The latest example is the centerpiece of his education agenda, a program that seeks to shower some $4 billion on public schools. Called "Race to the Top," the program, which comes with a number of federal strings, is the latest Obama proposal to attract national debate. It's getting mixed reviews so far but seems destined for a better fate than his health reform plan, which he drove 99 yards down the field only to fumble on the one-foot-line.
Surprisingly, Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue and state Schools Superintendent Kathy Cox, both Republicans, have eagerly lined up for the Obama Race to the Top handouts lock, stock and barrel. Not so Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who said Texas would not risk being penalized by the U.S. Department of Education for refusing to commit to adopt national curriculum standards and tests.
"Texas is on the right path toward improved education, and we would be foolish and irresponsible to place our children's future in the hands of unelected bureaucrats and special interest groups thousands of miles away in Washington, virtually eliminating parents' participation in their children's education," Gov. Perry said.
"If Washington were truly concerned about funding education with solutions that match local challenges, they would make the money available to states with no strings attached," he said on his Web site.
U.S. Reps. Phil Gingrey (R-Marietta) and Tom Price (R-Roswell), have both ripped Obama's Race to the Top, although U.S. Rep. David Scott (D-Smyrna), not surprisingly, is a supporter.
Retired educator and former state Rep. Roger Hines of Acworth, a Republican seeking to oust Cox from her seat, refers to Race to the Top as the "federalization of education." Retired educator Dr. Beth Farokhi of east Cobb, a Democrat who also wants Cox's seat, has her own concerns.
Perdue announced in a Wednesday press release that 23 local school districts have signed on to partner with Georgia in pursuit of the money.
Cherokee County Superintendent Dr. Frank Petruzielo signed up, as did Gwinnett County Superintendent Alvin Wilbanks, although Fulton County Superintendent Dr. Cindy Loe, who was formerly an associate superintendent in Gwinnett and Wilbanks' right hand, did not.
AND WHAT DID THE COBB SCHOOL DISTRICT DO? Believe it or not, but Cobb's dysfunctional school board has never discussed the pros and cons of Race to the Top, unless they did so in secret - which for this board is always a possibility.
Board member Alison Bartlett tried to bring the subject up at the December meeting, but was stiff-armed by then-Chairman Dr. John Abraham and Superintendent Fred Sanderson.
Sanderson attended a Dec. 14 meeting at Perdue's office and later sent a private e-mail to board members in which he recommended the district wait to find out more before seeking any of the money.
The curiosity-challenged Cobb board met Jan. 13, just days before Tuesday's application deadline for Race to the Top, but not a word was said - at least publicly - about the program.
By taking a powder on the Race to the Top debate and failing to seek public input or the board's opinion on the matter, the Cobb school board repeated the embarrassing behavior for which it was recently admonished by the Cobb Grand Jury.
SPEAKING OF THE GRAND JURY'S PRESENTMENTS, Around Town noticed that controversial board attorney Glenn Brock never mentioned at the board's Jan. 13 public meeting that Abraham, then Vice Chairwoman Lynnda Crowder-Eagle and Sanderson had been hauled before the grand jury on Dec. 1. And Sanderson said nothing to the public or to the other board members about the grand jury, either.
So why did the "chosen four" - Sanderson, Abraham, Crowder-Eagle and Brock - never mention the inquest to the public or the other board members? Why did they keep them "out in the cold"?
When one irate board member asked Sanderson that question after reading about the grand jury presentments in the MDJ, the superintendent reportedly answered that he had "assumed" that Crowder-Eagle or Abraham had told the others.
Never mind that Sanderson is the only system employee who works directly for the board, at a salary of more than $250,000 a year under a no-cut contract that runs through June 2011. Apparently, he's a believer of the "other Golden Rule" - "silence is golden."
And did Brock cancel his legal report at the Jan. 13 meeting to avoid spilling the beans about the scathing grand jury presentments he must have suspected would be headed their way? According the board's agenda published on the district's Web site several days before the Jan. 13 meeting, Brock was scheduled to give his legal report, a practice he started a few months ago in the name of greater transparency.
Is this the way new chair Crowder-Eagle, who was in on the conspiracy with Brock, Abraham and Sanderson to withhold word of the grand jury's inquest from the rest of the board members, plans to lead the system this year? Was it an oversight? Or did the four take a blood oath to keep their fellow board members in the dark? You decide.
DID THE GRAND JURY COME DOWN TOO HARD ON THE SCHOOL BOARD in its presentments? Or did the board finally get its comeuppance while being grilled by a subcommittee of the 24-member panel?
A high-placed courthouse source familiar with the inquiry told AT the school system quartet did not help itself with its demeanor, which he described as "arrogant." That assessment surely rings a bell with many parents, teachers and legislators who have squared off with this board and administration in recent years.
One school board observer suggested that the board would do well to read Dale Carnegie's perennial best-seller "How to Win Friends and Influence People." Quipped another, "I think they could buy a copy for each member from Amazon for a whole lot cheaper than the $5,800 in tax dollars they're going to spend on their 'Teamwork' retreat at Amicalola Falls."
No doubt.
THE COBB LANDMARKS & HISTORICAL SOCIETY will host its annual meeting and awards presentation at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art at 30 Atlanta St., Marietta. A reception with cash bar will follow. …
MDJ Opinion Editor Joe Kirby and Lockheed photographer Damien Guarnieri, co-authors of “Marietta Revisited: Then & Now,” will speak at Monday’s noon meeting of the Marietta Metro Rotary Club at the Marietta Conference Center. If interested in having them speak to your group, contact Kirby at (770) 428-9411 ext. 229 or e-mail jkirby@mdjonline.com.
THIS N’ THAT: District 2 Commissioner Bob Ott plans to open his office to residents one Saturday per month and the kick-off will be Jan. 30 from 9 a.m. to noon. No appointments are necessary and residents are invited to stop by and share their thoughts and ideas on a first-come, first-serve basis. His office is on the third floor of Building A, 100 Cherokee St., Marietta. For details, call (770) 528-3316 or e-mail bob.ott@cobbcounty.org.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR: This year’s Swordsman’s Ball benefiting the American Cancer Society will be Aug. 21. Co-chairs will be Tammy Cohen and Jason Saliba.
EVENTS: Marietta Tree Keepers will host a 12-tree planting at Fowler Circle today from 9 to 11 a.m. Fowler Circle is located between Cherokee and Cole streets on North Marietta Parkway. Look for the green signs and dress to plant trees. The event will be rescheduled if it’s raining. Other 2010 tree planting dates are Feb. 13 at the Marietta City Club Golf Course and March 13 at Gresham Road.
EVENTS: Now through April 18, The Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History, 2828 Cherokee St. in Kennesaw, will feature “In Focus: National Geographic Greatest Portraits.” The photographs show a variety of cultures and time periods throughout world and American history in a visual timeline. Call (770) 427-2117 or visit www.southernmuseum.org. …
Nominations for Leadership Cobb, the Cobb Chamber’s development program, will be open until Feb. 19 for the 2010-11 class.
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