Free Republic

Ignoring The ProblemThe Cost of Paying the Debt NowBy starting today, the Federal Government can pay off the National Debt in 30 years by making interest and principal payments of $699,013,323,930.52 per year (see the chart below). In Fiscal Year 2009 the government made interest payments of $383,656,592,545.78. So it would take an additional $315,356,731,384.74 in annual payments to completely extinguish the debt in 30 years. By starting now, the total cost of interest will be $8,883,038,042,900.88, at 4%, over 30 years.Opportunity Cost: Waiting until 2019If the Federal Government chooses to wait until 2019 before addressing the debt, the cost...

WATERBURY — In the weeks leading up to Walsh Elementary School's Dec. 21 "winter celebration," staff will carefully avoid religious and secular symbols of Christmas such as Santa Claus and Christmas trees. Walsh Principal Erik Brown has banned Christmas parties in classrooms and many decorations since arriving at the school five years ago. These, he said, can offend some students, who would be forced to leave while celebrations are ongoing. "It is a state law that a public school can't knowingly exclude children," Brown said. "This is not a church. It's a school and it's a public school. I have...

A Christian middle-school student is suing his school district after a principal ordered him to remove a T-shirt bearing the message "Abortion is not health care" on the day of President Obama's speech to schoolchildren. Alliance Defense Fund attorneys filed a lawsuit in federal court against the West Shore School District in Lewisberry, Pa., Oct. 5 on behalf of a male, Christian middle-school student identified as E.B. The boy's parents, identified as the Boyers, said they were concerned about the president's speech and the national health-care debate, including reported funding of abortion within proposed legislation. "[T]he Boyers, like many others,...

The principal of a New Jersey elementary school where young students were videotaped singing the praises of President Obama is making no apologies for the videotape and says she would allow the performance again if she could, according to parents who spoke with her Thursday night. Three parents told FOXNews.com that Dr. Denise King, principal of B. Bernice Young Elementary School in Burlington, N.J., defended the controversial performance, which was videotaped and posted on YouTube, when they approached her during a "Back to School" event. Parent Jim Angelillo said King told him the lesson was merely part of Black History...

The principal of a New Jersey elementary school where young students were videotaped singing the praises of President Obama is making no apologies for the videotape and says she would allow the performance again if she could, according to parents who spoke with her Thursday night. Three parents told FOXNews.com that Dr. Denise King, principal of B. Bernice Young Elementary School in Burlington, N.J., defended the controversial performance, which was videotaped and posted on YouTube, when they approached her during a "Back to School" event. Parent Jim Angelillo said King told him the lesson was merely part of Black History...

N.J. Principal Unapologetic for Videotape of Kids Praising Obama, Parents Say The principal of a New Jersey elementary school where young students were videotaped singing the praises of President Obama is making no apologies for the videotape and says she would allow the performance again if she could, according to parents who spoke with her Thursday night. Three parents told FOXNews.com that Dr. Denise King, principal of B. Bernice Young Elementary School in Burlington, N.J., defended the controversial performance, which was videotaped and posted on YouTube, when they approached her during a "Back to School" event. Parent Jim Angelillo said...

N.J. Principal Unapologetic for Videotape of Kids Praising Obama, Parents Say The principal of a New Jersey elementary school where young students were videotaped singing the praises of President Obama is making no apologies for the videotape and says she would allow the performance again if she could, according to parents who spoke with her Thursday night. A yearbook photograph shows Dr. Denise King, right, prinicipal of B. Bernice Young Elementary School, attending the inauguration of President Obama on Jan. 20. The principal of a New Jersey elementary school where young students were videotaped singing the praises of President Obama...

Matthew Tessier fixes broken schools. Chula Vista's Harborside Elementary was in pieces when he arrived as its principal two years ago. The school next to a mobile-home park in an impoverished neighborhood had failed to reach federal benchmarks for so long that the menu of remedies included shutting it down. But Tessier, 35, is a turnaround specialist. Before he arrived at Harborside, Tessier had done what only a few dozen principals in the county had ever done: He led a school — Loma Verde Elementary — safely out of federal sanctions with two consecutive years of dramatically improved test scores....

