Update September 8, 2013 9:01 AM Tucker Arensberg is the School District's solicitor. This is from Google Analytics, showing the visits Tucker Arensberg has made to my blog during and after Timmy's Twittering Travels.
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Your Tax Dollars at Work
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Update September 8, 2013 11:58 AM Tucker Arensberg's opinion about Timmy and Twitter can be found here.
57 comments:
his duty to listen and represent escapes him...perhaps he would change his mind if you recommended a bonus or a raise for him.....the burden of public service is that you must keep in touch with your constituents, especially if don't seem to like what you are doing....but then again, this is the district in which our SB president advised graduating seniors three years ago to "only associate with those who agree with you" ... perhaps he is just following orders...
Timmy wouldn't know his twits from his twots
I can't find words how syratigecally stupider he is for blocking you
File a RTK for his tweets!
Beware Timmy, the eyes of the people are everywhere!
Perhaps he would change his mind if you showed some respect. For instance, stop calling him Timmy. The respectful, polite way to address him would be Dr. Steinhauer.
Pay me what Timmy makes and you can call me anything you want. I get called far worse for free.
Elaine
10:43 respect is a two-way streets.
Plus, Ben Franklin offered this advice:
"Love your enemies, for they tell you your faults."
Put it in context, these folks are public servants - they work for us, we don't work for them!
10:43 PM, do you know how incredibly stupid that is? His tweets are public and anyone can read them whenever. He may have blocked Elaine from following him, but she can still read the tweets. What an immature little man.
Your tax dollars pay this dork.
Sorry to say, but it is beyond me why anyone would want to follow any tweet: especially that one. Like I don't care where people go and what they do or think.
Is anyone surprised? The guy was basically a castoff from two other school districts. Here comes our brilliant board who found that diamond...He's like the Tim Tebow of superintendents. Tebow Timmy Steinhauer. Its kind of pathetic a guy his age is trying to be hip and hang out on Twitter. Tim, why not roll around in a drop-top with some Flo Rida pumping from the trunk...clown.
To get back to some serious discussion.
Why is there never any criticism of the board or the administrators by a certain circle.
Lets look at some facts.
The district hired DeJong for $100,000+ to study the HS project and put a finger on the pulse of the community for the project.
His findings the community wanted a $60-80 million new/renovation.
So what transpires after that. The board hires Celli, who pushes that Bldg B cannot be renovated to 21st century standards. Funny, now Steinhauer is touting the beautiful updated Bldg B classrooms.
Then all the soil test for the cancelled Horsman Drive natatorium uncovered the site wasn't a good locatoion for a huge building.
So what does the board do, builds exactly on that spot. Which that had to change order about $150,000 of geofoam to support the new athletic wing. Which we still have a floor in the gymthat isn't level.
Then Celli designs a site 4 parking short of code. They could have design a building in code, applied for an exemption, but the administration and board thought it was more expediant to sue the municipality.
On top of that Dr. S and board friends along said they fully expected the HS project to come in close to $93 mllion or so. People warned them it wouldn't happen. It didn't and bids were over $120 million.
Still no admission that they got it wrong. They went bavk and cut and snipped and finally got bifs down under the cap. Except we're at $2 million and counting on change orders that probably will put us over the cap.
The board was warned by a cpuple of board members that this Taj Mahal would putundue sttess on the budget.
Aw your just being fearmongers, current board members said as they mock those directots and ran them off the board. Where are we at- we just hired a $82,500 staffer to beg for donations to keep the school running.
So why don't the directors and especially Dr. S, get any respect. Pretty much because their decisions and choices cost people a lot of money.
Not only do they make idiotic decisions, there's no admission of them.
People jump on Elaine's blog and give her grief when all she is doing is reportong on the shenanigans and letting people discuss them.
Start going after Steinhauer, Birks and Remely. They are the ones screwing things up, not Elaine, she just reporting the nonsense and offering her opinion.
About effective school boards. Anonymous.
http://www.wps60.org/board/found_prin.pdf
FYI. Anonymous.
http://www.districtadministration.com/news/eboards-evaluation-module-now-supports-wider-variety-leadership-evaluations
I have a question for one of the many legal experts who read these posts:
What establishes an entity as "the press"?
