Liberals are continuing to criticize former Wake County Superintendent Tony Tata for taking his severance package after being fired by the school board.
In the new issue of the liberal Independent Weekly out today, there's an item saying "Tony Tata took my lunch money." The Indy says that Tata's $253,625 severance package would buy 126,812 full-price lunches for Wake elementary school students or 634,062 reduced-price lunches.
It's similar to the complaint made in a blog post last Wednesday by Rob Schofield of the liberal N.C. Policy Watch, who wrote it's not moral or right for Tata to take the money.
"What Tata’s acceptance of the 'severance' money shows is this: His tenure as Superintendent was never about the kids; it was about him," Schofield wrote. "Anyone who would take a quarter of a million dollars from a financially strapped school district for not working as 'payback' or to ease his 'transition' or simply because he can get it, is not the kind of a person to lead such a vital public institution anyway."
Under Tata's contract, the school board could only fire him before his Dec. 31, 2014 end date by either alleging cause or by paying him a year's salary. It's a fairly standard piece of language in superintendent contracts.
For instance, former Superintendent Del Burns would have been eligible under his contract for 18 months of pay — $409,500 — if he had been fired. Burns chose to resign.
One difference though is that Burns didn't want to stay under the Republican board majority. As noted in Tata's severance agreement, he still wanted to be superintendent under the Democratic board majority.
Comments
Bizarre....
Wed, 10/03/2012 - 23:30 — Bob_SconceYou know.... Even if Tata were to turn down the severance, it still wouldn't be used to buy school lunches. The Independent's argument would make as much sense if they counted it as a fraction of an aircraft carrier or in number of tolls from Apex to I-40 on the outer loop.
OT-Anyone else watching
Wed, 10/03/2012 - 21:42 — shearertwOT-Anyone else watching Obama get hammered? I've counted 900,000 uhhs so far.
Jim Lehrer is doing is best to step in and stop the beating whenever he can but I'm afraid there is no saving him this round.
OT-Local politics
Thu, 10/04/2012 - 13:37 — shank56How will Malone, Goldman and Tedesco do in their races next month?
Will they ride McCrory's coattails?
These races have been quit so far (Goldman and Tedesco). Can't wait for the campaigning to begin.
Hmm...
Thu, 10/04/2012 - 15:31 — Bob_SconceYou're not likely to see a lot of TV ads from them -- the big money is coming from the Governor's and President's races. But, they've been touring the state for months. Check out their campaign facebook pages.
Hammered is putting it
Thu, 10/04/2012 - 07:20 — woodstockHammered is putting it lightly. Obama was unprepared, ill at ease, and embarrassingly unpresidential. Lehrer, who is usually at least competent, has seen better days. Romney on the other hand was poised, informed, and articulate; he looked like a leader instructing a young staffer on the ways of the world. Very impressive!
I don't think it's hard to
Thu, 10/04/2012 - 07:33 — danofncI don't think it's hard to win a debate when you don't have to stick to policies and positions that you've held during the campaign.
Obama was too soft on Romney....he should have called him out for some of the 180 degree policy shifts he made last night.
Obama was soft because he
Thu, 10/04/2012 - 08:21 — woodstockObama was soft because he has no ammunition and he certainly cannot tout his record of success because it does not exist. Also, Obama had a reoccuring theme that I hoped people picked up on. He repeatedly attacked private companies and industries... private healthcare, insurance companies, oil companies and banking all took hits while he talked glowingly about more government programs and solutions... funded with money we do not have.
Romney has an authentic and impressive record of successes as Governor and as a private business man. He towers above Obama in accomplishments. Anyone who still wants to give Obama more time is clueless and acting on emotion and partisanship, not intellect or common sense.
Umm....Romney didn't change
Thu, 10/04/2012 - 07:54 — shearertwUmm....Romney didn't change his policies, the difference was it was Romney explaining them this time instead of Obama or MSNBC. You see, cutting tax rates is not the same thing as cutting taxes. The problem with you, MSNBC and Obama is that while you claim to understand basic math, you don't understand basic economics.
