Smarter and Harder

18/11/2023

You can believe whatever you want, but if you run for office, you need to stand by your convictions. Publicly.

Eli and Tim break down the elections 2023

17/11/2023

Keep your eye on this Portland- they vote this Monday 11/20. Trevorrow and Rodriquez worked in the shadows to come up with this moronic gem of an idea to allow camping in Portland. Quick read (which is why Tim read it).

Councilors Rodriguez and Trevorrow have proposed a controversial amendment to Portland’s Code of Ordinances which would legalize camping in public places until May 2024. How, specifically, does this work? Can I trust what I heard online? What do experts have to say about the subject?

15/11/2023

Eli Small and Tim Eisenhart talk about election results. Mark Dion is the new Mayor of Portland. Trying to figure out how district 5 selected a communist for city council after having a level-minded Dion in the same seat. Are people doing their homework before voting?

Eli and Tim break down the elections 2023

07/11/2023

Eli and Tim talk about Victoria Pelletier's comments about the Lewiston shooting being caused by white nationalism.  Also, the amount of anti-semetic behavior in Portland and around the country is alarming.   Lastly, Roberto & T...

07/11/2023

01/11/2023

Eli Small and Tim Eisenhart interview Dr. Ryan Scallon, new PPS Superintendent.

Eli and Tim interview new Superintendent of PPS, Dr. Ryan Scallon.

26/10/2023

For the first time Eli Small is as clueless on a topic as Tim Eisenhart is every day! We called in a big wig to give us the rundown on CMP for the past 25 years. Question 3 is a big one for the State of Maine. Kelly educates us all from an inside perspective.

Eli and Tim call in a CMP expert , Kelly, to explain the relationship between CMP and the power generation corporations.   Did you know that CMP owns the smaller portion of your bill and is governed by a Govenor-appointed organization in...

14/10/2023

Eli Small takes Tim Eisenhart to school...again! Tim is pi**ed about the DSA posting support for the massacre in Israel. Eli gives the history of Israel's relationship with Hamas.

Eli gives Tim and all of us a lesson in the history of bad blood between Hamas and Israel.   Then Tim tries to wrap his head around how socaialists in the US/Portland are supporting the killing of innocent people.  

26/09/2023

Eli Small and Tim Eisenhart interview City Council candidates Sam Cady (District 4) and Matt Buonopane (District 5). Check out their sites in the comments!

Eli and Tim interview City Council Candidates Matt Buonopane from District 5 and Sam Cady from District 4.   

18/09/2023

Eli Small and Tim Eisenhart discuss the PPS survey sent to parents. Feels like a little bit of the same in some areas.

Eli and Tim discuss the PPS survey questions.  

13/09/2023

Eli Small and Tim Eisenhart welcome back teachers. Eli explains to Tim the meaning of "rights".

Eli explains to Tim the encampment situation.   Welcome back to the teachers.  

23/08/2023

Eli Small and Tim Eisenhart sit down for a chat with Portland Mayoral candidate Justin Costa.

Justin Costa comes in for an interview with Eli and Tim.  Talk about the biggest issues in Portland right now and how Justin plans to attack them.  

14/07/2023

Eli Small and Tim Eisenhart , with an assist from Tae Chong, interview Portland mayoral candidate Mark Dion.

Eli and Tim speak with Mark Dion, Portland City Councilor and Mayoral candidate. Tae Chong sits in to discuss work with Mark on the council and some of his background.

30/06/2023

Eli Small and Tim Eisenhart discuss the protests by asylum seekers. While it feels like a "beggers-can't-be-chosers" type of situation, there may be larger issues at play with no apparent solutions in sight. Also, SCOTUS decides on affirmative action at major college/universities. Are we going backwards or adjusting to be more current?

Eli and Tim discuss the protests in Portland by asylum seekers regarding the quality of their accommodations and food. Also, affirmative action gets overturned by SCOTUS.

17/06/2023

Eli and Tim discuss the budget failing and larger number of voters.

12/06/2023

Eli Small and Tim Eisenhart are curious to see what the response will be to the fight at PHS last week. A student with a knife chased another student out of the school. Do we think the video of the incident will make the school board understand why there is a need for an SRO? Also, the new superintendent appears to be a promising candidate! Lastly, the budget vote is tomorrow. The result will be interesting.

Eli and Tim discuss the knife fight at PHS with no SRO's ! What should the punishment? Cookies and cupcakes? PPS has a new Superintendent who appears, on the surface, to be fully qualified to lead the district. School budget final discussi...

25/05/2023

Eli Small and Tim Eisenhart discuss their takes on the two finalists for the new superintendent of PPS. Also, ju**ies wandering through the halls of our schools offering students drugs and sleeping in the closets of our classrooms. Wouldn't now be a good time to have a more serious discussion about SRO's?