I really don't know, and I would like someone to briefly explain it to me.
In my mind, a reporter with Channel 2, 4 or 11 attends a meeting and communicates his or her interpretation of the events via the internet, the radio and the television stations.
How is this any different from what Elaine is doing on her site?
What "credentials" or designated status does an entity need to be considered a press organization? I am not aware of any governmental or private organization that certifies or validates press cerdentials; and when I read the US Constitution I don't see any language that establishes or certifies
"the free press".
It seems to me that Elaine has established herself as a press organiation, and therefore she should have the right to receive Tim Steinhauser's tweets.
I am very serious, would someone please explain to me if I am incorrect?
Thank you,
John David Kendrick
Thanks for the link, 12:13!
If you open it you find a link (http://blog.eboardsolutions.com/accountability/dos-and-donts/) to an attached article titled:
10 Do’s & Dont’s for Evaluating Your Superintendent
Here's an interesting one from the ten.
5. Do allow for anonymous feedback and comments.
"Feedback helps the superintendent continue to grow. Clear communication from the board as a whole is critical as the leadership team collaborates in implementing the plans of the system."
Now why would they recommend anonymous feedback?
Educators and their supporters don't get involved in retalition... Do they?
I
I would love to have an explanation why Timmy has
Follow me on Twitter @MTLSDSuper
on the Superintendent's Blog and then block a taxpayer.
Any attorneys out there want to explain that one to me?
Elaine
EGillen476@aol.com
Because the lord (lower case L) giveth and the lord can taketh away!"
I was reading this interesting post:
http://www.freepress.net/blog/2012/08/14/why-it-so-hard-get-press-credentials
I was shocked to see some of the litmus tests - financial solvency or level of assets. What about non-profits and Internet bloggers? Are they shut-out?
Very interesting,..
Does anyone know if the School District has defined any criteria to obtain press credentials?
John David Kendrick
He cant communicate solely privately, and if he's going to establish a "public" account, he cant limit access unless someone is harassing him on the site. Further, as long as he's Tweeting during school hours, he's on the public dime. Guess what, Timmy? That means whatever youre sending out belongs to the public.
I thought the SB had some somewhat literate attorney representing them? Wonder what he hellhe does since he obviously isnt providig any guidance to district employees.
Elaine, talk to an attorney about a federal civil rights violation. This one is a no-brainer.
Have u given Timmy a call?
How many superintendant's have twitter accounts anyway?
It seems a little careless for Tim to tweet, especially pictures of kids.
Perhaps the invitation should be better worded as follows: those of you who do not take issue with me are invited to "follow me . . ."? Otherwise, posting something on social media and blocking one individual is like putting a sign in one's yard and covering it up every time a certain neighbor walks by. Others neighbors can take a picture of the sign and share the contents with the targeted individual. Seems like a lot of work that proves to be ineffective. Maybe a red line is being drawn?
What Timmy has done is immature. His Twitter account is public. I can still see all his tweets, not that I want to, but they are available to read. What Timmy has succeeded in doing is show Lebo Citizens readers just how childish he really is.
Tim, we have serious problems. I just heard that Jefferson Elementary lost five families to private schools. They chose to leave the toxic environment and PSSA-based curriculum and stress, for traditional math and caring staff. We have teens in Mt. Lebanon overdosing on heroin. You, instead, choose to Tweet nonsense, blog about bathrooms and water fountains, and check my blog all day long. We've got serious problems and we need serious leadership. Instead of touting "diplomatic immunity," with a big F.U. to me, show Mt. Lebanon that you are worth what you are being paid.
I am a resident and a taxpayer. You work for me and everyone else in Mt. Lebanon. Shame on you.
Elaine
I nearly withdrew my children from Mt Lebanon schools this year after learning about how much the school district and superintendent attends to and cares about safe walking routes. Some of us, as parents, believe kids' health and safety is our #1 priority. I am dramatically less worried about intruders in their schools than I am traffic crushing them crossing busy roads without a crosswalk or a crossing guard, for example. The superintendent doesn't attend to those matters, though.