Romney talked about the 716
Thu, 10/04/2012 - 08:39 — danofncRomney talked about the 716 billion that Obama wants to take out of Medicare...without mentioning that Ryan's plan (that is now stuck to Romney) also repurposes that same money. In either case, I don't think that a slower increase in spending is equal to a cut.
Make permanent, across-the-board 20 percent cut in marginal rates
That is from Romney's website, not MSNBC.
If he is going to do that, and make the Bush tax cuts permanent, he should be able to explain either a) what deductions/credits he plans to eliminate to maintain revenue streams or b) pinpoint where he will cut spending to make up for decreased revenue.
I'd be willing to bet that for a lot of people, a cut in marginal rates combined with the loss of mortgage deductions, childcare deductions and one or two others would be an effective tax increase.
The details matter, don't they?
Yes, the details do matter
Thu, 10/04/2012 - 08:57 — shearertwYes, the details do matter which is why you seem to fail to understand the very most basic principals at play. I don't plan on spending my time explaining them to you today as the polls coming out already show that the majority of Americans understand exactly what Romney was saying. They also understand perfectly well you don't design the entire plan and force it down everyone's throat (i.e. every policy Obama has tried to pass in the last 4 years). Romney has outlined several potential options to reduce tax rates and keep revenues the same (including reducing tax deductions and growing the economy). He will bring those options to congress and the American people and we'll work together to finalize the details. That's how you get it done. All Obama can say is....raise taxes on the wealthy because there's less of them and I can get re-elected. Of course, as Romney pointed out several times, just raising taxes only takes money out of the economy ulitmately leading to reduced revenues and "you never get there". He described the vicious cylce several times but Obama never even understood what he meant. Apparently, you didn't either.
There will be no decrease in
Thu, 10/04/2012 - 08:46 — woodstockThere will be no decrease in revenues, it fact, quite the opposite... don't worry Obama does not understand this either as he is beyond ignorant about the private sector too. All Romney's tax measures are geared to assist in job creation, freeing up money for business owners to invest in their business and hire people. When more peoiple are working and earning higher wages, government revenues increase.
So what part of Romney's
Thu, 10/04/2012 - 09:00 — danofncSo what part of Romney's "new" GOP plan wasn't in effect while the economy went into the tank before Obama's election?
They are the "Bush tax cuts", after all.
Have Republicans just been sitting on magic "jumping economy" beans for 4 years, waiting to use them so they could get Obama replaced first?
You're starting with a false
Thu, 10/04/2012 - 09:16 — shearertwYou're starting with a false premise. First, many of the policies that led to the financial meltdown were put in place during the Clinton years. Second, congress was controlled by Democrats beginning in 2006, 2 full years before the melt down. Third, the economy was doing quite well from 2003-2007 even though we had just suffered the worst terrorist attack in history during a recession left by Clinton. So...if you pay attention to who is in Congress who, by the way, has as much power if not more than the President to control the state of the economy, I'd say it’s pretty clear Democrat policies are to blame. Of course, the biggest elephant in the room are entitlements and I'd hardly say entitlements are a Republican only idea. Also, a lot of the economic issues are due to individual state policies like you see in California and New York. Those are huge economies and when they suffer to liberal policies, don't you think that might have some effect on our national economy? Just look at how the red states are recovering compared to the blue states! Unions and public worker pension plans have hurt many of these left leaning states big time....those are hardly Republican ideas....I could go on and on and on but then I'll just start sounding like Romney pounding on Obama. Can't wait to see Ryan vs. Biden! That will be priceless.
...
Thu, 10/04/2012 - 09:12 — SideburnsI never thought I'd say this...but... I'm with SatchHH. Can you move the Obama/Romney debate discussion to somewhere other than the Wake Ed blog?
