How in God's green earth would it be a violation of the Sunshine Laws? Does this Board or this Board's attorney even understand the laws? No wonder nothing gets done, call the groper up and ask if he can make the next meeting for crying out loud.

Why do they need a fifth Board member to decide the custodian issue? Is it already known to be a 2-2 vote? Why is Mrs. Abbott worried about the Sunshine law? The school board members it appears all recieved copies of the Union Insurance plan, they need to read it closely. To turn down the ability to save upwards of 20 million over three years because it comes from the employees unions will be political dementia.

Apparently they didn't get the accredation memo about working together.

Its absurd that Mrs Abbott mention the Sunshine law, just don't call Mr Calabrese at 3:18 a.m. Let him rest, he'll need to if he decides to return. I think it is only right to allow him to decide for himself.

Good point Bagpiper....maybe her and Donodumb could teach an Ethics class in their spare time.

#3, now now justiss1962, you know there is good and bad in all of us. We all are deserving of compassion. also, not all heart attacks are the same. We do not know the extent of his artery disease, nor how much damage occurred and how long his organs were deprived of oxygen. It is Ok to have different views than him and even to dislike his behavior, still have compassion, I am sure to friends and family he is loved

LOL.....

abbott's hubby...let's face it, he's been "on the board" all these years already

gag

It would be violating the Sunshine laws if they spoke to each other

they do need a full board to vote on the upcoming decisions, not because its known that it will be 2-2 but to prevent it.

justiss- I wonder why your posts never last. do you have any compassion? It's not like he’s a horrible person. Do you personally know him? Has he ever personally crossed you?

"Should Calabrese agree to a replacement, Withers said names could be submitted to the governor for consideration."

i just can't believe these people now want to apoint School Board members. it just isn't going to stop with this bunch! it's an ELECTED position. talk about sunshine laws. why hasn't some local press release been put out by Mr. Calabrese? he could allow his doctor(s) to make a determination for short term/long term.

from the origional story of his incident on May 27:

"If Calabrese elects to resign or does not have the capacity to serve, Withers said, the governor would appoint someone to serve in his place. If that came before June 30, the governor’s appointee would serve until November and the district would hold an election to replace him. If that appointment came after June 30, the person appointed by the governor would serve the remainder of Calabrese’s term, which is set to expire in November 2010."

how interesting that no one could make a determination on his condition for over a month. talk about needing an investigation!

Its sweet that withers, calabreses' best buddy was called into action - like we really believe that no one knows where/how he is - PUHLEEEEEES!

There are even rumors/suspiciouns that perhaps this lengthy absence is all part of a bigger political plan - I for one certainly wouldn't put that past the three "bozos" -

Calabrese never had trouble keeping his opinions, ideas, or his hands) to himself in the past nor is this his first bout with a heart attack - so doesn't his employer (ultimately the public), and the school district deserve to know his status - I know I can't miss 15 minutes without having to justify my absence!

I think the fact that Mr. Calabrese has remained silent thus far on whether or not he is coming back should be interpreted by both the public and the School Board that he intends to return.

When that happens should be up to him, his wife, and his doctor. No one else. And, for the public and the School Board to try to put pressure on him to make up his mind is unfair.

Do we deserve an update as to his status and his intentions? Absolutely. And, hopefully, that is one thing that will result from the meeting between Mr. Calabrese and Mr. Withers. But, once we get it, that should be the end of the disucssion until that schedule expires.

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Does his participation in the district health insurance program have anything to do with this? If he resigns, he loses it and has a pre-existing (extremely expensive!) condition.

enob13: Good point.

Ok, Heart Attack, not a good thing- but listen, someone from his family is in contact with the staff who he works with at the School Board! A family member, a friend, keeping in touch is only natural, letting people know how he is. It makes absolutely no sense to be out this long and nobody knows what's going on! And, wouldn't his family want people to know his progress or lack of so business can go on?

#15....I think Gator has a point. The four healthy board members may hear the wake up call and work harder at colaborating for the sake of everyone. Wanting Mr Calabrese back or wanting an appointed 5th member so they can get by easier with a tie breaker is childish behavior....in my opinion of course

I would be willing to bet that Mr Calabrese's wife is shielding all mention of the Board from him. Just looking at the situation, it would seem he had a huge amount of stress from events related to his position. I also would gather that his wife and family thought they were losing him. I got to tell you, dislike his actions if you like, but the hatred is wrong.