I had a serious talk yesterday with my husband about moving. School policies, elected officials taking my money and playing with it like it is monopoly.
How true 9:24!
Mount Lebanon is going to hell in a handbasket. Twitter. Dogs' rights over children. Turf over dry basements. Pizza lunches.PSSAs. No safewalking routes. Neighbors policing neighbors. Elected officials ipushing personal agqendas. Childish games. Enough already !
The Mt. Lebanon Superintendent has five years of teaching experience and 20 years of administrative experience.
10:44 so . . .?
10:44 - yeah, 5 years of teaching trombone and 20 years of pied piper, photographer, tweeter and tour guide.
I updated this post with a snapshot of visits to my Lebo Citizens blog by the District's solicitor during and after Timmy's Twittering Travels.
Elaine
Ridiculous.
We will never know how much they were paid for this, will we?
10:33 AM, ask the Mt. Lebanon Magic 8 Ball.
Elaine
I agree with Mr. Matthews- rediculous. Now we have the district solicitor devoting time this!
Here's the issue for me at least. The question isn't whether Mr. Steinhauer is master of whom he allows access to his twitter account. Whether you're on Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin I'm pretty certain who rrads your stuff is under your control.
The question for me is whether this is an essential duty for the leader of the school district?
If it is an expected duty, and he's twittering it and expecting feedback, then Elaine has a point, why should she a taxpayer be excluded.
The bigger question is why do it at all? What is the point? Is he trying to impress the parents with kids in the schools? They don't need twitter post, they were there.
Trying to impress the rest of Lebo with no kids in the schools. Are these people hungry for real time nees flashes of the first day?
We pay a district PIO good money, why couldn't the school principals take snap shots of the first day, the PIO organize them into a journal and post them on the district website, if they are all that important.
In fact here is a fund raising idea.
Why not compose a book a book of the first day of school on one of those sites that handles everything from printing, accounting/billing and shipping. For every book sold they send the arthor a check.
It might be kinda of neat for first vraders as they arrive in middle or high school to look back at the weather, news events and see photos of kids they'll be miggling with from the other elementaries.
But a fulll day of twittering by the superintendent... rediculous, useless waste of time.
Regarding my suggedtion for creating a First Day of School Journal for a fund raising idea here's one company.
After the book is designed they handle everything. No new employees, no new expenditures.
Suggestions for the book. Photo of the building, photo of Principal, list of teachers, the weather, news headlines and of course pictures from each elementary.
Maybe the book focuses on just the elementary buildings.
Here the company: Blurb.com
Metallica has a song that would describe these types of actions; "Master of Puppets". "Master, Master, Master of Puppets is pulling the strings...
Connie
I updated this post again, to include Tucker Arensberg attorney Gavin Robb's email to the Office of Open Records stating that @mtlsdsuper is Timmy's Twitter account and that it is public to anyone on the Internet. So why is Timmy blocking me?
Elaine
Elaine, amazing that Tucker can openly monitor your blog for Timmy, but Timmy can block your access to his Twitters. I'll bet Timmy monitors you also, but uses a crafty ID for visiting that hides his identity.
I'm sure Tucker's monitoring is billable hours for taxpayers to ultimately pay.
I agree completely with 10:39 AM. There is a big difference between tweeting and leading a school district.
There are major problems in this district that need to be tended to instead of tweeting.
I don't have a problem with the superintendent tweeting about his job on his own tine if that is his cup of tee, or even visting each school on the first day, if that is what the board thinks is productive use of his time.
Spending time on tweets and taking photos and composing tweets in my opinion isn't a productive use of his time.
I can see the reaction of my employer if I stopped to tweet and post photos of my meetings with clients/customers and describe my coffee breaks on company time. It is rediculous, and in my opinion a self-serving waste of time.
Oh well everyone is emtitled to an opinion.
