"would be more attentive to citing and linking her material in the future. She said Gillen's call for her resignation was "ridiculous," but not unexpected.Ridiculous? Take a gander at the latest poll. I am not alone.
"I think she's called for all of us (on the board) to resign at one time or another," Posti said."
Update August 27, 2011 8:45 AM I changed the date of the poll to close on the same day as the next School Board meeting.
Read more: Much ado about....Mt. Lebanon board chief's blog - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_753219.html#ixzz1W2Cx08Ss
43 comments:
The only "ridiculous" thing about the school board is the secretive, anti-democratic way it goes about the public business. Ms. Posti has no qualms about using closed-door and unpublicized meetings to advance her private agenda, while simultaneously arranging for the school board to stonewall all dissenting opinion, including the historic petition signed by some 4,000 voters demanding more responsible process and decscion-making in the high school renovation process. If School Board President Posti is not embarrassed by the recent bidding fiasco that led to a rejection of all proposals and the ensuing finger-pointing blame game, how can we not be surprised that she is not embarrassed by the significant loss of academic standing and prestige of the Mt. Lebanon School District during her tenure? If ignoring the unprecedented petition of 4,000 of her neighbors and constituents is not "ridiculous" then calls for her resignation (and yes, for those of all the board members who have acted unanimously "as a team" in the mindless mismanagement of our schools is also not ridiculous. In fact, the call for Posti and the other school board members to resign seems to me to be the most moderate and reasonable suggestion anyone has made to improve the administration of this district. What is ridiculous is an elected school board that is unresponsive to its constituency. Posti, and all of her colleagues should resign as a demonstration of humility and self-respect if not out of respect for the community they have divided, overtaxed, and seriously let down. Keep in mind, her own apology, taking down and subsequent correction of her blog to show attribution of printed materials is an admission that in her own mind it was not right to publish as she originally did---it is also an acknowledgement that without this Blog's determined muck-raking, Ms. Posti would not have voluntarily corrected the matter. Is President Posti's voice the one any of us want to speak for this school district?
According to the organization responsible for awarding the "APR" (Accreditation in Public Relations) designation Josephine reportedly uses after her name, she qualifies for their definition of "Slavish copying", which violates their standards...this has been referred to and further defined previously on this blog. She likewise has also apparently violated Ethics standards in "sister" professional PR organizations.
You can debate the precise legal & applicable definition of "plagiarism" all you want, but do not overlook how and what the professional organizations define and classify her behavior to be.
OK kids you've been shown the way!
If a professional "writer" can be excused you can too.
Copy and paste anything you wish on your next paper and if caught just say it wasn't your intent, you assumed the teacher would know you didn't write it and you'll be more diligent next time.
If there are any repercussions get an attorney!
Right you are anonymous 2:40 PM!
Did anyone notice that it seems to be the MTL "we build character" athletic supporters (pun intended) that have the fewest problems with a little unintentional cheating.
Fudge the rules a little bit, hey its OK I didn't mean any harm!
Intentional or not the rules of must be applied or the game breaks down.
Kiddos - looks like clear sailing for this school year. The school board has no ethics. Contractors beware.
Another contractor
So, OK, Josephine Posti admits that she has done wrong--that may be a first, but it is a modest display of paying attention, if not a full volte-face from her dictatorial tendencies. We should thank her for showing some humanity for the first time in her service on the school board. Brava! But, now we need more of the same: Encore! Encore! Admit the serious errors and offenses you have made, President Posti, and take some personal responsibility for a totally mismanaged and failed renovation process. Let's clean house. I agree with you, let's let the contractors who have not performed well go, let's get a new staff manager (that is, a new superintendent), and let's hire some more effective people to control the decision process, too--that would mean, of course, that all of the current school board members should resign and allow themselves to be replaced at an election. We know people now will not get involved in a dirty process in which fear and intimidation have been the primary ploys of the ruling cabal--so let's end the nonsense and open the process. If she cares about the children and the quality of education in this district, let alone about the esteem and concerns of her neighbors, Ms. Posti cannot fail to agree to let go the reigns of power with which she has so dramatically and emphatically driven us into the ditch in which we all sit now. Please, President Posti, follow-through on the glimmer of a capacity to hear the public outcry and give democracy a chance--Resign!!