Folks don’t look for Mr. Calabrese to step aside anytime soon. If it was me I would wait until getting out of the hospital and rehab to give an answer just because of the insurance!!! I had a family member that was placed in the hospital a few years ago and the bill was over $11,000.00 dollars for 8 days!

What concerns me is the possibility that the board will "hand pick" the temporary replacement for Mr. Calabrese, if that is the route chosen. I would much rather an independent committee be the one to suggest names than the current board. And is the replacement there to represent Mr. Calabrese and his views? If so then Mr. Calabrese should have a say in who replaces him.

Go to www.colliercitizens4truth.org for up to date information on the School board and sheriff's candidates. A school board candidate survey will be added to the site on Friday afternoon, August 8th.

Teachurkids, I would not worry about that.....how can the board gain consenus on a candidate? I do think if a replacemnt is needed they should come from Mr Calabrese district

Glassman, I hear that! Given Mr Calabrese's age and debility, it is very common to go into rehab. Rehab is less expensive than an extended hospital stay. His own Dr would not have released him from the hospital unless he was ready. Part of his rehab is to get him to establish new healthy habits etc. Plus, if he needs assistance with walking etc, it would be too much for his spouse until he is better. I wish him well and the Board needs to get to business without him until his real intentions are known

I don’t know the answer to this so I will put it out for anyone to answer that does! Do school board members have insurance for life or does it end when their term ends?

Asking him what his status is, is not a violation of Sunshine Law, they aren't discussing business, they need to know if he's gonna call in sick for the next two years. And just because he's fallen ill doesn't make him a saint, he's brought embarassment not only to himself but to the board also, then again they all have.

btw, McClugagae told me he has issues with public input at the meetings, it takes away from the business at hand, be very aware of this guy.

My My.............lets just take several more months to figure all this out so that our kids can really be short sheeted in their education.........wake up folks and start thinking of our children............

While we should have compassion for Mr Calabrese's situation and respect his privacy it would be nice if some basic general information could be passed onto the public from his family. At least we would know his general condition. I do believe that the school board and the public should have some idea of his status.

While I have not cared for his actions while on the board I have no desire to push him off over a health issue if is going to be able to return in a reasonable amount of time.

CaptSam I am aware of McClugagae's opinions and I do have some great concerns on his stances. I was hoping to vote out all of the current board members in time but it appears that given the current candidates we would be better served to hang onto Curatola than to take a chance on McClugagae. At least we know where she stands on the issues.

Leave in Carroll, Curatolo,and vote in 3 teachers. Raises for everyone! Let the taxpayers pay, so we can retire and move out of here! I like Julie Sprague. I think she will win any stare down with the superintendant.

#29 insurance ends when they leave the board. This why he's not resigning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, obviously, someone should phone Mr. Calabrese at the time he keeps office hours, which is apparently 3:17AM -- according to phone records disclosed in the discovery phase of former superintendent Baker's lawsuit against the board:

------------------- http://www.winknews.com/news/local/14...

June 22nd, 2007:
3:18 a.m. Richard Calabrese and Steve Donovan talk for 5 minutes
3:37 a.m. Richard Calabrese calls teacher Terry Walters and talk for 23 minutes

--------------------

Hopefully, all these idiots -- Abbott, Calabrese and Donovan -- will eventually be voted out forever from this district's school board.

And, take their jerk superintendent Thompson with them.

Hope springs eternal.

http://dennisthompsonresponds.blogspo...

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http://labbottsaysvisitrockford.blogs...

WOW! Gator! Finally something on which we agree.
**faints**
The school board will indeed choose the "replacement." The question remains, who will win with a 2-2 vote? Who will Withers side with? Clearly, Abbott and Donovon will want someone who will be in cahoots with them and continue to perpetuate the errors of comedy they have created, thus supporting Thompson and his new regime. Curatolo and Carroll will want someone who will join their good ole gal network and sink in to rule the schools with their rose colored glasses, looking at students as numbers, and probably demanding that students wear their numbers on their sleeve. Withers just wants someone who won't question his guaranteed for life contract. Which is better? Will they ever be able to come to a consensus? Only time will tell.

