In further demonstration of the radical right’s loathing of decency and duty, the newly mugwump-captured Rapid City school board this week pulled the plug on an application for a $30K Title III grant to provide summer English classes to immigrant students and create a website to help immigrant families.
On his board member Facebook page, right-wing rookie board member Gabe Doney tells a curious teacher that he voted against the immigrant education grant “because I personally do not wish for there to be federal and State ties to our school district.”
Yet while he voted against $30K of federal ties to help immigrant students and families, Doney voted for over $40 million in federal assistance for coronavirus emergency spending:
The school board unanimously approved the submission of an application for the third round of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding, which will give the District $40,129,744 to address learning loss as a result of the pandemic. Combined with ESSER II funds, the district will receive a total of $57,998,080 in federal aid [Abby Wargo, “Rapid City Schools Sent Out Procedures to Mitigate Covid at School to Parents. The Board of Education Plans to Scrap Plan,” Rapid City Journal, 2021.08.11].
As for ties to the State, Doney may be shocked to learn that his district took over $3.75 million in stringy money from Pierre just last month. The State of South Dakota paid for over 47% of the Rapid City school district’s total budgetary needs in the last school year with $36.1 million in state aid.
Gabe Doney is not worried about federal and state ties to his school district. He’s just tossing conservative word salad at his constituents to dress up the dereliction of duty (and yes, providing free and fair education to all students, regardless of where they come from and what language they speak, is a school district’s duty) that his fellow extremists cheer as they pursue their radical agenda of dismantling public education and, in this case, discriminating against immigrants.
How odd some of these new board members are! How can someone be on the school board and not understand where the money comes from, and from whence they get there authority to operate? The school board is governed by state law. Education is a state function under the South Dakota Constitution. There are federal laws governing certain aspects of education. Mr. Gabe Dumby must not have been paying attention in whatever orientation session he had before taking state tax dollars as part of his stipend as a board member. Maybe he should give back his money if he can’t do the job.
no doubt, Donald. When this guy says he doesn’t want state ties to the school district, he exhibit a clear ignorance of how South Dakota‘s public schools work. I’m surprise someone with such ignorance could win an election… Oh, but wait, this is the same South Dakota that elected Kristi Noem. We’re not voting on knowledge or competence; we’re voting on looks and slogans and apparently the raging bullying impulse to “own the Libs”.
Speaking of dumb: I said “there,” when I meant “their.” I can’t even blame the word editing function for that one. But then I used the wrong pronoun. It should be “his, ” not “their,” I assume, unless Doney is a “they.” You can never be sure these days what pronoun to use.
Now on to the actual application. I can’t understand why you wouldn’t apply for the money. At some point, the district and the state will be picking up the cost for whatever is not done for immigrant students under the federal grant. That cost may be far, far higher if you don’t get a student off get off to a good start in English.
That student is going to have a more difficult time in school, and may require far more help or need to repeat a grade. That eats up far more taxpayer money than you get from a federal grant. Sometimes you have to think before you vote. It’s fiscally conservative to spend a little now to prevent a huge cost later. Also, I thought conservatives were always yammering about immigrants learning English. Well, here you are, and you turn down the money. It seems these guys are more nuts than conservative.
Doney’s obviously bogus justification for his vote against applying for federal funds to help immigrants is an example of a frequently seen “tell” that he knows most people would find his actual reasoning to be the offensive, immoral and hateful thinking of a xenophobe or bigot. Since his fear of moral condemnation prevents him from openly declaring these latter values, he had to come up with what he feels is a more acceptable “political” rationale for turning his back on needy children and families.
Such behavior seems prevalent these days among too many self-labeled conservatives, but at least it evidences a glimmer of hope that in the back of their minds they correctly have determined that the values of most people are actually based on morality, empathy or compassion. The fear that decent folks would reject open and honest xenophobia and bigotry motivates the need to cover one’s true motives with phony, hypocritical excuses.
Covid/Delta owns us all. Unvaccinated teachers and their school boards, will be costing taxpayers millions in South Dakota. Teachers, get the shots and get yourselves science educated, you’re supposed to be respected leaders for your students. Here are 4 of your fellow teachers in Florida that chose death before honoring their position.
“Broward Teachers Union President Anna Fusco said, “Within a 24-hour span, we had an assistant teacher pass away, a teacher at her school pass away, an elementary teacher pass away and another teacher at a high school.”
You would think this stunning number of educators dead from COVID in such a short time period, with less than one week before school begins, would be unfathomable, but Fusco says she hears about such tragedies way too often.