I'm pretty sure the board's response to the poll on whether all, some or none of the board members should go will be--
"we spoken to an equal amount of residents at coffee shops ball fields and PTA meetings and they think we are doing a bang up job!"
OK board, its been said lets get a little creative now.
One hundred people is a lot to speak to, especially when you have employment and a family, in such a short time. From what I have seen of their avoidance of contact with the public, certainly anyone who might tell them unpleasant truths or just disagree, I figure they would ignore, forget and not count any opinions except those that mirror their very own, anyway. The other point to be made here is that anyone who is honest and speaks to any random 100 people in Lebo will certainly find an extremely large percentage who concur in the criticism and oppose the board's way and policies. The issue here is not The 4,000 who signed their names and addresses only to be ignored (do you think the board members have even collectively spoken to 4,000 individuals with contrary opinions?) represent the majority opinion in this town, and the board members know this in their hearts and minds. That is the problem, like Qaddafi in his bunker they can only imagine that their opponents are "devils"---well, in a sense we are --- "Blue Devils" .
This is really about whether we are ruled over by true megalomaniacs and despots or whether they have a single social and democratic inclination among them. It often strikes me as utterly improbable that a public elected body can always be "unanimous" when anything important comes to a head. It also strikes me as slightly "ridiculous" that the whole electorate (save the 300 or so who repeatedly speak up for whatever the board wants to do) can be misinformed and misanthropic---it is clearly more likely that the extreme minority of opinion should have some doubt about the validity of its own opinions. Do the school board members ever admit the possibility that they might be wrong, or that other points of view just might have a possibility of being correct? I guess the answer lies in the definition of "megalomania" and whether it is a correct diagnosis.
Anonymous 6:31 they spent well over $7,000 sending us a glossy mailer just to prove that they could be wrong! If there is any doubt where it came from-- Mr. Kubit even signed his name to it.
We knew they were wrong, the bids in April PROVED they were wrong, but for some unknown reason they can't ever admit to the possibility that they might be wrong.
Remember they projected their high school plan would come in under $95,000,000 and only cost $18 more per month.
Mrs. Posti invited us all to the ground breaking ceremony.
Even if the arguments concerning the plagiarism of Mrs. Posti are never fully resolved (although its silly to believe the infractions in question are NOT plagiarism, in my opinion), there is another larger issue here that should be discussed: Namely, the act of omitting the references or citing the real sources of the blog information is really an attempt to mask the transparency of information.
In other words, what Mrs. Posti really did was attempt to hide the real purpose of her writings, and to convince the reader that her beliefs were credible -- by using the credible words and actions of others (not her own.) This lack of transparency and managerial dishonesty seems to be a repeating practice and slippery slope on which the the school board finds itself.
For example, the lack of a proper financial committee at the district is a terrible action which seems to be intended to keep the residents in the dark about the financial transactions of the district. Its a very obvious example of the lack of transparency. A poor decision like that easily eads down the slippery slope to things like, omissions of literary references, audit failures, and even cover-ups, in extreme cases.
In her day, former Supt. Sable raised the issue of transparency when she questioned fraudulent transfers of monies and account irregularities. She wanted an open discussion and disclosure. We all know what happened to her.
Plagiarism is one thing; hiding mistakes at the expense of the community is another thing altogether.
Just ask Marge Sable.
Josephine’s failure to appoint a Finance Committee gives the Mount Lebanon School District the financial oversight of the Educational Division of Enron.
Mrs. Posti just barely squeeked by Alan Silhol by I think 37 votes in the last election to win a spot on the board.
Do you think those 37 voters are part of the 113 that want some or all of the board to resign?
How did she rise to the presidency?
9:23...b you wrote: "In her day, former Supt. Sable raised the issue of transparency when she questioned fraudulent transfers of monies and account irregularities. She wanted an open discussion and disclosure. We all know what happened to her."
Reminds me-- no one has answered Rothschild's question of where the $900,000 for kitchen equipment off budget is coming from!
