After debating whether to expel cops from schools for almost two years (and they’re still not done)!
At the end of Wednesday afternoon’s emergency meeting of the Madison Board of Education — instead of chants of “F*Bomb the police” — there was the sound of one man clapping.
That would be yours truly, CEO of the Blaska Policy Werkes, who witnessed a local government meeting in all of its wondrous tedium. The meeting began and ended without interruption. It passed an annual budget ($415.6 million) and did a little policy work as well. (How can T.J. Mertz vote against $3 million in state money for classroom security door locks?) All without disruption. Without harassment, chanting, profanity, name-calling, race-baiting, taunting, marching and obstructing.
What a contrast with Monday night’s mob-driven chaos!
One of the security measures taken before the meeting. Another: no speaker’s podium
We applauded the Madison school district Wednesday for finally cooperating with the police. They reached out to the MPD, Central District Lt. Brian Chaney Austin told us on Tuesday. Police and school district developed a secret plan of action.
Joe Balles when he was a captain of police
After Wednesday’s hitch-free meeting, we personally congratulated district security director Joe Balles for a job well done. The former Madison captain of police was on the scene directing his six or eight security people. The few attendees were handed a statement on MMSD letterhead that oh-so-politely requested they “refrain from engaging in any conduct that interferes with the ability of the board to conduct its business.”
We espied no police, uniformed or otherwise, but Balles told me they were nearby and ready to respond at a moment’s notice. It may have been the short notice. Let’s face it, MMSD security is outmanned and unarmed. They could never have restored order Monday evening from the mob of 60 or more disrupters. (“I have 3 little children to protect from this mob.”) Instead, the school board shut down the meeting and fled into the night.
That lack of resolve pushed the district up against a state-mandated deadline to approve a budget by today (11-01-18). The district took the expedient of piggybacking on an already planned, non-voting working session that was scheduled for yesterday.
That gave the social justice warriors from Freedom Inc. and the International Socialists only a day to counter. At that, they summoned (by my count) 19 soldiers, most of whom sat in the back. At one point, they did their finger-clicking thing in response to an anti-cop comment from board member Nikki Vander Meulen but otherwise behaved themselves. Make no mistake, they read this blog. They know the cops were ready for them.
Unacceptable!
They even behaved themselves when board members “accepted” the report of its ad hoc committee on educational resource officers, aka Cops in Schools. Board veep James Howard softened the blow by alleging that “acceptance” did not mean approval.
But, yeah it does. Brother Mike Blaska chaired the Dane County Board for four years. Afterwards, he conducted seminars for county boards around Wisconsin on parliamentary procedure. Supervisors in this county never “accept” a report.
The county board received many reports — even paid good money for some of them. But we never “accepted” one. Voted to implement a couple of their recommendations. That takes a motion to do just that. Shelved others completely. The good English word “accept” is not a synonym for “receive.” Indeed, Roberts Rules of Order states that accepting a report “has the effect of endorsing the statement.” (See Section 54.)
Had the mob permitted your bloggeur to speak Monday night, he would have encouraged the board to “accept” only eight of the 15 recommendations. A committee composed of suspended and arrested kids to review the cops? Are you spitting me?! (See “Handcuffing the cops.”)
(On the vote to “accept” — no need to recuse, Gloria Reyes. You are not employed by the police department.)
Local news media: pay attention! Cops in schools is not over as an issue! At some point, the school board will have to ratify a contract with MPD — that is, IF it can overcome the poison pills Dean Loumos and company recommended. The social justice warriors will be waiting.
Blaska’s Bottom Line: Anyone see the irony? In order to conduct its mission to educate Madison’s children, the school board had to resort to the police.
[avatar user=”Dave Blaska” size=”thumbnail” align=”left” /]David Blaska is a former Thompson Administration official, a Madison conservative, and the Lord of Stately Blaska Manor. Reposted from Blaska’s blog with permission.
