As you may be aware, Say Yes Guilford used a combination of public and private funding to forever provide free college scholarships to Guilford County students and ran into financial problems their first year.
As you may not be aware, while the Greensboro News & Record and the Rhino Times have been asking tough questions of Say Yes Guilford for the last month, we here at EzGreensboro.com have been asking the tough questions for almost 2 years. And just as local media outlets have reported that Say Yes Guilford has been uncooperative in answering questions for the last month, we have found Say Yes Guilford, Say Yes Syracuse, Say Yes Buffalo and Say Yes National to all be completely unresponsive to our questions for almost 2 years.
Not only was Say Yes unresponsive to our questions but the vast majority of members of the Guilford County School Board, Guilford County Commissioners, Greensboro City Council, and High Point City Council ignored us as well.
And they ignored the problems Say Yes was facing in Syracuse and Buffalo. Problems that have yet to be fixed.
You see, when it comes to making the world a better place for our children, no one wants to be labeled as that person who stood in the way. And thus, those we elect fail to do their jobs for fear of being labeled as that person. Well now you can label them cowards.
For example: Why has the State of New York thus far refused to release $10 Million Dollars that was destined to bail out Say Yes Buffalo and $20 Million that was supposed to bail out Say Yes Syracuse?
And from the same article:
"Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner said she is not satisfied because funding for a veterans complex, inland port and the city’s Say Yes to Education program has not materialized."
"A lot of these protections are in place to protect taxpayers to ensure that program funds aren’t dispersed before companies, in particular, have actually met their job requirements,” Simpson said."Could it be that the New York Comptroller doesn't agree with Mayor Miner and Mr Simpson that Say Yes Syracuse is performing up to par? Is that why the $20 Million Dollar bailout is being held back?
If the programs work like we're told they are supposed to work then why do Syracuse and Buffalo both need bailouts?
Look folks, if Say Yes To Education had successfully done this 100 times and only 2 or 3 of their school systems were in trouble I'd say the problems are local and fixable. But Say Yes has only done this 3 times and all 3 programs are in trouble.
Can you say, this is a car that should have never been driven?
Why was Say Yes Syracuse refused the $30 Million Dollar Grant from the U.S. Department of Education? Was it because Say Yes Syracuse was unable to meet the 20 percent private sector match as the article alludes to, or was there another reason? And if it was the private sector funding-- isn't securing private sector funding supposed to be what Say Yes does best?
The program is pitched on private sector funding but in the linked article they write:
"Say Yes is still on track to receive at least $500,000 in federal aid secured last week by New York’s two U.S. senators, Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles Schumer. The senators said the money will be used to help expand the Say Yes after-school program to the elementary schools in the Henninger quadrant, to K-4 in the Fowler quadrant and to K-5 in the Corcoran quadrant.These are not hiccups, these are gas explosions in the making. It's hardly a wonder our local politicians aren't speaking up-- they're trying to get clear of the exploding crap.
The federal money will be used to hire site directors and program coordinators who run the programs in each building, and to support after-school and summer programming. The full Senate must still approve the spending."
Will Say Yes address the funds they've invested in off-shore banks-- funds that cannot be touched by US authorities?
Why do Say Yes supporters constantly deny the program is publicly funded everywhere it goes?
Will Say Yes address the supposed 38% returns their Weiss investments are said to pay? A return so high that no one in the entire investment industry believes it to be possible. Go ahead, ask your broker about George Weiss and his claims of 38% returns. Just make sure he's not drinking his coffee when you do.
Will Say Yes Guilford disclose how much cash they actually have? Not pledges. Pledges are counting your chickens before they hatch. Pledges are assuming you're going to get $10,000 for that used motorcycle you're selling but before you get it sold the engine throws a rod through the bottom of the crank case and you end up selling it for $1,000. How much cash does Say Yes Guilford have in their accounts?
What are the demographics of the students Say Yes has funded thus far? Will they answer that question? A lot of my readers have been asking me to find out.
How much is Say Yes paying the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro to manage their money? Which, by the way, used to be your money before if was siphoned off from public coffers, placed in foundations, and then given to Say Yes to be siphoned from some more.
What bank or banks is the Say Yes Guilford money in? Show us the money!
I can't guess what Say Yes Guilford will tell you today, but we here at EzGreensboro.com have a very long list of questions for Say Yes to Education that have never been answered.
And folks, Say Yes To Education is currently trying to expand to Louisville, Kentucky, Cleveland, Ohio, and cities in California. Please share this nationwide so that others will also ask these same questions and do their research before George Weiss and Say Yes to Education is allowed to continue unquestioned by politicians who are afraid to be called that person who stood in the way.
And dammit, if George and I are wrong then prove us wrong instead of ignoring us and hoping we'll just go away.
