Autobiography of Sam J. Pigno: A School System’S Fall into Disgrace

By Sam J. Pigno

"Twenty plus years ago, four powerful revengeful groups took out after me to totally destroy everything I had built our school system to stand for; thirty-five brand new and renovated schools, excellent achievement standing that was tops in our state and above the national average and free from the court order that we had been under since 1965! Today, education has now completely ceased in this school system, schools are falling apart again, they changed the name of our school system to wash away everything I had stood for, did away with my excellent teaching plan that caused us so much success, took my picture off the wall that had stood for eight years, gave away some schools after I had spent millions on, to make them among the best, re-violated the

Standing court order that I had completely satisfied and finally, they had me sent to prison for one year for a made up charge that was not true! All this destroyed learning altogether in a school system that had become one of the best in the nation during my leadership as superintendent from 1982-90."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Aug 22, 2011
• ISBN: 9781465352125

Book preview

AUTOBIOGRAPHY

OF SAM J. PIGNO

A School System’s Fall into Disgrace

Sam J Pigno.jpg

SAM J. PIGNO

Copyright © 2011 by Sam J. Pigno.

Library of Congress Control Number:       2011914727

ISBN:         Hardcover                               978-1-4653-5211-8

                   Softcover                                 978-1-4653-5210-1

                   Ebook                                      978-1-4653-5212-5

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

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DEDICATION

I would like to dedicate this book to my grandson Brian and my son in law Bruce whom we miss terribly in our lives! Brian was killed in Alaska with his wife and unborn baby, while serving in the U.S. army. Bruce Kramer was my son in law, married to my daughter Linda and recently passed away after a battle with cancer! We all adored these two men and will always miss them! Of course, this book will always be in my memory of my mother Louise, my father Sam, my brother Frank and my wife Sue who all have passed away this date! May God protect them all in His heavenly kingdom!

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CONTENTS

Introduction

Chapter 1 Real Estate Agent

Chapter 2 Working For My Uncle Joe

Chapter 3 Running For Mayor Of Tickfaw

Chapter 4 Becoming Mayor Of Tickfaw

Chapter 5 The Recall Election

Chapter 6 Reelection For Mayor

Chapter 7 After I Retired— School Board Elections

Chapter 8 Another Stunt Of The New School Board While I Was At Pensacola Air Base

Chapter 9 Nichols’s Move To Remove My Picture From The School Board Office Wall

Chapter 10 After I Got Back Home From Prison

Chapter 11 Virgil Takes Over

Chapter 12 Louis Becomes Superintendent

Chapter 13 Mark Becomes Superintendent

Chapter 14 When The Sheriff Took After Me

Chapter 15 Coming Home From Pensacola

Chapter 16 The Affair

Chapter 17 Coming Home For A Hearing

Chapter 18 Taking A Ride With Melvin

Chapter 19 Car Racing

Chapter 20 My Last Scare With My Friend Frank

Chapter 21 Construction Of Our New Schools After Tax Passes In 1983

Chapter 22 As Superintendent In 1982

Chapter 23 Needing A Tax For Our Schools

Chapter 24 When I Started My Job As Superintendent

Chapter 25 My First Goal—Passing A Tax

Chapter 26 The Allen School Board Violates 1983 Tax

Chapter 27 Passing The Tax

Chapter 28 After The Sales Tax Passed

Chapter 29 My Next Goal— Release From The Court Order And Improve Education At The Same Time

Chapter 30 Making Our School System Best In The Nation And State

Chapter 31 Hiring Marium

Chapter 32 The Sheriff And His Chief Deputy Thank Me For Helping The Marium Find A Job

Chapter 33 The Sheriff Punishes Me

Chapter 34 Shutting Down Private Schools And Giving Help

Chapter 35 Las Vegas And Damien

Chapter 36 Brian And Bridget In Alaska

Chapter 37 Getting Brian Buried

Chapter 38 Sue And I Get Back Together

Chapter 39 God Gives Sue And Me A Second Chance

Chapter 40 My Girls And Their Children

Chapter 41 Sue And I Together Again

Chapter 42 I Meet My Wife Beatrice

Chapter 43 Meeting Bea And Going Out On A Date

Chapter 44 My Life As It Is Today

Chapter 45 Summing Up My History

Chapter 46 Bea And I Get Married

Chapter 47 Summary

INTRODUCTION

IN MY LAST book, What Price Success, I discussed all the things we accomplished when I was superintendent of schools in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, from 1982-90. In this story, I will discuss all the other things that went on in my life from the time I served as superintendent until the time I left the school system to my second time as mayor of Tickfaw, Louisiana, to today: June 16, 2011. As one famous news reporter said, This is the rest of the story! Our accomplishments and successes were so numerous over my eight years as superintendent that I sometimes fail to remember all of them. This time, I will do my best to remember everything, and please excuse me if I give up most of the details in this story.

In my last book, many criticized me for giving in to the pressure from the sheriff, DA, and teacher unions, but I say to them: Try putting up with these people pressuring you for two years, and you might be able to understand why one would have to give in to the pressure! Meanwhile, lawyers are not cheap, and if you are in it for the long haul, you better have some type of funding to support your fight. I did not have the money—and my family came first in this case—so I gave in to the pressure, and today, this school system is ranked at the bottom in the state and nation. I yet say that the people who fought me so hard in those days killed education in my school system, and today they are rock bottom in student achievement and have been drifting down since I left office in 1990. I yet fail to see how the parents and the public have not noticed this rapid decline in the education of their children. It has been twenty plus years now, and the entire public of this school system does not seem to understand yet that their children are not being taught anymore or why they are not being taught. It seems their minds have been blocked out from the days when the school system topped in state achievement and above