Police release pictures of Kenmore East theft; Ostanski pleads guilty by Mary B. Pasciak NEWS STAFF REPORTER Updated: September 17, 2009, 10:57 AM / For months, Town of Tonawanda police have said the proof that former Kenmore East High School Principal LuAnn E. Ostanski stole money from her school was in the photos. Wednesday, the reason they said that became as clear as the photos themselves. Shortly after Ostanski pleaded guilty to a reduced charge and agreed to pay a fine, Town of Tonawanda police granted The Buffalo News' long-standing request to release the photos that sealed the case against...

Frank Lay, Pace High School principal, and Robert Freeman, the school's athletic director, will appear on criminal contempt charges for offering public prayer in a public school. The administrators face up to 6 months in jail and a $5,000 fine for offering a mealtime prayer. Lay and Freeman go on trial today at a federal district court in Pensacola for breaching the conditions of a lawsuit settlement reached last year with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). By violating the court order, the two are in danger of being found in contempt of court.

Students, teachers and local pastors are protesting over a court case involving a northern Florida school principal and an athletic director who are facing criminal charges and up to six months in jail over their offer of a mealtime prayer. There have been yard signs, T-shirts and a mass student protest during graduation ceremonies this spring on behalf of Pace High School Principal Frank Lay and school athletic director Robert Freeman, who will go on trial Sept. 17 at a federal district court in Pensacola for breaching the conditions of a lawsuit settlement reached last year with the American Civil...

Parents of students at a New York City elementary school are demanding its principal resign over a questionnaire teachers had to fill out that's being called racist, FOX 5 TV has exclusively learned. The form, obtained by FOX 5, reportedly asked teachers at East Harlem's PS 96 school to break down students' behavioral problems by race.

NEW YORK — A hospital official says a school assistant principal has become the first death in New York City linked to the swine flu virus. Flushing Hospital Medical Center spokesman Andrew Rubin says Mitchell Wiener died Sunday evening. Wiener had worked at an intermediate school in Queens. He had been sick for nearly a week before his school was closed on Thursday. He had been hospitalized and on a ventilator. The city's first outbreak of swine flu occurred three weeks ago. That was when about 700 students and 300 other people associated with a Catholic high school in Queens...

Columbine High School principal Frank DeAngelis speaks easily, almost matter-of-factly, about the personal price he paid after the massacre at his school: His marriage of 17 years collapsed, he suffered anxiety attacks and he still carries survivor's guilt.

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C., April 9, 2009 – The Marine Corps is relatively small compared to the other branches of service. But for a former high school principal here, it couldn’t get any smaller. Left to right, 2nd Lt. Michael J. Bradley, Pfc. William M. Chester, and Col. Brian T. Oliver show off the emblem of Freedom High School in Morganton, N.C., at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C., April 7, 2009. Oliver was the principal at Freedom from July 2004 until he was activated from the reserves in January 2009. Bradley and Chester are both Freedom...

A judge yesterday dismissed charges of possession of child pornography that had been filed against a Loudoun County assistant principal. Ting-Yi Oei, 59, of Reston, an assistant principal at Freedom High School in South Riding, was arrested Aug. 20 after law enforcement officials said that he was in possession of an inappropriate cell phone photo of a female student taken by another student. He was charged with the felony possession count and later was charged with two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, a misdemeanor. But Loudoun Circuit Court Judge Thomas D. Horne threw out all the...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A Rhode Island woman faces charges after allegedly punching and biting her 11-year-old son's school principal after being told the boy was being suspended. Police said 30-year-old Aleyda Uceta also bit an officer trying to arrest her after Friday's incident at Roger Williams Middle School in Providence. She was charged with assault on school officials, assault on police officers and resisting arrest.

