When my daughter was in public school in Lexington, (Stonewall Elementary, Jessie Clark Middle School, Lafayette High School) we often encountered the parents of her peers at school events or while shopping.
I was always amazed that all of her peers, every child without exception, was a brilliant, talented child prodigy, at least according to their parents. Now I love may daughter, like every other parent I am proud of my child, But keeping in mind that she will choose my nursing home I am not going to mention her encounter with algebra in high school.
An article in today’s Herald Leader reminded me of all those parents we encountered in the public schools. You see after you breed and educate prodigies you have to find them jobs.
From the Herald Leader:
“Gov. Ernie Fletcher's administration has quietly changed the state's merit system so it can fill thousands of rank-and-file jobs with anyone it prefers, rather than those ranked as the best qualified.”
A lot of the Fletcherite job applicants can’t seem to pass the test, any test to get a merit job. Since they are all prodigies and obviously better qualified than someone that can pass the test the Governor’s minions are changing the rules.
As a former merit employee I took a number of merit tests to qualify for different jobs during my tenure with state government. The tests are not hard. They are not the ACT, SAT, LSAT or MCAT. Most of the tests contain basic math and English questions.
If you are not in the top 5, like Marjorie Stewart, the job should go to someone better qualified.
Again from the Herald Leader:
“For example, Marjorie Stewart -- who was Fletcher's 2003 campaign chairwoman in Edmonson County -- was pushed for a transportation job as an administrative branch manager.
But Stewart fell short because her score for relevant training and experience was so much lower than the other applicants' scores.”
This administration doesn’t want the best and brightest. They want the mediocre and inexperienced as long as they vote the right way.
Then the administration, being the proud parents they are, will tell us all about the prodigies they are hiring. I just hope they don’t have any say about my nursing home.
