Musings, opinions, observations, questions, and random thoughts on island life, Fernandina Beach and more

Musings, opinions, observations, questions, and random thoughts on island life, Fernandina Beach and more

Gaus Reaps Support for Nassau School Superintendent; Current & Past Educators, Tax-Payers, Parents Speak Out

Following a June 17 meeting featuring Nassau County School Superintendent candidates Kathy Burns and Curtis Gaus, I wrote that I could find no serious differences between the two candidates, and I’d probably be voting for Burns to continue as superintendent. I was wrong.

I got it wrong!

I should have done more investigating and given it more thought because it appears I was too hasty. I should have stuck with my original inclination to support Guas that I expressed here five months ago https://www.davescottblog.com/school-superintendent-burns-faces-suits-complaints-etc-school-boards-gaus-announces-hell-run-for-top-job/

I’ve talked with and received correspondence from a number of people who convinced me I was going wrong. These include current and former employees of the school district ranging from teachers to bus drivers and parents to home-owning tax payers without children. The overwhelming majority of those who contacted me are critics of Burns. Not one advocated for her.

Current and former district employees tell me morale is low and declining. They also paint Burns as fiscally irresponsible pointing to the district over-paying millions of dollars for land purchases and the weak justification for those purchases. This is all on top of the one mill tax increase she said was for teacher’s salaries. Critics at the time said it was a half mill too much and a burden on taxpayers. She arrogantly shrugged that off.

Bi-weekly News Leader newspaper columnist Steve Nicklas also detailed Burns’ lack of transparency in a February 21 column this year. Nicklas listed a variety of fiscal and management issues attributed to Burn and summed her tenure up writing: “Overall, Burns dislikes anyone questioning her decisions. Burns has reportedly removed popular principals and other supervisors who have not complied with her heavy-handed management style.”

Some of the most damning and detailed testimony came from Brent Lemond who was the Director of Career and Adult Education for the Nassau County School District for well over a decade and a candidate for Nassau County Commissioner District 3 in 2020. He left the district in 2022 to become Director of Career, Technical and Agricultural Education in Franklin County in Northeast Georgia.

Brent Lemond

Lemond calls Burns’ legacy one of “shady deals and controversy” including what he says are the “misleading millage campaign and overpaying for land next to Yulee Elementary School.”  He says it’s important to take a close look at her past actions “particularly with the district set to bond for new schools and close others in the near future.”

He strongly supports current School Board member Curtis Gaus, a widely popular former principal of West Nassau High School.

Gaus, who has 27 years teaching and administrative experience, currently teaches at a school in Camden County, Georgia. He can’t teach in Nassau County and serve on the school board here at the same time. His wife teaches special education in Hilliard.

Gaus was singled out by well-respected County Tax Appraiser Mike Hickox for standing up to Burns on the controversial one mill tax increase. In a public letter Hickox said: “When we first saw the marketing piece over a year ago, we Curtis Gaus attempted to do the right thing in the meeting and was scolded by Burns for proposing a reduction without notice. No other member of the board talked to my office.”

School tax increase added to Nassau taxpayers’ burden.

Overseeing the Nassau School District is a formidable task as it commands a whopping $250 million budget, and it is the largest employer in the county. That it needs strong public oversight and trusted fiscal leadership is an understatement.

Hickox requested a meeting with Burns well in advance of the November 2022 ballot measure to explain that the property tax numbers she used were not accurate. He told her that the state millage illustration used in her marketing piece was misleading.

Burns ignored Hickox and proceeded with her misleading campaign to burden the county’s tax payers with a one mill increase rather than the .50 or .75 that would have done the job with money left over.

In her marketing material Burns clearly states most of the employee compensation would go to teachers. Only 50.5% went to teachers.

This the same Burns that approved the purchase of property in Yulee from a local group for $3,750,000.00 that a year earlier had been purchased for just $1,400,000.00.

