CAT Tracks Editor's Note:

Ain't no way I'm justifying what transpired tonight with "minutes" of an alleged "Public Meeting". I'll make a couple of pissy, uh, catty comments at the bottom of this post.

Scroll down if you care...

The Cairo School District Number One Financial Oversight Panel held its regular monthly meeting on Monday, November 21, 2011 at 5:30 p.m. The Cairo Board of Education announced at the conclusion of its regular meeting (11-14-11) that it would hold a Special Meeting in conjunction with the regular FOP meeting. The agendas for both meetings are posted below:

CAT Tracks Editor's Note: (Continued)

What a farce!

I told myself several months back that I was through with FOP meetings. What had once been a beacon of hope (to rein in some of the misadventures of the BOE) had become a rubber stamp. Talk about déjà vu all over again!

I many not have much of a life, but reading a book, watching DVDs, counting flowers on the wall, playing solitaire till dawn with a deck of 51 beats the hell out of...

Okay, Ron:

Count to ten, take a deep breath, ommmmmmmmmmm, ommmmmmmmmmm, ommmmmmmmmmm...

I mean...

Look at the agendas for the meetings posted above!

If you attended the meeting, would you not expect to learn about the District's plans for Superintendent? For the remainder of this school year?? For the next school year???

Not a damn word!

Maybe they discussed all this after they kicked the public out of their meeting (aka closed session), but that is NOT what was advertised:

• Look at the BOE agenda...Items "V." and "VII. B."

• Look at the FOP agenda...Items "#7" and "#8"

Okay, a "DISCLAIMER"...the Chairperson of the FOP did make a passing inquiry related to Item #8...how the meetings were going, were the meetings over? One of the BOE members gave a very general description of what had transpired and that there was one more meeting to go. There were no particulars (and members of the public have yet to receive copies of the summary that was produced about the second meeting. That information was strictly "BOE's Eyes Only".

The Cairo Board of Education did nothing during the open portion of tonight's meeting except call roll.

The Cairo Financial Oversight Panel did Items #1-6 of their agenda...then the Chairperson said "I hear cake calling my name" and called for a motion to adjourn...at 6:50 p.m.

FOOTNOTE:

About the cake...

Glenn Webb has been on the Financial Oversight Panel for several years...maybe half a dozen. I believe that Mr. Webb was the first replacement for the original three members. He served as chairperson for the past few years until his departure in October.

Tonight he was honored by the FOP for his service to Cairo School District Number One...and presented a certificate.

The cake was in celebration of that service.

Mr. Webb deserved recognition. Throughout his tenure, he always treated the Association with respect, was always open to input, intervened on occasion to right some wrongs.

Unlike others, he even went out of his way to invite Association members to partake of whatever food was available for the FOP members...even an old ex-CAT.

Thank you for a job well done!

FOOTNOTE II:

The notice for the meeting indicated that a meal would be served prior to the meeting...at 5 p.m.

What they should have done was eaten earlier or started the meeting later...done the "cake thing" as dessert for the dinner. Then, they could have called the meeting to order, presented Mr. Webb his certificate, thanked him for his service, and allowed him to depart early or stay for the meeting (along with the pee ons.)

Then, the BOE and the FOP could have taken their time and taken care of business, instead of simply calling a halt to the meeting.

I know there's an old saying that "An army travels on its stomach", but what's with the Cairo Board of Education and the Cairo Financial Oversight Panel?

FOOTNOTE III:

After all the bad news, I want to leave you with something positive...