10:27 – Certainly the $900,000.00 for kitchen equipment can come from some “capital projects” fund or maybe from some other creative cost center to keep it out of the renovation project cost, even though it is part of the renovation. Don’t you know that the goal is to keep the project away from a community vote/referendum? The name of the game is “referendum avoidance through creative accounting”!
This is the kind of thing that Sable Was screaming about. If the district is like most governmental entities, they can't simply just move money around from account to account or adjust line items- legally. The budgets and revenue estimates are approved in public and voted upon. Misusing reserve funds or designated accounts, or co-mingling monies (even temporarily) is not ethical or legal.
Sable's mistake was raising this within the
District. And trying to correct it there. She should have just referred the matter to the state DOE or Attorney General.
I wouldn't bet that the district or board isn't trying to cobble together all kinds of off-budget accounts or funds. But, it's not ethical or legal, and a simple maneuver like that can spin out of control with the state. Just look how they view even small amounts of co-mingling of time/money with elected officials and campaign work. Even small amounts of taxpayer money spent the wrong way --- and you're in big trouble.
The problem is that the board is desperate now- and anything is possible. Anything.
where are the facts? why does not one member of the board - or even the superintendent - feel the responsibility to answer the factual questions, including Mr. Rothschild's question about the source of $900,000? "Stonewalling" is not a management style or a strategy--it is the last resort of tyrants
I've resisted writing for some time but gave some more thought this morning and decided that a contrary viewpoint might be in order.
Ms. Posti receives no compensation for her work on the school board, yet the tone of so much of the content of this blog is to paint her as a corrupt person, one who is purposefully doing the citizens of Mt. Lebanon wrong. She has taken the time to write a blog outlining her opinions and justifications of the actions of the school board. Apparently she copied and pasted segments without attribution, which is clearly problematic. But the vitriol with which you describe her actions is wholly inappropriate.
This blog is hyperbole, it's the very worst in American politics. Instead of respectfully debating the issues, you have chosen to portray your ideological opponent as a demon, one whose opinions are not to be considered because they come from such corruption. Again, we're talking about a volunteer at a suburban school district.
The average citizen who doesn't follow every detail of the school board can't help but be turned off by this ugly finger-pointing. I always considered getting further involved in public service once my children were older. But why would I, if I was subject to such a clearly personal vendetta? Why can't you be civil? Do we really need pitchforks and torches? The average decent Mt. Lebanon citizen is just going to disengage from the entire debate.
Uh, guess what? I am a volunteer too. I receive no compensation for maintaining this blog, a website, and recording meetings. So by your standards, that should make me a saint.
Elaine
Tot he "Hesitant" writer: Power is the corrupting aphrodesiac here. We have all been taught that "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely". Ms. Posti and her colleagues are drunk on power and think that they are free to ignore the will of the people. They are just not prepared for the volunteer work they want to do. Remember, no one twisted their arms, they did volunteer--they wanted the power. They are just in over their heads, and yes, they are venal and "corrupt".
Venal? (Miriam Webster defines that as: open to corrupt influence and especially bribery) Really? That is a very harsh accusation. While I am no fan of Ms. Posti or the work she has done on the Board, to make such an accusation without any offer of proof is irresponsible. Over the top statements such as that cause you to lose credibility and only hurt your efforts.
Those who talk about pitchforks are deceiving themselves and misleading the public. Where did $13,000,000 extra dollars come from in the Capital Project Fund? Mr. Pitchfork and everybody else got his pocket picked by the School Board.
To some degree I agree with the commenter about this being a tough town to hold public office.
But quite frankly, if we don't have concerned citizen's (no pun intended) holding our elected representatives accountable, then who will? The Trib probably wouldn't have investigated something like this unless it popped up on a blog like this.
The reason there is an outcry here is that taxpayers and residents of Mt. Lebanon expect their elected officials to NOT engage in activities that are embarrassing to the community.
If you think that a simple phone call to your board member could have resolved this issue, well, good luck with that. Have you tried to email or call your school board member recently? Based on past experience with most of the board members, even if you did get through, you would not get any cogent response.
From a constructive point of view, what would you do when stumbling upon this kind of behavior? Wish it away? Ignore it?