Lemond summed up his opinion saying: “While we’re all proud of the district’s A-rating, anyone crediting Burns with this should consider a much larger picture. Burns inherited the high-performing district. And, despite the advantages of an increasingly affluent county, there are indicators of decline. For example, when comparing Nassau County’s Algebra scores among all 9th grade Florida students, nearly two thirds of the state out-performed Nassau. Only 28% of our freshman students had proficient scores. By contrast, 45% of Duval County 9th grade algebra students did. Similarly, among 9th grade Geometry students, Nassau tied for only 20th in the state, and these are mostly honors students.”

Lemond said: “Burns is not a competent CEO. She just inherited a strong company. Shareholders must demand new leadership.”

He praised Gaus adding: “Curtis Gaus was part of a team that made the Nassau County School District one of the top in the state. He did a great job running West Nassau High School for eight years, and before that contributed as a teacher and assistant principal at Fernandina Beach High School, as well as a couple years leading the Career and Adult Education Department. He will  make a highly effective, and most importantly, honest, superintendent.”

***

In Other August Races: My vote in  the other August 20 primary races will go to the following candidates: U.S. State Senator,  Rick Scott; Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller, Mitch Keiter; Supervisor of Elections, Janet Adkins; Board of County Commissioners, District 3, Jeff Gray;  Board of County Commissioners, District 5, Klynt Farmer; Ocean Highway & Port Authority Commissioner, District 3, Danny Fullwood; Ocean Highway & Port Authority Commissioner, District 2, Jimmy Dubberly; Circuit Judge 4th Judicial Circuit Group 34, Nancy Cleaveland; School Board Member, District 2, Gail Cook;  School Board Member District 4, Cynthia “Cindy” Grooms.

The Primary voting dates are August 8, the deadline for a vote-by-mail ballot; August 7-17, 9 am – 6 pm; early voting;  August 20, election day.

***

Thanks Joe Biden:  According to the USDA, consumers spent 11.3 percent of their disposable income on food in 2022, the highest in 30 years. According to Steve Chalillane, Chief Executive of snack food company Kellanova the high cost of food caused by inflation will not go down. He told they Wall Street Journal, “they tend to be sticky. Just like a gallon of gas, it becomes the new price and people get begrudgingly used to it.”

***

Wait! What? Faculty members and university administrators who fail to prosecute those who break the law by harassing Jewish students are accomplices to this evil as much as those committing the crimes.

A protest that disrupts classes, drowns out speakers, destroys and defaces property, and bars or intimidates students from using the services isn’t a protest. It’s an out-of-control mob and its members should be arrested and prosecuted. Why aren’t they?

In early June protestors outside the White House cheered the mass slaughter of Jews, chanting: “Hezbollah, Hezbollah, kill another Zionist now.” Meanwhile the clueless folks in the Oval Office were busy ensuring that people using what they consider the wrong pronouns be fired but appear fine with calls for mass murder.

For example State Department employees were reportedly directed to avoid using terms like “mother, “father” and “manpower” according to a report on an internal memo from Secretary of State Antony Blinken. He  reportedly told staff to use “gender-neutral language whenever possible” as making assumptions about someone’s gender “can be problematic” and send a “harmful, exclusionary message.”

Maybe he should look out of his office window once in a while if he wants to hear harmful, exclusionary messages.

Even worse are the Pro-Hamas dim keffiyeh-wearing leftists who defaced national monuments, attacked police, and painted: Death to Amerikkka” on statues and buildings during Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to D.C.

The cops were vastly outnumbered by rioters. Why?

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Ageism? National Review columnist Heather Wilhelm pointed out a fact that few folks probably know. She wrote that “America’s founding fathers were a rather young bunch. On July 4, 1776, James Monroe was 18, Alexander Hamilton was 21, James Madison was 25, and Thomas Jefferson was 33. John Adams clocked in at 40. She  added, “ George Washington was an elderly 44, and the old man of the group was Benjamin Franklin, who was 70”.

***

Olympics Get A Black Eye:  Italian female boxer Angela Carini got in the ring with an Algerian guy in Paris and within 45 seconds threw in  the towel. She said the blows from this guy were the most devastating  she’s ever received. Well yeh! She was fighting a guy who says he’s a gal. The whack jobs at the Olympics think that’s just fine.  What happened to feminist groups like NOW that are supposed to stand up for women’s rights?  Apparently it now stands for National Organization of Whatevers.