“It’s extremely frightening. I hear this every day. Whether in Broward or elsewhere. We’re the 5th largest union in the country,” said Fusco.” https://miami.cbslocal.com/2021/08/13/broward-educators-lose-battle-with-covid/
The Rapid City School Board, along the others that do the same, will bring Viatical (Life insurance settlements) as an investment opportunity. Say, you don’t suppose that’s what this is all about? Why else would you give your teachers and their students a potential death sentence?
As I have said before, xenophobes and bigots no longer wear white sheets. They now hide behind a suit and tie in order to be accepted by society. Many in SD find that admissible.
“Federal money for me…NOT for thee.” Just like “Free market for me…NOT for thee.”
Disney’s Facebook post of 10 May 2021:
“68% of families and 60% of staff disagree with the continued mask mandate for the remainder of the school year, YET the current school board voted 5-2 to uphold the mask mandate for the rest of the year (my opponent voted to continue the mask mandate).
It matters who you have on the school board! Let your voice be heard! #normalcy #stability #TRANSPARENCY #voteGabeforRCASArea3”
Exploit the issues of our times to get elected, and once elected, exploit the electors to stay elected.
When death comes a knockin’, it’ll be Biden fault for telling them to get vaccinated, so they didn’t do it. Only in a trumpers mind would this make sense. Republican mantra is that it’s everyone’s fault that their circumstances are crappy. All they need do is get off their lazy privileged backsides and go to work on themselves. For far to long we working folks have coddled them into think that because their white, their special. The entire republican party needs to get over themselves and go to work.
BCB expressed the psychology of hiding your bigotry in a way we can all appreciate. Hear, hear Bear.
take the money or not, aren’t there state and federal regulations for providing education to ESL students? A district cannot just refuse special education funds and consequently decide not the provide special education services to students.
PUBLIC education has to mean for all students — no matter the need — or it is not public education. If anyone wants to start a school that has not ties to any branch government. they ought to start a private school and start raising PRIVATE money for that endeavor.
The one thing I hear all the time from right-wing rednecks is that immigrants should learn English.
Well, here’s a program that just does just that and then they vote it down. Incredible.
The state’s bigotry has always been clear. The Indian Wars are now fought with education or lack of it. I say that Native people should write their own history just like the White folks do. White folks should remember that they are now a minority in the US of A, so their words don’t have as much clout as they once had. Time to do like Governor George Michelson wanted, reconciliation. Governor Michelson would’ve put one of his shinny boots dead in the arse of these bigots (NOem) who do so much harm to our state.
Here is a good link from Indian Country https://indiancountrytoday.com/opinion/history-must-be-taught-not-forgotten
Lawd Flying Spaghetti Monster, magats be dumbasses!
Public schools belong to the community and families, not the school board. There should be all kinds of programs available for ESL, adult education, and computers. The public pays to run the schools for educational purposes and classes should reflect what is needed in the community.
Corey, thank you for your outstanding follow-up analysis. The South Dakota media will not tackle these hard topics, Instead kowtowing to the noisy, extremist minority – in Rapid City, represented by 7% of the eligible voters.
Gabe Doney and Kate Thomas, among others on the Rapid School Board, are willfully, hubristically arrogant and ignorant with personal agendas excluding the health of the school children and the education of the children.
South Dakota NEEDS a non-profit news similar to MinnPost – to get real news to the public without the rightwing community filter brought by the worry over advertising revenues. DFP is filling that role in the interim.
The same crowd that hollers : “We speak English here in ‘Murica!” rejects funds t help immigrants learn English.
Cory does a fantastic job, no doubt about it.
Down in Georgia, they just closed a whole county of schools. “WARE COUNTY, Ga. – After just over a week in session, Ware County Schools made the decision Friday to put the school year on hold following a “sharp increase” in the number of positive COVID-19 cases reported among students and staff.
The Southeast Georgia school system said in an email to parents it will temporarily cease daily operations for traditional and digital students and most staff members in all 11 schools through Aug. 27 and students won’t return to school until Sept. 7.
“”During the pause, instruction will not take place, but in-season extracurricular practices and competitions will continue as scheduled.”” ya gots to play the football to feed the beast.
https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2021/08/13/ware-county-closes-all-schools-after-sharp-increase-in-covid-19-cases/
These RCAS school board members showing their ignorance is the result of conservative Republican party heads encouraging aspiring ignorant-minded politicians to get elected to school-boards, co commissioner etc with hopes of progressing into state or higher political power. Doney, if he survives lying as he is now going to do about his “real” words or “reality” is wanting higher office already.