If the masses are truly irate, they should show up and say so at a meeting. Anonymous blog posts and Ms. Gillens quotes in the paper aren't going to change a thing. They are too easily dismissed.
venal as in lusting after benefit and satisfaction--these folks lust after power and then use it for their own personal satisfaction---yes, strong objectionable actions beget strong accurate characterization--why do you think people are so mad, because there is a simple disagreement over policy? NO, people are mad because of the greedy acquisition of exclusive power which is then used to stymie all discussion and disagreement--if the school board inspired public confidence that they actually listened and responded to public input, the reaction would have been very different--the reaction they have generated comes from abuse of power and unreasonable disregard for community sentiments....venal, as in "just for me"--there has not been a noble aspect of the conduct of our school board in the entire "renovation" process...you will note (1) no one has accused any one of "bribery" and (2) "bribery" is just an illustrutive example of the Miriam definition, not an essential element of "venality" in general nor a necessary inference of the word even under the Miriam definition, so try another tack....
“This blog is hyperbole, it's the very worst in American politics. Instead of respectfully debating the issues, you have chosen to portray your ideological opponent as a demon, one whose opinions are not to be considered because they come from such corruption.” This cuts both ways, how many folks have attempted to engage our board in respectful debate only to be shut out, ignored or even ridiculed by them? Perhaps the “average citizen who doesn't follow every detail of the school board” should take time some time to find out what is happening rather than assuming the “ugly finger-pointing” has no basis. This blog is the result of failed leadership including lack of true engagement or compromise with our community.
"But the vitriol with which you describe her actions is wholly inappropriate."
That is almost copied and pasted from Rob Gardner on Blog-Lebo. http://bloglebo.blogspot.com/2011/06/p-g-bids-come-in-high-for-mt-lebanon.html
"But over-heated vitriol serves no purpose."
This couldn't be...?
It is interesting that the ones who pop up here with comments --- anonymously -- are the ones who complain of "anonymous vitriol" -- wow, is someone whistling past the graveyard here? If you have civil discourse to offer, state your name, as I have done. My comments are neither anonymous nor vitriol--engage me in a principled discussion of the facts and we can talk--also speak to me with an identity that is really your own--responsibility and accountability are not really possible to achieve in anonymity---you know who I am, what I think and what facts I believe support my view, be a grown up, meet me on the high ground here at "speakers corner"..... come out, come out, whoever you are!
An important question is raised as to who has tried to engage the school board in respectful debate, a question for which there is a very objective and non-controversial, indeed incontrovertible, answer: everyone opposed to the board's renovation policy, including me, who attended the Act 34 public hearings and submitted written comments and submissions for the record, including some 4,000 people who signed their names and stated their voting addresses on a petition seeking to influence the board's policy. The school board, on the other hand, has a clear, consistent and odious record of ignoring, ridiculing, harassing, and generally treating all dissenting opinion with scorn and disregard (even sending out goons to people's houses to intimidate them). Moreover, I consider it disrespectful when the superintendent tells municipal officers, whom he intends should rely upon his representation, that the proposed enlarged pool will NOT be open to the public while on the same very date and in publications prepared on the school board's authority and mailed to the entire community, the actual policy and representation of the school district is that the pool WILL be open to the public.
These are but two concrete examples of the kind of facts we have to work with. So, anonymous commenter, you will have to do better than throw out unsubstantiated charges because the facts and the record are clear and well documented. The failure to engage in respectful dialogue has come entirely from the power mongers sitting in the seats of privilege while they deign not to consider any contrary views. Get real, the board controls the process and has botched it all along. School board members, who were supposed to accept the presentations during the Act 34 process as public input to be considered as they deliberated whether or how to finalize their plans not only did not listen, they actually took the public microphone (thereby using up precious time supposedly made available to the public) to lecture us as to why they were right and the rest of us were wrong --history has shown the error of their words. The record reflects the arrogance, failure to "engage" or show any respect for contrary opinion by a school board that is populated by an aggressive, determined and capriciously ambitious cabal of amateur politicians. The words may be sharp, but the shoe fits and the walk has earned them this recognition.
