News on the News

Last night I blogged about my appearance on the evening news discussing the budget battle with the city commission. Little did I know what would happen in the 24 hours since that time...

I found out that our news station ran our story (and my interview) at 5:00, 6:00, and 11:00 last night. They ran a revised version at 6:00 am this morning, too. I have been getting emails and phone calls much of the day from parents, teachers, principals, etc. This story has taken off like a rocket.

Tonight I got an email asking if I would be available for a phone interview tomorrow morning to air on our morning news program. They will be calling me at 6:30 to prepare me for the 6:40 interview. They said they interview should only take about 5 minutes.

This has gotten crazy. However, with that said, I am ecstatic to know that our story is getting air time and getting out to the citizens of our city. School PTAs have sent letters to all their parents, teachers are sending emails and letters to their parents, and hoards of people are making posters and organizing for the 5PM gathering on Thursday.

We are hoping for several hundred people to show up outside City Hall tomorrow. I know that the TV stations and the newspaper will be there to get the story as the commissioners walk into the building. We have been given a great piece of advice...make sure to have someone at every possible entrance so the commissioners will not try to sneak past us. (Yes, some of them would be coward enough to try it!)

This is a very exciting time for me right now. I feel that I (along with all of my colleagues, students, and parents) am making a difference in our city. I know I am only one person, and I cannot do this alone. I am just glad to have so many wonderful people who support my crazy ideas and are there to help whenever needed.

Also, I just got a hold of our city commission's agenda for tomorrow night. The agenda is 6 pages long (INSANE) and we are LAST on the agenda. I expected that. They didn't even specify the school system's budget presentation. The agenda just says "budget discussion." They are trying their hardest to keep this as quiet as possible. I will LOVE to disappoint them in that respect. We will also be in the meeting until the end of the night. We are not going to be swayed that easily.

Man, I love politics!
I am off to go create some wonderful posters for tomorrow night.
Until next time.
- Joey
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A colleague of mine suggested we organize a Flash Mob to dance at the meeting. While I love the idea, my colleagues are not always the most coordinated people. Not a bad thought though. LOL