The assistant principal of San Francisco's Galileo High School and a Milpitas woman have been arrested on pimping and prostitution charges by San Jose Police. Gerald Courtney, 57, the assistant principal, and Hsiu Hwa Chou, 41, were arrested for allegedly running brothels at 1550 Technology Drive and 80 Descanso Drive in San Jose. The arrests came after search warrants were served at the homes of the suspects in Milpitas and San Francisco. "The San Jose vice unit served several search warrants, one in Milpitas and one in San Francisco, regarding an ongoing investigation of the past four months," said San...

Gabriel DeJesus Back At Work At Sacred Heart School For The Arts On Monday; N.Y. Archdiocese Investigating. GREENBURGH, N.Y. (CBS) ― A Westchester County Catholic school principal is in serious trouble after he was arrested for allegedly going on a naked sexual romp with two other men in the backyard of a vacant home in the Orchard Hill section of town on Sunday. Gabriel De Jesus, 41, of Ossining told police he was the principal of Sacred Heart School for the Arts, a Catholic elementary school at 71 Sharpe Blvd. in Mount Vernon. DeJesus was still running the elementary school...

DEDHAM – The haggard-looking former Hull High School principal who was set to do a stint this summer as a camp swim instructor was ordered held on $10,000 cash bail this morning after authorities say they found thousands of images of child pornography on his computer. Russell Goyette, 61, a longtime teacher who retired as Hull High principal in 2005, pleaded not guilty this morning to 16 counts of possession of child pornography. Prosecutors say a search of Goyette’s personal computer netted more than 4,500 images of children engaged in sex acts with adults and other children. He was indicted...

The case of a first-grade teacher convicted of molesting his own students has taken a new twist. The school's principal is now accused of knowing about the abuse and not reporting it. Frank Laine Hall is currently serving a 15-years-to-life prison sentence for molesting students in his Riverton classroom. Now, the school's principal is charged with one count of failure to report abuse, a misdemeanor that could destroy her career. Parents of Hall's victims have mixed emotions about this new charge. Shelly Nordick is a well-liked principal, who one parent says helped the children heal after Hall's conviction. But could...

A South Carolina high school principal said he'll resign from his post after the district approved an organization for gay students that conflicts with his religious beliefs. Eddie Walker, the principal of Irmo High School in Columbia, S.C., announced his intention to step down to faculty and students on Wednesday, saying he'll end his tenure following the 2008-09 school year. The decision, outlined in a letter to Lexington-Richland School District 5 officials, said the reason was the formation of a Gay-Straight Alliance Club for students.

Memphis, TN - Attorneys for the American Civil Liberties Union say Daphne Beasley, the principal of Hollis F. Price Middle College High School in South Memphis, went way beyond her role as educator. The ACLU says in September 2007, Beasley asked her staff to give her the names of students who were couples, heterosexual and homosexual, because she wanted to keep an eye on them to cut down on public displays of affection. She's accused of publicly posting the names of those students, including two boys, Andrew and Nicholas, who had just started dating. The ACLU says that in doing...

Durango High School will allow its highest-performing students to wear white robes at graduation, reversing an earlier decision to require all students to wear red robes. Principal Diane Lashinsky said she had learned "a great deal" from the controversy over graduation robes. Lashinsky decided several months ago that all students would wear red robes at the May 24 graduation ceremony, ending a tradition where students with grade-point averages of 4.0 or greater wear honorary white robes. Lashinsky said she felt the white gowns "diminish the accomplishment and hard work of other graduates by relative comparison." Her decision caused an uproar...

New Leaders, New Funding? by: Bethany Stotts, March 18, 2008 A new, experimental policy discussed this week at the Center for American Progress (CAP) suggests reforming schools from the top down through engaged, talented principals....The program currently has a 20% success rate. “ 20%—you might say this is not an impressive number and it is not nearly what we want it to be, but nonetheless 20% of schools led by our New Leaders principals are making breakthrough gains in academic achievement for high poverty kids. ” said Schnur. “Now 80% aren’t, and that’s of immense concern to us, but the...

