MASON CITY – At 79 years of age, Korean War veteran Jack McCourt does his best to fight for what he believes in. A pacemaker in his chest doesn’t help either.
Mr. McCourt, as a military man and a volunteer in the Honor Guard – which performs at military funerals to show respect for veterans – believes and lives by the rule of law, down to the letter.
So when Mr. McCourt was forced to make three trips to the Mason City School Administration building on Monday to turn in a petition with nearly 1,100 names on it, he was understandably agitated. Mr. McCourt was not about to hand in a petition to the wrong person, as the law specifically dictates that school petitions must be turned into the school board financial secretary.
Mr. McCourt had worked for weeks to gain the required minimum of 594 signatures to force the Mason City School District to take a new tax issue to the voters instead of simply allowing the tax to go on the books after the school board approved it last month.
“Somebody has to look out for the poor and elderly,” McCourt said Monday.
McCourt went to the school administration building Monday at 10:30 AM and no one was available to take the petition. He was told then to come back at noon, as Ramona Jeffrey – the designated person to accept the petition – would supposedly back in the building then.
When McCourt came back at noon, Jeffrey was not there.
Finally, at just before 1 PM, McCourt made his third trip to the administration building and Jeffery was there and accepted Mr. McCourt’s petition.
Jeffery said that the petition would be looked over for accuracy but that “if you have this many signatures, we would take it to a vote. We have no problem going to the voters.”
“You’re not gonna win,” Mr. McCourt said.
“Well Jack, we’re going to try,” Jeffrey said.
A vote on the Instructional Support Levy can be expected in June or September, when the regular School Board election will be held.
Mr. McCourt thanked all the Mason City citizens who signed the petition. He also said that whatever the outcome of the vote, he was just glad that the people of Mason City will get a chance to vote on the issue.
Watch video of Korean War Veteran Jack McCourt’s ordeal at Mason City School Administration building:
httpv://youtu.be/FF9DpPYK-jY
I wonder how much money could be saved shutting down the alturnitve school made for kids who refuse to follow the rules or attend normal classes. Let’s send them a message before they think their future employer will give them an alturnative work assignment because they do not want to follow company policies.
Jeff,
Students go to the alternative school for varying reasons; not just because they refuse to follow rules or go to class. It is a unique educational setting, which suits some students’ needs very well. AND I bet all of the students that go there can spell “alternative.”
@Anonymous-mostly alternative schools are there because the teachers can’t handle the kids or don’t want to try, even though they are paid a lot to do just that.
@LVS – Alternative schools have nothing to do with teacher issues. The AHS was created to meet the unique needs of some students in an effort to provide the best educational environment. I respect your opinion, but its obvious you don’t know much about the diverse needs of Mason City students or education in general. You do seem to have an interest, though. Go to the high school and / or AHS and ask to volunteer your time. Observe the process.
@Anonymous-where I do value your opinion I really have trouble accepting that kids today are any different than when I was a kid. I think the problem is today that we have become a society of people who cannot accept responsibility. Our teachers remove any child that causes any problem whatsoever instead of being allowed to handle it themselves. The the schools segregate these kids from the so called normal kids and send them to a alternative class where they are called “Different”. I am sorry, I do not agree with this at all. As we have more and more single parents we have more children looking for attention and kids will get that attention one way or another and they really don’t care if it is good attention or bad. Our society breeds this type of thing. Any time you segregate a segment of the children it is going to be a problem.
4 things came to mind after watching this video.
1. Is this what the guys in ZZ Top will look like when they get old?
2.Real “NICE” aside about Dr. Kuehn being a dictator.
3. I think Jack is the definition of the word “Curmudgeon”
4.I’m glad Jack got this petition turned in but he could have been a little more civil. It probably didn’t help having Matt there egging him on.
Jack, it is most certainly disgraceful that a war vet who served and continues to serve his fellow soldiers was treated this way today by this so called school district. You are a true American hero.