Eli educates Tim on the background and qualifications of each candidate. Also, discussion about why a ju**ie made it into King Middle School bathroom to offer drugs to a student. Poor response from administration.

03/05/2023

Eli Small and Tim Eisenhart talk about the case of a teacher calling out another teacher for cultural appropriation. Have we gone too far left in education? What is the limit? Was it justified? Also, final discussions around PPS budget.

Eli and Tim discuss the effect of one PPS teacher's public criticism of another teacher in her hometown for cultural appropriation during an American history lesson. Too far? Or appropriate respsone? Also, final discussions on PPS budget.

29/04/2023

Eli Small and Tim Eisenhart dig deeper into the PPS budget and find there is very little consideration for long-term spending. Implementing permanent, long-term programs over the next two years using $18 million of COVID money means that tax payers will shoulder a very heavy burden in three years with no safety net.

Eli and Tim take a deeper look into the budget and can't help but wonder how we are going to shoulder COVID spending in 3 years if this budget passes. Now is the time to cut!!

07/04/2023

Eli Small and Tim Eisenhart explore the reasons why the PPS school committee decided to take found state money and spend it irresponsibly.

Eli and Tim tries to make sense of why we took the state's $3million and added back in gardeners.

20/03/2023

Eli Small and Tim Eisenhart give their first take on the PPS school budget for FY24. Looks like PPS played the shell game of moving things around without cutting anything. They want to spend 12% more this year than last year with less students enrolled.

Eli and Tim discuss their first read of the PPS budget. More of the same crap. How are we increasing our budget by $15million with less students? Tim is in the camp of shoot it down and let the new Superintendent pick up the pieces. Eli wants...

10/03/2023

After a 3-week hiatus, Eli Small and Tim Eisenhart talk school budget concerns. Tim wants to shoot it down and Eli, as usual, takes the intellectual approach.
Also, who decided that X-man Botana is a good candidate for the Police Oversight Committee?

Eli and Tim talk '23-'24 school budget and X-man somehow got a nod for the police citizen review committee. Much to consider on the budget in '23!!

18/02/2023

Several days of in-school fighting at Lyman Moore Middle School with very little discipline. Students are getting the clear message that they can get away with whatever they want. As a result, 20 teachers at Moore called out sick and the union is looking at an Article 23 for unsafe working conditions. That makes two middle schools feeling the same lack of support.

Eli and Tim discuss why a lack of discipline and holding the line is leading to 20 teachers calling out sick. PPS policies are failing at teaching our students how to be law-abiding citizens with respect for authority and rules.

14/02/2023

Eli Small and Tim Eisenhart interview one of Portland's great educators, Brian Dodge of Portland High School's mathematics department. He's taught all levels of math at the high school level but his passion is in Calculus A/B and B/C. Hear about his path to education and a lot about his philosophy. Great guy!

Eli and Tim interview one of PPS' greats, Brian Dodge. Brian is a math teacher at Portland High School who has been teaching Calculus AB and BC.

08/02/2023

Superintendent search focus groups run by the PPS school committee were neither equitable nor inclusive. We hope they will listen this time, but confidence is low.

Eli and Tim talk about the focus groups for the Superintendent search committee. It was not inclusive/equitable in the least. Instead of getting everybody together in one room to disucss concerns/ideas, people were separated by language. From ...

31/01/2023

A focus group for the new PPS Superintendent of Schools will be held at Casco Bay High School tonight at 6:30pm. We encourage folks to come and speak their mind to the search conmittee. We need to get back to a learning-focused PPS!

25/01/2023

A new superintedent means potential positive change for a broken PPS. Eli Small and Tim Eisenhart use their experience as former educators and PPS parents to express their thoughts on what they believe is the job of our educational system. They encourage all PPS parents and teachers to complete the survey from PPS school committee regarding the hiring of a new superintendent.

https://www.facebook.com/100080305929390/posts/194794093207454/?mibextid=cr9u03
https://www.facebook.com/100080305929390/posts/194794093207454/?mibextid=cr9u03

Eli and Tim discuss their ideas on the purpose of education as a way to help, perhaps, the hiring committee for the new superintendent of schools.

14/01/2023

Eli and Tim record live from Brookside Food and Drink. Eli educates the masses on the $3million that Xman did not pay to MainePERS retirement on behalf of the PPS employees. Also, another lawsuit pending from PDE.

Eli and Tim record live at Brookside Food & Drink. Eli explains why $3 million went unpaid for years to MainePers retirement for PPS employees. Also, there's a new lawsuit coming for PPS from the OCR (office of civil rights) for favoring aff...

12/01/2023

A retirement party for a failing superintendent has Eli and Tim all fired up. Also, Xman somehow found more money to give $500 bonuses to only two school staffs?

