Parents Speak Out for Andrews

UPDATE BELOW

*************************************************** 

During last night’s school board meeting, many parents spoke out in favor of more resources for Andrews and pleaded for the Board for more support for the school. Enrollment is projected to decline further because of the recent redistricting move, along with proposed budget cuts threatening the loss of an assistant principal and possible cuts to its prized band program. See HP Enterprise story here.

An excerpt:

Two parents spoke out against declining enrollment at the school, located in central High Point, and the subsequent loss of staff and other programs there. Some have attributed the drop in enrollment to redistrict­ing changes and various choice plans for the school. Parent San­dy Allen said school officials are sending a message to the pub­lic that the school is “not good enough” and a “sinking ship.”
****************************************************************

Let me go on record once again saying I’m not anti-Andrews H.S. I’ve said in the past that it is due to the constant neglect by Guilford Co. Schools that has created challenges for Andrews. This school used to be the crown jewel of High Point. Three rounds of redistricting later brought the challenges. Not pumping enough resources into the school and two years worth of state assistance teams didn’t help either.

I taught at Andrews. There are good students, teachers and administrators who care deeply and who are unfairly victimized because of the neglect by GCS. Yes, there are behavioral issues and academic issues, and GCS has made it worse.

Walt Childs and Dot Kearns have done zero to help that school…zero. I was expecting Childs to make a statement during his free comments last night to address the parents…he didn’t. Neither did Kearns.

It is the lack of leadership at GCS and some of our board members that has allowed Andrews to end up in this situation. And this is what my campaign is all about.

*********************************************

UPDATE, 5/26/07, 1:20PM: Today’s High Point Enterprise has a second-day story on this, along with this Walt Childs comment:

Board member Walter Childs said dur­ing a Guilford County Board of Educa­tion meeting Thursday that personnel is needed at the school to keep the momen­tum going.
“I don’t want the school to go back­wards instead of forward without that manpower,” he said. The school is “mov­ing in the right direction,” Childs said, after a series of setbacks that still haunt the school, including violence from years past and low test scores.

*******************************************************

Andrews has had two state assistance teams and a county “go” team. They’ve made recommendations and issued reports (strangely, these “public” documents have not been made public). They’ve told you, school board and Dr. Grier, what needs to be done to help Andrews grow, thrive and succeed. What have you, GCS, done?

E.C. 🙂