Friday, January 20, 2017

Redoubling and the fake, fake budget

Mt. Lebanon schools seek guidance, engage students after discovery of swastika
“We have redoubled our efforts with students,” Mr. Steinhauer told school board members during their meeting Monday night.
What does Timmy mean? Are the schools doubling or quadrupling efforts? I haven't heard that term used outside of the game, Bridge. I did a quick search and found some explanations. 
Redouble is used by politicians to make it sound like they care and are working really hard on solving a problem. Thank to them, current meaning is hollow and means nothing.
Redouble is an example of malapropism. The word "malapropism" (and its earlier variant "malaprop") comes from a character named "Mrs.Malaprop" in Richard Brinsley Sheridan's 1775 play The Rivals. Mrs. Malaprop frequently misspeaks (to comic effect) by using words which don't have the meaning that she intends but which sound similar to words that do. 
Oh, tough call. It could go either way. Irregardless (get it?), it is nice to know that the school district has taken steps to educate our children and reinforce its policies of non-discrimination.

Also, at Monday's school board meeting, school board directors discussed the fake, fake budget.
The state’s Act 1 index limits the district to a tax increase of no more than 2.5 percent, or a new tax rate of 24.5282 mills.
Because the proposed budget is 0.2318 mills over that cap, the district will seek exemptions from the state Department of Education for pension and special education costs.
Board president Mary Birks reminded taxpayers that the final budget -- to be passed in June -- may not necessarily include a tax increase of that size.
“This is a preliminary, preliminary budget,” she said.
Is the final budget really going to be passed in June? Historically, the budget has been passed in mid-May, well before final numbers are available to the District.  If this is the case, another step (baby step) in the right direction.

1 comment:

Richard Gideon said...

As Lebo residents contemplate the "fake budget" and get ready to hang on to their wallets, in North Carolina "A Libertarian Builds Low-Cost Private Schools for the Masses." The libertarian in question is Bob Luddy, the owner of the nation's leading manufacturer of commercial kitchen ventilation systems: CaptiveAire. Luddy's comment that many modern high schools look like "sports complexes" with "..a school at the back of the lot" might hit close to home.

Those Lebo school district employees and board members who are still coming to this Blog to have their blood pressures raised will go absolutely bonkers over this video and companion story (courtesy of REASON).