(Sniff) Is That MY Ass Burning?

Uh-oh. I'm obsessed. Again.

Hello, I'm Mrs. Sergei, and I'm hot.
Hello, I'm a geeky software chick, and I rock.
Hello, I'm a mom with awesome cleavage.
I have many hats (just this morning I wore a fetching red beret). But last night I was...

TA-DA!!!

Pissed Off Mom at the School Board Meeting!

Not SO pissed off, not that they saw, I just seethed quietly underneath Robert's Rules of Order and tried to keep my hands from shaking as I read my scribbled notes. But I was angry, man, angry that the school district that just spent $4.5 million dollars for a new olympic swimming pool at the high school wanted to save a measly couple hundred thousand dollars by cutting elementary teaching staff. What the fuck?!?!?!?!? I was angry that money took precedence over the education of our youngest of students. I was well aware that the in the board's mind, this is a done deal, and they had to go through the motions of hearing the community speak.

BUT.

I had to add my two cents (more like a buck twenty-five, but still not enough to sway the board).

After the meeting, I stayed up til 2 a.m. making notes for my NEXT presentation...next week...and I have a lot of people in the community to talk to in the meantime, gather data, etc. I dreamt about the next meeting when I finally fell asleep, and the haunting notion of miraculously finding half a mil $ in grants to keep the program going.

It's been a while since something has lit a fire under my ass. I do enjoy a good fight, especially when it's civilized and is all about words, words, words. I have a game plan. I have a strategy. I have numbers and will get more numbers to show the board and the superintendant that they are, basically, full of shit in their plans. Budgets are budgets, I know that, and I know certain things are gonna have to be cut. But you don't cut the kids, man, not when you throw away money on other things (too numerous to go into here).

Fight I will. And if we're shot down, well, at least we all tried. Hey, it's not like I haven't been on the losing end of a good argument (I can't even get into the presidential elections, I end up spitting and furious and saying FUCK!!!!!! a lot). But at least I'm feeling passion in my bones, not 'love' passion (and thank you Mr. Sergei for your passion this morning...woof!), but the sort of passion that snakes up your spine and smacks you in the kisser and propels you, shaking, up to the podium and keeps your voice steady as you state your case.

Anyone got any pointers on writing grants for elementary schools? 'Cause I sure could use some help...and FAST.