This is pretty damned amazing:
Just 12 hours after giving birth, a Houston firefighter popped a painkiller and took a promotion exam.
Beda Kent felt she had no choice because Texas state law requires everyone to take it at the same time. She would have had to wait two years for the next one.
Despite just giving birth and getting only two hours sleep, Kent got 104 out of 110 on the test and expects to return from maternity leave in March as a captain.
That is great and everything, but why are the promotion exams set up that way?
(via Fark)
Lines
Because Republicans hate people with wombs and want them to fail?
Ok, that was just a bad snark.
But I’d like to congratulate her, that sounds like a true accomplishment, especially in light of her circumstances. She should be especially proud.
SF
Lines speaking snarkily, but, while the answer does not necessarily have to do with Republicans, it certainly relates to the fact that the rules are made by womb-less Americans who are not terribly concerned about the wombed.
Tim
I’d guess the exams are set up this way (with everyone doing it at same time) to try to minimize cheating on a standardized exam?
The Other Steve
Because that’s the way it’s always been done.
Probably has to do with setting up a barrier, so in order to get a promotion you have to prove you really want it.
Tim
Oh, also, I’d guess that only offering the exam every two years is a way to control for a limited number of openings? This was done with foreign service exam in the 90s, switching it to every two years because of reduced number of spots.
erez
That’s awesome for her! Two great things to celebrate!
In regard to the test, I’d like to find out more about the test. Why is it offered only once every two years? Why doesn’t the state offer alternative dates to individuals who experience mitigating circumstances (pregnancy, illness/hospitalization for either the firefighter or his/her family, funerals, or other unforeseen hardships)? Had Ms. Kent failed, what recourse would be offered under the state’s family leave act or other applicable state laws? Would the law’s mandated test date under those circumstances survive a Constitutional challenge or challenge from another applicable Federal law for discrimination?
I have a sinking suspicion that application of the law in this manner was inappropriate
Paul Wartenberg
For some reason I flashed onto that 1986-87ish movie called ‘Summer School,’ with Marc Harmon as the gym teacher forced to teach remedial English and there’s one girl in there having a baby and she starts giving birth during the required exam… think the movie ended with her getting a bad score but able to apply for a re-take due to her giving birth during the original exam. Oh, and it wasn’t that bad a movie… not on par with say Napoleon Dynamite, but good for a wasted Saturday afternoon or such… ;-)
Wait, does this apply to the original debate?
Krista
Seems kind of silly that they won’t let people apply for exemptions if they have to miss the scheduled exam due to health issues or other non-negotiable obligations.
Steve
I have a friend who has taken the bar exam in about 40 states because he works for a company that teaches bar review courses.
Once upon a time he was taking the bar exam, in Colorado I believe, when someone literally suffered a heart attack during the exam. A couple of the test-takers performed CPR and saved the person’s life.
These heroes then submitted an application for extra time to complete their exam, because of the time they had spent saving their fellow test-taker’s life, and they were DENIED. Only after this became a big stink in the local media did the Bar Association finally relent and give them the extra time.
I really don’t know much about the people who make the rules for these sorts of exams, but I’m not entirely positive they’re human.
Krista
At any rate, Beda Kent is a force of nature, and I am in total awe. But I still reserve the right to be as lazy as I can get away with when I become a mother (I know – frightening thought.)
Mark
I dunno about being her kid though. The standard “my tummy hurts so I do not want to go to school today” line ain’t gonna work on this woman!
BadTux
You can’t do a “redo” on promotion exams because that invites nepotism and corruption. If you give one person “special” considerations, then politically-connected people will demand special considerations for *their* candidate. What you end up with then is people being promoted on the basis of politics rather than on the basis of competency — a complete reversal of what civil service systems are supposed to be all about.
I think the Bush Administration should be clear enough proof of the implications of promoting on the basis of politics rather than competency… do you *really* want a fire department full of people as competent (not!) as Drownie Brownie?!
– Badtux the Snarky Penguin
Angry Engineer
I have to admit that when I read “popped a painkiller”, I thought for sure that this story would end in a failed drug test.
canuckistani
I suspect that they have a large number of candidates for a small number of jobs, and will do anything they can to weed the number down. And if these methods should be tougher on women, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were firemen in Texas who didn’t have a problem with that.
Jay C
Well, on the one hand, BadTux does have something of a point: there are, I am sure, rational reasons for having promotional exams conducted on a set and inflexible schedule: however, a system that apparently doesn’t allow for ANY exceptions (and having a baby certainly counts as “exceptional circumstances”!) blatantly has some flaws in it, as Steve’s example (1:53 post) shows. Of course, this IS Texas – they do things differntly in foreign countries, as we all know.
Then again, given these circumstances, I can’t help but think that Beda Kent is definitely one tough lady: the Houston FD is certainly going to get a Fire Captain worth her promotion!
Krista
No kidding, Mark. She’ll be able to use this as ammo for the rest of her life.
Birkel
The state of Texas was largely run by Democrats until quite recently, btw. And I’m guessing here, but it’s likely this rule was implemented to protect jobs of union members.
Or to, in some other way, limit competition in the job market for Captains in the fire departments in Houston.
Birkel
And Steve, that story was out of California.
Birkel
http://tafkac.org/legal/bar_exam_heart_attack.html
Couldn’t get the link to work above.
RC635
This is why the exams are set up this way.
Texas State Civil service laws (Houston being a State Civil Service city, as is the city I work for) mandate that all promotional exams be given for all eligible employees at the same time and same place. State Civil Service laws are very detailed. Almost everything the City (i.e. the fire or police department) can do related to sworn civil service employees is detailed there. It’s chapter 153 of the Texas Local Government Code. Hiring, firing, promotion, demotion etc.
Most local governments wanted civil service years ago to keep FF’s and Police from wielding too much power. Now they don’t want that, and cities in almost every legislative session introduce bills to weaken Civil Service.
It’s unfortunate for Beda Kent that the timing of the test worked out this way, but that is how the law is and should be. We’ve had FF’s spend hundreds of dollars and months studying for these exams and then not be able to take them for various reasons. Her case isn’t really that unusual. We’ve had guys get injured (on the job) and unable to make it to the test location, even had one guy forget to sign up for the test. You get a flat on the way to the test and show up one minute late, too bad. Everyone knows the rules. They are set up fair and consistent. The news has made this out to be much worse than it is (actually not sure about that, but it’s my educated guess.)
And Birkel, you are all wrong. This has nothing to do with unions “protecting jobs.” And has everything to do with insuring that the exam is given the same to everyone.
Hope this helps out.
rilkefan
RC, could you expand for those slow and tired among us who don’t follow?
RC635
It’s just all spelled out in state law. Cities can’t change certain portions that they would like to, at will. If they want to change state civil service, they have to change state law. If they do, it would effect every state civil service city. However, some cities are not state civil service. Some are city civil service, and some have no form of civil service at all. The big thing about the promotional exams is that they must be strictly objective (in state c.s.) and can have no from of objective examination.
RC635
Let me add one more thing, someone made a comment about the length the exam was good for. That can be determined by the city. The exams cost money to administer, so the city can determine beforehand how long each list is good for. Where I work, each list is good for one year. The length the list is good for has to be posted, along with all other relevant test information a minimum of 30 days prior to the test date.