Freeze his pay. See if he comes back. If not, it's no great loss. He should be charged with election fraud.

To :#16 Posted by Pianoman8869

We, as the public, have every right in the world to pressure a desicion out of Calabrese, a public servant. His not being present directly affects the students.

Re: Post 41 - "We, as the public, have every right in the world to pressure a desicion [sic] out of Calabrese, a public servant."

No, actually, we don't.

Under the Family & Medical Leave Act, which was enacted federally on August 5, 1993, a person is allowed up to 12 weeks to care for their own serious illness. By that timetable, Mr. Calabrese has until August 18th until he would be required to notify his employer of his medical status and his intentions regarding his position. Until that time, it's no one's business but his.

Furthermore, under Florida State Law, Mr. Calabrese cannot be removed from office unless he personally resigns or is declared unable to fulfill his duties by a physician. Again, those are decisions that cannot be forced upon him by the public.

Do we have a right to request an update on his condition? Absolutely. As an elected official, he has some obligation to keep us abreast of his condition. But, it's not something that we are "entitled to", because his care by his physician is still covered by doctor-patient priviledge, whether he is a public servant or not.

"His not being present directly affects the students."

No, actually, it doesn't.

Every issue presently before the School Board can be decided without Mr. Calabrese's vote. It is still possible to have a passing majority vote with only four members present, so there are no issues that cannot be resolved.

And, there are no issues presently before the School Board that will directly affect the day-to-day operations in the classroom, which would be the only way that the students would be directly impacted.

If the School Board is truly concerned about their ability to resolve these issues without Mr. Calabrese, they need to either reach a concensus prior to voting on these issues to avoid a tie, or figure out a way to include Mr. Calabrese in their deliberations and their voting.

Until then, Mr. Calabrese's recovery will be speedier if he is left alone. The more pressure that is placed upon him by the other School Board members and by the public, the slower his recovery will be.

Re post #42 - the Family & Medical Leave Act,

----
I believe that act concerns fulltime workers who work a fulltime 35-40 week. It does not cover part-time people whose only official function is to show up at a meeting once a month and have office hours part-time. Nor does it cover part-time people who work 25 hours or whatever a week. You have to work fulltime and be able to document it.

Consequently, that act has nothing to do with Calabrese. Obviously, he should resign.

And, re my post #36 - Glad you all appreciate factual information. It's hard to know when these board members keep actual office hours since everything they do seems to be done in secret in this county.

For example, most board members in OTHER, shall we say "weirdo," school districts are NOT talking to each other on the phone at 3AM like Mr. Calabrese and board member Donovan. It seems to me that only in Collier do board members like to do business out of the sunshine where they know they can later "forget" everything they said -- and get away with it.

How many meetings before there is someone in the vacated chair left by Mr. Calabrese? Please get a replacement for Mr. Calabrese, let Steve Donovan resign, and join me in voting for oppostion for Abbot and Courtolo in August. This board cannot function presently and remains too stubborn to act for the greater good. When that happens, we have to remove the incumbent and promote favorable change.

Let's just replace them all.

That should be a good start towards a bright future for our childrens education.

No dog in this fight but Calabrese is displaying the epitome of passive aggressive behaviour. Get well and act like an adult.

Re: "Upnorth #34", having attended many of the meetings over the years, there is NO WAY I would entertain a vote for Curatalo anymore more than the rest of the board for a number of reasons. She absolutely needs replacing. A vote for Curatolo is another nail in the coffin of our children's futures. I hope there is more communication between this board and Calabrese than a newspaper article.

I second that zhuzhu

THe next meeting is Aug 21 right?
Aug. 26 Is the primary election, & at that time I hope we have 2 new board members!!!

Capt:
Sounds like Mcgluggle and the General are buds! No kidding! The writing has been on the wall along time on this fact.

SWFF:
Kathy is the best bet with that kind of stuff going on. We know Kathy. She is not afraid to stand up to the General.

I wish Mr. Calabrese well. Let's let him get well. Of course he needs the insurance. Let him be!