Earlier today the OC Board of Education held its much anticipated "retreat" to more fully discuss the reasons they seem to be pushing forward with plans to merge Central and Hillsborough Elementary schools.
According to an agenda distributed earlier this week the BOE was supposed to use this four-hour meeting to create a "shared problem statement" that defines what they hope accomplish.
Although there does appear to be some moderation of support for the current merger proposal (it's amazing what a judge's ruling that forced year-round schools are illegal will do), but from what the Raleigh News & Observer reports, I am not convinced they are any closer to a concensus than before.
Susan Hallman: "I definitely think it is time to look at the high concentration of free and reduced lunch. I don’t think that’s a statistic I can be comfortable with. ... Does it means merger is the answer? Not necessarily, but it certainly remains on the table as a way to solve that problem. ... I think Central has a lot of positive things happening there, a lot of things we know are important in education is already happening there -- experienced teachers, small class sizes, some community involvement going on, extra tutoring, First School is something we’ve agreed that would help."
Elizabeth Brown: "I’m not actually ready to make a final decision on that. ... I think it’s worth looking at whether we want to keep Hillsborough Elementary open as an extra elementary school. ... [If closed] we would still have 300 extra elementary seats open. ... I'm uncomfortable with forcing Central to adopt a year-round calendar. ... I also think we should do something immediately, if not sooner. I don’t think it’s fair to make Central chug along at 70 percent [free and reduced lunch recipients] for another year."
Debbie Piscitelli: "I think that looking at the proposed combination is worth pursuing. ... I just feel in the year 2007 in Orange County we should not have a school that has a high free and reduced lunch [rate] and a high minority [population]. ... I’m also in agreement that we need to move quicker than slower. I’m concerned about Central in general ... a child’s education in one year is important. ...It may be a multi-step process ..."
Anne Medenblik: "I think we can all agree that diversity makes us all richer. I’m coming from that perspective. I’m sorry that a diverse community has not populated Hillsborough Elementary. I think that if the make-up and demographics of Hillsborough Elementary were different, we probably wouldn’t be at this table today. It’s a school of choice, and I wish that a more diverse community would have made a choice for Hillsborough Elementary. That hasn’t happened and I’m wondering how we can foster that even more so. ... I just really struggle with how this is all going to come together. If there’s a merger, my question is will the students who may not have met AYP [Adequate Yearly Progress], will they make AYP if they’re combined with students who have in the past?"
Al Hartkopf: "When I started thinking about this ... I was having a really hard problem because, in the scientific definition of the word absurd, there's so much about this plan that is absurd at a macro and micro level, it’s really difficult to consider. ... These schools are apples and oranges, totally different, when you start pulling the lid off that, start looking at choice versus districted school, that’s so totally different. ... I know there are folks in the community, not this board, there are folks in the community who are trying to make political hay on the backs of this issue. That’s unfortunate. It really needs to be about these kids."
Ted Triebel: "I believe we have a problem and an issue that appears to be impacting performance. ... Diversity for diversity’s sake is not something I’m on board with. At times less diversity is a good thing, for example, in middle school where boys and girls have been separated for math and science, with good outcomes. I think we have to be careful how we throw diversity around. I am not yet set personally on whether we should combine or not combine these two schools."
Dennis Whitling: "The reason I think the school board hopefully considers anything is academic success. We also value diversity,but getting back to academic achievement, the reason you would do SES [socioeconomic] diversity is to benefit academic achievement. ... As far as the combination, I think it’s something we certainly have to consider and consider seriously and fairly quickly. I know some groups out there [from both schools] are trying to work on solutions ... That would be the ideal situation certainly, getting these two school communities [to bring a solution before the board], but I don’t think they’re so far different that they couldn’t be put together in an academic way."
14 comments:
It is very interesting how when Liz Brown was running for election in 2004, she posted signs around Hillsborough Elementary advocating her support.
Three years later, now Liz Brown is promoting closing HES.
Yes, it is very interesting how Ms. Brown's support has changed so drastically. She has referred to HES as a "frills" school and has been asked to clarify exactly what that means. Has anybody seen this clarification? I, quite frankly, find all schools necessities, not frills.
I also don't believe she was thinking about the fact that there are over 100 kids at HES that would otherwise be at Efland-Cheeks. What do we do at EC if HES were to close? Aren't they at capacity now?
If cost is a concern, wouldn't it be more cost effective to keep HES open than to build a new elementary school in Mebane?
How can Liz Brown or anyone else for that matter justify closing HES? Is it not the highest performing school in the district? Would it not cause overcrowding at the other schools?
