Thoughts for 2009

Guilford School Watch wishes you and your family a very happy and healthy 2009.

Over on the Chalkboard, Brian Ewing is asking what are your "resolutions" for our schools in 2009.

Allow me to take this one step further. Henceforth, my "Top 10" resolutions for Guilford County Schools (both Administration and our School Board) going into the new year.

In no particular order:

1. Supt. Mo Green HAS to communicate better and more effectively. He's building up this massive PR machine down on Eugene Street. Let's see what it can do. Will this machine work for the children, or will it simply be a cover-up for GCS' failed policies that are disastrous for our children?

2. Keeping arts alive in our schools. Enough said on that.

3. Launching a conscious effort to keep the supplies plentiful in our schools. We just saw a major supply chain plugged a few weeks ago. That can't happen. If our schools and teachers don't have supplies, they cannot do their jobs. I'm still demanding an open, comprehensive audit of the supply budget.

4. An inspector general is needed...to investigate waste and fraud and corruption within GCS.

5. A Citizens Advisory Board is needed...to allow community residents, teachers, and others who are concerned about the direction of GCS to make recommendations to our elected School Board...and make the recommendations have teeth.

6. Launching more public-private partnerships when it comes to school construction. I ran into this interesting website yesterday, which has a number of reports and White papers on urban public schools doubling as mixed-use facilities. In these tough economic times, we need to begin thinking out of the box on issues such as these.

7. No more race-baiting among certain members of our school board. You know what I'm referring to. It has to stop.

8. A real commitment to strong vocational education, magnet programs that provide real results instead of failing our children and a de-emphasis on rogue testing of our children, especially in the primary grades.

9. A stronger partnership with our County Commissioners and other local elected officials, especially our mayors and city councilmen. I want to see more allies instead of adversaries.

10. Former GCS Supt. Terry Grier once said that many of our students graduate high school in five years instead of four...and he seemed to be okay with that. I'm not. So in 2009, let's demand higher expectations from our children. From helping with their homework to being involved in the classrooms.

These are our children...these are our future.

Happy New Year.

E.C. :)

New calendar approved

From GCS:

The Guilford County Board of Education approved the 2009-10 academic calendar at its regularly scheduled meeting on December 18.

To view the calendar, please visit http://www.gcsnc.com/information/allcalendars.htm.

Highlights include:

• The first day of school for students is August 25

• Winter Break is December 21 – January 4

• Spring Break is March 29 – April 2

• The last day of school for students is June 9

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E.C. :)

Wanted: More science and math teachers in the US (CSM)

An article in the Christian Science Monitor touts just why we need more math and science teachers. Of course, we have several out there ready to go into the classroom, but they're not being invited to the party. Maybe if No Child Left Behind goes away and we stop judging new teachers by their standardized test score history of success or failure, maybe we will cure the teacher shortage problem in this country.

An excerpt from the CSM article:

New Bedford, Mass. – Jeremy Kennefick and Geoffrey Gailey are both new science teachers, one a career-changer, the other fresh out of graduate school. Both are teaching in high-poverty districts, where the needs are greatest. And both are surrounded by a rare level of support – financial incentives, mentors, and groups of other new teachers to consult with as they grow in the profession.

It's no easy task to recruit people with proclivities for science into schools – and to keep them long enough to nurture a talent for teaching. But over the next decade, schools will need 200,000 or more new teachers in science and math, according to estimates by such groups as the Business-Higher Education Forum in Washington. Already, many districts face shortages: In at least 10 states, fewer than 6 out of 10 middle-school science teachers were certified when the Council of Chief School Officers compiled a report last year.

"We desperately need more qualified ... science and math teachers, because of retirement,... overcrowded classrooms ... and people teaching out of [their] field," says Angelo Collins, executive director of the Knowles Science Teaching Foundation (KSTF) in Moorestown, N.J., which offers fellowships for teachers in these fields.

The United States is not only facing a dearth of future homegrown scientists and engineers, she and others say, but increasingly, everyday citizens need science literacy.

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E.C. :)

Merry Christmas

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them; and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

The reason for the season...

Merry Christmas!

E.C. :)

Recap of GSW Rotten Apple Nominations thus far

Here's a recap of the Guilford School Watch Rotten Apple Award nominations thus far. Click on the numbers for quick access to the full text of the nominations.

1. Deena Hayes: "Disappointed in the White Community" Sept. 26, 2007.

2. Oak Hill Elementary School: "So this is Christmas" Dec. 19, 2007.

3. Deena Hayes: "Slaves & Slavemasters" Dec. 19, 2006.

4. Deena Hayes: "Check Yourself." Jan. 9, 2007.

5. Terry Grier: "I have to work with these people." January 9, 2007.

6. Terry Grier: "Black Children at Kiser" February 27, 2007.

7. Kris Cooke: "Clueless" May 9, 2008.

8. Alan Duncan: "Step Up White People" Friday Dec. 19, 2008.

9. Walt Childs: "Frontin' " April 11, 2008.

10. Dot Kearns: "Ethos of Slavery." January 25, 2008.

11. Deena Hayes: "Aunt Jemima." May 24, 2007.

12. Yvonne Johnson: "Life Happens." Feb. 18, 2008.
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As I've said, if you have any nominations you would like to share, now's the time to do it. If there are any recent ones that you remember, don't hesitate to send them on. We'll compile the nominations, narrow them down to the top three or four or five, and we'll pick the best one. You can research the archives from this blog site, as well as my previous "campaign" blog site for possible nominations.