Rapid City Area Schools’ enrollment is about 30% kids of color, and almost half qualify for free and reduced-price lunch. The board members don’t seem to care much about many of the kids and families they represent.
The federal government understands that it is the government’s duty and in the interests of everybody to help immigrant children–and here that means Mexican and other Latin American children–learn to speak and read and understand English well so they can succeed in school, so they can learn and be successful. The federal government has money for the asking to help Rapid City schools do that work. But hateful and ignorant white bigots do not want us to help these children because they are Mexican or Central American and brown. This is about nothing but anti-Latino cracker hick racism. This is a passive aggressive political attack against vulnerable children in need. We should all be ashamed, since these backward racist idiots are speaking for all of us now.
South Dakota was once a part of Spanish territory, so it’s only fitting that these much needed immigrants(?) would now choose to call South Dakota home as it once was their home. It could be argued that it should be South Dakotans that need to learn Spanish along with reading history. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisiana_(New_Spain)
Of course the Native tribes didn’t know about these kinds of boundaries, they only knew about capitalism and the market of trading partners in this region as well as with Native Americans in Mexico and Central America. See Spain called North, South and Central America just plain ol’ America.
So then, Native people may want to have their history taught in schools as well…. Oh, jerry, that is being trampled on? My my, not very American is it. Hey, what does Hermosa mean??
Un hermosa en un mujer atractivo.
Very good sentence structure Mr. Schriever. So we can clearly see the connection.
Key meaning for Hermosa, is “beautiful” Go a little south of there towards the river, and you will see clearly the beauty of it all. Load the kiddies up and pack some sandwiches then off you go. Get to the road for Cuny Table and head east. Great drive. You can then go to Rocky Ford or Sharps Corner and then on to Kyle, Potato Creek and then to Interior. Think of the days of yore when this whole place was wild and free….then work on your Spanish.
The elected is a reflection of the electorate. The inbreeding within the state to maintain whiteness is coming to the surface. In time, the nut cases will start to implode, heck one even thinks she is America’s Governor. The other 49 state governors have to be wondering if her horse fell and she took a blow to the cowboy hat holder on her shoulders. For the time being the inbreds provide entertainment and insight.
One can only imagine what this character and the other school governance people have in mind for the education of the children under their charge. Maybe floating in their hat holders is the thought that further dummying down the minds and outlooks of students will stop the brain drain of the state.
America’s Governor and other like leaders are showing the unwillingness to see a problem, deal with a problem. The gambling stakes are high for some people, some families, some communities and the state. In a couple years, after 2022, articles and studies will come forth telling of who caused what. How it was confronted. The How’s, What’s, Where’s, and the Why’s will fill many pages on Facebook, articles and books. Dang might even find a way to blame some of the Natives in the state for having their celebrations as a way to get them in the history books.
Just maybe 2022 could be a turning point time like the time in November 2020. Inbreeding runs deep in the state, maybe not.
Doney was involved in an attempt to establish a company to transport natural gas across the midwest. It set a reocrd for the lowest rating ever by Moodys for a bond letting. Also involved in a predatory payday lending scheme. Not a guy to trust with your children’s education or health. He just wants attention. Typical. He will take advantage of his position on the board for personal gain. He will patronize the trumpetts and noemies and laugh at them behind their backs. Keep everyone out of the RCSD business but him and his cronies? wtf. They know they were elected by a vocal minority and they don’t care if they help youth get educated or not. They just want headlines. Disgusting. The native and poor kids will suffer and nobody will care as long as they don’t wear masks.
And for the rest of the story… Doney is an enrolled member of one of the Montana tribes. Wish he would go back but he probably wouldn’t be very welcomed..
Doney was involved in an attempt to establish a company to transport natural gas across the midwest. It set a record for the lowest rating ever by Moodys for a bond letting. Also involved in a predatory payday lending scheme. Not a guy to trust with your children’s education or health. He just wants attention. Typical. He will take advantage of his position on the board for personal gain. He will patronize the trumpetts and noemies and laugh at them behind their backs. Keep everyone out of the RCSD business but him and his cronies? wtf. They know they were elected by a vocal minority and they don’t care if they help youth get educated or not. They just want headlines. Disgusting. The native and poor kids will suffer and nobody will care as long as they don’t wear masks.
And for the rest of the story… Doney is an enrolled member of one of the Montana tribes. Wish he would go back but he probably wouldn’t be very welcomed..
Un hermosa en un mujer atractivo.
A beautiful in an attractive woman.
Two obvious observations here. 1) this isn’t about Grudzilla, at least not the attractive part., and 2) it likely is about Noem nothing’s horse, Ice Man.