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These are two of my favorite reader emails.
The first is about discipline disparities in Duval County Schools. It came to me after I made an appearance on WJCT. |
Discipline disparities
Ms. Amos:
I especially loved your first segment of the show on investigating racial imbalance on school suspensions.
I have nearly 20 years in JAX and have come to trust WJCT and First Coast Connect.
As a crusty old white man who has an open heart for my black friends, fellow citizens, I come to shows like this one with some armor on because I hate how bad it hurts and how defensive I get when we talk about the debilitating racial injustice.
I have searched my soul, more than a few times, to try to ferret out explicit bias in any and all forms. I go back in because people tell me that my hate is causing another person to suffer.
But, you changed it all around on 11/28. With your discussion of statistical imbalance, you carefully pulled back the layers and explained that even many of color who are decision makers are having a hard time of re-balancing the true opportunity to learn.
By doing this, you let me drop my armor and stop arguing defensively (in my head) and instead, I was thinking about the core real problems. I'm convinced that these are tough problems and we may have to keep after them for decades before we resolve them -- but resolve them we must.
Yes, everywhere we see blatant racism, we must shut it down. But much of what we need to fight for (or as NFL players to kneel for) is this painful and challenging business of lifting up those traumatized or injured by their dangerous environments.
I think you have given me the spark to not go to the defensive reasoning so freely. And, if you have given it to me, you have and will surely give it to many, many more.
It feels so much better to be on this side of things, this side I didn't know to take until your lesson on 11/28. I am, more than ever, here to help us make a better community!
Thank You!
I especially loved your first segment of the show on investigating racial imbalance on school suspensions.
I have nearly 20 years in JAX and have come to trust WJCT and First Coast Connect.
As a crusty old white man who has an open heart for my black friends, fellow citizens, I come to shows like this one with some armor on because I hate how bad it hurts and how defensive I get when we talk about the debilitating racial injustice.
I have searched my soul, more than a few times, to try to ferret out explicit bias in any and all forms. I go back in because people tell me that my hate is causing another person to suffer.
But, you changed it all around on 11/28. With your discussion of statistical imbalance, you carefully pulled back the layers and explained that even many of color who are decision makers are having a hard time of re-balancing the true opportunity to learn.
By doing this, you let me drop my armor and stop arguing defensively (in my head) and instead, I was thinking about the core real problems. I'm convinced that these are tough problems and we may have to keep after them for decades before we resolve them -- but resolve them we must.
Yes, everywhere we see blatant racism, we must shut it down. But much of what we need to fight for (or as NFL players to kneel for) is this painful and challenging business of lifting up those traumatized or injured by their dangerous environments.
I think you have given me the spark to not go to the defensive reasoning so freely. And, if you have given it to me, you have and will surely give it to many, many more.
It feels so much better to be on this side of things, this side I didn't know to take until your lesson on 11/28. I am, more than ever, here to help us make a better community!
Thank You!
The second came from the recently retired publisher of the Times-Union, who affirmed his continuing commitment to the media company being a community watchdog after a new superintendent unwisely offered staff positions to two former board members who were instrumental in her hiring.
Ill-advised rehires
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On Wed, Dec 5, 2018 at 11:22 On Wed, Dec 5, 2018 at 11:22 AM Nusbaum, Mark <mnusbaum@jacksonville.com> wrote:
To: Denise Smith-Amos:
I know I am no longer your publisher. But I feel compelled to drop you this e-mail.
FANTASTIC STORY ON 1-A TODAY. Great reporting. Great balance. Great context. Wow, Wow, Wow.
Thank Goodness someone is out there to tell us this actually happened. I almost had to pinch myself -- could this really be real?
I'm with Mr. Shine all the way on this. I think this is appalling and preposterous. I know I'm moving into the editorial world here ... but this is a very, very bad indication for Duval County Schools leadership moving forward. I am absolutely amazed that this superintendent, with no doubt a good amount of schooling, didn't have the common sense to avoid the blatant perception of impropriety. And SO SOON!
It certainly raises a multitude of questions: Did the two individuals with the new taxpayer-supported jobs trade their votes (in support of the new superintendent) for these new jobs? Even if no such thing happened, it's only natural to ask, or even suspect. Bad, bad, bad decision on the part of the superintendent. I'm hopeful Mike and the T-U call her out.
It now raises this question to me: Should the school board adopt a policy which prevents the superintendents from making such hires of former board members — perhaps a two- to five-year moratorium on such hires?
It's sad that such a policy may need to be considered, but the public may now need to demand it.
Kind of reminds me of the Trump-Mueller clash. Should the Senate pass legislation to protect Mueller from the President? So far, we're being told no by the Senate president and his supporters. McConnell says the president won't fire Mueller.
In this case, the superintendent already jumped off the bridge. Obviously, in this case, the school board needed a policy in place to protect her from her own decision-making.
Again -- Wow!
Now, back to the reporting. Bravo, Denise.
Thanks for bringing this to the public's attention quickly. And thank you for the last three paragraphs, which certainly helps put this in context. This story is EXACTLY WHY we exist. Without our reporting on this, it gets shoved under the rug. And that sure as heck would be the preference, I assure you, of the superintendent and these two former board members.
Again: Bravo. And Thank You.
Mark N.
P.S. I am off to the North Carolina mountains in the morning, then off to Kansas for at least a while. Thanks for letting me sing your praises one last time — and celebrate our journalism. Sorry if I seem too opinionated on the matter, but I think it's a travesty.
To: Denise Smith-Amos:
I know I am no longer your publisher. But I feel compelled to drop you this e-mail.
FANTASTIC STORY ON 1-A TODAY. Great reporting. Great balance. Great context. Wow, Wow, Wow.
Thank Goodness someone is out there to tell us this actually happened. I almost had to pinch myself -- could this really be real?
I'm with Mr. Shine all the way on this. I think this is appalling and preposterous. I know I'm moving into the editorial world here ... but this is a very, very bad indication for Duval County Schools leadership moving forward. I am absolutely amazed that this superintendent, with no doubt a good amount of schooling, didn't have the common sense to avoid the blatant perception of impropriety. And SO SOON!
It certainly raises a multitude of questions: Did the two individuals with the new taxpayer-supported jobs trade their votes (in support of the new superintendent) for these new jobs? Even if no such thing happened, it's only natural to ask, or even suspect. Bad, bad, bad decision on the part of the superintendent. I'm hopeful Mike and the T-U call her out.
It now raises this question to me: Should the school board adopt a policy which prevents the superintendents from making such hires of former board members — perhaps a two- to five-year moratorium on such hires?
It's sad that such a policy may need to be considered, but the public may now need to demand it.
Kind of reminds me of the Trump-Mueller clash. Should the Senate pass legislation to protect Mueller from the President? So far, we're being told no by the Senate president and his supporters. McConnell says the president won't fire Mueller.
In this case, the superintendent already jumped off the bridge. Obviously, in this case, the school board needed a policy in place to protect her from her own decision-making.
Again -- Wow!
Now, back to the reporting. Bravo, Denise.
Thanks for bringing this to the public's attention quickly. And thank you for the last three paragraphs, which certainly helps put this in context. This story is EXACTLY WHY we exist. Without our reporting on this, it gets shoved under the rug. And that sure as heck would be the preference, I assure you, of the superintendent and these two former board members.
Again: Bravo. And Thank You.
Mark N.
P.S. I am off to the North Carolina mountains in the morning, then off to Kansas for at least a while. Thanks for letting me sing your praises one last time — and celebrate our journalism. Sorry if I seem too opinionated on the matter, but I think it's a travesty.
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Standing Up For Our Journalism
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