School district brain test was paid for with free money

It has become a standing joke at the newspaper.

Once every couple of weeks during what we call our “news budget meetings,” in which we discuss what stories and photos and graphics should be displayed in the paper and/or where, someone brings up a story about some bizarre study or program, such as whether kissing or rubbing noses is more erotic or whether left-handed albinos are better guitarists.

To which I invariably remark: “… and it was paid for with a federal grant.”

The story doesn’t always get into that niggling little detail. Why should it? It’s free money!

Therefore, it was no surprise whatsoever when I read the follow-up story about just how much money was spent by the Clark County School District on a quack program called Emergenetics — $74,417. That’s just the out of pocket money without regard to staff time, overhead, equipment, etc.

Our first story on this only mentioned that school board members had been administered this nonsensical test. On further review, the additional costs were uncovered.

Sure enough, Superintendent Walt Rulffes said the district used federal grants to help pay the cost of giving a questionnaire to more than 1,000 district employees, allegedly to determine what kinds of color-coded brains they have, whether they’re thinking is yellow:conceptual, blue:analytical, green:practical or red:social.

I’ll tell you what kind of brains they have: gullible! (See previous tirade on this topic.)

Oh well, there’s more money where that came from. Remember that on April 15.

As a preview of Sunday's Viewpoints section, this is your tax money on Emergenetics: