I attended the School Board Reorganization meeting on November 17 at 3 p.m. The first part was the recognition of all the new positions for the board members. Carol Kurdell stepped down as Chair and Susan Valdes became the new leading member of the board. Dorothea Edgecombe filled Mrs. Valdes’ seat as Vice Chair.

Since I had spoken with Mrs. Valdes at the last public meeting about the possibility of her new position I was pleased to hear she accomplished her goal. She is the first Hispanic female to serve as the school board’s Chairperson.

After the announcement of the new positions, there was a recess of the meeting. The room was buzzing with excitement for Valdes. Her family brought roses and they were all there to support her. I spoke to her daughter, Mallory Valdes about her mother’s involvement in the school system.

“She’s been on the PTA starting from when I was in kindergarten”, Mallory recalled. Even when she worked full time as a clinic manager for the Hillsborough County Health Care Program, Valdes used her time and skills to serve the public schools in this area. At first, her inspiration was her own children. Now, she serves the county’s students because she sees the need for good leadership to ensure a good future for these kids.

Valdes said, “I’m just excited to be the leader of the 8th largest school district in the nation.”

And rightfully so, her work on the school board affects the lives of almost 200,000 students and their families. This school district has a great impact because of its enormity. Valdes will oversee a budget of $2.6 billion and 30,000 employees. The decisions made by the school board affect every taxpayer in the county.

Kathy Brown also attended the meeting. She is a parent of former Hillsborough County students and a volunteer in the schools. She knows Valdes personally from her work in the district. She is Mrs. Valdes’ representative on the Citizen’s Advisory Committee. She said she comes to the meetings to “listen and show support”.

She said, “Schools are a big deal in our community so we have to pay attention.”

Brown explained that she pays attention because “They actually makes decisions that affect us.”

Because her position affects so many lives, I am truly pleased Mrs. Valdes got the job. She is a great person to communicate with, she has a heart for people, especially students, and she works hard at what she wants to see done.

Will The Real Expert on Poverty Please Stand Up?

I attended the Hillsborough County School Board meeting on November 3, 2009 at 3:00 p.m. The first hour and a half of the meeting was comprised of routine voting that all passed unanimously, recognition of student achievements, and a bunch of promotions of school district employees. The meeting really got going when the board opened up the floor for audience comments.

Several people spoke on their various grievances. However, the topic that caught my attention pertained to the Ruby Payne training being used in Hillsborough County schools since 2000.

This training is meant to educate teachers in the county about children from poverty and their families. Although I think the training has good intentions, it has been accused of classism, racism, and stereotyping. The creator, Ruby Payne, gives lectures about her methods all over the country for payment by these various school boards. Her company aha! Process, Inc. publishes all her materials and facilitates her seminars. She has a Ph.D. and has been a educator most of her life either as a teacher or administrator. I read some of her curriculum for myself and I can see why the citizens who attended the school board meeting were upset about some of the concepts

You can read Ruby Payne’s Framework for Understanding Poverty for yourself, but I’ll give you the highlights. She uses “case studies” or examples to illustrate different situations that children in poverty face. Teachers are then trained on how to handle these situations. The main theme running throughout the training is that children and parents from low-socioeconomic backgrounds cannot communicate well and will resort to violence before dialogue.

Marilyn Williams introduced herself to the board as a “ ‘poor parent’ economically speaking”. She feels this is a “very serious issue” . She’s concerned that if these young teachers are taught to treat poor students and parents as if they are incapable of communicating then she will be set up to treat them in a stereotypical, classicist way. She politely insisted that if teachers are taught that she would rather fight than talk even before she shows up to the school, then she will get no where trying to talk about her child’s schooling.

Williams main argument is that Ruby Payne is not a real authority on poverty. Her books are self-published, so none of her publications are peer reviewed. Her own book cites her reserach to be based on "observations", none of which are recorded, of her husband's family that came from generational poverty. She has no real research to back up her theories, they are simply opinion. And she has every right to that opinion, but she is not qualified to train Hillsborough County teachers (and teachers across the nation) about her unfounded theories. In addition, in the nine years the training has been in effect in Hillsborough there has been no empirical evidence that the training works. There are no records that the number of referrals or suspensions have gone down. No increased numbers in graduation.

When I spoke with Ms. Williams after the meeting she said, “I see education as the best opportunity for a level playing field…I’m just now beginning to believe that’s not true.” According to her, we send more kids from 33619 and 33610 zip codes to jail than any other. She sees the way these teachers are being trained as perpetuating the track from the “schoolhouse to the jailhouse” for these kids.

Williams is part of an advocacy organization called ANCHOR. Their acronym explains their mission.

Advocating
Neighborhoods
Children and Families to
Heighten
Opportunities and
Resources

This group works to help people in their community become advocates for their children in the schools and encourage parent involvement. Williams was followed in the audience comments by Cherryl Witt, another member of ANCHOR and a retired educator. She, too, is appalled by the nature of Ruby Payne training. When I spoke with her after the meeting she said, “They think I’m going away and I ain’t going no where. I’ve been doing this for two years.” She agrees with Williams about the lack of peer review and evidence on whether Ruby Payne’s training is effective or harmful to students. Both women offered to talk to me anytime about the subject.

I was able to catch up with School Board Member and Vice Chair, Susan Valdes after the meeting to find out her thoughts on Ruby Payne and these women’s comments during the meeting. Mrs. Valdes immediately responded, “I don’t like Ruby Payne training either.” As a woman who grew up poor she identified with these women and their children. She told me, “I grew up poor and I don’t stand on no corner selling my body, I’m a school board member for the eighth largest school district in America.”

It’s possible that Valdes could become the first female Hispanic school board chair, at the November 17 reorganization meeting. This might give her the power to sway the board into making changes to the Ruby Payne training or doing away with it all together.






I only hope that there can be a resolution to this issue. Because while the school board drags its feet on a decision, teachers are being improperly trained to the disadvantage of already disadvantaged children.



Suggeseted sources:


Here's a 14 year old from Raleigh who simply reads from her book and shuts Ruby Payne down!

All around downtown

My experience requesting public records was pretty easy. No one denied me or sent me packing. However, I did encounter some inconsistency in people's training in Sunshine laws.

My first stop was to the Fred B. Karl County Center. I went to the 13th floor (which by the way is actually the second floor, weird) and found the Clerk of Circuit Court's office. I asked Erin Cross for some records on Jim Norman, the county commissioner (and my profile subject). She promptly told me everything I wanted was online and gave me a helpful post it to find what I wanted. I appreciated her courtesy.

The next stop on floor 15 was the Tax Collector's office. Just as described by Preston Trigg in his virtual visit to our class, this place was extremely efficient. They hand you a number, you take a seat, you're in, you're out, and you're done. The only problem was in I approached the county and asked for a 119 request of Jim Norman's tax records. Joanna, the receptionist, promptly asked "What's 119?". As a government worker in an office that works with public records she should know these kinds of terms. I politely explained my request and she was kind enough to print one out for me so that I would not return to class empty handed, however she also suggested I go online for this information.

Stop number three, on the 16 floor was the Property Appraiser's office. This woman was the most difficult to work with as far as her attitude goes, but she did produce a copy of Jim Norman's records after telling me repeatedly "It's all online". This seemed to be a running theme.

The last stop was to the county courthouse. I had to go through a metal detector and then ask for directions to the room where I would make a records request. I finally found the room and then had to fine my own way to to where the records action actually happens. Fortunately, at the end of the line I was met with a nice woman who was familiar with our class. She tried to help me in any way possible and directed me to two records I could print out. Then came the hard hitting truth...the cost!

I paid one dollar a record for two records, and then when I didn't have cash or check I had to pay FIVE dollars to use my debit card. This seemed to crazy to me since most people run on a cashless lifestyle. Why would I be carrying around my checkbook or cash? If I had been warned I would have, but still five dollars is an outrageos charge for such a small convenience. The courthouse need to update their card machines and get up with the 21st century where everyone uses plastic.

I actually really enjoyed the day walking around downtown and seeing these buildings that I had seen on our virtual field trips. Now that I've taken the time to experience the process I realize almost anything from the Fred B. Karl County Center can be retrieved online. And that you should always carry cash when dealing with the government.

"Autopsy reports are boring"

“Autopsy reports are boring.” Dr. Vernard Adams, Hillsborough County Medical Examiner, said it, not me. He said that unless it involves a celebrity death most days the press leaves him alone, and he likes it that way. And even in these cases, many times reporters just want an official expert opinion on the cause of death. However, Dr. Adams explained, “There’s a perception that when you open up a dead body, flags unfurl, trumpets blare and the answer is revealed, but most of the time that isn’t true.”

In addition to releasing records, Dr. Adams will also do press conferences or put out a press release in order to expediently inform the press about a high profile case. This saves him and the reporters precious time.