  • Comment (39)
  • A) Cooks and Grooms are complicit with Burns – please see Citizens Journal Article today
    B) Teachers got less than 35% of the $$ from the millage increase – per email I have from Grooms $5.7m out of $16.2m went to teachers AND instructional personnel ( I.e. not just teachers )

  • That’s the best stated case for Curtis Gaus I’ve seen. Burns has done some good things, but some stuff is unacceptable- time for a change. But why recommend incumbent board members who have rubber-stamped her agenda? Read why Nassau’s scores aren’t as good as advertised in Citizens Journal.

  • Imane Khelif was born a woman and has always completed as a woman. She was once disqualified by a boxing organization who claimed testing revealed XY chromosomes in her DNA. When asked to make the test results available, they declined and then backtracked and said “she did not undergo a testosterone examination but was subject to a separate and recognized test, whereby the specifics remain confidential”. That boxing organization has since been banned because of corruption. All subsequent tests performed on Khelif have permitted her to compete in women’s competitions. Go figure, since after all, she’s a woman. Reminds me of the same kind of hateful treatment Brittney Griner has suffered. Who, by the way, has been known to drop her pants to reveal her woman parts to shut up the ignorant idiots.

    • If anyone can tell me how to add a picture, I can show y’all what a real woman looks like.

    • Khelif tested with XY chromosome in the past, and an IOC spokesman stated, “Going back to sex testing would be a bad idea.” Outrageous that you think anyone who questions this is a part of a conspiracy! (It is also outrageous to continually state you are part of the moderate majority!). In the past, the Olympics tried to maintain a level playing field; now, they simply ignore the glaring disparities and want us to ignore science and testing.

      • Step away from the keyboard, put away your manufactured umbrage, and do yourself a favor by digging a little. Start with “sex testing”. Is it your postion that every athlete should disrobe in front of a panel of judges and be probed (think digital exams) to ensure their body parts match their sex assigned at birth? Then, if you’re so inclined, research the story behind the IBA disqualifying Khelif based on finding XY chromosomes in her DNA. You know, the same IBA run by the Russians who only tested Khelif after she beat, you guessed it, a female Russian boxer. The same IBA that recanted and said they never tested Khelif for XY chromosomes (presumably because they couldn’t produce the test results when asked). The same IBA that was banned from the Olympics since 2019 for rampant corruption. Then, for the cherry on top, Google “XY chromosomes in females”. It happens.

  • We need a clean sweep of the three incumbents. Gail Cook is the poster child for term limits. She’s running for her ninth 4 year term. She voted to implement a questionable new program for 9th and 10th graders despite knowing that NO ONE is the district had ever read it, just because Burns recommended its approval. Fortunately, three board members voted “No”. Cook leaves no confusion about her loyalty by wearing her “Burns for Superintendent” shirt publicly. A SB member endorsing a Superintendent candidate is considered both inadvisable and inappropriate. Let’s get a fresh start for the Nassau County School District.

  • Dave you need to undercover the real Jeff Gray. He voted for Obama twice, Hillary and Biden. He is a card carrying union person. Dems know they can’t win in this county. So they put in fake republicans like JG.

    • What about Jeff Gray’s opponent? She was a registered democrat and likely voted for Obama, Hillary, and Biden. Jeff Gray and his fellow Commissioners have reduced the tax rate which sounds pretty conservative to me.

    • Gussie – please provide proof that you know who Mr. Gray voted for the past 16 years – otherwise you’re just some patsy plant by the opposition

  • I hope you will reconsider your vote for Gail Cook. After more than 30 years on the school board, it’s time she retires. Mr. Joinville is the right choice there.

