Terrina bids Guilford County “good riddance”

Local schools advocate Terrina Picarello, who’s also chair of the GCS School Climate Task Force, announced on the N&R Chalkboard that she plans to load up the truck and move out of Guilford County.

While I respectfully disagree with Terrina and her position on the bonds, I tip my hat for her tireless efforts to make changes within GCS. She and I talked on many occasions, and often, she was rumored to run for a Board seat this year. Sadly, it appears that will not happen.

Chalkboard excerpt:

Your schools here are ratty, run-down, out-dated dumps. Is that good enough for your kids? Are you willing to have the children and the teachers continue to suffer just so you can “send a message” to a group of adults that don’t give a flip what you think?! Is making the kids and the staff continue to suffer additionally really going to make a difference in the way business is done here? NO! At least if the bonds pass it is one more step that we can take to get SOMETHING done for the children here. But why don’t you all just put your own egos and agendas ahead of the welfare of children here. That seems to be what the culture is here. That is why this county is 20 years behind in building schools and having adequate facilities for children. All of you who complain about school climate and fights at school, much of that is due to over-crowding. Look at the research, it is clear that over crowding and outdated facilities adds to poor and unhealthy climate.

And remember, that all these construction jobs are NEEDS, not wants. Look at the detailed list if you think I am blowing smoke. If you do not pass this bond now, you are still going to have the same list of needs, but in a year or more it will cost the tax payers MORE because of cost increases.

And in case anyone thinks I am biased for political reasons, my family is moving out of here because of just this attitude. So I have no agenda. I am leaving Guilford County because the taxpayers and the County Commissioners do not support children. To me, this is not a healthy place to raise my children.

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That’s a powerful statement: Guilford County does not support children. In some respects, she is right…look at the toxic relationship between our school board and county board. Look at the “politicians” we have on both boards, who put their individual agendas ahead of the children. And it does lead to an unhealthy environment for our kids.

But I mostly blame our schools, because it starts with them. Public education in this county is a joke. It is a crime, it is a sin.

It will not be fixed with one or two or three people winning an election…it will truly take all of us, it will take the village to fix this mess. Who’s with me?

I say myself from time to time that it is sometimes difficult raising my sole daughter in this area. She’s very curious and inquisitive and I am starting to find myself struggling having to explain things that Deena Hayes talks about during board meetings when we’re watching them as a family on TV–for a 7-year-old second grader, I shouldn’t have to do that.

And if I weren’t running for school board, I’d probably would be working from out of town or out of state, because I’ve been in the active job market since Summertime. With few professional opportunities for 30-somethings in this area, it makes it real hard. Being jobless is no fun. But this race is far more important than me. This school board race is for the children of Guilford County who have no voice…and they deserve a voice. In November, their voice will come alive.

So Terrina, I salute you. You have my best wishes. Thank you for all you’ve done for the children of this county; they are indebted to you.

E.C. 🙂

New partnership for minority students (N&R)

  

GCS, NC A&T State University and GTCC have formed an alliance to sponsor and spearhead a new mentoring program for middle-school black and hispanic children.

Excerpt from a News & Record staff report:

The Cosby Kids program – named for comedian Bill Cosby – will provide mentors to 360 African American and Hispanic children in fourth, sixth and eighth grades to tutor the students in reading, math and science. Students who stick with the program have an opportunity to receive scholarships to N.C. A&T, Chancellor Stanley Battle said.

“The focus is to reach children who are close to being there but need more support,” Battle said.

The program will also work to with parents who want to earn high school and college diplomas with GTCC’s help.

“That was a critical piece for me,” said GTCC President Don Cameron, explaining how Battle convinced him to participate in the program.

Other components of the initiave include teacher training and summer and after school programs.

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E.C. 🙂

Stifling Public Comment is Wrong

 It has been brought to my attention late yesterday that GCS Board chairman Alan Duncan is trying to stifle public thought on the issue of art/music cuts in schools. This makes me cringe.

In fact, I have credible evidence from reliable sources that say that on at least one occasion during a recent GCS Board meeting recess, Duncan went up and sought out an arts supporter sitting in the gallery and told this individual “you all are repeating yourselves…we’ve heard you…we’ve been hearing you…ease up on the advocacy.”

This is in reference to the many arts supporters who have spoken eloquently on the issue of keeping art/music in our schools.

Duncan will probably deny it if he is asked about it in person, but if this is true, he (as an attorney) should know better.

The GCS administration may think they can slip things under the rug and hide things behind the public, but citizens and taxpayers know better.

Plain and simple, if these clowns think they’re going to get a bond passed, they’re sorely mistaken. The games must stop…they’re not funny anymore. You’re playing with the lives of children.

E.C. 🙂

School Board vs. County Board (Round XXX)

 

(Rhino Times)

It really isn’t funny anymore.

Today’s High Point Enterprise proclaims the latest round of squabbling between both the school board and the county board have been settled, but it was clear that GCS Board Chairman Alan “pass the buck” Duncan had to have the last word on this one, with his long rambling diatribe close to 1am last Thursday evening.

The truth is this…their embarassing squabbles will never be settled, the blood is too thick and we have too many (on both sides) who are bull-headed enough to keep this crap up. It does nothing to help the image of Guilford County and it only hurts the children.

HPE excerpt:

School officials and county leaders have resolved their differenc­es, for now.
The Guilford County Board of Education voted last week to withdraw its request to re­move Eastern Guilford High School from the bond proj­ect list. Instead, attorneys on both boards helped leaders come to a consensus on keep­ing the $45 million bond to help rebuild Eastern on the May 6 ballot.
Chairman Alan Duncan said Monday the school board’s at­torney clarified how the bond request would be worded. Dur­ing a meeting last Thursday, the school board voted after midnight to support the coun­ty commissioners’ decision to separate the school bonds.
Eastern High was destroyed by a fire in 2006 and will cost $61 million to replace. The school already is being rebuilt with funds transferred from other projects under the 2003 bond. The bond money for Eastern High would replace those transferred funds.

Maybe it’s me, but Duncan’s time is up…and I will not support him sitting in the chairman’s seat after next year. We’ll have to see how this year’s elections turn out. BTW, several county commissioner seats are up for grabs this year as well, we have yet to hear any other announcements coming out of West Market Street as to who’s running and who’s not.

E.C. 🙂