She does not have any business being on the school board because she just can't get passed the "anger" that she has towards HES and the parents of the students that chose to send their kids to school there.
Truth be known I wonder if she applied at HES and was turned down.... if not, what's with all of the aggression?
She needs to move off of the school board and into something that she can manage that would have less consequences when she makes a wrong decision. She clearly can not think "outside of the box".
Year round schools are in jeopardy here in Orange County. Those of us who want to keep the year round schedule need to get the word out and let the school board know how important it is to us. Wake County is increasing year round schools and Orange County does not have the support to keep one year round school. Is Orange County moving backward in education?
We need to get the word out to save year round schools in Orange County. Please consider writing letters to the newspapers, emailing the school board members, and speak at the board meetings. The next board meeting is Monday May 21 at 7:00.
Liz Brown is up for re-election in May 2008. Hopefully no one will be tricked into voting for her like they were in 2004. She has a history of lying and doing illegal things.
In 2004, she led the effort to destroy Orange County Schools by leading the charge for merging with Chapel Hill. She and her friends formed numerous, bogus organizations that served as fronts for merger such as FFICS (Fair Funding in County Schools) and Rural Orange Boycots Chapel Hill (ROB CH).
When she decided she wanted to run for Orange County School Board, she all of the sudden changed her position and actually told newspapers that she was NEVER in favor of merging with Chapel Hill. A flat out lie.
Then, as previously mentioned, Liz Brown also told HES parents that she supports the Year Round school program. Obviously, another lie.
Liz Brown is partially responsible for the position we find ourselves in today. LIZ BROWN AND DENNIS WHITLING VOTED IN FAVOR OF AND ENDORSED THE CURRENT REDISTRICTING PLAN. If she supported year round schools, she could have easily made Gravely Hill a Middle School of choice and left the old districting plan intact.
Liz Brown not only chose to lie to Orange County Schools parents, she wants ALL of Orange County Schools to fail so she can continue to make her case for merging with Chapel Hill. Liz Brown knows that Shirley Carraway is incompetent which is why Liz supports every harebrained scheme Carraway puts forth (like merging CES and HES).
Had you all not started with the whole, "Save HES" campaign, I do not believe that they would even be discussing this now. You all put it out there in the public eye and have made all of the parents of HES look bad, as you make up a small majority of the parents. That is why the board is trying to move so swiftly. You all allowed yourselves to be played. Someone planted a little bug in your ear, and you all reacted in negative way. And now the existence of HES is in jeopardy thanks to you. None of the board members are concerned about you. Not even the ones that you think are your allies. You all need to stop with your group and find other educational options for your children. You have already messed it up for the majority of us. Please stop now before you make matters worse.
You keep on believing that. I guess you have to have someone to blame. We have a right to defend ourselves, even if it isn't the way you would do it. I will not sit back and "hope" that nothing "bad" will happen to my child's school. At the end of the day I will be able to tell my child that I tried to save their school.
Dear Anonymous,
Had we not "started" the fight to retain HES and the year round calendar, you'd be invited to a Welcome to the new Central Party and year round school would not be an option for this coming school year. [note: Judge Manning's ruling that you can not force parents to attend year round, even with over crowding, hence the new school would be traditional] So you are wrong. The discussion and drive to merge the two schools does not stem from parents of HES, it is a result of the following: 1) complete failure to recruit minority and/or economically disadavantaged children to HES. 2) last year's redistricting which did not reduce Central's FRL to a reasonable level 3) The amount of transfers that are being given around the county for parents who wish to attend a school other than their assigned. 4) The fact that despite additional resources, skilled management and teaching and small class sizes, Central is most likely going to his Title I status in September.
Parents who have poured over data, attended long torturous meetings and spent countless hours trying to preserve the year round calendar have not increased the speed at which the board is moving. The board is moving swiftly for two reasons. Central needs some help AND if they go into Title I status, Federal law requires that the district foot the bill to bus any students, who choose, to attend any of the offered schools. Sadly, only schools who are successful can be offered as an option and it is unclear which schools will have to be taken off of the list. Efland Cheeks and Central are near clones in data so EC will be on stage next. Pathways isn't faring too well either so the board should be nice and busy next year too! Contrary to your statement, the situation of the district can not be placed upon the shoulders of the parents who care enough to monitor the board's path and make sure that a solution is more than a band aid for data. All of the schools need to succeed and that will take money. You probably aren't aware of the drastic budget short fall that the County Commissioners have proposed, but it will impact every student in the district.