Start posting your nominations here to this strand, or e-mail them to me at guilfordschoolwatch@gmail.com. Nominations will close on Monday, Dec. 29.

E.C. :)

Deena racks up Rotten Apple nominations

GCS Board member seems to be taking in a lot of Guilford School Watch's Rotten Apple Award nominations.

Here's another nomination.

Deena Hayes: "Disappointed in the White Community" Sept. 26, 2007.

Stemming from a shocking find of a noose at High Point's Andrews High School, it was only a matter of time before GCS Board member Deena Hayes made her feelings known...and we can always count on her to do just that.

From GSW, Sept. 26, 2007:

Okay, just when you thought the coverage surrounding last week’s Andrews H.S. incident couldn’t get more strange; now comes last night’s Board meeting…and particularly Deena Hayes’ closing comments, which came close to 11:30pm. To paraphrase, Hayes said that she was disappointed that the “white community” hasn’t stepped up to condemn the nooses that were found on the Andrews H.S. campus. She’s disappointed that the “white community” hasn’t been more outraged. She said she’s disappointed that the “white community” hasn’t spoken out against this and racism in general.

It’s close to midnight, so I’m going to make this short and sweet…what is the “white community?” Why does it have to be the “white community” or this community or that community…when will we get to the point where we can drop the labels and just say “community?”

Deena, I would say you are seeing “whites” step up and condemn what has happened: GCS Board chair Alan Duncan spoke eloquently last night against what has happened; I saw “whites” at the High Point Human Relations press conference, the coverage that was televised at least. The News & Record’s Doug Clark was also quick to condemn the incident.

But you see, Deena, I think people are also inclined to let the authorities do their job and complete their investigation before jumping the gun, which clearly is happening here. Statements like this from you and from Bernita Sims only seek to further racially divide this county instead of uniting this county.

I’m sorry, I thought I was in 2007.

For I, too, was quick to condemn this incident, not as a black man, not as a black American, not as a member of the black community, but as a member of a community…of concerned citizens and taxpayers. But I was also one of many who asked all of us to let those in charge do their job in the investigation because it continues to be unfair and dangerous to the Andrews family to speculate on what has happened without anyone being detained nor any arrests being made.

By the way, Deena openly denied she was playing the race card. But there has got to be a point in time when we can look beyond race in this county or we’re never going to get very far beyond where we are now.

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E.C. :)

Newcomers School Spotlighted

A good Sunday story appeared in yesterday's News & Record, spotlighting the GCS Newcomers School, and the success story that is brewing over there in West Greensboro.

See this short excerpt:

In each classroom at Newcomers School you’ll see large cards taped to everything. Phone. Computer. Teacher’s desk. Pencil sharpener. Anything commonly used in a classroom.

Students practice the words over and over. After brief lectures, they take turns quizzing each other on the material.

“What did the pilgrims eat for dinner?” one girl asked.

“The pilgrims eat …” another girl answered slowly, unsure of herself.

“Ate,” the teacher interjected.

“The pilgrims ate turkey for dinner,” the girl said, her eyes greeted with a smile of approval from her teacher.

Teachers say this methodical process helps students speak sooner and perform better than similar students who go directly into traditional schools.

But for many of these students, the struggle goes beyond learning a new language. Brought here by one of four refugee relocation organizations with headquarters in Guilford County, many are haunted by horrors they survived in their homelands.

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Seems to be that this school is a success story in the making.

And yet after reading the story and viewing the slideshow, it is almost horrifying that only days ago, Central Office just yanked away hundreds of thousands of dollars in supply funding to this school in the form of "Budget Cuts."

But that's how they roll downtown. This is how we treat success stories in Guilford County.

E.C. :)

Oak Hill gets a nomination for the Rotten Apple Awards

Yet another dis-honorable nomination for the 1st annual Rotten Apple Awards for downright bad behavior within Guilford County Schools.



Oak Hill Elementary School: "So this is Christmas" Dec. 19, 2007.

Last year was undoubtedly a tough year for GCS, especially the fall semester at GCS. A noose was found at Andrews H.S., ugly mega-brawls at Page and Grimsley High Schools...we absolutely needed something to lift our spirits, right?

And then this happened:




This item on GSW was the top posting, which drew in a record number of visitors. Unfortunately, it was yet another embarrassing incident for GCS as it did bring unwanted attention from the national media.

E.C. :)

Even More Rotten Apple Nominations

What's included here are what I think are the best 2008 GSW Rotten Apple Award nominations. See if you agree.
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Deena Hayes: "Slaves & Slavemasters" Dec. 19, 2006.

GCS Board member Deena Hayes will probably have a lifetime achievement award after we're done here. See if you remember this oldie-but-goodie. This was such a good one, despite its date, that I had to nominate this one:

During the Dec. 19, 2006 GCS Board meeting, Hayes mentioned slaves and slavemasters during a discussion of the district's Very Strong Needs program:

“I was concerned when we moved this program to Lincoln because I saw what happened to the community at Wiley and the organizing that went on at the school between parents, some of our teaching staff, and some of our central office staff against that community.

“When you take a community or a program whose participants are affluent, middle class and predominately white; and you move them to a very vulnerable community that is working class, poor and predominately black and of color, it can be very exploitive.

“Out of their own mouths you have heard the derogatory ideology coming from the participants in this group. ‘If parents, other parents did to their children what we did to ours, it may produce some of these gifted children’. Talking about the field trips. Someone even said earlier this year that ‘we didn’t even care that the school didn’t make AYP’ and I guess it’s because you knew it wasn’t your children.

