GCS Striving? Achieving? Excelling? I Don’t Think So

I have to laugh every time I see that commercial on TV, or see the billboards touting Guilford Co. Schools as “striving…achieving…excelling.” The blurb was even on the outside envelope of my latest Time Warner Cable bill.

My opinion…if our schools were striving, and achieving and excelling (and don’t get me wrong, many of them do, but many of our schools are failing our children and they’re being failed by school system leadership that doesn’t support these schools), there would be no improvement plan, there would be no opt-out schools, there would be no crisis teams, state assistance or turnaround teams…if our schools were striving, achieving and excelling, there would be no out-of-control schools, there would be no schools on Judge Manning’s blacklist. Every school would have the supplies they need to succeed.

If our schools were striving, achieving and excelling, I wouldn’t be running for school board. But I am. Our children deserve better.

E.C. 🙂

Remarks Prepared for Tonight’s Meeting

Folks: I’m hearing that many speakers have signed up to speak at tonight’s GCS Board meeting and the public comment period may run out of time. Here are my remarks I’ve prepared and I’m posting them here in advance, in case I do not get a chance to speak; or do not make it there this evening. I will also post these as a downloadable file on my website before the end of the day.

             Good evening Mr. Chairman, Dr. Grier, members of the Board.           

February 21, 2007 marked a dark anniversary in Guilford County. One year ago, our High Point children were taken hostage in a tragic case of political tyranny. And for the third time in six years, these children have been allowed to suffer unfairly.  One year ago, this board voted again to redistrict these children away from their neighborhood schools, thus sending them to schools way across town in what was sold to citizens as “an example of racial harmony and diversity.” And while some of your hearts may have been in the right place, the end results continue to be demoralizing.           

Children now attend High Point middle and high schools miles away from their homes. Many of these children come from families that are low income and many do not have access to transportation in the home. If their child falls ill at school, these families have no mode of transportation to come and pick their child up from school.           

Families have been uprooted. Households have been split apart. Enrollment at area private schools has skyrocketed. Homes suddenly put up for sale because of politics. It is estimated that as many as 400 children in High Point alone have left the GCS system entirely. Where are the missing 400? They’re not at Andrews, where enrollment is now below 1,000. They’re not at Central. They’re not at Southwest.            

 And the end result? Almost daily fights at Southwest Middle and High, and now Ferndale. The ongoing questionable mission of the supposed culinary arts academy program at Central. Severe supply shortages continue within Andrews. In fact, the plight of many
High Point schools is dismal, as evidenced by the Montlieu Elementary parents who spoke at a recent Board meeting.        

    Ladies and gentlemen of this board, where is the leadership?            

 Our High Point schools need leadership NOW. They need attention NOW. And these teachers and parents want to and need to hear from you, this elected body, on how these schools can begin turning things around so we can begin educating these children…our children.          

  These parents, teachers, students…and yes, these communities…all of these communities in High Point, want their schools back. The “neighborhood” has been taken out of the neighborhood school. That’s not right. We owe it to these parents, teachers, children and neighborhoods to rightly return these schools to these neighborhoods now.           

  I urge you to free these children and pour the necessary supplies into all of these schools by any means necessary so that student achievement can once again become a top priority.

Thank you, God bless you and may God bless the children of Guilford County.

E.C. 🙂 

Eastern H.S. Demolition

The demolition of Eastern Guilford H.S. is underway. See today’s N&R for more coverage.

 “By late Monday afternoon, a dozen students crowded up to the fence watching a four-man crew kick up dust as they added to the growing graveyard of steel, concrete and discarded high school memories. A security guard patrolled the campus while yellow caution tape across the front gate flapped in the wind, warning visitors from stepping too close,” the article says.

My heart continues to go out to the Eastern family for what they’ve been through this year and our hopes are that things will progress quickly on the construction of the new Eastern.

E.C. 🙂

Construction Advisory Committee?

Baby steps.

That’s what I would like to describe this new “construction advisory committee” GCS set up in response to its recent construction fiascos. See yesterday’s N&R for more.

“The committee would evaluate the design and construction of new and renovated schools to make sure the school system gets the best value for taxpayer money,” the article says. Darlene Garrett is the Board member who will serve on the committee.

“The committee would also include Guilford County Commissioner Mike Winstead; Gary Paul Kane, former chairman for the Triad Real Estate and Building Industry Coalition; Jeff Deal of Laughlin-Sutton Construction Co. of Greensboro; Robert Powell, an architect for N.C. A&T; and Elana Muhammad, a Greensboro resident,” the article says.

I have made it a campaign pledge to turn all construction-related activities to an outside entity so that GCS can focus on educating our children. But this is a ‘baby step’ and it certainly is a step in the right direction, at least for now.

E.C. 🙂

State Writing Test Today

We wish all of our 4th, 7th and 10th grade students well today as they comb through prompts in an effort to do well on today’s state writing test.

E.C. 🙂