This is not to say that as a public servant Dr. Adams dislikes the press or does not want to hand over records to them. Quite the opposite, in fact, he said he loves the Sunshine laws in Florida as opposed to in New England where he used to live. Here he can just look up whatever the press wants, give it to them, and they will go away.

Now, as a gatekeeper of the dead…and their records, Dr. Adams has to make sure all the public records he releases are supposed to be public. For this reason, there are two different types of death certificates at the Medical Examiner’s office. One is open to all the public, but comes without the cause of death (unless it’s been on file for more than 50 years, then it is all public). The other, made for the next of kin, includes medical information including cause of death. Ironically enough, however, if you want to know the cause of death you can just call up the Medical Examiner yourself and get his analysis. I’m not sure how much Dr. Adams likes this policy since that means he would actually have to speak to a living reporter.

There are other records available besides death certificates and autopsy records. The office also houses toxicology reports, hospital records, dental records, police reports, and government phone conversations. Essentially, anything pertaining to a particular death case will be on file.

If a reporter were to do a case involving a dead body, Dr. Adam’s office is the place to go. They have highly organized files that have everything pertaining to a particular case in one file. All the cases are color coded by type of case, for example, traffic accidents are in black and unknown causes are orange. This office would be the place to find out how many homicides or suicides have occurred in the last 5 years in a particular area. You could find out how many traffic accidents happen at a certain intersection. All these concepts are at your fingertips with the help of the Medical Examiner’s excellent staff.

I appreciate Dr. Adams dry sense of humor when it comes to the dead and the living. Even though he may not be thrilled to see you on his office steps, he will gladly deliver whatever public record you request that falls under the Florida Sunshine Laws.

Just hurry up and leave so he can get back to his “clients”.

The Synthesis of Sources

My reporting in the last two years at the USF School of Mass Communications has centered around interviews and experts. In my last semester, I finally learned how to go to the record as a source for information. Gil taught us the power of a 119 request and “shoe leather” reporting. I’ve learned that you can make a story almost entirely from records based reporting.

In our last video, Steve Andrews, Senior Investigative Reporter and Executive producer of Investigations at WFLA Channel 8, gave us the tools to fuse records and interviews based reporting into a solid story. Stories with records and no quotes can be dry and lack emotion. Stories with all quotes and no records are less powerful and less informative. Steve showed us how getting your facts straight through records and databases makes you prepared for an effective interview that will make your story relatable to the readership.


Through Steve’s examples, we saw the life cycle of a story. It starts with a tip. This leads to public documents research, and it results in interviews to get all the perspectives on the story. Steve used his manners and tact to score a lead on the “Wii Bowling” story from a tipster who felt that FoxNews 13 treated him or her disrespectfully. Steve majored on the fact that respect will open doors for you and that being a tough reporter is not synonymous with being a jerk. The informant gave him a video showing Polk County Sheriff’s deputies playing Wii Bowling while performing a drug bust on Michael Difalco’s home. This huge story would never have broken without this critical tip.

After he got the video, Steve researched the search warrant and any other records he could get pertaining to the case. Finally, after gathering all these facts he called up the Polk County Sheriff for an interview. He was willing to talk to Steve because he was polite and informed.
After your extensive records research, the next most important part of a journalist’s job is to be a good interviewer. Steve suggested you write everything down and come in with your three most important questions that you must get in to the interview. He emphasized the importance of letting them “tell you what they want to tell you” while keeping command of the conversation and getting the answers you came to get. I appreciated this advice because I know as an inexperienced student reporter I have made plenty of mistakes because of being underprepared and timid in an interview.

The blend of records based reporting and good interviewing skills makes Steve great at what he does. His investigative journalism has uncovered several stories about our political leaders. He encouraged us to “keep powerful people accountable”. This is the basis for investigative reporting. All the stories he shared with us kept someone in power in check. He asked why Blue Cross Blue Shield denied a woman’s coverage for a life saving surgery. He asked Judge Stringer why a public servant who is supposed to uphold the law ignored it to commit bank fraud for a friend. He asked Lex Salisbury why he was using his position at the Lowry Park Zoo to pump assets into his own private animal park that he was building in a neighborhood without asking the neighbors.

By asking the tough questions, Steve Andrews has enterprised hundreds of investigative stories in his career. His niche in journalism makes sure the powerful stay in line using a synthesis of well-researched records and tough but fair interviews.