“And so I have real concern about putting this kind of program at one of our schools until you have the talent and the experience of a department that can help them make that adjustment. Because when you have that kind of superiority and you put it at a school like Lincoln or at Wiley, and you talk about ‘mingling’. That’s like slave and slave masters mingling. Equality never had to be at the table. And it produces that sense of superiority and inferiority.

“I spent the weekend with a young man, a sixth grader at Lincoln and he talked about ‘the smart white kids’. I remember a VSN parent who’s a good friend of mine who had a child at Wiley and when the bathroom broke when the program was segregated, which it always stayed segregated at Wiley, that when their, the bathroom broke on their wing that white child had to go to the ‘black’ bathroom.

“You are breeding something here. And I wish we would stop recklessly and carelessly doing that. I would vote right now to disband this program and to send these parents back to their home schools and let their children take advantage of the advanced learner program and if they want more special services for their kids to go and seek those. But I really wish you would stop putting this program, and I’m definitely opposed to it going to Welborn, given the history of this program at two schools in predominately black and poor communities.”

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Deena Hayes: "Check Yourself." Jan. 9, 2007

The fallout from GCS Board member Deena Hayes' "slavemaster" comments drew ire from the community. Here was her tacit response at a January 9, 2007 Board meeting (and my comments on a blog the next day--the very early days of Guilford School Watch):

Why am I also not surprised to hear Deena’s reaction and response: “If people don’t agree with me, then you have to ‘check yourself.’”

Well, Deena, my wife and I “checked ourselves” as you asked, and both the original comment and your response fit the character of the speaker. If other board members condone this way of thinking then perhaps, they need to “check themselves” too (thus sayeth my better half). Those sideshow antics may work over at City Council or at the County Board, but here at the School Board, when you’re entrusted to make policy and handle my taxpayer money involving the lives of children (including my daughter), I expect a little civility, respect and tolerance for all students and parents.

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Terry Grier: "I have to work with these people." January 9, 2007.

The fallout from Hayes' "Slavemaster" comments even extended to former GCS Supt. Dr. Terry Grier. At that same January 9, 2007 board meeting, a parent accosted Grier for what Hayes said.

Well...here's what happened:

According to a concerned parent who spoke out during last night’s School Board meeting, she cornered Grier after Deena Hayes made the now infamous “slavemaster” comments at the Dec. 19 2006 meeting. Grier told her “I have to work with these people.” Why am I not surprised at this response.

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Terry Grier: "Black Children at Kiser" February 27, 2007.

So I wonder how ole' Terry Grier is doing in Sunny San Diego these days. Because Grier didn't escape putting his foot in his mouth during his tenure here in Guilford County:

An excerpt from Feb. 27, 2007 edition of GSW:

I told you I was going to break some news this week.

Supt. Grier really should not be in charge of running schools.

Multiple and reliable sources familiar with the chaotic discipline situation at Kiser Middle School tell us that Dr. Grier made some rather disparaging remarks at the beginning of this school year as he announced the hiring of the then-new principal Sharon McCants. Sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, say that at an early faculty meeting this school year, McCants quoted Grier as having said that “she was inheriting a school with 85 students on long-term suspension, a school with the second-lowest reading scores in the county and a staff who doesn’t think black kids can learn.”

One confirmed witness to McCants sharing this with the faculty said, “Many of the faculty at Kiser feels that his statement reflects his own feelings about race.”

This is not the only time Grier has put his foot in his mouth. Published reports last summer said that Grier used similar language when being debriefed by state assistance team members at Andrews H.S. last year, which led to Grier walking out of one of the meetings.

And for all this, Grier got a raise and a salary extension. Wow.

I’ll just bet Charlotte-Mecklenburg is thanking their lucky stars they didn’t hire him.

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Kris Cooke: "Clueless" May 9, 2008.

Election Night. While the numbers didn't go my way that evening, remember me posting about this little exchange between GCS Board member Kris Cooke and at-large Board candidate Michael McKinney:

Another example of out-of-touch Board members…

From this week’s Rhino Times:

Election night brought together school board member Kris Cooke and [GCS Board at-large candidate Michael] McKinney, who it turned out she knew – at least by sight.

“What are you doing here?” Cooke asked McKinney.

“I’m running for Board of Education.” McKinney responded, evidently puzzled.

“Are you?” said Cooke. “I didn’t know. I never put the face with the name.”

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Sheesh!

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Okay, folks. Those are my top 10 Rotten Apple Award nominations. If there are any recent ones that you remember, don't hesitate to send them on. We'll compile the nominations, narrow them down to the top three or four or five, and we'll pick the best one. You can research the archives from this blog site, as well as my previous "campaign" blog site for possible nominations.

Start posting your nominations here to this strand, or e-mail them to me at guilfordschoolwatch@gmail.com. Nominations will close on Monday, Dec. 29.

E.C. :)

More Rotten Apple Nominations

My Rotten Apple awards are not to be confused with any other "Rotten Apples" found out there in cyberspace. These are unique to Guilford County, and Guilford County Schools. I couldn't possibly make this stuff up!

So for your Sunday Brunch today, here are two others. Believe me, there are much more to come.
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Alan Duncan: "Step Up White People" Friday Dec. 19, 2008.

GCS Chairman Alan Duncan just nominated himself only days ago with this one, as he fondly made mention of the incident at High Point Central High School.

An excerpt from GSW, Friday Dec. 19, 2008:

“We have a special responsibly to show the right path,” Chairman Alan Duncan said. He urged white residents to do more to educate young people about racist behavior, saying these types of incidents are not pranks.

