Properly Subversive/Sherman R. Frederick
Kudos to Keri Brenner who covers the goings on at the Mill Valley school board for the Independent Journal. If I’m reading the nuances of her reporting correctly, she’s nibbling around the edges of a disturbance in the force surrounding the burg’s public schools.
The official story is that District Superintendent Kimberly Berman will be leaving the district’s employment before the end of her contract. The press release from the district making the surprise announcement paints a picture of happiness and light at the district. Nothing to see here.
Oddly, however, Berman said she’ll have nothing publicly to say about her departure beyond what was in the district’s script.
That’s a red flag because all has not been happiness and light in Mill Valley public schools for some time. There’s been a lot of questions surrounding the school administration about money handling and spending that have never been fully explained to the satisfaction of some people.
And then get a load of this tidbit from the latest story on Berman’s exit:
“‘What’s so profoundly disappointing is that we had a visionary leader who was worried about the important things,’ school parent Elizabeth Moriarty said at a Jan. 23 board meeting during which about a dozen people spoke.
“‘I’m concerned her work will be abandoned,’ said Moriarty, who said she was speaking as a parent and not as chairperson of the board of the school district’s foundation, Kiddo.”
Whoa. Kiddo is a key player in town. If the head of Kiddo is “profoundly” disappointed (speaking as a private citizen or not), you can bet that something is a-brewin’ with Mill Valley public schools.
SAY WHAT?
Digital inclusion, anyone?
The Marin County Commission on Aging sent us at Marinscope a press release headlined “Digital Inclusion for Older Adults.”
The Commission added that to get the experience, you will have to show up in person. No Zoom onlookers.
Of course, the reason for this is not what my bawdy readers might think. “Digital inclusion” refers to internet skills, and if you can Zoom the meeting, your digital skills are fine.
If you remain confused, please call the County of Marin, Aging and Adult Services office at 415-473-7118. Tell them you want some digital inclusion. They can explain.
THAT STRANGE BALLOON
As we continue to debate that strange Communist Chinese spy balloon that floated over our airspace, here’s a bit of grist for the mill from Bloomberg reports:
“For now, the White House opted not to inform the American public. Events, however, soon forced Biden’s hand.
“On Thursday afternoon, the Billings Gazette, a local Montana paper, published a photo of the balloon — meaning it was only a matter of time until national media would pick up on the report and the Biden administration would have to face questions.
“The pace of discussions in the White House quickened.
“In a call starting at 5:15 p.m. on Thursday, the administration finally went public. That spurred a rush to brief lawmakers on Capitol Hill. The Biden administration will hold a briefing next week for the “Gang of Eight,” a group of lawmakers including the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate intelligence committees.”
Again, it must be said that everytime we catch a glimpse of the Biden Administration in action – and I use the term “action” loosely – we see a lot of hemming and hawing.
Meanwhile, high atop Mt. Tam, a group of local hipsters sent a Marin greeting to China’s spy masters. A Marinscope photographer captured the moment below.
ONE MORE THING
– I was upset that my nextdoor neighbor raised the height of his fence. It took me a while to get over it.
– One moment you are young and free and the next minute your kids are asking you history homework questions because you were alive in the nineteen hundreds.
– The boat used as the S.S. Minnow in Gillighan’s Island was a 1964 Wheeler with a top cruising speed of 12 knots. This means it could not have traveled more than 41.5 miles. Now I’m starting to doubt the show was even real.
Thanks, dear readers, for taking the time to read us this week. Hope the “spy balloon” picture wasn’t too shocking. Just a joke. Until next week, please remember to avoid soreheads, laugh a little and always question authority.
(“Properly Subversive” is a commentary written by Sherman R. Frederick for Marinscope Community Newspapers, the “mother ship” of the Novato Advance, San Rafael News-Pointer, Mill Valley Herald, Ross Valley Reporter, Twin City Times and the Sausalito Marin Scope. Mr. Frederick is an award-winning journalist and co-founder of Battle Born Media, a news organization dedicated to the preservation of community newspapers. You can reach him by email at shermfrederick@gmail.com.)
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