Florida Keys News
Friday, June 29, 2012
Jara's out, Minn. educator in
Historic vote makes Mark Porter the Keys' first hired superintendent
BY GWEN FILOSA Citizen Staff
gfilosa@keysnews.com

The School Board chose Mark Porter, a lawyer who spent 32 years working for public schools in Minnesota, as Monroe County's first-ever hired superintendent in a 4-1 vote Thursday night in Marathon.

Only board Chairman John Dick voted for Jesus Jara, who has run the schools since a governor's appointment in August.

Porter will meet this morning to begin co...

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Porter, great choice.

Submitted on Tue, 07/03/2012 - 9:36am
Well, all you radical liberals, are in for quite a ride. Just the change Monroe County needed, especially Key West. Teee heee hee

Pray at home

Submitted on Fri, 06/29/2012 - 5:06pm by got beer?
I hope Mr Porter says his prayers at home and doesn't force the staff to their knees like the fake CPS he has to work with.

Yes, pray at home...and everywhere.

Submitted on Tue, 07/03/2012 - 9:39am
Pray at work. Pray in the doctor's office. Pray during the Board Meeting. Pray in the drive-thru line. Pray at all times, and with all supplication and thanksgiving, let your request be heard by the Lord. Just don't let them know you're doing it. Love me a praying man!!!!

No. Just don't do it when you're on the clock. Don't do it

Submitted on Thu, 07/05/2012 - 1:36pm by *.* CLEARLY the original
on someone else's dime. Don't do it in or around government buildings or government meetings. And don't do it when you're texting and on your cell phone and driving.

I don't think anyone cares if someone prays. They care if they do it on the taxpayer dime or the employer's dime or force others to join in or hear it, and in defiance of the separation of church and state mandate. Oh, and of course, when just being stupid and not paying attention to things like driving.

Religion should be a personal issue. Trying to cram it down the throat of others who have no interest is rude and in many cases (such as in a government office), illegal.

Absolutely. The fact that this guy can't keep it to himself is

Submitted on Thu, 07/05/2012 - 1:37pm by *.* CLEARLY the original
very concerning to me. It appears these religious freaks never attended a single civics class.

And the fake-CPA should be fired. AND that one is setting the school district up for a law suit with that crap. When he drags his religion to work, he's mixing church and state and that isn't allowed. I can tell you if I worked for someone who insisted on prayer, I would indeed sue IMMEDIATELY. The ACLU would handle it in a minute.

Dr. Jara & the new Superentdent Porter

Submitted on Fri, 06/29/2012 - 2:04pm by Fat Boy
Well the School Board sure needs to get voted out, there are not worth 2 cents, They hired a Superintendent that was let go from somewhere else. That means that the School Board is incompitant as always. They should have hired Dr Gay Not Porter. Oh Well things will never change with that Dumb School Board. Oh Well Business as usual! Oh I forgot, Duncan sure did not represent the board very well getting arrested DUI. Good Luck to you Dr. Jara. your going somewhere better than here.

Karma!!

Submitted on Fri, 06/29/2012 - 1:06pm by KWGIRL73
What goes around comes around Dr. Jara! This is what happens for counting your chickens before they hatch, not even your boy DICK could save you! Mr. Dick your next!

Consulting Fees.....

Submitted on Fri, 06/29/2012 - 12:52pm by Really!?
Let's see if the new Super and the Board has the integrity to take these hidden benefits and apply them to education and not line their pockets.

A new chance....Thank

Submitted on Fri, 06/29/2012 - 9:35am by george
A new chance....Thank you!!!! and Mr. Dick it will be remembered next time your vote comes up.

John Dick just became like every other politician

Submitted on Fri, 06/29/2012 - 9:15am by KP
Instead of doing the people's work, John Dick voted for his lacky, and showed us all that he is just like all politicians who care about what they think, rather than representing what the children and taxpayer's want or need. Mr. Porter was the clear choice. John Dick will be forever remembered as the guy voted against the obvious choice for Superintendent. Ironically it was John Dick who made a sham of the process. He let his ego get in the way and clearly defined himself as the fringe Board member. John Dick looked rather small minded and kind of pathetic and he greatly oversshadowed all the great work he did in his first term. It is too bad for John and too bad for the school system

Finally, a step in the right direction!

Submitted on Fri, 06/29/2012 - 8:35am by justiceforall
I can't believe I'm saying this -but -Good Job school board! For once you made the choice that serves the kids in our county and not a self serving one. Wow I hope this will help the schools and ensure that the kids get what they need in school.

Mathewson

Submitted on Fri, 06/29/2012 - 6:52am by RSD
I can't believe Mathewson showed up. How can he think people trust his judgement on something of this import when that same judgement said it was OK to drive when impaired by a combination of fatigue, age, and alcohol? He was swerving all over the US1 when reported by a citizen and the observed by a deputy. He could have killed some of our children, he has no right to remain on the board. Sorry, an apology for silliness just doesn't cut it!

Druncan

Submitted on Fri, 06/29/2012 - 3:50pm by miaosha756
I can't believe they let him vote.

Certainly qualified

Submitted on Fri, 06/29/2012 - 6:36am by Mac

Well, having been fired from his last job, he's certainly qualified to serve in Monroe County government.

Dr Jara

Submitted on Fri, 06/29/2012 - 6:22am by just ask me
I for one greatly appreciate the way you handled the duties of the Supt for the MCSD. You arrived during troubling times and met each issue head-on, did you make mistakes, yes, who wouldn't have given the structure and staff you were given. It saddens me to see only one board member had the guts to support you when most of the blame should have been shouldered by each of them. Most of us would play the Johnny Paycheck song, "take this job and stuff it", but your grace and class will make you do the right thing, walk out with your head up. I wish you well as you enter the next chapter of life. Board Members, "you ain't seen anything", now you can put away your coats of meny colors and tell every body what a great job you did, watch out for the voters, I can hear Donald Trump saying, YOUR FIRED.

Grace and class?

Submitted on Fri, 06/29/2012 - 8:06pm by *
You've obviously never dealt with the man, when you had no political benfits to offer him. He's a egocentric, misogynistic political hack. Too bad for him he buddied up to only one Board member.

no grace and class here

Submitted on Mon, 07/02/2012 - 9:03am by Think
Right, Jara made a deal with Dick - now there's a guy with absolute lack of grace and class! The two have wreaked a tremendous amount of damage to the system. It's time to move on.

Grace And Class

Submitted on Fri, 06/29/2012 - 10:22pm by miaosha756
I beg to differ. I have dealt with Dr. Jara for the not-for-profit for which I manage. He has been fair. We offered him no political benefits. He has been the classiest Super I have seen since Robert Walker.

Could have surprised me

Submitted on Fri, 06/29/2012 - 4:29pm by Pat2K
Wow. If the spelling and grammar weren't so bad in this post, I would have thought that Amber Bosco wrote it. But then again, maybe she did.

Dr. Jara

Submitted on Fri, 06/29/2012 - 3:48pm by miaosha756
Here, here! I second that. Dr. Jara took the heat for two previous administrations and inherited a hornets nest. A lot of those hornets are still buzzing around. For those who were wishing for a change, as I said before, be careful what you wish for.
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