Gary Glass called me tonight when he stumbled accross a School District ad for Tim Grover and Johnson Controls plans for the new Lester Park School. He had no idea the district was footing the bill for this advertising and putting the ads on Channel Seven’s PACT TV.
The first part of the ad was an homage to Board Chairman Tim Grover’s reasons for running for the School Board. It told about his graduation from Denfeld High and explained how thrilled he was with the Red Plan.
I caught the end of the program about the glories of the new Lester Park School so when I called Gary back I asked him if the program explained that Tim had run for the Board originally because he was angry about the closing of Washington Jr. High. No. That wasn’t mentioned.
I met Tim in 1989 when that year’s school board decided to close Washington Jr. because it was such a dangerous old building. (Much of what they said about Washington turned out to be hooey.) I began a poorly designed petition for an excess levy referendum to pay to keep Washington Jr. open for another year. Tim was one of a handful of parents who came to my meetings to save Washington. We’ve been friends ever since.
Tim has explained that his new found support for the Red Plan is motivated in large part by his desire to save schools in his part of town just as he once attempted to save Washington Junior. So far he’s been no more successful at this than he was in 1989. Of course, now he’s getting free taxpayer financed campaign ads. Tim is a pragmatist.
No one told Gary Glass about this program either.
