The Listening

So I am on a council at my kids' school that decides how funds are spent. I have been on this council since 2006. I am the youngest, only minority, and only male parent on this council. And it being Santee about the only non conservative. I decided to run for the position back in 2006 just to see how the school was spending its budget. I won the seat really only because they needed a minority in the council. Fine with me. I have ended up having to actually speak up on some of the bullshit other members of the council were trying to introduce. Previously other council members have wanted money spent on banning text books that stated marriage was between two people not just a man and woman. That a family could be made up of two same sex couples and their kids. I was the one of 2 people that were against this waste of money. There was also the time when somebody wanted to block a single stall unisex bathroom, because they felt it was just approving the homosexual lifestyle. Again this had nothing to do with what our council was about. But I had to explain that maybe some kids aren't just yet comfortable with multiple stalls and going to the restroom with other people in the bathroom. Maybe that was a reason for having a single stall one. The one thing that passed that I wasnt happy about was the replacing of P. E. with ball room dancing for some grade groups. I just felt it was a waste of money and with kids exercising less and less, P.E. has become the only time some of these kids do. Whatever. Yesterday we were going over the budget. We don't exactly get to come up with the budget- the principal comes up with it and basically just wants us to approve her decisions. The G.A.T.E. program is usually allocated around 15,000 dollars from the State of California that in the past could only be spent on G.A.T.E. Well due to the budget problems of the State, they relaxed that rule this year and said that money could be spent on anything. So the Principal decided cut the GATE budget down to... $2000. Now I understand that the schools and their budgets have taken a huge hit and yeah maybe some of the GATE funds should be spread around a little- but 86% of it? And the main place where this extra money is going? Printing costs. The principal speaks about the need to lower printing cost and duplication all while handing the 15 or so people there about 15 pages of stuff she printed out. We don't need any of this. We are in a room that has the capability to have a computer screen projected for all to see. Except she is not computer savvy to get it done. Will that solve the printing cost issue? No. But I can imagine the waste that is going on by the staff of this school. Anyways I also like during these meetings when test scores are presented. I love the excuses or shifts in conversation that occur when the faculty present some of the lower test scores. 

"But if you look back 3 years ago, we really freakin sucked. now we still suck, but just a little less." 

"Yeah they aren't where they should be but look at the other schools in our district they scored lower than us..." 

And other things like that. So yesterday The principal brings about a vote to allot a big chunk of the budget to a literary support position. No real explanation of what the person in this position would actually be doing, who it would be, why it was necessary. So I asked for a written description of the job duties and qualifications for the position. There wasn't one. She just explains what they were hopefully gonna be doing and who hopefully would be doing it. I dunno I just thought that if you were gonna try to hire for a position, you would already have a written description and the qualifications for the position all set to go so that people could apply. Just saying...

Last time I found myself unemployed was in 2006. I was just burned out by being at GEICO. There had been a couple of supervisors that I had managed to alienate and they were making it hell for me. I was young and immature so I know this was mostly on me. I wasn't conforming real well to their expectations and having already been told a year prior by the director of underwriting that I had blown my shot at ever being a supervisor in the underwriting department, I stopped giving a shit. But the supervisors who hate me did suck. It was all about favoritism that I had tried to point out on multiple occasions but since it was me, no one cared. Well both of the supervisors that pretty much caused me to quit ended up getting fired. So at least they finally opened their eyes. One a couple of years later actually applied to Anchor General while I was running the underwriting department there- I seriously almost thought about calling her up for an interview, not to be malicious but to give her a second chance. I knew she had just been fired and I knew she had just bought a house. I also knew she knew her shit even though she had been the opposite of cool with me. I was thinking maybe since I wouldnt be an a-hole to her and would actually be fair to her, this could work. So I go into my boss' office and explain the situation. Tell her the past history I had with her ( I actually demoted myself at geico from a lead/trainer position after repeated attempts of me to hash out issues between her and me, in HR failed. My concerns just fell on deaf ears) I would be comfortable and that this person would actually benefit the company. My boss decided against it. I don't exactly remember the conversation but it was something along the lines that I shouldnt be taking pity on someone who had treated me the way she had. I  think this should have been one of my first clues of how my boss operated...  Anyways it was May of 2006. I was gonna go on about My PA trip, my interview with Nationwide, and the ridiculous events that followed such a poor interview. but I hate sitting here typing away during the day. I actually slept last night for more than 4 hours for the first time in weeks and feel rested.

The Listening by Little Brother- I'm on a mini LB kick right now...