Unbelievable comments from Rainwater
In a Cap Times story on Thursday, May 12, the superintendent seems to be trying to:
1. Control the news by telling the paper how to report on board action.
2. Tell Johnny Winston, Jr. that what Johnny thinks is irrelevant to the superintendent.
3. Put the board in its place by telling it that he will cut strings if the referendum fails, no matter what resolution the board passes.
Fortunately, Johnny seems to be speaking up.
The newspaper reports, “But Wednesday, a day after the resolution passed, Rainwater wrote an e-mail to Winston and told The Capital Times that continuing strings while still keeping the $550,000 cut assigned to it would be impossible.”
The newspaper story continues:“But Rainwater, speaking to The Capital Times, said it was a mistake to say – as this newspaper reported Wednesday – that some form of stringed music will continue in Madison schools next year regardless of the May 24 referendums.
“There is absolutely no vote that has restored the strings program,” Rainwater said. “It doesn’t matter what Johnny thinks. It matters what the resolution says.”
Rainwater said that even if the administration had come up with some way to continue strings, that proposal would again face board approval, so nothing the board has done so far has saved the program or some variation of it.
Winston said Wednesday that he was “disappointed” by Rainwater’s e-mail.
“All I can do is make a motion and hope that the administration can carry it out,” he said. “So far, it doesn’t look like they can do that.”
“I would like to see the strings program continued somehow, some way,” Winston added. “I think the community wants that. I think that’s loud and clear.”