Sure...Sideburns, for you I
Thu, 10/04/2012 - 09:18 — shearertwSure...Sideburns, for you I will call a cease fire. I understand it was probably not a fond moment you'd like to continue reliving. :-)
...
Thu, 10/04/2012 - 09:23 — SideburnsYeah, once was enough. Thanks.
Come ON!
Thu, 10/04/2012 - 06:52 — SatchHHPlease don't use this blog as your personal right-wing Wake Gossip blog. Stay on topic folks! This post by KH has nothing - nothing - to do with the presidential debate. No wonder the school board has become partisan - with people like those on this blog pushing political agendas on our schools. The fact that you can't even stay on an educational topic on an educational blog shows your true colors. And I bet you're one who has been decrying this "Democrats on the board" lately. If so, you are 100% hypocrite.
If you don't think the
Thu, 10/04/2012 - 07:24 — shearertwIf you don't think the Presisential election is important for education in this country, then you are not paying attention.
I thought it might
Wed, 10/03/2012 - 22:00 — shearertwI thought it might stop...but the beating continues. One person knows exactly what he is talking about and has a plan, one is just hoping.
Holy smokes! Obama doesn't
Wed, 10/03/2012 - 22:06 — shearertwHoly smokes! Obama doesn't even understand Obamacare!
Rachael Maddow just declared
Wed, 10/03/2012 - 22:37 — shearertwRachael Maddow just declared she didn't know who won...do I need to say anymore?! MSNBC just declared it was a bad night for Obama....panic has arrived at MSNBC!
Chris Matthews just lost his
Wed, 10/03/2012 - 22:46 — shearertwChris Matthews just lost his mind!
This was a Jimmy Carter moment for Obama sealing his fate as the worst president ever besting Jimmy Carter in that category.
this sort of nonsense should not be published or given a
Wed, 10/03/2012 - 20:34 — neverindoubtmoment's thought or attention. it is complete crap that should be ignored rather than elevated with any sort of a reaction. now I'm going to shut up so i don't elevate it any more. garbage.
Ladies and gentlemen, step
Wed, 10/03/2012 - 20:43 — woodstockLadies and gentlemen, step right up and watch the Democrats in full panic mode. In the center ring, Bozo the Clown, played by none other than Rob Schofield of the ultra-liberal N.C. Policy Watch,
He KNOWS beyond any shadow of any doubt that Hill, Brannon and gang made the most boneheaded decision anyone can remember. Schofield is trying desperately to spin this but the board majority crap-storm of a mistake is so anchored in the ground in regard to public opinion that he's staining his tightie-whities trying to get it to move. All you can do is laugh at the futility of it all.
Hey, maybe the 5 partisan GSIW puppets on the school board (Kushner, Evans, Martin, Sutton and Hill) can each pony up 50 Gs a piece to payoff WCPSS's contractual obligation to Tata; they are the ones who ousted him afterall. They are more "morally" obligated to the cost of the firing than the man -- the respected leader -- who was doing a great job and made it very clear he wanted to continue.
...
Wed, 10/03/2012 - 16:45 — SideburnsDoes this mean that the Dem Board majority are looking for someone who will work for free? Their hatred for Tata is just astounding.
hello
Thu, 10/04/2012 - 06:54 — SatchHHThe comments about lunch money were made by a reporter - not one of the board members. It's important to know the difference.
...
Thu, 10/04/2012 - 07:07 — SideburnsSo, what is the difference? That reporter is part of GSIW - the group pulling the Board majority's strings. What they say, the Board says. It's nearly impossible to separate the two.
Excellent point, there is no
Thu, 10/04/2012 - 07:23 — woodstockExcellent point, there is no difference at all.
Pfft...
Wed, 10/03/2012 - 16:41 — Bob_SconceIdiotic...
The last thing the district needs now is more partisan posturing from the likes of the Independent.
The 1-year buyout is important because Tata gave up other opportunities to pursue the position in Wake County and it indicated a commitment to him by the school district.
