The plot thickens with ACT School closures

Caf, I already gave a hint – THINK DIPLOMAT and K-10 school. Or don’t you know Canberra all that well?

Please remember that Mr Barr is only playing with the deck of cards that he was dealt – the true blame lies with the idiot who suggested it in the first place.

Mael, they most likely got a promotion for this policy document.

I await the Libs attempts at the AAT for the documents which weren’t forthcoming in the FOI application.

miz, how do you know that the “perfectly good school nearby that could stay open” actually is nearby at all? If that were the case, wouldn’t it be more politically expedient to indeed keep that school open? Isn’t it more likely that the schools that are being closed are in fact in the areas with a relative lack of students? Perhaps Nyssa could tell us all *which* school this is, it’s hardly a matter of national security.

If I could access InDEX, Dept’s internal website, I’d take a look at the Principal “news” and it would most likely be there. Seeing as I can’t (as I am on LWOP) I might try to get a friend to cut and paste to me in an e-mail.

Implied: ‘felt obliged to ban’ . . .

Canberra principals ban ‘save our schools’ t-shirts sales

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200609/s1747121.htm

close down the fuckers

I suspect that Mr Barr (whom, I agree, is the sacrificial lamb in the scenario) actually believes the ideological premise behind the decision to close the schools, clearly flawed though it is. The real villain is keeping his hands whiter than white on this one.

It would take a lot of gumption for Barr to do a Mal Meninga. However, he would retain a shred of cred then, and could stand as an Indie. Mr Barr, the gauntlet is thrown.

A truly transparent situation would see the government publishing their intentions before making it so.

This government has not done that so their every move is being watched for unscrupulous behaviour – to the detriment of any good work they are doing.

Please remember that Mr Barr is only playing with the deck of cards that he was dealt – the true blame lies with the idiot who suggested it in the first place.

Another example of the claytons ‘planning’ in this whole proposal. Who wants their kid in a portable when there is a perfectly good school nearby that could stay open? Der.

The ‘economy of scale’ theory is a proven fallacy: they are dumping school amalgamations in the US (where the idea came from) as they don’t save money and are bad educationally.

I suspect the best solution comes down to enforcing zoning (as is done in other states). Then we would really see a truer indication of the demographics Barr keeps banging on about.

Umm some method in their madness – get the teachers offside, no payrise – get the parents offside, close 39 schools – 90+ vr’s (more like ir’s) for non teaching staff members at ACT Dept of Education, leaves Dept in more of mess than it was previously = everyone concerned is fighting their own little battles rather than having a united front against tweedle dee and tweedle dumb