Preston Trigg, Director of Administration at the Hillsborough County Tax Collector’s office, is a government official on the journalist’s side. As a journalist until 1999, Trigg understands the struggles for a story and the imperative need for accessibility to public records. Because of his journalism background Trigg is very knowledgeable about how the Sunshine laws work, how to use them, and what to do if you are denied a record.

Trigg outlined the types of documents you can get at the Tax Collector’s office. Most of these records are available at hillstax.org. A reporter can research the worth of someone’s home, find out if a politician pays their taxes, or uncover someone’s driving record.

Thankfully, because of people like Trigg working in the Tax Collector’s Office these requests are processed more quickly and efficiently. In fact, the entire office is running more efficiently due to cross-training and updated technology. Something as simple as giving people a chair while they wait has improved customer morale immensely.

I learned a lot from Trigg about what to look for if you are going to pull records. He gave us a comprehensive list of the main things to ask when covering a story. Many of these requests involved the financial information of the top 10 highest paid employees in an agency. He reiterated our class motto “Follow the Money!”. One thing I did not consider before his lecture was looking at employee’s “educational expenses” because many times tax payer paid trips are considered “educational”.

Trigg inspired us to not take “no” for answer when it comes to making a “119 request”. He encouraged us to know the Sunshine Law and make the organizations cooperate. He emphasized that EVERYTHING in Florida that pertains to government agencies is a public record unless otherwise stated in one of the exemptions.

One of the exemptions includes private emails. Generally, any email sent by a government official on a government computer is considered public record. However, if the email’s content and receiver pertain to a private matter it is not public. After requesting the emails of Assistant City Manager Garry Brumback and Planning and Development Administrator John Asmar, the St. Pete Times actually sued the City of Clearwater for withholding certain “private” emails.
The best advice Trigg gave us as a retired journalist turned government official pertained to how to request a record. Even though the Sunshine law explicitly states you are not required to put your request in writing…Trigg says do it! For cases just like the St. Pete Times lawsuit, you want proof that you made the request, when you made the request, and how you made the request.

Trigg was able to thoroughly explain in detail what you would need to know as a reporter on your next visit to the Tax Collector’s office or their website. His knowledge of both worlds seem to be indispensable information on any public records based story.

Follow the Money

There is a constant debate surrounding the freedom to support political campaigns. Some wealthy contributors might argue that their right to free speech should allow them to support their candidate of choice with however much money they would like give. They feel their contribution is a way of letting their money speak for them.

As a predominantly libertarian thinker, I would normally say that the government should not control the way anyone wants to spend their money. But in this case, I think these wealthy contributors are wrong.

The way to support a candidate is with your vote. Everyone gets one vote. Everyone already has a voice. So why should someone who makes more money have more of a voice than the next guy? Allowing these powerful people to control elections by pumping their candidate of choice with the cash needed for an expensive campaign is unethical.

I don’t mean to say you shouldn’t support a candidate financially, but if everyone gives the designated amount, this will only force candidates to do what they should be doing: using their platform and their personality to gather more people behind their cause instead of schmoozing a select few rich guys for their hefty contributions.

Because of my take on this debate, the information that William “Windy” March gave us about following the money was exciting. If my fellow journalists and I could follow the money trail to expose the rampant existence of money laundering, more of these shady deals could be stopped.

I didn’t realize the number of sites available to help you find the connections between politicians and their contributors. March has 200 sites bookmarked of this nature on his computer and he said he has to find at least two more each week. Sites like opensecrets.org, show who gives where and who they are. March used the site to find out how many of Jiminez’s employees supported Clinton’s campaign in 1996. Later, he researched some of the names at the Supervisor of Elections Office to find out if and with which party each employee was registered to vote.

The petty rules at the Supervisor of Elections office about where you have to stand to take notes on voter registration records only strengthened my observation that government organizations are reluctantly “in the sunshine”. However, March’s determination to find this story and prove his point to his readers kept him from being put off by a little white line in his way.
The Mark Jiminez case was inspiring. Even though March did not come out and say that Jiminez laundered money given to the Clinton campaign he gave his readers all the facts they needed to draw this conclusion. Ultimately, his story had enough power to effect change and led to an indictment of Jiminez.

This session with March gave me some of the most practical tools we’ve learned about so far. About the Jiminez story, March said, "I didn't interview anybody until this story was essentially already written." This quote drove the point home that records-based reporting can help you dig to find the real answers about a story. With the know how to find these sites and follow the money I feel as if I could really keep my representatives and their supporters accountable to the current campaign contribution laws. March warned us that you won’t always find what you’re looking for, but I think the lesson here was to take the time to look.