Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter



CAT Tracks for November 25, 2008
WORKSHOP REQUESTS II

More "back and forth" between CAT and Superintendent Swopes...

You read the original correspondence about workshop requests in the November 19th Edition of CAT Tracks...CAT's polite request for an existing document ("guidelines" for granting/denying workshops)...Superintendent Swopes' nasty response.

Since Superintendent Swopes intentionally or unintentionally failed to recognize and or respond the the request, CAT President De De O'Shea repeated the request. Today she got another VERY nasty response.

In Superintendent Swopes' response, he takes issue with CAT's characterization of its request as "polite". In his response, he challenges President O'Shea to "allow others to read your correspondence to discern the nature and tone that is not readily apparent." Furthermore, Superintendent Swopes snidely comments that "Self-judging is like self-aggrandizement and 'pleading the Fifth.' It would be to everyone's advantage to be one's own judge and jury."

Well, at the sake of being "catty"...CAT has already "been there, done that"...the aforementioned reference to publishing the previous round of correspondence. You, Dear Reader, were able to judge THEN...and CAT is going to let you judge once more...

In his "missive", Superintendent Swopes states that "given the editorialized nature and spirit of all your correspondence to me..."

You have read the correspondence...who do YOU think is being "mean spirited"? At the sake of repeating myself...Superintendent Swopes again cannot bother to distinguish between the CAT President De De O'Shea who makes legitimate and professional requests for information...and Chief Editorializer Ron Newell who reports HIS OPINION of what transpires in Cairo School District Number One. (As I remarked at the last negotiations session...she is the one with blond hair; I am the one who is hair-impaired!)

My previous "editorial" opened with "What can I say?" I then went on to say quite a bit. However, in reviewing Superintendent Swopes' latest "missive"...nothing new...more "obfuscation". I shall let it rest.

If only he would...