Sable was right. We should demand a public inquiry into the substance of the issues she raised and the responsibility for the conduct of which she sought to complain--let the chips fall where they may. Keep in mind there is no advocate for true transparency and open government on the school board now--lack of transparency is item one in the bill of particulars of the opposition, which, yes, proudly includes me.
There should be two rules on this blog, if I may offer a suggestion to promote fairness, responsibility and moderation: (1) every comment should be signed by its true author; and (2) a statement of facts should be required to support every proposition. When the facts are on the table it is harder to twist and dissemble. People can draw their own conclusions.
Steve,
I usually don't permit anonymous comments, but for this issue, it is OK.
Isn't it interesting that at 6:15 PM on Friday, the supporters of the School Board have garnered a whopping 13% of the vote. Twenty whole votes! The majority don't want to see Posti step down, they want them ALL to step down. Still waiting for the consequences to Posti's actions.
I have to post another comment. To be continued...
Fundraising opportunity for the high school renovation:
On the PSBA website, the District can get a Cyber Liability Policy, if they don't have one already. It covers plagiarism. Look under Internet Media Liability.
http://www.psba.org/services-products/insurance/programs/cyber-liability.asp
Elaine: Yes it is interesting how in a small community where 4,000 people sign their verifiable names on a public petition, the school board and its handful of supporters can continue to claim either that "the community is evenly divided" or that they never hear criticism but from a few of the same people. It is time for a reality check, and for some civility from the school board and its friends. It is commonly the case that the one who screams the loudest about civility is the least civil one of all--they behave like children. I have been told I am naive to think that the school board cares or listens, but my whole life has been devoted to clean and open government, I am just too old to stop now. Reform is an old Conservative motto, and into the next century our quest for integrity, honesty and transparency in government will just have to continue. It is "for the kids" and for everyone else, too. Time for change in Mt. Lebo has come, and our movement will not "go away" no matter how much the fear-mongers and power-abusers wish it would--they just don't realize the actual and very real limits of their power in a democratic society. Ultimately the truth does matter, and the majority of the citizens will prevail, it just takes time and effort to match the reach of those who count on the fact that it is time consuming and not easy to stay at it, but we will watch and watch-dog so long as anyone seeks to use public office in this community to corner power or to deny anyone's rights.
Steve,
Plan Con Part I is an interim listing of change orders on the high school project that should be filed with PDE as the project progresses. Bethel Park lists all the change orders in their board Agenda so the public can follow what is happening. Mt. Lebanon hides them until the end of the project. What else would we expect from our administrators?
Mt. Lebanon’s past practice is to not review the change orders, hide the change-order payments in the list of bills, and pay them without review. The Board has even told us they will exceed the referendum limits by buying kitchen equipment from other funds – our funds - without including them in the bids so they can come in under referendum limits. In other words the Posti Board lies to the public and admits it.
This is in addition to the lies they told us about value engineering the project before it was put out to bid. When the bids came in too high the Board’s value engineering lie was exposed when 197 items were suggested for cost-cutting review.
Now we have plagiarism on top of lies under Posti’s leadership. Great example for our children! But let’s face facts the parents don’t care if the Board lies as long as they can squander community resources.
The New York Times fired reporters for plagiarism. A highly talented Executive Vice President was lost in the reorganization. The Times then appointed an Ethics Committee to correct their mistakes and keep their reputation.
Do you really think that Larry, the Policy Committee Chair, will try to clean up Posti’s mess? Do you think the rest of the board members will try to clean it up? Or, will a coward write you an email and tell you to bring it the issue so that board member doesn’t ruffle any feathers?
My impression is the Board and the Superintendent are more concerned about their position and power on the Board than they are in doing what is right for our children, staff, and community. Did you ever notice how any board member can say that an item is a "deal-breaker" and nobody debates the issue? They all just silently agree with each other. Posti’s graduation speech was the proof here. You really have to wonder if the folks at PAWC surrounded themselves with a “yes” person when they hired Posti.
I feel sorry for the contractors who bid this job and find a legitimate change order that needs to be passed. Mr. Remely said the Board might have to have a referendum in the middle of the project under some circumstances. How does the change order get paid if the referendum does not pass?