Man Charged With 5 Counts Of Possession Of Child Porn POSTED: 1:07 pm EST December 21, 2007 UPDATED: 12:54 am EST December 22, 2007 LAKELAND, Fla. -- A Central Florida elementary school principal was arrested Friday on suspicion of possessing and creating child pornography, including pictures of a girl who attended the school last year, officials said. John Stelmack, 60, the principal at Scott Lake Elementary School in Lakeland, was arrested at his home, located at 5749 Deer Track Trail in Lakeland, and charged with five counts of possession of child pornography. Stelmack was suspended from his job as principal...

BRISTOW, Va. - The principal of a Prince William County elementary school has been found dead in a county park. Police say the body of Derek Michael Drummond, 44, of Bristow, was found Monday afternoon by an 8-year-old girl and her grandfather who were hiking in Locust Shade Park. Police spokeswoman Erika Hernandez says there were no signs of trauma or foul play. Police are waiting for an autopsy report and results of a toxicology test. Drummond was principal of Cedar Point since it opened in 2001 and before that was principal of Occoquan Elementary School.

WATERFORD -- Waterford High School's principal reportedly disciplined two freshmen for fighting by having them get on their hands and knees, look at each other through a chair, apologize to each other and promise their behavior would end. It worked, according to one of the boys who made the pledge after the altercation last week. It also made his mother furious. Penny Watson said she was shocked when her son told her of the punishment. "I can understand having them stand up like men, apologize and shake hands," she said. "I'm past confusion. Now I'm angry."

Life Term for Teen in Principal's Death Friday August 3, 2007 7:01 PM By TODD RICHMOND Associated Press Writer BARABOO, Wis. (AP) - A 16-year-old was sentenced Friday to life in prison with the possibility of parole for the shooting death of his high school principal. Eric Hainstock was convicted a day earlier of the first-degree intentional homicide of Weston Schools Principal John Klang last September. Sauk County Circuit Judge Patrick Taggart said Hainstock would be eligible for parole in 30 years. The judge urged the state's Department of Corrections to place Hainstock in a juvenile center. ``I do believe...

TUCSON, Ariz. — When her husband comes home to Tucson on leave from Iraq, Keila Rios could face a dilemma she finds infuriating. She plans to take their children out of school for a week to spend time with their Army dad. But when she asked for makeup work they could do at home, she initially was told they'd receive zeros if they didn't go to class. The head of the charter school they attend declared the absences inexcusable and told the Arizona Daily Star that Rios' children would not be allowed to make up missed assignments. It now seems...

Should teachers offer advice on what color underwear is the right color for their students? Should students give roses to their teachers on Valentine’s Day? A criminal trial is not normally the place where you might expect to hear questions worthy of consideration by Miss Manners. But a Manhattan jury was asked to ponder such etiquette questions on Thursday — to the evident amusement of some of them — in the statutory rape trial of Lina Sinha, the East Side private school principal and teacher accused of having sex with two of her junior high school students. On the witness...

A 50-year-old principal was found naked in his school office while watching gay pornography on Tuesday, according to sources. Sex toys were found nearby, the sources added. Police said John Acerra was a longtime teacher and principal in the Bethlehem Area School District, but was also allegedly selling crystal meth out of his school office. Acerra, of Allentown, was the principal of Nitschmann Middle School in Bethlehem, and was arrested minutes after he arranged to sell the notoriously addictive drug to a police informant, according to investigators. Police arrived and found meth and drug paraphernalia on his desk, according to...

