On the April "Start a new post," Kathy Fine wrote:
"I know that you are all actually paying attention and have been worried by the lack of oversight on our school board. We have an opportunity to start to make a difference.
Dr. Regina B. Holley has over 36 years of educational experience, both in the class room and in administration. Most recently she retired as principal from Lincoln Elementary in Homewood. She is willing to continue her advocacy for the children of our city by running for school board and pushing for real educational policy. She will ask the questions needed to ensure that ideas are sound and thought through BEFORE implementation. She will ask for checks throughout the implementation process to make sure that reforms are on track. Check out her website at www.voteholley.com.
But we need your help. Dr. Holley is running against an incumbent that has been endorsed by the Democratic Committee in Pittsburgh, meaning she will be well funded and politically connected. We need you to:
Spread the word about Dr. Holley by recruiting 10-20 voters
Put a sign up in your yard
hold a coffee for Dr. Holley
spend some time knocking on doors
Volunteer on election day
Contribute to her campaign (teachers, contributions under $50 dollars can remain anonymous)-make checks payable to :
Concerned Citizens for Holley
901 N. Highland Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15206
Please help in any way that you can. Dr. Holley has the experience would be a true advocate for common sense. Please email info.voteholley@gmail.com and let's start the process of real reform."
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12 comments:
I went to Northview Heights tonight, with my video camera, to see three school board candidates in a forum: Mark Brentley, Senior, and two of his three opponents.
Video in a day or so, I hope. Stay tuned.
Nice event and every candidate shared a lot of positive, powerful thoughts that makes this election more interesting than most around these parts.
I am not even close to being sold on her.
Anon 11:59, please ask the questions that are relevant so that you can make an informed decision. I or dr. Holley would be happy to speak to you directly (you can contact us through our email, info.voteholley@gmail.com.
I am very curious as too your reluctance since in my eight years of working for school board issues/candidates, she is absolutely the most qualified to be a school board member. Anyway, I would really appreciate it if you would share your thoughts.
Regina Holley is the most qualified candidate to run for the school board in the last 25 years. Most of the candidates and elected board members have no experience in urban education, and although they may have strong opinions, most have run from only a parental point of view, or as a stepping stone to another candidacy.
The present school board member from this district was not elected by her constituency, but was appointed by the mayor- a young man who was educated in the Catholic school system- not public school education. According to her website, she takes credit for voting yes to all of the changes to the PPS during her short tenure, although she does not mention that all of those changes were put forth by Mark Roosevelt and his administration.
Dara Ware Allen is a nice person, but she should be embarrassed to claim that she is the best qualified candidate.
Regina Holley has actually experienced and administered the programs of the last administration as well of prior administration. She has first hand knowledge of what works and doesn't work in real life not just on paper, and knows the red flags to watch out for. To be able to truly advise and oversee the administration of the district, the board needs this type of expertise. And, because Regina Holley does not have another job, she would be able to devote her considerable talents fully to the school board. Let's not let this opportunity pass us by.
I just took some time and read through both candidates websites. It is like comparing apples and oranges. In other words, there is no comparison.
Nothing speaks better than experience. Ms. Holley has the experience and the education. The other candidate has proven to be just another "yes" stamp.
Ms. Holley's comments on CTE are wonderful, in my opinion. Her ideas echo what many have been saying. PPS went from having a very strong, successful CTE program to destroying it.
Good luck Ms. Holley. You are certainly the most qualified.
Regina Holley is both tough as nails and a total angel to work with. She frankly is more qualified to lead the school district than the current or previous superintendents combined.
Dr. Ware Allen seems nice enough in public, but at the end of the rubber stamped anything endorsed by Mt. Rushmore of PPS, Roosevelt/Lane/Fischetti/Isler.
RH has the guts to make tough decisions and enough knowledge to vote with research-based solutions to our issues.
Best of luck Dr. Holley.
Offhand, I have to wonder why Dr.Holley would want to wade into this cesspool at this point in her life. God bless her.
That said, wouldn't it take more than just one person to affect change?
Dr. Holley is 58 and active in various volunteer and consulting positions; the school board would be a natural progression. Is her stage of life different than, for example, MR's as he at age 55 takes on a bankrupt college?
Re: one board member- yes, one board member can make a difference by asking the right questions, questions that might not even occur to those who do not have her background in the schools.
Well, you have to start somewhere -- it's not like you can overturn the whole board at once.
I'd guess that she's like many who retire -- they have time to reflect, to see what they've done and time to see where they could still make an impact.
If she can even get the board to understand some of the real effects and consequences of what they've voted in -- not the pretty but false, PR version they're fed -- that would be a start at least.
The questions she will ask will be critical as well the followup questions to responses that circumvent all queries. Currently, any answer to a question by a Board member gets a nod and a weak smile, then on to the next question. Any answer, even when mindless, seems to satisfy Board members. Any program presented as a solution is accepted, blankly and 'blanketly', by Board members.
Dr. Holley will need to press the issues when vacuous responses to pertinent issues are forever forthcoming. Polite Persistence Publicly!
Currently, Board and Administration are educationally clueless. A true educator is needed to
address academic achievement!
We have to hope.
While the steady diet of PR the Roosevelt/fischetti/lane/Isler machine seemed to satisfy most for a long time, as a district there are some issues that can no longer be glossed over, such continued enrollment decline.
By allowing Roosevelt to escape real scrutiny in his tenure by measuring success by, for instance, new grants which pay some startup costs but leave in their wake costs the local tax base cannot support. The blood of PPS' current fiscal crisis is also on the hands of our local foundations.
Despite a budget gap that could easily reach $70 million, we will no doubt have continued folly of publishing a district newspaper when a simple homegrown newsletter would easily do the trick.
You can run to Yellow Springs, but you cannot hide from test scores that leave us one of the worst school districts in the state.
What a shame.
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