Eli is beside himself. Xavier somehow finds more money? He gave $500 bonus' to only two PPS school staffs. Also, somebody thinks Xman deserves a retirement party. You can't make this stuff up!

11/01/2023

Eli and Tim are going to podcast LIVE this Friday night 1/13 from 5-6pm at Brookside Food & Drink. All are welcome to listen and provide commentary!! Tips are welcome and will go towards funding PPS teacher projects. Hope to see you there!

06/01/2023

Smarter and Harder is raising money to support the efforts of our PPS teachers. Teachers pay out-of-pocket for pencils, paper, notebooks, tissues, posters, and loads of other school supplies to help students who cannot afford them because the PPS budget does not allot funds for such things. Meanwhile, Xavier and Figdor somehow found $50k to pay for lawyers and PPS found an extra $3400 per month to pay two assistant who make $140k per year to do the job of one superintendent.

We have set up a Patreon page to collect funds that will go directly to teachers and to help us spread the word, through the podcast, about the mess that is our PPS management and school committee.

If you would like to help, please go to www.patreon.com/smarterandharder

Become a patron of Smarter and Harder today: Get access to exclusive content and experiences on the world’s largest membership platform for artists and creators.

06/01/2023

Eli Small schools up Tim Eisenhart on the personnel movements of the PPS school committee in their effort to repair the damage left by Xavier's incompetence. With a chance to make a strong change and right the ship, instead they chose for "more of the same". As we enter into the school budget season, we urge PPS families to watch very closely.

Eli takes Tim to school on making sense of how PPS has decided to tackle Xavier's departure. Why does it take 2 people to do the job of 1 after all these years?

21/12/2022

Xavier is out!! Eli Small and Tim Eisenhart discuss the potential positive effect of his departure and the great deal of work left to do to help change the tide in PPS.
Our Patreon page- https://www.patreon.com/smarterandharder

Xavier does the right thing and calls it quits. Eli gives his take on next steps to help right the ship that Emilie and X-man have run aground.

08/12/2022

Eli Small and Tim Eisenhart applaud the PPS teachers for calling out Xavier and Figdor in a very public way. If the school board does not consider firing Xavier, is it time for the public to force the issue?

Eli and Tim give a standing ovation to the teachers who stood up and called out the incompetence of Emily Figdor and Xavier Botana.

06/12/2022

Eli Small and Tim Eisenhart discuss the incompetence that is the PPS Superintendent's office and school board leadership. We encourage as many people as possible to show up at tonight's school board meeting and wear red in support of our hard working teaching professionals.

Eli goes off on figuring out how PPS cannot figure out how to pay teachers. Also, Figdor loses her spot as leader of PPS school committee.

18/11/2022

Eli Small and Tim Eisenhart discuss the events and feedback that surrounded the active shooter hoax this week. A lot to learn from this one for the city of Portland. Hopefully this event will rally Portland parents and teachers to force big changes to the current system of safety that showed some serious gaps along with decision-making deficiencies with our leadership. SRO's need to be in our buildings! BIG SHOUTOUT TO THE PORTLAND HIGH STAFF AND PORTLAND POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR THEIR HANDLING OF THIS SITUATION!

Eli keeps a cool head, as usual. Tim goes off, as usual. An active shooter hoax at several high schools in Maine has brought to light the importance of SRO's.

15/11/2022

What at crazy day!! Eli and Tim are prepping for Thursday's podcast. We are looking for input from our listeners on today's hoax active shooter events. Any questions/concerns will be aired out on Thursday. We are working on having an expert on active shooter response talk to us live on the show. You can send us private or public messages.

10/11/2022

Eli Small breaks down the results on a local and national level. The DSA takes a big L at the polls! Voters turned out in big numbers to preserve a great city's way of doing business.

Smarter and Harder has set up a Patreon page to help us start giving back to our dedicated public teachers. Thanks for helping! Our page link is located at;

patreon.com/smarterandharder

Eli breaks down the midterm voting results. The DSA had a very rough day in Portland.

02/11/2022

An introductoin to District 2 US Rep candidate, Tiffany Bond

Hear from Tiffany Bond, candidate for U.S. Representatives District 2 Maine.

02/11/2022

ONE WEEK before the city of Portland votes on potentially catastrophic changes put forth by charter commission and the "comrads" citizen refernda (B,C,D,E), Eli Small educates us on items A, B, C and E. We urge you to vote and challenge the agenda of the "comrads" of the DSA as they try to "fix" the the already #8 BEST CITY IN THE UNITED STATES.

https://realestate.usnews.com/places/rankings/best-places-to-live?sort=overall&high_to_low=true

Eli educates us on citizen referdendums A, B, C and E. Question D is also still a thorn that needs to be dealt with. 1 week runup starts today.