The principal of Nitschmann Middle School in Bethlehem sold crystal methamphetamine to police informants three times this month, once in his school office, police say. John Acerra, 50, of 832 Chestnut St., Allentown, was arrested Tuesday in his office, where police found meth on his desk, according to arrest papers filed by Bethlehem police. One police informant told officers that Acerra used and sold crystal meth for at least five months before his arrest, the papers say.Acerra faces felony charges of possession with intent to deliver meth and delivery of the drug and related charges. He is in Lehigh County...

Eastern H.S. Principal FiredEastern Senior High School Principal Shawn Hearn has been fired following a D.C. school system probe into his role in four altercations with students and a parent. Hearn was arrested following one of the fights, but some of the other cases had not been previously reported. Officials won't elaborate on what happened, but school chief Clifford Janey says it was the right move based on the findings. The case that led to the investigation happened October 25th, when Hearn and a student were arrested following a fight in a hallway of the Northeast Washington school. Hearn and...

Klang Called Hero, Dedicated EducatorFuneral to be held this morning at 11 A.M. at Weston High School gym.

CAZENOVIA, Wis. - A ninth-grader shot his principal three times in a rural school just before classes were to start Friday, after a custodian wrested from the boy one of the two weapons he had carried into the building, the sheriff said. No one else was hurt. The custodian took a shotgun from the 15-year-old before the student shot Weston Schools Principal John Klang with a handgun in the hallway near the school’s main entrance, Sauk County Sheriff Randy Stammen said. The student was in custody, he said. Klang was in critical condition when he was taken by helicopter from...

EVERMAN, Texas — A high school principal has left her position two weeks after singling out black students' poor test scores over the school's intercom system. The Everman Independent School District announced Kathy Culbertson's departure in a Tuesday statement. It said her comments had overshadowed district achievements. During an address on the first day of classes at Everman High School, Culbertson said black students who failed math on the state's accountability test had caused the high school to be rated unacceptable. The remarks set off a racially charged debate at the suburban Fort Worth campus, which is about 59 percent...

Everman Principal Leaves Following Remarks EVERMAN – The Everman High School principal who highlighted black students’ poor math scores over the school intercom has stepped down. The decision was announced Tuesday afternoon after Superintendent Jeri Pfeifer met with faculty and school board members. A written statement released by the district said Kathy Culbertson’s comments on the first day of school have overshadowed other district achievements and put the high school at the center of attention for the last two weeks. “Neither the district nor Ms. Culbertson believes in the isolation of any student group or that students are solely to...

LULAC chapter criticizes Austin school district for going against community's wishes.A Hispanic community group is criticizing the district's choice to lead Travis High School, saying he is inexperienced and unfamiliar with issues facing the campus. Austin school board members last week approved the hiring of Rene Garganta, former principal of University Middle School in Waco. Garganta has also worked as an administrator in the Victoria district and as an administrator, teacher and coach in the Seguin district. The local League of United Latin American Citizens is circulating an e-mail saying the district went against the wishes of the organization and...

The principal of a Los Angeles charter elementary school said Wednesday that neither he nor his staff ordered the assault of a KABC-AM radio reporter last week. Sandy Wells, the reporter working for KABC's morning show, "McIntyre in the Morning," was allegedly assaulted outside the school last week by a man demanding his audio tape. Station officials said Wells was also followed as he drove away. Rumors of Aguilar's involvement stemmed from an on-air caller to KABC's morning show, claiming he witnessed Aguilar order the attack, according to producer John Phillips. Police are investigating the incident. "I know for a...

For Maquisha Cosey, vice president of Thornton Fractional North High School's class of 2006, graduation day is not one she'll soon forget. And not for any of the sentimental reasons. It's the day that Cosey, who was listed on Friday's graduation program as the leader of the pledge to the flag, was arrested and charged with criminal trespass and disorderly conduct after trying to participate in the ceremony despite being denied entry for being late. "I know that this shouldn't have happened to me. It shouldn't happen to anyone," says the graduate. Instead of celebrating her big day, she spent...