This was reported in Dec. 19, 2008's News & Record.

I stand by my commentary:

I think Duncan could have used some better choice of words here: He urged white residents to do more to educate young people about racist behavior (as reported by the N&R).

Replace the word white with the word ALL. And maybe it's me, but isn't this a little divisive? And I'm in NO way condoning what happened at Central AT ALL. Couldn't this have been put a little better or expressed differently?
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Walt Childs: "Frontin' " April 11, 2008.

Retired GCS Board member Dr. Walter Childs occasionally opened his mouth. And when he did, the occasional questionable comment or two came out.

An excerpt from GSW, April 11, 2008:

A new anti-bonds group has formed this week, which includes GCS Board members Walt Childs and Deena Hayes. A mailing is scheduled shortly.

Here’s the gist of this group…Rhino excerpt:

Hayes described The People’s Choice as an ad-hoc organization of people opposed to racial and ethnic disparity in the schools. She said the group opposes the bonds because minority residents of the county will not benefit from it as much as white residents, who she said are getting “palatial” schools such as the Northern Guilford middle and high schools.

Hayes said, “Taxpaying citizens of color are asked to support the school system, and their kids are getting the least benefit from it.”

Uh-boy….

Here’s my thing…if you’re going to oppose the bonds, oppose the bonds on principle, such as $412 million is too much, or this Board (which you, Deena and Walt sit on) constantly squanders taxpayer money and we don’t want to give you anymore of it.

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Here's where the nomination comes in:

Guilford County Schools has a program in place that is supposed to ensure that minority contractors get a share of construction contacts. Childs, however, said that many of the contracts arranged under that program go to businesses owned by white women.

“We don’t know if those were fronting for large white companies,” Childs said.

Stop the tape…Large…WHAT? WHAT did Walt say?

“We don’t know if those were fronting for large white companies,” Childs said.

Walt had better be glad his term is up. I’d like to know exactly what a “large white company” is.

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Guess what? I'm still trying to research what a large white company is.

Much much more to come...

E.C. :)

Nominations for the 2008 GSW Rotten Apple Awards

This is sure to get the local bloggers going and get under the skin of GCS.

We here at Guilford School Watch are proud to open up nominations for the first annual 2008 "Rotten Apple" Awards. Of course, this is for fun and jest, but these are to recognize notable and memorable one-liners and events from Guilford County Schools, and that Board that oversees them, from over the past year.

This may be funny, or this may end up being a total-flop, but let's have a little fun.

For one week, I want you to think about all of the memorable events of 2008 (or the 2007-08 academic year) affecting our school system and school board.

We'll compile the nominations, narrow them down to the top three or four or five, and we'll pick the best one. You can research the archives from this blog site, as well as my previous "campaign" blog site for possible nominations.

Start posting your nominations here to this strand, or e-mail them to me at guilfordschoolwatch@gmail.com. Nominations will close on Monday, Dec. 29.
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I would like to start off the nominations with these three:

Dot Kearns: "Ethos of Slavery." January 25, 2008.

In a "Voices of San Diego.org" article, retired GCS at-large Board member Dot Kearns described Guilford County as "an ethos of slavery" while referring to the failed "High Point Choice Plan" a.k.a. the High Point Busing Scheme.

An excerpt:

In Guilford, a major redistricting plan sparked some parents’ ire, as students were bussed to schools far from home. When Grier arrived in Guilford County in 2000, the school district, cobbled together from three smaller school systems in 1993, was deeply divided along race and class lines, Kearns said. She called it “the ethos of slavery.” When the school board created a plan to reshuffle students, diversifying the schools, parents complained about the change, and took Grier to task.

The article was part of a larger roll-up to introduce the city of San Diego to the city's new superintendent of schools, Terry Grier.
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Deena Hayes: "Aunt Jemima." May 24, 2007.

This one is a little dated, but I would like to throw this one in the ring.

Excerpt from GSW, May 24, 2007:

...during a discussion of the naming of the Reedy Fork area elementary school in honor of the late NASA Challenger astronaut Ronald McNair, she [GCS Board member Deena Hayes] publicly said that she had a problem naming a school after persons who, she claims, were not going to be respected. She went all over the place, again, using the School Board as her personal agenda, from Northeast Guilford H.S. having some alleged entrenched racial issues to those living in ZIP Code 27406 versus 27410 to pointing out the conditions of several cities in which various Martin Luther King Drives cut through to allegedly shopping at local yard sales and buying “aunt jemima figurines” for her home simply where “they will be respected.”

The kicker was she quoted an article she claims “she carries around with her at all times” which discusses “if Emily and Greg are more likely to get a job than Lakisha and Jamal.”

What more can be said.
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Yvonne Johnson: "Life Happens." Feb. 18, 2008.

An excerpt from GSW, Feb. 18, 2008:

I’ve met Greensboro Mayor Yvonne Johnson only a couple of times, and this was going back a few years ago while she was still on the City Council. At the time, I really didn’t formulate an opinion other than she seemed to be a nice lady.

When she was voted in recently as the first black mayor of North Carolina’s third largest city, I was hoping it would signal an era of change and transition, not withstanding “Mitch-Gate” and the mountain of corruption currently plaguing City Hall.

So you can imagine my sense of confusion when I opened up the N&R Monday and saw this article. Now, everyone lately has something to say about the state of Guilford County’s youth, especially our youth of color…about how we need more programs, this program, that program, that other program.