  • As to whether Imane Khelif was born a woman – where is the PROOF?? To quote one of the COMMENTS, from above: “she did not undergo a testosterone examination but was subject to a separate and recognized test, whereby the specifics remain confidential”. Is that: PROOF?? Is that: “transparency”?? PLEASE! Why are we supposed to believe such flimsy evidence?? No one I have spoken to, or who saw the approximate 45 seconds of the Olympic competition between Imane Khelif & Angela Carini believes for one minute that Imane is a “she”! At any rate, as a self-respecting woman, I am continually baffled why ALL these women athletes do not UNITE and REFUSE to compete against MEN!! They will lose against the men, anyway – so why compete against them, in the first place?? Where is THEIR self-respect….. and ‘guts’?! In my opinion, they are just being STUPID, as they are in the majority vs. the transgender men who want to compete against them. Why would they ALLOW such an unfair situation, stripping them of their medals and dignity??? It really infuriates me.

    • Please provide proof that you are a human being, as your posts indicate you have no soul.

      • I didn’t know watching a man who says he’s a woman beat up a real woman to get a gold medal would give me a soul! Amazing!

  • Once “Burnsed”, twice shy! I for one will not be voting for Cathy Burns. The actual education of our students is just not her priority. I have a grandson at Yulee Highschool and his education last year amounted to two meaningful classes for the entire school day. Not his or by parents’ choice.

  • Jeff Gray and Klint Farmer both voted in favor of Riverstone. Unless you want this island destroyed, you need to vote them out.

    • I met with Jeff Gray a few years ago. While I liked his stance on developing business opportunity in West Nassau, he was condescending on my asks for planned development and the continued attempt to beautify Nassau County with all the new development. He will not get my vote

      • Imane Khelif was assigned female at birth. I imagine you conspiracy theorists will claim this is all planned out of the womb to produce an Olympic boxer for the 2024 games. And to make it all believable, Khelif was directed to lose to 9 women prior to her appearance in the Paris games.

  • No one “assigns” anyone at birth. Your DNA is there long before memory determining your sex. Dont use these silly words which scientifically do not make sense

    • Actually, all babies are assigned a sex at birth based upon a visual observation of their genitals. What the doctors and delivery room personnel cannot see is the DNA. There are XX babies which are born with a penis, there are XY babies which are born with a vagina. Are those boys or are they girls?

      If you go with your DNA theory, then you would say the XX babies with a penis are girls and the XY babies with a vagina are boys. So which is it?

      Then there are babies that are visually identified to be born with a vagina… But beginning about age 12 when puberty begins, their vagina will close and will become a scrotum; their clitoris will morph into a penis. So are those girls, or are they boys? They are born with a vagina then later they have a penis. Which are they?

      I read the other day about a father of three children who had horrible cramps every month for years… And it turned out that he was born with a fully functional uterus. He had been having menstrual cramps every month for years. Was he male, or was he female?

      The part of us in our brains that tell us as individuals whether we are male or female is in our hypothalamus. For most males it is about the size of an English pea, and round; for most females it is almond shaped. In other words our gender identity – our sense of self as being male or female – is established in humans between week 7 and 14 of gestation and is considered to be immutable. Regardless of our DNA, our gender identity appears to be directly related to the amount of testosterone which is in the fetal environment.

      Of course, at your request I’ll provide you a lot of scientific / medical studies for you to read yourself… So that you can consider how these studies were planned, conducted, and evaluated to clean the above information. You may or may not appreciate that harvard, yale, Mayo hospital system, Boston medical, and other reputable, credible universities conducted these studies; none of them can be considered “fly by night”.

      Such studies are performed, then are peer-reviewed by disinterested third party universities as to their methodology and conclusions before being released for publishing for medical doctors to rely upon for providing treatment to patients.

    • Amen!! Never heard of such idiocy. You are either male or female. Your GENDER is not “assigned”!

      • People often use the terms sex and gender interchangeably, but they have different meanings:

        “Sex” refers to the physical characteristics that differentiate male, female, and intersex bodies.

        “Gender” refers to a person’s identity and how they feel inside. Examples include binary, nonbinary, agender, bigender, genderfluid, pangender, and trans. A person’s gender identity may be different from the sex they were assigned at birth.

        MM is right and Ms. Borghese needs to learn more about sex and gender before posting such vile comments. Ditto as to David Scott.