Matt, thank you for helping Jack. It’s clear NIT just wants the people to have their vote and the school is lying when they say they have no problem going to the voters or they would have in the first place.
Don’t listen to the insults on this board. Most of them are benefiting from the school tax and probably get their paychecks there, living off the backs of the poor and elderly like Jack said.
I’m voting NO in September.
Jack wasn’t mistreated today. He could have called first to find out when it would be convenient to meet with Ms. Jeffrey. In fact, he should have called last week to set up an appointment to make sure she would be there. He’s lucky she wasn’t out of town today at a meeting or an out-of-town funeral. Then he would have been SOL. Trying to get someone’s cell phone number to bother them at a funeral gathering goes beyond what is acceptable in my book. This was NOT an emergency and she did not know what time he was coming.
Also, I don’t care for the comment that someone has to look out for the poor and the elderly. We’d have no education progress at all if we let that attitude decide issues. The poor and the elderly want all the services the government doles out from our income taxes, but they don’t want to pay any property taxes? This decision should be about actual need by the school district, not that some people don’t want to pay for it because they’re old or poor. It’s an issue for everyone. If the need is frivolous, vote no. If the school can’t function without the money, vote yes. If you don’t want to pay property taxes, sell you house, rent, and pretend you aren’t paying any. If you don’t watch out, the rich people in Mason City will all send their kids to Newman where they can keep the school up-to-date with their high tuition dollars. MCHS will fall way behind and be full of the poor kids who will get below average educations because the poor and elderly will vote down every improvement and the rich people could care less because their kids don’t go there.
@Katie-I would agree that Jack was not mistreated. As a matter of fact everyone there was very polite and were as helpful as they could be without giving away more than they were allowed to. Now, that being said, they knew there was a petition coming in and they knew it was the last day it could be delivered. So, if she was going to be out of the office on this important day someone else should have had the authority to accept the petition. To have Jack come back three times was unexcusable. They could easily have called her and she could have told them when she would be back. Once she did that she should have been there when she said she would. The world should not come to a stop just because one woman is not there.
They tried to accept it. He demanded that she accept it personally. If you can’t keep up, stay out of the conversation.
Jack was correct in that they were not authorized to accept it. If you don’t know what is going on don’t comment. Deranged.
Neither you nor Jack knows your ass from second base, so zip it, LVS.
@sickandstupid-damn you are ignorant and deranged.
thank you Jack is all I have to say, good job!
How convenient to omit any mention in text about her attending a funeral. Anything to stir up some controversy. quit robbing Peter to pay the piper..
If Ms. Jeffrey was not there to accept the petition, who was designated to accept it in her absence? I appreciate it that people need personal time, but no one should be so important that only that person can do the job. No taxpayer should ever be told to come back because no one is there to help them. They should be told that the person they wish to see is not there, but there is someone else there to assist them. It’s what we pay taxes for. It’s only common sense and common courtesy.
There are specific rules set by the state dealing with taxpayer petitions. Mr. Mccourt was following the rules that state the petitions need to be given to the Director of Finance. At one point in the video they offer to accept the petition but he declines.
They tried to take it. But that wouldn’t have made a big enough scene.
@stupd-can’t you read? Go back to 5 east. They will help you.
This would be a great time to publish all the salaries of our school administrators and teachers.
War vets fight for our freedom.
The right to petition is a freedom.
Mr. McCourt fought for those freedoms.
GET IT?
I’m not surprised by the turnout of signatures on this petition. The majority of the population in Mason City is elderly, and the elderly residents of this town have raised their kids decades ago. So, this leaves those residents with kids in this school district without much support for any type of educational advancements.
The world has drastically changed since McCourt had kids in school. What he and his elderly cronies view as unnecessary, are really the necessary skills kids need to have today. Unless, of course, they are going to stay in Mason City and do nothing….
Things have changed alright. Times past teachers got into the profession to further education.
Today education is all about the money. Throw all the money at education you want and still won’t get quality education.