The confusing part were these series of quotes:

“Many of our youth start out with dreams of the future… then life happens,” she said.

I explored "Life Happens" in more detail in that post.

I thought about this a little more…and the more I think about it, the more I’m troubled at one other quote she used above. Johnson said: “Many of our youth start out with dreams of the future… then life happens,” she said.

What does the mayor mean by that?

Yes, life happens…but that can be a good thing, it doesn’t have to be bad. Just because many of our youth are differently-advantaged, does that mean they don’t have a chance to succeed in life? No…absolutely not.

But I fear she may be using victimization here. I could be wrong, but the context is puzzling.

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Your turn!

E.C. :)

Board has their say on Central incident

Continuing coverage of this week's incident at High Point Central High School (previous coverage found here and here).

Lots of good comments continue to pour into the home office here at Guilford School Watch.

And now some on the Board have had their say...during last night's Board meeting:

News & Record:

The school board and residents also condemned the placing of Klan-like hoods around the campus of High Point Central High School. Two Central students have been charged in the incident.

“We have a special responsibly to show the right path,” Chairman Alan Duncan said. He urged white residents to do more to educate young people about racist behavior, saying these types of incidents are not pranks.

Board members Deena Hayes and Vice Chairman Amos Quick urged the district to do more to look at the issues in schools that create these types of incidents.

Hayes also suggested creating a policy to address hate crimes.

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Some things of interest here.

I think Duncan could have used some better choice of words here: He urged white residents to do more to educate young people about racist behavior (as reported by the N&R).

Replace the word white with the word ALL. And maybe it's me, but isn't this a little divisive? And I'm in NO way condoning what happened at Central AT ALL. Couldn't this have been put a little better or expressed differently? What do you think?

Also, to address Hayes and Quick...GCS has an office of diversity. Aren't we paying a fair amount of dough for diversity officer Monica Walker to do just this? To help craft and draft policy? To look at the issues that, according to Hayes and Quick, "create these types of incidents?"

Click here and here and here for some past coverage Guilford School Watch has done on Monica Walker (roughly about a year ago).

Thoughts?

E.C. :)

Garth stands up for our kids once again

(UPDATE BELOW)

He just couldn't do it. And I applaud him for it.

Guilford County School Board member Garth Hebert was the lone dissenter during last night's budget cut vote. When it came down to it, Garth stood up for our children and our teachers.

High Point Enterprise:

"The real effects (of the cuts) are in the classroom," Hebert said. "We're taking $217,000 out of the classroom. This choice is being forced on us."

Hebert objected to funds for classroom supplies being trimmed instead of making more cuts in central administrative staff.
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He's right.

Now compare Garth's quote to Board member Deena Hayes' quote in yesterday's News & Record:

“There’s a lot of places in there I wish we didn’t have to make (cuts) but they’ve done the best they can.”
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I said yesterday that GCS had not done their best. I still stand by that. GCS still remains extremely top-heavy downtown. Trim some of that fat, then come talk to me, and ask me then if they've done their very best.

But GCS chose the cheap-and-easy way out instead, cutting supplies primarily to the Newcomers School and Kirkman Park Elementary School.

The irony is that Kirkman Park is a troubled school, where enrollment is down, reading scores are way down, and is one step shy of a state takeover. So why the hell would you cut supplies to a school that needs it the most? Where is the logic in that?


Welcome to Guilford County, where nothing makes sense.

Bad move.

Today's News & Record:

More than $665,408 is being cut from supplies for schools with international teachers. An exchange-type program provides supply funds on a per- student basis for students in classes taught by visiting foreign teachers.

Board member Garth Hebert worried that two special program schools, Newcomers School and Kirkman Park Elementary, which have small populations and a large percentage of international teachers, might be hurt by these cuts.

Chief Financial Officer Sharon Ozment told the school board that the supply funds would be made up with funds that buy supplies for traditional schools.

“You’re not convincing me this is safe, wise or the way to go,” Hebert said.

The budget cuts include a 1.9 percent reduction in the per-student dollar amount for all schools.

The cuts were approved in a 10-1 vote with the addendum that if the two schools, Newcomers and Kirkman Park, need additional funds, then the board could return to the issue.

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Again, it was Garth that stood up for our schools, who stood up for our kids and our teachers.

Back to the Enterprise article:

The cuts in materials will be spread across the school system, affecting 117 teachers.

"Our schools are still going to get instructional supplies," said board member Nancy Routh.

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Are they? They're not getting them now. Schools are already running low on supplies, in fact some have already run out completely!

HPE:

"Although I am troubled by these cuts," said board member Jeff Belton, "I am going to support these recommendations."

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I'm sorry Jeff, but if you were troubled by the cuts, why did you vote for it? Both you and Dr. Routh had an opportunity to make a bold statement last night, along with Garth.

You didn't.

So when the so-called Teacher Supply Warehouse runs dry and teachers have to continue dipping into their personal pocketbooks for county-issued supplies, maybe they can send you the bills, how about that?

Trim the fat, guys. Trim the fat. That's where your savings is.

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UPDATE:

See this GCS page with links to the line-by-line adjustments and reductions.

See GCS Supt. Mo Green's blog about last night's actions.

E.C. :)

Cuts take center stage tonight

The proposed budget cuts are high on tonight's agenda when the Gang of 11 meet during this month's regular Board meeting (click here for the agenda).

Click here for a GCS statement from yesterday's Board Work session.

Click here for today's News & Record coverage.

What's interesting is that the spin machine contends the effects on students and staff will be minimal. But will it? The supply budget is being cut. If teachers do not have supplies, instruction is negatively affected in some way.

