Speak Out 11/22/14

Kaplan makes

more than gov.

I just read in the DAR that the governor of Missouri makes about $130,000 a year. Poplar Bluff is paying this new city manager Kaplan $160,000. Guess running little ol Poplar Bluff is a lot harder than running the whole state.

$22K to meet

with city mgr.!

$22,000 is a lot of money to waste just to have a meeting with the new city manager. You'd think that he could arrange something else at a different time. Thank you.

Council needs

to fire manager

It's time the city council to exercise their perfectly legal right to fire the city manager. They know the procedure since they've gone through it before. If we don't get rid of him pretty soon he's gonna ruin this town. Thank you.

Punish the

bottle throwers

Yeah, I'd like to speak out about the boys throwing water bottles and stuff. You know what? I feel like they should have been punished, too. I like what the paper put in their "Let's Talk," that's great, the kids are talking. That's great. And, I want to say something. That could have hurt somebody very badly. What's gonna happen? Are they gonna start lettin' through water bottles all up and down the hallways? And another thing, what else are they gonna get by with? And another thing, on the school board--one of them school board members used to be a coach. Is that why the boys got out of it? You know what I think our mayor has done a great job. She's calling people in from out of town and you know why? Because the people in Poplar Bluff are all stuck on each other. One person snaps their fingers and they all jump. No. I'm glad she's getting people out of town because you know why? They're bringing in new ideas. New things! And they've not got friends on the school board -- friends coaching or this and that. Yeah, Poplar Bluff, has a certain amount of people they stick with that's why they get by with it and their kids are gettin' by with it. I feel sorry for these boys that got hurt. I really do. I pray that God puts angels around them and another thing, we need prayer back in school bad. Like the older people needed worse than the younger ones. But the younger ones also need it, too. Thank you.

Pushing R-1

kids to sell

No wonder Poplar Bluff School Corporation is lagging when it comes to the basic education. They are not being given credit for what they actually do teach in the Poplar Bluff R-1 Schools which would be sales and merchandising. From the beginning of school until the very last day, I guarantee somebody will come to my house trying to sell either candy bars, magazines, T-shirts, popcorn, cookies--it never ends! When I go to the stores, they're selling gifts cards that can be used at different merchants in town. It never ends! They're teaching these kids sales, sales, sales!

It's a shame that English and science and things that benefit you later in life are not being taught as well, but I have to give them "A+" on the number of kids out there that sell, sell, sell! Unfortunately, I'm not buying, buying, buying!

I, unlike most of Poplar Bluff, am not a millionaire nor do I spend outside of my budget. Oh, I'm sorry my heart doesn't go every time you send an underage person to my door to sell me something. I am polite, but I refuse. Thought I cannot believe the school district is not being graded on this. Thank you.

Council must

be clueless

We have an ultra liberal tax and spend city manager with a council who presides over him that is either clueless, spineless or both.

R-1 teaching

wrong lesson

One of the first things a good school board member should learn is their job is to hire administrators to run the schools. The handbook sets down the rules which the board approves. For the board to step in and over rule the administrators when they have followed the handbook rules is a serious mistake. Giving special treatment because parents object to the discipline is teaching the wrong lesson to the students. If the board feels the administrators have not followed the handbook then you can see why they objected but the administrators followed the rules. Administrators need the support of the school board In order to have an environment where students can get an education. This is the objective of the school rather than having a winning ball team. We need to get our priorities straight and teach the students why they are in school. Perhaps what we need is a board that have their priorities rethought to put education first not sports!

Why no flags at

Qulin cemetery

Yes, I'm calling from Qulin down here and I'm wonderin' why the flags weren't placed around the cemetery this year. This is the first time in about 15 years. I'd just like to know what happened.

Board needs

to stay out

I am a retired teacher from the Poplar Bluff school system. During my tenure there, I have seen many times when students that played ball were given special treatment over other students. As a student, if you were a ballplayer or a child of a board member, you knew that discipline would not be equal to what other students received for the same act.

Now we have an administration that handed down discipline and the school board overrides their decision. What a pathetic joke this school board is. They need to stick to approving policy and hiring administrators. Not the day to day activities of the current administration.

How many Poplar Bluff graduates have ever made a living playing ball? I can count them on one hand. But the people of this town think that ballplayers are the chosen few. What do you ever read in the paper about a chemistry club, math club, or any academic program? I can count this on one hand also. Our school board needs to grow up, or be replaced.

First, R-1 tax

hike, now city

Poplar Bluff, if you're like me you probably have a few of your past tax receipts laying around the house. Do this. Pull them out and look at what you have been paying the R-1 school district for, let's say, the last four or five years, and then look at the shocking increase in just the last year's and this year's levy. And now we are told that the city council may combine the utilities with the general funds of the City of Poplar Bluff. We are NOT, repeat, NOT going to stand for city council and our "wonderful" school board to continue to raise our taxes in this ad hoc fashion that they are doing.

Do they think that people of this town will do absolutely nothing about it? If they do, they're crazier than they are looking right now. Poplar Bluff, you need to put the brakes on this. Our city has had slow, but sustained growth. What do you think will happen when this exorbitant expenditures of both the school and the city hits in the full fashion when it does? That's right, Poplar Bluff! And, you seniors, out there you better pay attention. It's gonna hit your pocketbook real good. Remember you're on a fixed income after age 65. They're going to start reaching into your pockets quicker than anybody.

Suspend the

school board

I'm calling about the Speak Out in this Sunday's paper. I agree. They should have been punished and I think something should be done to the school board for not punishing them. Maybe we should take the school board and suspend them. (Laughter) Oh, wait a minute, they'll probably just reverse that decision and just keep getting pay for doing what? I agree with the guy. Comes election time--I think the new school board is in demand.