Thursday, June 05, 2008

Council Halbert Replies To Blog Post Commending Council Vote On School Funding

We were sent a copy of a letter addressed to us from Council member Wanda Halbert in the wake of our Tuesday blog post, so we're sharing it here.

As a point of clarification, the clause at the end of the second italicized paragraph from that blog post only appeared for a couple of hours, because we later edited it out. We point that out in the event that you noticed that it no longer appears and wondered what happened to it.

Here's Councilwoman Halbert's letter:

I was a little surprised and disappointed when I read the following on your blog:

Right On The Money

While the Memphis City Schools Board of Commissioner may object to the cut in funding, they seem to understand that City Council should rightly be considering precisely this kind of issue. In this regard, Board Chair Tomeka Hart set the proper tone when she said: “It is a conversation that the City Council has to have. They have every right to decide what role municipalities play in the school system.”

It was an example of statesmanship that is often lacking in local public affairs, and was especially impressive in light of the intemperate emails that she has been receiving from City Council member and former school board member Wanda Halbert, who seems intent on settling old political scores in her new position.


I am not certain where you are getting your information, however, as a member of the Memphis City Council given responsibility to serve as liaison to Memphis City Schools and Chair of O&M Budget, I have reached out to MCS on several occasions via email to forge a positive relationship and partnership. My colleagues on the Council will attest to the fact, it has been a real struggle working with the MCS leadership.

My direct communication has been with President Tomeka Hart and Vice President Martavious Jones with somewhat negative connotations and attitudes and little more than insults/innuendoes of, “don’t talk to me”. I have attached some of those emails and responses for your personal view, therefore, if anyone told you I was intent on settling old political scores in my new position, they were misleading you obviously to garner the print they were seeking. I contacted several board members and expressed my concern regarding their leadership with the hope the board would be more sensitive to the need to have a positive relationship with the Council, however, I never heard back.

While your interpretation of the President of the school board has been viewed as setting the proper tone, many of us have witnessed her as being insulting, and disrespectful to the legislative body and its requests. As late as last Thursday and Friday, the Council had MCS scheduled for its last budget wrap-up discussion only to receive a call from President Hart’s assistant less than 2 hours prior to the meeting stating they would not be present due to a previous meeting. This is the second time this kind of absence has happened with little to no notification. Mind you, this is after they failed to respond to very important questions submitted to MCS relevant to Council’s budget decision. There is a lack of transparency and accountability at MCS!

In addition, the Council was informed on Friday night, MCS “forgot” to request the dire need for $1.7M in capital funding which was (still) approved by Council on Tuesday. This was followed by members of the school board negatively discussing the Council members during dinner break, unaware they were being broadcast live via the Council speaker system and internet where Council members and reporters overheard the conversation.

Tom, it has been very difficult to be in my position because I love the children of Memphis City Schools and for the past 7 years I have fought to ensure they had the best education they should receive. Often times this fight was met with individuals who attempted to manipulate my personality and intent, however, I am a strong woman who is up for the challenge. The misconceptions about what is really happening operationally, academically, and politically in MCS along with the absence of holding some of our “favorite sons and daughters” accountable is a disservice to our city.

I offer you my contact information should you ever need to discuss any issue that involves me or my representation so there will be no future misrepresentation of any facts. I would appreciate if you and those who support you would give me that much respect.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your response was succintly stated Councilwoman Halbert! And your representation appears to be of the highest qualifications and ethics. Please Continue to serve well!

SOMEONE WHO WOULD KNOW BETTER

Anonymous said...

I'm not really happy with the council's decision. I believe funding $20 million doesn't really solve much and still gets us an expensive lawsuit. I would have rather seen the council cut all of hte funding. At least then the lawsuit would settle the question of whether the city has a responsibility to for education. The 420 million also keeps the MCS board and system in existence. MCS needs to be dismantled. Cut all the funding, create a crisis now so there will be enough time in Bredesen's term to force him to restructure the system if need be. No first term governor will come down here and get involved. Therefore there is only a relative small window of time to settle these issues. The $20 million just made a serious long-term resolution more difficult to reach.