It was good to see Board member Deena Hayes at yesterday's work session. And she said this during the meeting:

“There’s a lot of places in there I wish we didn’t have to make (cuts) but they’ve done the best they can.”

Have they? I'm not convinced yet. Again, prove me wrong.
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Other items of interest on the agenda, including the recent incident at High Point Central. See this statement from Central's student body president and head of the school's human relations club, Leigh Fairley.

(Guilford School Watch continues to receive very good comments on this issue--thank you).

Also, what to do about Kirkman Park Elementary School in High Point.

Because this is the fifth year in a row that the school failed to make federal benchmarks in reading, drastic countermeasures must be taken.

An excerpt from the Kirkman Park agenda item (very interesting reading here, folks):

If a Title I school does not make AYP in the same subject for five years, the school must continue taking corrective action measures, offering public school choice and supplemental educational services and develop an alternate governance (restructuring) plan, which must include one of the following:

1. Reopen the school as a public charter school.
2. Replace all or most of the staff responsible for the lack of progress.
3. Enter into a contract with a private company to operate the school.
4. Turn over operation and management of the school to the state.
5. Implement other fundamental reforms approved by the state.

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GCS staff is recommending option #5; to create a school within a school. The school wants to keep the Spanish Immersion magnet program, and refine it, similar to the Spanish Immersion program at Jones Elementary.

E.C. :)

GCS Outlines Budget Cuts

In a lunchtime work session today, GCS staff outlined to the Board of Education how they plan to send over $3 million back to Raleigh.

Board members, along with Supt. Mo Green discussed in line-item detail what items are threatened and what other adjustments need to made for the remaining academic year.

N&R:

The vast majority of the cuts are to funds that pay for classroom materials, staff development and contracted services including in the district's research department.

Superintendent Maurice "Mo" Green said his priority was keeping the impact to schools low.

"That is difficult to do when you consider about 78 percent of our resources are in our schools" Green said.

He added that some of the cuts came down to judgment calls, such as whether to eliminate a teaching position or cut back on supplies. "I valued that teacher over those supplies to the school."

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Of course, Mr. Superintendent, if that teacher doesn't have the required supplies, then that teacher cannot do his/her job. Board member Darlene Garrett challenged chief academic officer Sharon Ozment to get supplies urgently to a select number of schools that are either running severely low or have run out of county-issued supplies altogether.

It appears the final cut list will be voted on during tomorrow evening's GCS Board meeting.

E.C. :)

It's Arne

Pres.-Elect Obama has named Chicago Public Schools chief Arne Duncan as his designate for the U.S. Education Secretary. And it's an interesting pick.

AP:

Duncan would take over a sprawling department that has focused during the Bush administration in winning passage and then implementing the president's signature No Child Left Behind education program.

That effort has proven controversial, with supporters saying it is making progress in improving student skills, while local officials complain it focuses too much attention on standardized tests.

Obama said it was time for Washington to move beyond "tired debates" such as whether to approve the use of vouchers for students to attend private schools.

"We cannot continue on like this. It is morally unacceptable for our children and economically untenable for America," said the president-elect.

Duncan has run the country's third-biggest school district since 2001, pushing to boost teacher quality and to improve struggling schools and closing those that fail.

The news conference took place at the Dodge Renaissance Academy on Chicago's West Side, a facility that Duncan shut down and then reopened. Obama and Duncan visited the school together in 2005.

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It's interesting because he's a moderate. Some outlets are calling him a reformer. Others are critical of Duncan because of some of the failed measures he tried to bring during his tenure in Chicago. Either way, it will be a refreshing change from the current Ed. Secy.

More coverage from District 299, Matthew Tabor and SmallTalk.

E.C. :)

More Q than A in Central case

Continuing coverage of yesterday's incident at High Point Central.

Links to today's stories from the News & Record and a staff report in the High Point Enterprise.
Links to discussions from High Point's own Doug Clark and the N&R Chalkboard.

The latest: two Central students were arrested and criminal charges are pending.

N&R:

Two teens are facing criminal charges after four Ku Klux Klan-style hoods were found on the campus of High Point Central on Monday morning.

Central students David Lee Hughes, 16, and Mitchell James Dawkins, 16, are charged with placing exhibit with intention of intimidating another person.

High Point police Capt. Tony Hamrick said the hoods are made of white vinyl used with traffic cones. The vinyl had holes cut in them to resemble hoods. Three of the hoods were hung near the bus parking lot at the school and a fourth was hung from the school's flagpole.

Police also found 8 to 10 traffic cones and more vinyl sheets in a Chevy Blazer driven by Dawkins. Both students face misdemeanor larceny charges in connection with that discovery.

Hamrick said police believe the teens hung up the hoods sometime Sunday night.

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The questions are immense. Why would they do it? What would prompt them to do it...and at Central, of all places? Despite the utter lack of representative leadership from the School Board's previous High Point members, Central is a model school for talent, academics and diversity.

The N&R's Brian Ewing makes a good point...will they be expelled? Sent to an alternative education environment? Should they be allowed back in?

There's more to this than meets the eye.

E.C. :)

Nooses, Klan hoods found on HP Central campus

(UPDATES FOLLOW)

Here we go again, folks (we went through this mess last year)...this is 2008 America.

Several nooses and Ku Klux Klan hoods were found on the campus of High Point Central High School this morning. One of those hoods ended up on the school's main flagpole.

See this video from FOX-8.

