Thursday, October 31, 2013

Jim Schutze of the Dallas Observer again makes false accusations about the investigations of Superintendent Mike Miles

Jim Schutze of the Dallas Observer recently, Wednesday, October 30, 2013, posted the following false statements:
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Mike Miles and the Bad Annual Review Issue: More Bullshit from The Dallas Morning News 

http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2013/10/mike_miles_and_the_bad_annual.php


“Nothing in Smith's investigative report or Coggins' first review of it gave Miles' enemies on the board the red meat they needed to take him down. They didn't even get a cold hot dog. So the board members most involved in persuading Smith to do the initial investigation, Carla Ranger, Bernadette Nutall and Elizabeth Jones, goaded Coggins to give it another try.”

"Yeah, well please allow me to present a very different take on that whole process. Coggins, who was paid 50 grand for his work, combed over the investigative report produced by Don Smith, head of the school district's Office or Professional Responsibility or OPR, and found it was a jumble of bullshit allegations, not one of which would stick, ginned up with heavy participation by school board members out to get Miles over school reform and teacher pay and tenure issues."

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These statements are false.

Actually, I knew nothing about the complaint filed by Communications Chief Rebecca Rodriquez against Superintendent Mike Miles until it was accidently revealed to Dallas ISD board members in a closed board session. 


I had no involvement at all in persuading Don Smith to do the initial investigation.  The board was never even informed that an investigation of Superintendent Mike Miles was being conducted.

And I certainly did not ‘goad’ Attorney Paul Coggins.  

Attorney Coggins reported information discovered during the investigation and asked if Trustees wanted him to look further into it. He never reported that Trustees ‘ginned up’ anything.

The complaint against Superintendent Mike Miles was filed with the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) by former Dallas ISD Communications Chief Rebecca Rodriquez. 

Notice in the Jim Shutze article there is no mention of the fact that the complaint was brought against the superintendent by an employee in his own "cabinet." 

No, Jim Schutz  wants readers of his article to think that it was a Trustee problem. 

It was not. 

It was a problem between Superintendent Mike Miles and the Communications Chief he hired - Rebecca Rodriguez.

Jim Shutze admits to having become an "apoplectic apologist" for a public official.

Spreading disinformation and distorting the truth is even worse and blatantly dishonest.

"Good journalism always seeks the truth, and the truth is not a lie."

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Disinformation is intentional false or inaccurate information that is spread deliberately. It is an act of deception and false statements to convince someone of untruth. (Wikipedia)
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Jim Schutze stated:

"Right away let me say: No one is more troubled than I am by my own knee-jerkism concerning Dallas superintendent of schools Mike Miles. How the hell did I ever find myself in the role of predictably apoplectic apologist for a public official? Please, somebody free me from my own alliteration!"