Anonymous said...

If I were you, I'd rest my case. She made it for you.

Anonymous said...

I have been observing Wanda Halbert first-hand during the recent budget hearings. Whatever she's been drinking, I'd like to send a case of it to every City Council member.

She is outstanding.

Anonymous said...

Surely Wanda Halbert has been drinking anything. She's not old enough based on her emotional age. Such childishness belongs on the playground. Why should anybody at city schools listen to anything she says.

Anonymous said...

Sorry, mean she hasn't been drinking anything.

Anonymous said...

With grammar that bad and logic that pathetic, no wonder she couldn't hack it as a school board member. And if she's such a protecter of the children, why'd she make sure all her friends got contracts. Remember those, Wanda?

Anonymous said...

Tomika Hart wins this one and doesn't even have toi open her mouth. How childish and churlish.

Anonymous said...

Wanda, Can you spell O.C.D? Get h-e-l-p.

Anonymous said...

You sure don't me to defend you, but she was so busy rehashing some old fight or reacting to the world's thinnest skin that she didn't seem to notice that most of her comments didn't have anything to do with the blog you wrote. You wrote about Hart's behavior on one day and Halbert immediately drug out all the old laundry that has nothing to do with what you wrote. If someone ever wants to know what's wrong with this city,tell them to read this letter.

Anonymous said...

Good Lord, you won, Councilwoman Halbert. Let it go.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
Good Lord, you won, Councilwoman Halbert. Let it go.

7:10 AM

Oh, I get it. Wanda Halbert, your point well taken.

Smart City obviously posted negative and false information while trying to boost up Tomeka Hart who has been doing wrong the whole time. When caught, they magically took the negative information about Wanda down.

All these important elected people who think they are bigger than the people they serve need to remember you serve us, we don't serve you this includes Tomeka Hart.

There is a backroom agenda that promotes Tomeka and the Newpath organization's agenda of which she is associated but it's just a matter of time before everyone knows what they truly represent - -not all of us nor what is best for all of us - -!

Anonymous said...

OK, Anonymous 11:08, what is the New Paths agenda?

Anonymous said...

Yeah, enough with the innuendo, what exactly does Newpath represent you consider so nefarious? Just asking...

Smart City Consulting said...

Anonymous 11:08:

Perhaps you can't read or follow a simple line of reasoning. We edited the clause out of the first post (as we said yesterday) long before we heard from Councilwoman Halbert (as she can likely attest).

And for the record, although I suspect it will not matter to you, we never talked to Commissioner Hart before we wrote this post, and I defy you to suggest that we've only sent valentines to her over the years although we do in fact admire her general leadership as president.

And finally, we need more New Paths, not fewer. If you don't like their endorsements, form a group and make your own.

Anonymous said...

Councilwoman Wanda Halbert's e-mail is right on point and I admire her for having the courage to speak her convictions. I do not always agree with her but overall she represents us well. Basically, I agree with City Council's decision to cut the budget. MCS is extremely top heavy--Operations in particular-- with most salaries close to or in the six figure range with hardly any accountability. The waste continues through nepotism with jobs created and relatives placed in position with no real knowledge of the discipline and no responsibility except to draw a salary. Then, there is the "empty desk" syndrome and "voice mail jail" but that's another story.

Smart City Consulting said...

We certainly have no disagreement about cutting the MCS budget and that was not the point of the post to which she responded. More to the point, we think Council should not have given $42 million in new spending to city government at the same time.

Anonymous said...

So, why did the council give the city $42 million? It looks like "take it from the schools to give it to the mayor's programs." What are the priorities of Memphis?

Anonymous said...

So, why did the council give the city $42 million? It looks like "take it from the schools to give it to the mayor's programs." What are the priorities of Memphis?