Plus, it's really bad for them to be suggesting this -- the next Superintendent is going to get the same deal, and now he has to wonder "Gosh, if things don't work out, are these bozos going to demand that I give my severance back too?"
Dear Bob_Sconce
Wed, 10/03/2012 - 20:42 — paulastamYour ongoing political posturing in this forum is no different in form and manner from those you choose to call "idiotic" and "bozos". Heck, your response to Tata's firing was "everyone leave WCPSS and find a charter school". That rhetoric totally disrespects the good things that PTA parents and the 18,000 teachers and teacher assistants do for our students on a daily basis. You my friend are simply another one of those very political partisans that you seem to despise so much....I'm just saying....don't hate on me now....
Paula, "Independent, Fair & Speaking Up for MY Kids."
When we finally all realize
Wed, 10/03/2012 - 20:58 — shearertwWhen we finally all realize WCPSS is going to be a perpetual failure, we will all leave for charters taking those hardworking teachers and volunteering PTA parents with us. And we'll all be better off.
The actions by the BOE
Wed, 10/03/2012 - 16:52 — shearertwThe actions by the BOE majority have already made it very difficult for us to find a good superintendent. Who, but a desperate person, would want to walk in to this situation where we fire people based on the political make up of a BOE that changes every few years? Now all the liberal radicals are piling on and the liberals in positions of power are remaining silent. Not exactly the kind of place I'd be looking to move in to if I had any other options. Of course, the person they will end up hiring will likely be an liberal ideolog much like themselves who will be salivating at the opportunity to conduct some grand social experiment on our children. Or, just someone with no where else to go...
BINGO
Mon, 10/08/2012 - 22:07 — local23' just someone with no where else to go...good ole' school cronnies, again!
LOL, this is hilarious and
Wed, 10/03/2012 - 16:17 — woodstockLOL, this is hilarious and just so pathetic. They attack Tata for getting fired against his will "without cause" and expecting WCPSS to honor his contract?! Good luck selling this mountainous load of crap to the public.
Tata uprooted his family, took the job in good faith, built public enormous trust and support, instituted measures that led to historic levels of student growth, and worked tirelessly for the students and families of Wake County and then had it all ripped away due to the extreme partisanship of 5 gutless far left-wing board members.
Also, how dare they compare Tata to Burns. Burns cried to the media like a child who had his candy taken away, stuck his tail between his legs, and quit.
Worse He Might
Mon, 10/08/2012 - 22:09 — local23(Burns) be back..sigh...say a prayer we are going right back to 10 years ago!
OK we have officially
Wed, 10/03/2012 - 16:17 — starsonoursOK we have officially "Jumped the Shark" and are headed into an alternative universe...
I had the same thought
Wed, 10/03/2012 - 16:46 — nmoskalSo liberals believe that individuals terminated without cause should not receive severance? I wonder how long before he starts complaining about the termination clauses in union contracts or the employment contracts of people with his political views.
For the record
Thu, 10/04/2012 - 07:17 — SatchHHFor the record - not all liberals think alike. I know this is hard to believe for some of you on this blog, especially conservatives, who group think together like.... Anyway, I'm generally a liberal, especially regarding social issues and I fully AGREE that WCPSS should (and of course it will - note that the reporter is not a WCPSS staff member and has no power in all of this) and WILL honor its contract. Of course. Contracts are contracts. So quit with your hyperbole. It's brainless.
I was trying to point out his hypocrisy
Thu, 10/04/2012 - 08:00 — nmoskalHis position seemed out of line from what I would have thought liberals would generally think about termination without cause and severance or what he would think if the person involved was someone on his side of the political aisle. Yes, I know not all liberals group think, but contrary to your statement that also holds true about conservatives (and moderates).
For the record every time I take a political ideology assessment, I come out as moderate as they come. On the political compass I am barely off the crosshairs, just a tad into Libertarian, but essentially right in the middle on the liberal-conservative axis. So, you can quite your hyperbole.