High Point Central is a diverse school with good faculty and a good support network. Revonda Johnson has been in the trenches, attempting to remake and transform HPC into a school of excellence. I'm hoping this is simply another isolated incident.

But one has to wonder...

Number 1, why High Point?
Number 2, why does this keep happening?
Number 3, why at an institution of learning where children are present?

Because you've got to admit, this is pretty sick.

This from Guilford County Schools:

Unfortunately, nooses and a Klan hood were found at High Point Central High School today. Administrators immediately notified the High Point Police Department. The incident is currently under investigation, and additional staff and law enforcement presence will be maintained as long as needed. Guilford County Schools (GCS) is fully cooperating with law enforcement regarding this matter. Those found to be responsible for this criminal act will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

High Point Central and GCS will not tolerate behavior that is discriminatory or that disrupts the safe learning environment of our students. We are extremely disappointed that this occurred because we believe this inappropriate act is not representative of High Point Central’s administration, students or staff.

Counseling will be available as needed. Additionally, student representatives from High Point Central’s school-based human relations commission are working with their peers to take an active role in educating the school community.

If anyone has information regarding this incident, immediately contact the High Point Police at 883-3224. Tips can be made anonymously.

At High Point Central High School, we strive to ensure that students and staff from all races, cultures, religions and backgrounds feel accepted. We will continue to take all necessary steps to ensure that all students and staff feel welcomed and safe in our school.

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This isn't over, folks. Stay tuned....
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UPDATE: 12:58PM DEC. 15, 2008:

News & Record reports two students from the school were in custody stemming from the incident. The N&R also corrects earlier reports about nooses.

N&R:

HIGH POINT - Two teens are in custody for hanging four Klan-like hoods around the campus of High Point Central this morning.

High Point police have two 16-year-old Central students in custody but charges have not yet been determined, according to lead investigator Capt. Tony Hamrick.

Police did not immediately release the students' names.

Hamrick said the hoods are made of white vinyl and had holes cut in them. Three of the hoods were hung near the bus parking lot at the school and the fourth was hung from the school's flagpole.

There were no nooses found, Hamrick said, despite earlier reports from school system officials stating there were.

Hamrick said there have been no recent race-related issues at the school that he is aware of. He said the incident does not represent the atmosphere at the school at all.

"This is an irresponsible prank we take seriously," he said.

Two officers will remain on the campus for the remainder of the school day.

The hoods were found around 5:30 a.m. today by a school custodian.

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More as we get it...


E.C. :)

CoCos talk more about nixing bond projects

So it's very likely that the Guilford County Commissioners may put the fix on all those countywide bond projects that are planned, from the schools to the Sheriff and everything else in between.

And it presents a quandary, of sorts.

The school bonds were passed back in the spring with much fanfare. We covered it at length here on GSW (see the "old archives" for all of the coverage). They were passed to deal with an aging system, to deal with aging buildings and increasing enrollment.

Fast-forward to today, where previously-project enrollment is down, the governor is asking for his money back, the county may soon ask for their money back...and what about the state of all of those projects now?

The Skip-and-Billy show (a.k.a. chairman Skip Alston and Commissioner Billy Yow) convened recently with top county heads to discuss what the future may be.

N&R:

Commissioners hope to decrease the bond amounts sold on Jan. 13 from the $232 million first planned, which could help the bonds sell more easily. And they hope to avoid a property tax rate increase to pay for those bonds. The increase could raise a 2009 tax bill by $100 on a $200,000 home .

"People are being laid off, and people are losing their jobs, and people are being shut down," Alston said. "We want them to know that we feel their pain and we're asking you all to absorb some of that pain."

The general obligation bonds, which voters authorized to raise $651.4 million, are traditionally sold with ease to build municipal projects. But the nation's recent financial crisis has some people leery about selling the first hunk of bonds.

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The schools will still get some money, but will that "wish list" be revised to deal with the economic emergency?

More from the article:

Friday's meeting included Guilford County Schools Superintendent Maurice "Mo" Green , school board Chairman Alan Duncan , Guilford County Sheriff BJ Barnes and Don Cameron , president of GTCC, among others.

Guilford County Schools should receive about $100 million from the January sale.

Duncan first defended the effort to sell the full bond package.

"I think you know we have contractors here and elsewhere who are extremely hungry for work, and you're going to get the best possible bid prices you can get if you move forward on projects," Duncan said.

All three groups plan to meet with the commissioners again by Christmas with a revised figure.

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Chances are good that there may be a discussion of this during Wednesday's lunch-time work session, which kicks off at 11:30am at Central Office.

E.C. :)

Mo blogs about the TSW

GCS Supt. Mo Green dispatches a blog entry today about the Teachers Supply Warehouse.

An excerpt:

The warehouse opened in November 2007 serving all Title I schools. Gradually, it grew to include all schools with a free or reduced lunch student population of 50 percent or more.

With the current economic situation forcing us to temporarily freeze our budget, we worked with our warehouse partners, Guilford Education Alliance, Welfare Reform Liaison Project and Leadership Greensboro, to open the doors of the Teacher Supply Warehouse to all GCS teachers, counselors and social workers.

The opportunity was well received. Yesterday afternoon, close to 100 teachers visited the warehouse and left with much needed supplies and some big smiles, all thanks to the many generous organizations and individuals who have made donations.

The Teacher Supply Warehouse takes donations of basic school supplies and new or used office supplies. It also accepts unusual items such as carpet samples, logoed specialty items and conference tote bags - anything our creative teachers can put to use in the classroom. Recently, one teacher took some donated address books and used them as a way for her students to alphabetize their vocabulary words. This is how items that may be of no use can find a new and valuable purpose in the classroom.
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Recent coverage found here.