"None of the board members are concerned about you." This is a funny statement to me. I am not looking for the board to be concernced about my welfare, however, I do expect the board to be concerned about the students of this county. To their credit, the board has worked even harder than the parents on this issue - they have gone above and beyond the call of duty. It is so complicated, apparently beyond your capabilities, that the solution will most likely be in several steps. One of those steps may include a redistricting. I do not pretend to have "allies" on the board - that implies a very contentious nature. Rather, I see the parents as working along side the board in a parallel effort to solve some critical issues. The only difference is that the parents have read the data and we are therefore a step ahead of the board in this area.
The parents who have worked so hard have not messed it up for the majority of "us", whoever you are. If any effort had been made to get HES's demographics in line with the community, then we wouldn't be on the chopping block. Since I have only been there for a year (not quite), I certainly am not to blame. The issue is that having a school with a lot of minority children 300 yards from a moslty white school is a problem. From that, the decision becomes whether or not the Orange County School Board is willing to put a plan into place that retains the progressive and beneificial schedule of year round with the caveat that HES recruits and welcomes minorities, or will the board take the easy way out via merger, eliminate year round and ultimately have to redistrict -- just to avoid getting to the nuts and bolts of the data.
Did I address everything? Oh, and yes, I absolutely have found some other options if year round goes by the wayside. Like everyone else, why would I drive past my assigned school to attend a huge traditional-calendar school that is an experiment and on two campuses? And no, I'm not ready to give up. If HES is in existence in the year 08-09, you will have all of the parents who have attended late night meetings to thank and you should be ashamed that you weren't willing to spend the energy to help make all of our schools succeed and that you have the audacity to criticize those who do.
HES parents didn't create the problem. Shirley Carraway, with the assistance of Liz Brown and Dennis Whitling, created the problem. Shirley Carraway has been a terrible Superintendent for Orange County Schools.
Liz Brown and Dennis Whitling supported her idea of merging HES and CES because in their minds, it fixes the problems they created by implementing Shirley Carraway's re-districting map.
Then Shirley Carraway's best friend and sorority sister, Mamie Jay, "retired" in a tiff which angered Carraway even more. Now the NAACP is involved and Carraway has threatened numerous lawsuits against the Orange County School Board and individual members.
This problem is easily fixed. DO NOT re-elect Dennis Whitling and Liz Brown. Encourage the School Board to let Carraway go NOW instead of later.
To the anonymous poster who wishes to bash those of us who have had a voice about this merger, I hope that you are happy with whatever the outcome is.
I don't regret anything that I have done or said. I certainly am not naive enough to think that had nothing been done that the board would not be discussing the issue right now.
As for being played, I think it is you who have been played and not me for standing up against something that I DONT agree with..
There is nothing wrong with having your voice heard. That's what parents are supposed to do since our children can't. I take pride in knowing that I have done everything that I can to help my child. To me, doing what’s true to your heart equates to good parenting. I choose to be an advocate in my child’s education.
To sum it up, I have decided to decline your advice that I stop expressing my opinion.... we are all entitled to it.... as you have stated yours. I just decide not to hide behind the curtain of anonymity.
Your "Save HES" approach did put a negative spin on the whole issue. If not, you all would not have back-peddled and changed the name. It did not start out with the issue being about the year round calender, but more around the thought of merging with Central. My husband and I decided not to participate after attending one of your meetings and seeing some of the emails that were forwarded. My sister is married to an African-American and they have some great kids. Just the thought of someone thinking of my nieces and nephew in the way that some of you think of the kids at Central saddens me.
To make the accusation that we are racist is absolutely disgusting! Believe it or not there are children of color at HES. They are wonderful children that we adore and are proud to call them our friends.
We have not backpeddled on anything. We are following the direction that the Board is going. If you had taken the time to be at the board meetings, you would have found that this issue is so much deeper than just consolodating the two schools. One of the main questions that needs to be answered by the board, is whether they believe in keeping year round schools in Orange County.
I charge you and any other parent of children in Orange County to be informed. Go the the Board Meetings. You will have plenty of opportunities in the near future. Check the Orange County Board of Education site for a full list of meeting dates and times.
Ms. Carraway did not contact NAACP. Neither did Ms. Jay. NAACP's primary focus is to improve things from within the community. Dealing with issues of racism is the only thing that makes the news. Check out the NAACP website if you want to know what they focus most of their energies on. A lot of the things that the NAACP pushed for during the civil rights movement has benefitted women and other races as well. The NAACP is not an anti-white organization, and they have only conducted themselves in a peaceful manner.
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