Perhaps you meant to say...
Thu, 10/04/2012 - 08:23 — woodstockPerhaps you meant to say that not all Democrats think alike, in which case I agree. Many of them joined with Republicans in adamantly opposing the BoE majority and their boneheaded and partisan decision to fire a respected and highly competent superintendent including former supporters of Hill/Brannon... for example, Susan Evan's BAC chairperson. Far left liberals, however, do engage in group-think. Fortunately they are a small minority. UNfortunately, they are now running our schools in Wake County.
Yeah....the guy had a
Thu, 10/04/2012 - 07:37 — danofncYeah....the guy had a contract so he gets his money. It's really pretty simple.
If the board wanted to avoid paying him, they would have fired him for cause. And, if they'd attempted to do that, they would likely have spent more than $253k on legal fees and staff hours working on the lawsuit that he would likely have filed.
Or they had no reason to
Thu, 10/04/2012 - 09:43 — starsonoursOr they had no reason to fire him for cause. If it was for cause and they can prove it then that knocks the wind out of any law suit. Firing for cause with no proof of cause creates law suits that the County will lose. That is why they had to go with the buyout of the contract.
Excellent point! I think
Wed, 10/03/2012 - 16:53 — shearertwExcellent point! I think that deserves some explanation from these jokers!
for Pete's sake
Wed, 10/03/2012 - 16:11 — louiselee44It's the School Board majority's fault for firing him - that's a no-brainer! Next thing you know, they'll be blaming Tata for "global warming", the national debt, and whatever else they can think of.
Bush is already tagged with
Wed, 10/03/2012 - 16:20 — shearertwBush is already tagged with those other issues...along with ATM machines, a hurricane and a couple of earthquakes.
I saw a funny email today, it was a picture of Bush saying, "If Obama is elected for a second term, just think of the mess he will inherit this time."
Makes me think about the future of WCPSS. Who are these people going to blame for their failure 2 years from now? I'm sure it will be the CC and the WC citizens for not passing the bond but NEVER themselves!
Keung, Another comment from
Wed, 10/03/2012 - 16:03 — shearertwKeung,
Another comment from another irrelevant, radical liberal rag but still nothing from Mayor McFarlane? Really? Is she aware that Raleigh has a school system that just fired its superintendent without cause?
Raleigh has not had a school system since the mid 1970s
Wed, 10/03/2012 - 16:56 — RonnieRI wish they still had one. Most all the WCPSS problems would go away if Raleigh took their schools back. Proly why she doesn't say much, Meeker liked to talk about it and
I often said he should petition the GA to give him the Raleigh school system back, but, alas, no
such luck.
That's hilarious! The fault
Wed, 10/03/2012 - 16:00 — shearertwThat's hilarious! The fault falls 100% with the Democratic BOE for firing Tata without cause. It's only been a week and now that Tata was safely out of range, the BOE members are suddenly finding "cause". If the really had cause, they could have saved all that "lunch money" which is grossly underestimated in the article. You have to add it Gainey's raise, the cost of the search for a new superintendent, etc. I do like how their putting all the wastefulness of the BOE majority into context with the "lunch money" idea. Seems JT was right, you can't trust these guys with any all of the WCPSS student's lunch money.
As to the morality of Tata taken the money...well, they shouldn't have fired him for cause! Tata gets an A- from the BOE chairman who then turns around and fires him a few months later....I'm wondering where's the morality in that? Perhaps that explains why our school system is financially "strapped" in the first place...but, apparently we're not because overnight we can suddenly find $9K to buy ourselves some feel good, pity party awards.
Finally, if no getting paid was the moral thing for public servants to do when the "supposedly" (in this case) don't do their job, then I'm fairly certain our national debt problem would be solved overnight. Obama could start by giving back the money he's been paid to play golf, I mean, be president for the last 3.5 year!