap a moratorium on approving any new charter school applications despite the fact that there are waiting lists of students desperately hoping to get into one and escape the failed public schools they’ve been assigned to by the government. The Board followed up that decision in March by denying two existing charter schools permission to expand their operations to meet the rising demand. That decision has resulted in a sitting state senator, Terry Care, suing the board last week.
What’s so distressing is that some members of this board, who hold the fate of our kids’ education in their hands, aren’t exactly the sharpest tools in the shed. Let’s start with board member Anthony Ruggiero, who can’t figure out the difference between a distance learning charter school and a home-schooling family. Ruggiero opened up the March meeting with these words of wisdom: “I would like to read my horoscope for today. It is on AOL and I’m a Taurus. Some people say they can tell I’m a Taurus. I’m so full of bull my eyes are brown.”
He’ll get no argument from me.
Later in the meeting in response to a point made about the board denying the Virtual Academy charter school’s request to expand their program into grades K-3, Ruggiero insisted that “There was not a denial. It was just not approved.” Huh?
But Ruggiero is a veritable rocket scientist compared to board member Merv Iverson, a man who I suspect might very well be able to hide his own Easter eggs.
On a motion made by board member Barbara Myers, Iverson responded, “I’m sorry, Ms. Myers, I really didn’t understand what you said.” So Myers repeated the motion in plain English, to which Iverson replied, “Now, tell me what you just said.” To which Myers responded, “I don’t know what else I can do to make it any clearer.” Which in turn prompted Iverson to exclaim, “I’m all of a sudden functioning at a level of confusion.”
And that was one of Merv’s more lucid moments.
Later in the meeting, Iverson volunteered this gem: “I dislike very much eating bananas to the point I don’t like bananas anymore.” Um, OK. He later joined McCormack in “dissing” parents with this verbal slap across the face: “I have experienced in many, many cases that a learning environment at home is detrimental to a child.” Stupid parents.
So, when it comes to the lousy state of public education in Nevada - combined with their hostility to school choice in general, and charter schools in particular - which is the root of all evil: the Nevada State Board of Education or Tom McCormack? You be the judge.
Posted on April 24th, 2008 by Chuck Muth
Filed under: Nevada
Tom McCormack lied on the stand so many times during the Halima Academy court battle it was a surprise his nose was not fifteen feet long. It was a huge awakening that a public servant could tell lies with impunity to a judge and get away with it.
Perhaps Mr. McCormack hasn’t fully thought about his cushy job’s longevity or the repurcussions of his actions to limit the options of Nevada students. With no new charter schools and no expansion of alternative education, what need is there for a consultant or his minions? (Kenneson and Holsclaw) With budget cuts for education in this state, why isn’t state funding being prioritized for programs that have the parents’ and students’ interests at heart, instead of funding an enemy to quality education?
We were very amused by this!
Tom McCormack you suck, thanks for closing our school! Halima Academy Charter School Graduates of ‘06!
Thanks for talking up the story. I have a couple of questions.
1. Is Terry Care suing the Board in his position as State Senator or as a hired lobbyist?
2. I saw on another blog that the school Care represented in front of the Board has no known business license, is that true?
3. If Care cared, why could he not initiate an impeachment of Board member Merv Iverson, who if your quotes are correct, sounds like a man incapable of performing his oath of office?
Keep on yelling, we need to find a way to fund the oversight necessary to open more charter schools in this State.
1.) Terry Care filed the lawsuit on behalf of the Nevada Virtual Academy as their attorney, not as a lobbyist.
2.) Nevada Virtual Academy is an approved charter school which is already operating. All they were asking for was to be allowed to serve K-3 grades in addtion to 4-8. They are fully licensed and approved to operate.
3.) There are no grounds for impeachment. Iverson is up for re-election in November. If anything, we need to find someone friendly to charter schools to run against him.
….I’ve looked around and I didn’t find a business license or a relationship with the County Assessor anywhere for the NVA. They may be licensed by the State to educate, but where are their business license (after all, it IS a business)?