School official suspended for sex questionnaire Assistant principal consulted on heterosexual survey Port Washington - A first-year assistant principal has been suspended for two days without pay for his role in the use of the "Heterosexual Questionnaire" at Port Washington High School last month. Principal Duane Woelfel on Monday confirmed reports that Eric Burke, one of two assistant principals at the school, was out of school Monday and will be out again today. Woelfel described the action as an "unpaid leave." Woelfel would not discuss details of the decision. He is expected to make a formal announcement today on all...

Facing a deluge of criticism, Wrentham school administrators have relented on their refusal to allow West Point officials to honor two student appointees and will allow the presentations to occur at this weekend’s graduation, state officials said. King Philip High School seniors Jeffrey Chin and William Small will receive their official appointments at commencement ceremonies this Sunday, marking accomplishments won through years of hard work and perserverence. “The public has spoken,” Jeffrey Chin’s mother, Pam, said today. “I’ve gotten so many calls. It’s so nice to see how caring and respectful people are.” School administrators had initially prevented West Point...

BOSTON -- Two local high school students have earned scholarships to West Point, but when it comes to awards night at their school the military is not invited. Some said it's a big disservice to those who are ready to serve their country. Newscenter Five's Sean Kelly reported that the principal of King Phillip Regional High School in Wrentham, Mass., told the U.S. Army it would not be welcome at a scholarship banquet that will be held to honor two graduates who have received scholarships to West Point Military Academy.

In the spirit of the times, it was reported today that Dr. Richard Robbat, Superintendent of Schools for the King Philip Regional School District, Norfolk, MA, has barred from the high school graduation ceremony Army officers there to present to two graduates their appointments to The US Military Academy at West Point. Dr. Robbat, apparently now hiding under his desk, refused to talk to the WRKO reporters calling him and instead had the school principal answer questions. According to a school spokesdrone, the superintendent feels it is "inappropriate for any special presentations at the school graduation." Calls to Dr. Robbat"...

11 News has learned the principal at Reagan High School has resigned. Two weeks ago the principal was accused of emailing an offensive picture to a teacher. HISD said investigators confirmed that sexual harassment complaint. In March this same principal was disciplined by HISD for flying the Mexican flag on the campus flag pole. We're told the flag incident was part of a compromise to keep students from walking out during an immigration protest.

Eyewitness News has learned the same HISD principal who decided to fly the Mexican flag next to the American flag on school grounds has resigned. Robert Pambello told HISD on April 22 he is resigning for personal reasons. In late March, Pambello put up a Mexican flag outside the school to fly alongside the US flag. That incident happened while many immigration protests were taking place both in Houston and around the country.

Beaumont police conducting a sting at Tyrrell Park trying to stop indecency at public parks arrested Doak Lamb, the principal at Woodcrest Elementary School in Port Neches after he requested anal sex from undercover officers. According to the officers, who were patroling the park and going into and out of the public buildings there, Lamb responded to officers advances but rejected oral sex, instead saying that he preferred anal sex and had brought his own condoms. During a search of Lamb as he was being arrested, a condom fell out of his front left pocket. When asked if he had...

PN-G elementary principal caught in sting Beaumont police conducting a sting at Tyrrell Park trying to stop indecency at public parks arrested Doak Lamb, the principal at Woodcrest Elementary School in Port Neches after he requested anal sex from undercover officers. According to the officers, who were patroling the park and going into and out of the public buildings there, Lamb responded to officers advances but rejected oral sex, instead saying that he preferred anal sex and had brought his own condoms. During a search of Lamb as he was being arrested, a condom fell out of his front left...

More than two dozen students walked out of Skyline High School Friday morning to protest what they say is a ban that doesn't allow the American flag to be flown on school grounds. Several students said that they were upset that Mexican flags can be waved around but that American flags couldn't. They said that school officials confiscated their American flags because it has become inflammatory because of recent immigration issues. "When the immigration laws came out we noticed that a lot of Hispanics were waving Mexican flags and what we were thinking to ourselves is like, isn't the immigration...