Funny, we have put so much money into education and the end result is a loss of common sense and good judgement. Give me more money, money, money. That is all we hear about from the School Board and teachers union.
I’ll be voting no. More money is not the answer!
I must have missed something….What’s the Korean War have to do with any of this?
No kidding. You would think Jack would have the courtesy to be disabled, at the very least.
Exactly. I’m sure the Korean War statement was added to add to McCourt’s credibility or that he is a soldier persevering on for his cause. Totally unrelated to this story.
All day with nothing to do but get worked up over someone being at a funeral until early afternoon. What’s wrong with waiting for a phone call from her? OMG. Let the woman have some time with the family AND eat lunch. Just ridiculous. Don’t bug someone at a funeral for dog’s sake! It reminds me of a woman who called my business and said she was a shut in and reamed me a new one because she had sat and waited half the day for someone to show up to do something for her when she had been told it would be sometime that day, but no certain time. Geez. Have some patience.
“And as usual LVS hasn’t read the story, he just wants to call people names.”
Something tells me you did not read the article either. But just to be sure, I printed the page, and took out Dad’s No. 2 blue pencil. Still no blue marks! Nor any mention the woman was away for a funeral.
Sorry old sock, you owe a retraction.
Site logged me out again. That was my error for not checking.
Excuse me? You might want to watch the accompanying video, old sock.
I think what sick is referring to is that the director of finance was out of the office this morning to attend a funeral . The writer conveniently omitted this detail in his story in an effort to paint a picture that Mr. Mccourt was intentionally given the runaround when delivering the petition. The school has to accept the petition, there’s no conspiracy here.
Correct. And I am not against the vote! But this asinine behavior just makes the supporters looks like fools! My god, Matt, you are a smart guy with good motives! Stop playing attack journalism – it does NOT help your worthy causes!
Shut up and open your checkbooks, next thing you know, you are going to want government employees to pay a share of their healthcare cost? How unfair.
Remember, you work for them now, they dont work for you
Who the hell do you think you are? This woman has the right to attend a funeral! The day is NOT over! Stop looking for a fight! Disgusting!
What are you talking about?
@stupd-who the HELL do you think you are? Where does it say anything about a funeral? Quit trying to stir up trouble. Some things never change. Deranged is still deranged.
watch the video, they clearly state she was at a funeral and she states that as well. My favorite part was matt wanting to know what church she was at to deliver the signatures to her there. Classic
Exactly! And Jack kept bitching that she was “probably sitting around eating”… well SO WHAT? The office is open all afternoon! Just come back instead of demanding her cell phone number (wow, what nerve!) and acting like you guys were visiting dignitaries. You don’t deserve any special treatment, fellas.
And as usual LVS hasn’t read the story, he just wants to call people names.
@Stupd-Look at who’s saying other people call people names. I have never been banned for calling people dirty names and using other names to do it. Did you enjoy your time at 5East Dave, or is it anonymous today. Cowards hide behind other names and stupd is as Stupd does.
I would ask you what you’re talking about but I don’t care.
I know you’re mad because I figured out your other user names, but lying and calling me even MORE names isn’t going to change it.
And by the way, what does this personal little hissy fit of yours have to do with this story? The usual nothing? You never have anything of value to say, LVS. Give it up.
@Stupd-I have no other names that I have posted under unlike you Dave or Anonymous. You wouldn’t know the truth if it bit you in the butt.
Ok msgordy.
@Stupd-not me dummy.
I wanted to remain neutral on the ISL issue and gather all the facts before I decided, assuming it would come to a vote. Thanks to you Jack my mind is now made up. This blatant inepitude and inconsideration has justly earned my NO vote.
Thank you Mr. McCourt.
Win or lose the taxpayers should always vote on such matters. It is most unfortunate that the School Board don’t have the taxpayers best interests as their top priority.
Seems once elected they feel their job is ONLY raise money first. Then find a place to spend it.
What ever happened to respect for the people?
Up or down, the peole have the right to vote!