E.C. :)

Holiday greetings to Pilot

Holiday greetings and kudos to the staff at Pilot Elementary School for a well-produced Christmas Program last night in the school's gymnasium.
My daughter was part of the exceptionally-large third grade class which put on the pageant "December Nights-December Lights" for parents and the community. Kudos also go out to music teacher Marsha Vanderwerff, who worked tirelessly to pull off this production.

Good job.

E.C. :)

Sex offenders, indictments and bus drivers

The School Board's Governance Review Committee is taking up the dicey subject of how to handle student sex offenders. Regretfully, they're out there.

Today's News & Record reports the Committee is specifically addressing how to handle a new state law targeting registered sex offenders who are GCS students.

N&R:

The system’s Governance Review Committee is developing policies to address a state law passed earlier this year restricting the access registered sex offenders have to places where children are, including schools.

One of those policies will address sex offenders who are students.

The board could decide to do one or a combination of several things including:

* expelling any student who is a registered sex offender

* expelling any student 16 years and older who is a registered sex offender, considering younger students on a case by case basis

* reviewing each case, applying various options to address the student based on the degree of the crime.

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Paid-by-the-hour school board attorney Jill Wilson is working side-by-side with the Committee on this issue. She tells the N&R that she is reviewing what other school systems and boards are doing and says ease case should be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

More:

“Do a true review of all the risks and benefits,” she said, noting that there is a wide range of crimes that can result in the person being a registered sex offender. Offenses can range from rape to cases of multiple peeping.

Wilson told the committee there is one registered sex offender enrolled in a Guilford County School.

However, officials declined to name which school or reveal any information about the student.

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And the irony is that a former Weaver Academy teacher was indicted for allegedly having sex with students.

Today's N&R reports "former Weaver drama teacher Leanne Elizabeth Macklin was indicted on five counts of felony sexual offense with a student for alleged incidents between July and November 2007 with a then-17-year-old male student attending Weaver, according to police and court records. Macklin, 26, resigned from Guilford County Schools in June, according to records with Guilford County Schools."
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Slightly unrelated, but still on the subject of suspense and crime, this bus driver saga continues to get interesting by the day.

To update you, longtime GCS bus driver Kathleen Neal of Greensboro was arrested and charged with multiple counts of misdemeanor assault, child abuse, communicating threats, false imprisonment, and one felony count of assault by strangulation. Neal was released from the Guilford County jail after posting a $5,000 bond Monday night, according to yesterday's News & Record.

And now the father of the victim is speaking out.

N&R:

The father of a student at the center of an assault investigation involving a former Guilford County Schools bus driver says his son was choked and threatened by the driver last Friday.

Brian Bentley, whose son is a 13-year-old Kiser Middle School student, said the incident started when his son complained that the bus driver was talking on her cell phone, and it ended with bruises and a police investigation.

The play-by-play of the incident is troubling.

More:

The incident happened about 4 p.m. Friday on bus No. 71 when it stopped on Westover Terrace after leaving Kiser Middle School, according to police and court documents.

According to his son, Bentley said, Neal was talking on her cell phone, and the son told her it was against the rules. The driver pulled over and started yelling at him.

“She called him 'poor white trash’ ... and it escalated from there, and she got up in his face screaming and hollering,” Bentley said.Bentley said his 14-year-old niece tried to make the driver stop yelling but was shoved to the floor.

“(The driver) grabbed my son by the throat and slammed him against a window,” Bentley said. “She said, 'I’m going to kill you.’ ” He said his niece tried to intervene again, and she was “backhanded and pushed.”

Bentley said his niece got off the bus along Westover Terrace and flagged down another car to take her back to school, and called him on her cell phone.

In the meantime, the bus returned to Kiser Middle School and students got off. Bentley went to the school, where he said he spent much of Friday evening talking with school officials and authorities.

Police said the incident was recorded on a student’s cell phone, but refused to release the video, citing an ongoing investigation.

But something made this veteran bus driver snap. What was it?

Still more:

However, court records indicate that Neal assaulted a minor by placing her hands around his neck, causing the minor student to feel light-headed, leaving marks around the student’s neck and threatening the student by saying, “I will kill you.”

Arrest warrants also say Neal pushed a minor child in the face and chest and detained a student by not allowing him to leave his seat.

Bentley said both his son and niece were left with marks from the incident, and he asked that their names not be used in this story.

“My son had bruises and marks on his throat and face and had a huge knot on the side of his head where he got slammed against a window,” he said. “My niece had a bruise on her shoulder and an abrasion on the left-hand side of her face.”

Bentley said he previously made two complaints against Neal for incidents in which she screamed at his son and others and called them names.

“There have been several incidents where he got off the bus crying because she berated him,” Bentley said. “(The school system) pretty much said they would take care of it, but nothing ever happened.”

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There's a lot more to this, somewhere.

Chalkboard's opened a strand on this issue. And not only that, the N&R is fishing for any reported school bus problems out there in the trenches:

Ryan Seals said:

Parents out there reading this... has your child experienced a problem on a school bus that you've taken action on? How was the response from the school system? Was anything done? Do you feel your child is safe on the bus?

We are getting some interesting feedback on this piece and I'd love to hear from more of you.

Shoot me an e-mail at ryan.seals@news-record.com

"cc" a copy of your e-mail to us here at Guilford School Watch: guilfordschoolwatch@gmail.com

E.C. :)