Robin H. Holloway, Board President Wicomico County Board of Education sent in the following message to Mr. Greg Bassett at the Daily Times.
"Greg & Candace,
Thank you for Candace Evan's coverage of yesterday's Special Session of the Wicomico County Board of Education in which our Board unanimously passed our Fiscal '09 operating budget.
We appreciate Candace's efforts in working with our PIO Tracy Sahler, Interim Superintendent Tom Field, Comptroller Bruce Ford and me in gathering background for the story. Unfortunately, however, Mr. Field's comments during the meeting were misquoted and printed out of context as reported in the Daily Times.
Mr. Field was quoted in the newspaper as saying, "It's disappointing that we don't get the support from our local government, but we will get the job done with this budget."
I sit next to Mr. Field and did not recall his comments in this context. In checking our Executive Assistant's minutes, Mr. Field's exact quote was:
"We are always disappointed when we don't get the level of support from our local government, but we will get the job done with this budget."
Mr. Field was referring to the $ 1.7 Million in reductions made by the County Executive and County Council from our proposed budget submitted to the County in March 2008. In recent years, as you know, local government has not fully funded Board of Ed requests, though we fully acknowledge that the Board of Education receives the greatest portion of the county's budgeted allocations.
I urge you to immediately correct this misquote in the Daily Times.
Thank You.
Robin H. Holloway
Board President
Wicomico County Board of Education
27194 Loch Lomond Court
Salisbury, MD 21801
Phone: 410-749-0577
RHHolloway@yahoo.com"
EDITORS NOTE: Everyone should know I received this message at 10:46 AM this morning, it's NOT damage control. I was not able to access my e-mail from the location I was at, hence the late Post on the letter.
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
11 comments:
That's what you get with intern journalism. That is why their stocks are heading rock bottom, their web site doesn't even really keep up to the minute news and events like this blog does most of the time. Hell Joe you announce more events, charity and otherwise here in one day than DelmarvaNow.com does in a week most of the time.
Nothing here is buried in the B section in some tiny corner to post a correction. I'm glad to hear they got a piece of the rock and were told to make the misquote right. To bad it will probably be buried where nobody will see it.
Thanks for clearing that up Mr. Holloway, it sure did sound out of character for Tom Fields. I doubt there is any budget, government, corporate or private that won't suffer cuts in a time like this. When that happens all we can do is do the best we can, with what we have to work with! I know you will and I thank you.
Was there a tape of the meeting?
What was Field referring too by "level"? Maybe the words are different but the meaning the same.
Nice attempt at damage control--NOT!
It appears that Ms. Holloway is doing damage control on the Fields statement.
How is the correction any better? The meaning is that the BOE did get what it perceives to be the needed level of support from the county government and that is found disappointing by Mr. Field. Can't he correct his own statements? Why is she standing up for his "misquoted" self?
Ms. Holloway enjoys speaking for everyone. She always has more than enough words for all around the table.
LOOK!
Accountability, accountability, accountability!
Would you rather deal with someone like Barrie Tilghman who runs and hides? Robin has always been open and fair with her responses and you should give credit where credit is due. She's not demanding, she's not defensive, she's explaining what was written down by someone taking short hand at the meeting. It was a very short meeting, so they did not record it. Fortunately they did have someone there taking short hand and it was exactly what Robin had heard and recalled. The Daily Times made a mistake, it hapens.
GA was right on target with his take of what was produced in the Daily Times. IMO, it's time to give Robin a break and respect their version of accountability.
What is the DIFFERENCE in the MEANING of what the Times printed and what Mrs. Holloway wants as a correction? The word "level" is of little significance. How different is not supporting and not supporting the level of something?
Robin:
The error was purely technical -- there's no substantive difference in his actual statement, for which Mr. Fields deserves high praise for telling it like it is in Wicomico County.
It's time to pull back the curtain on Big Rick Pollitt and the Seven Dwarfs. You and the other Board members should join Mr. Fields in condemnation of them in regard to their support for the school system.
10:48
The Board would have much, much more public support if they could do one simple thing. STOP CREATING JOBS AT THE CENTRAL OFFICE. No more coordinators, liaisons, project managers, whatever. PUT A TOTAL FREEZE ON MAKING MORE CENTRAL OFFICE POSITIONS!!!!!!!!!! We can't afford a staff development coordinator who gets people to sign up for workshops online and does the Teacher of the Year banquet for a full-time position. We don't need a math coordinator and a math supervisor, pick one of them. Same with the reading coordinator and reading supervisor. We don't need a school climate coordinator and a safe schools coordinator. We don't need to create one more position in facilities or in transportation. The list is endless.
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