John Ewing
If it is true that the kitchen equipment is properly part of the project budget and deliberately given "special handling" to keep it off the books, it may constitute "waste, fraud or abuse" and it may legally trigger an election in any event. Such matters really should be submitted to competent independent authority for review and consideration. I don't like the policy or the administration of these matters, but you pose some very serious question, if you are right about the controlling accounting principles.
Please listen to the portion of the podcast, August 15 School Board Business Meeting, on www.lebocitizens.com. Move the slider under the “W” in the word “KNOW”. Listen to questions posed by Dan Rothschild and the responses. You will most likely gain insight as to the uncertainly of the project and it’s budget, not to mention dismissing the concerns he raised regarding diminishing the project by Dr. Steinhauer. See if you can understand how items are being moved “off-budget”. Mrs. Klein states that the food service budget fund balance may be used for the food service related renovation costs. This is what “creative accounting” can do to keep a project under budget (referendum).
Anonymous 3:49 PM wrote, “Mrs. Klein states that the food service budget fund balance may be used for the food service related renovation costs. This is what ‘creative accounting’ can do to keep a project under budget (referendum).”
It doesn’t matter whether the Food Service Fund has a surplus or may be properly used to buy this $900 thousand worth of food-service equipment. The community was told that this equipment was included in the original price of the high-school project. If we’re now being asked to pay for this equipment in addition to the high-school project, we’re getting fleeced.
Moreover, almost all of the school directors have represented to the public, at one time or another, that they would never try to evade the project’s price cap by moving parts of the project off budget. Any school director who supports this $900-thousand off-budget purchase can expect a whole lot of residents, including me, to call them on it.
EXACTLY TOM!
You've gotten right to the root of the problem, why this blog is focused on SD affairs and why the poll here skews in favor of total resignation.
People are angry and getting angrier.
Dick Saunders
I keep going back to Dan Remely's
R2D2 presentation. Remember how he was putting down our signatures for a $75 million renovation? He made a list of what $75 million would buy. Then he wrote what would be included in a $113 million dollar renovation. I think what didn't make the $75 million list, doesn't make the list now for $113 million.
Don't forget the poll. Is it a preview of coming attractions this November? Elaine
Just an FYI. Not only did it make the Trib, Kent State looked at this blog the other day. Word is spreading, Josephine.
Elaine
In addition to the food-service equipment issue, you can read yet another cogent analysis of the Board's planning for (not) and funding of (monetary shell game) the tennis courts in our "21st century educational learning environment". Check http://lebodesign.net/ for the details.
Don't forget the board tried to collar middle school students to do a fund raising effort to raise money for the high school flag pole!
Do they have no shame?
Dick Saunders
I have often thought after reading Mrs. Posti's Center Court Blog that someone else wrote the words. My guess is she would just get comments from School District Administrators/Supervisors who wanted to respond to this blog's questions/comments but are too timid to do so. They probably send an email to Mrs. Posti and she just cut and pasted without checking if what she got was plagiarized. This would explain why sometimes she had so much detail and sometimes none at all. I often thought that Mr. Kubit was reading a script that Jan Klein wrote for his President's reports about anything financial. District administrators tell the school board president what to do instead of the president telling staff what to do. If you get a great Superintendent like Marge Sable the board will boot/buy you out because they don’t want to hear the truth about the smell inside the bubble about curriculum deficiencies and when their cheese was moved they acted like children and told the board they were going to quit if they didn’t get rid of Dr. Sable. Since the boards at the time were all good friends with the administration they ganged up on her at every turn during her short 18 month here. Insubordination by her staff is probably why she was bought out. She wanted innovation for our students and her subordinates wanted status quo. Or if you get a great school board president like Mark Hart who knows how to run a meeting, get results from a tired group of school district staff and know the right questions to ask about financial issues you will have rumors started about you. Or if you get a great Finance committee chair like James Fraasch your committee will be disbanded because you have the guts to show what’s really happening with district money. If you don’t agree with district staff or the school board you are vilified for having a different opinion. The story about the Emperors New Clothing comes to mind when I think about some of the people on the school board. Maybe the next Mt Lebanon performance will be a musical entitled The Emperors New Clothes. Wouldn’t that be a hoot?
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