We pay Tucker $2,600 to review RTK requests. Their attorney asks the Department of Education how to respond. The Board was cutting legal expenses because of budget pressures. Now they are spilling legal fees after telling the community they had a tight budget. Mrs. DeLuca you are raising money to pay a lawyer who doesn't know how to respond ton Right-To-Know requests from the public. The Tucker Managing Partner should assign these requests to a competent attorney or refund the $2,600 fees.
2:44 PM, that email exchange was from May 2010, just two weeks before the 10.5% tax increase.
Elaine
We should get two years of RTK fee refunds.
Interesting thing about RTK request reviews by the solicitor.
Wonder if when asked to review a request he ever says: "I've reviewed hundreds of these, just give them everything!" and skips billing the $2,500?
Or does an RTK review automatIcally get billed for $2,500?
Does the role of the School District as a Censor bother anybody? Does everyone remember when John Ewing was censored?
http://bloglebo.blogspot.com/2007/06/mtlsd-airs-edited-school-board-tape.html
Now we all understand why Elaine Gillen tape records a complete copy of every meeting that she attends.
Censorship will never be extinguished. The Free Press can not be guaranteed to be free. But when we have multiple channels of communication, particularly with the advances in technology and the popularity of social media, it will become impossible to put on a happy face and tell anything except for the truth.
"The eyes of the people are everywhere." Whomever is making these decisions to censor had better wake up and face reality - it's a new world and people aren't going to put up with it anymore.
John David Kendrick
My question for anyone with legal credentials.
Are Dr. Steinhauer's tweets personal or related to his position as superintendent?
If personal, he has a right to block anyone he chooses.
If he tweeting as superintendent and using the district website to direct residents can he block anyone he chooses?
Lets take this from another perspective. Could a writer for the student newspaper write an article and invite the student body to follow his tweeting?
Then Dr.Steinhauer reads it and suggest he doesn't like the students. After hearing Dr. Steinhauer's comments about his tweets he blocks Dr. Steinhauer.
I'm pretty sure, one he'd never be allowed to announce his twitter site. Two, if he said anything the district didn't like he'd be suspended from the paper.
Would that be fair. From what I'm rrading their have been a number of case of controlling students social media even after school hours.
@4:56 No, they're public, not personal. Mr. Robb, Esquire established that with OOR. Superintendent is clearly promoting his Twitter account on School District Blog. No brainer...
4:56 PM, as Josephine Posti brought to everyone's attention, there are double standards in the School District. Studenta have one set of rules while adults (or should I say nonstudents?)have a different set of rules.
The only thing that is for sure is that I still have to pay my taxes. If I blog about my opinions, I get shut off. Same thing with the municipality's PIO.
Elaine
The issue isn't can the superintendent twitter or lock out a taxpayer from his 'superintendent'-related twitter account.
The issue - is this something a superintendent be spending his valuable time on?
And his time is valauble cince he's now approaching with benefits and vacation time - $200,000 a year.
Here is a TED.com link of someone the Superintendent follows on Twitter,
http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html
Worth your time to listen.
So there are consequences if you don't agree ?? Would you care to ponder this - freedom of speech ?? I have a few things to say about the subject !!
-Geo Washington
6:28 PM, Timmy has six goals. Here are two of them:
"5. Collaboration/Communication – The Superintendent will collaborate and engage members of the school community."
"6. Technology – The Superintendent will advance student and adult learning through the use of Technology."
Looks like he is supposed to Tweet. If he Tweets about the high school renovation, then he accomplishes Goal Number 2, "High School Project – The Superintendent will continue the District’s efforts to build/renovate the High School."
Whatever THAT means.
So there ya go. Fifty percent of his goals accomplished through Twitter.
That is why he makes the big bucks. He gets paid to play with his Tweeter, I mean, Twitter.
Elaine
He writes in the first paragraph: "The Mt. Lebanon School District's mission is to provide the best education possible for each and every student and to do so, it is vital that we maintain an open line of communication with our parents and residents. "
I guess his vital open line of communication only includes residents that agree with him. Critics are not welcome I guess.
Writing words is the easy part!
Apparently maintaining an open line of communication is covered by, "file an RTK if you need to know something" and "don't tweet me back!"
The super Super does take pretty pictures of sunsets.
Timmy still has me blocked.
Elaine
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