  • Roody Joinville is very qualified, and is the right choice over no-term limited Cook. Fullwood was part of the OHPA pocket liners who voted themselves raises and advocated not paying the City of Fernandina Beach the negotiated (decades ago) PILOT with those funds. Miriam Hill is very smart, voted against the raises, the foolish lawsuits, has common sense, and is not part of the OHPA Good Ole Boy club. Jimmy Dubberly is very qualified (worked under the USCG Captain of the Port). Gaus is also very qualified and his opponent has too much baggage, and has lost the support of the constituents and employees.

    • I agree with you! You can add Fullwood to the no-term limit club. He’s looking for another term after getting OHPA into multiple lawsuits that have cost taxpayers over $100,000! OHPA doesn’t collect or spend tax dollars, but the City of Fernandina Beach and the Property Appraiser do. They’ve had to spend money because OHPA doesn’t want to do the right thing and pay their bills. Let’s not get started on the 30 year operating agreement that Fullwood was a supporter of. That does nothing to help OHPA or the residents of this county and only benefits the operator. This was all done before Miriam Hill took office and she has been the voice of reason trying to fix it.

  • Regarding “Olympics Get A Black Eye” – Jesus; after the past 8 years of the GOP’s endorsing infantile insults, meanness, and irresponsibility… it’s beginning to look like America is finally approaching the cusp of becoming kind and respectful to others again.
    “Fighting a guy who says he’s a gal”? Seriously? A woman from Algeria, which is well-known to be *EXTREMELY* homophobic – *who came to the Olympics with an Algerian passport*? And to say something like “whack jobs at the Olympics” is an underhanded insult to the organization’s professionals who are keenly aware that eyes from every country on the entire planet are upon them; one which implies you know a lot more than they do about what is going on there. I’m going to suggest you probably don’t.
    But you’re not alone – as I read the comments, there seem to be several persons whose knowledge about “transgender” – with apparently no education in biology beyond the 8th grade – dramatically exceeds that of medical professionals and researchers!
    To those who wrote negative comments: please have the maturity to (1) consider that your hateful words harm peoples’ lives… often, for their lifetimes and that (2) you don’t have the right to have your own opinion… unless you are Qualified to have an opinion. I might “have an Opinion” about how to build a rocketship to the Moon… but unless I have had the requisite education, training, and expertise in building rocket ships… I don’t have the right to offer my opinion to NASA scientists or anyone else about how to build rocket ships.
    Look; all women don’t have Blond Hair, Blue Eyes, Large Breasts and Long Legs. Some people with XX chromosomes are born with a male body and working penis. Some people with XY chromosomes are born with a female body and working vagina. Some people… when they are born, are born without either a vagina or a penis. Some people are born with two working vaginas; some are born with two working penises. And some people, visually affirmed at birth to have a vagina, will at about age 12 when puberty begins… experience that their vagina will begin to close and will become a scrotum; their clitoris will morph into a working penis. Which bathroom should any of these real, live, feeling people use? How would you feel if you, or your child… had been born as one of these persons… and had to endure the lack of understanding; the *willful* misunderstanding; the hatred, shallowness, and the just plain weirdness of “normal” people on a daily basis? How would those affect your life? Or is that “Golden Rule” thing… just… empty words?
    Please consider how your comments negatively affect other’s lives. Your words, however well-meant, are written in ignorance – and ignorant words, publicly spoken, harm others’ lives – often, for their lifetimes. Please learn more about these matters from credible, reputable sources before your comments do even more damage. If you have questions or comments, please feel free to write.

  • Jennifer, thank you for taking the time to write your post. I could not agree more.

    • Thank you!
      It is time for people to step up and realize that hateful comments really do harm people’s lives. My mother once told me that “sticks and stones may break your bones but words can never hurt”.

      Unfortunately, that’s bullshit: broken bones can heal a lot more quickly and completely then does the harm that results from words. Cruel words can harm children for a lifetime.

      It’s time for people to grow up and become aware of that and conduct themselves accordingly.

  • Watched Trump’s speech and the follow-up fact checking segment today. Wow… Perhaps Dave will share his thoughts on same. Can’t wait for tomorrow.

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