Time for some honesty within GCS

It's way past time for GCS to grow a set. It is also way past time for some truth and honesty down on Eugene Street.

Issue One...GCS brass should tell Raleigh to go to hell. Seriously.

Many apologies for the strong choice of words, but before GCS is asked to send ANY money back to Raleigh to cover for their mistakes, GCS needs to look long and hard. And they NEED to start with this supply budget.

I'm publicly calling for an audit of this budget before any more discussion of school/classroom supply money being cut continues. More on this in a minute.

But before they do that, they should get on the horn with Gov. Easley and tell him to take his so-called spending cut/money request and stick it where the sun doesn't shine. They should call him up today at (919) 733-4240 and tell him to properly fund education in this state before asking for taxpayer money back. GCS can use my cell phone to do it, I'll even dial the number. Better yet, GCS should call collect!

This is a governor who still can't admit that we have a (lack of) jobs problem in North Carolina. And yet he wants to shy away from the state's primary responsibility: to educate its children.

But GCS should bear some responsibility also...hence, Issue Two...GCS needs to audit that supply budget now. Don't send one penny to Raleigh...and if you do, I don't think it should be the supply budget. For one, the supply money just can't ever seem to get into the classrooms.

And now, ole' Mo knows about it. Apparently, Supt. Mo Green got an earful at his most recent road show in Pleasant Garden this past Monday.

Rhino Times:

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction recently announced that, because of a decline in the state's revenues, the state's school districts would be required to return $58 million, or 0.75 percent, of their allotted state funds for the 2008-2008 fiscal year.

On Nov. 18, [Mo] Green said that Guilford County Schools' share of the cuts would be $2.8 million, and that the school system would lose another $2 million to $2.3 million because it had projected to have 700 more students enrolled for this school year than actually showed up. He said that brought the shortfall in the Guilford County Schools budget to about $5 million.

At that time, Green said Guilford County Schools was considering possible cuts to meet the shortfall created by the state cuts and the school system's bad projections. He said that, for the time being, he was enacting a freeze on almost all hiring and stopping the distribution of 25 percent of the school system's money for classroom supplies. He said the other 75 percent of that money had already been distributed, and schools would be allowed to spend that money.

[Resident Joan] White attacked the freeze of the classroom supply budget, telling Green that Guilford County Schools should make other cuts first. She read for Green a flyer for what was billed as the first annual Southeast Guilford High School "Fill the School Campaign" in August and September 2008. The flyer begs parents and businesses for teaching supplies for Southeast High School, and contains a list of 75 needed supplies, ranging from the inconsequential (popsicle sticks) to things you'd think would be part of the school system's capital budget, like a storage cabinet and four-drawer file cabinet.

"That is not supplies; that is furniture," White said. "Do you agree?"

Green did not reply.

White told Green one parent was recently told her son would get extra credit for bringing a box of Kleenex to school.

"This is going downhill in education," White said. "To me, it is preposterous."

Green didn't have a reply for that, either.
*************************
It all comes down to supplies, which still cannot make their way inside our schools without causing controversy. Joan White is right...it is preposterous that issues like continue to create a downward spiral in our local education system.

Getting these supply dollars in our schools was another hallmark of my recent school board campaign. These dollars should not be the first thing cut. If anything, I'm calling for the immediate audit of the GCS supply budget. And I'm asking that the new incoming school board, who will be sworn in next week, should follow my lead on this and demand an audit of this budget.

If Mr. Green is smart, he will begin trimming senior staff first, instead of cutting supplies. And apparently, according to today's N&R, it is on the drawing board for the near future.

Time will tell.

E.C. :)