The only people who want to see CES and HES merged are sitting on the Orange County Board of Education.
Of course, those of us who attended the "community listening sessions" and have paid attention to the public comment periods at Board meetings over the past 9 months already knew this to be the case.
It is an amazing coincidence that the only 5 people in Orange County who appear to support this disastrous plan just so happened to get themselves elected to the Board of Education.
After their second two hour meeting in two weeks, the only thing everyone on the Merger Task Force could agree upon was that Dennis Whitling's "Big Plan" should be trashed.
Even though, at its first meeting, the group expressed a need for more time to consider possible actions and more information upon which to base its recommendations, it will be making a set of recommendations to the Board at its next public meeting.
According to the Durham Herald Sun, "'Obviously, the top feeling of the group is to move past the merger idea,' said Denise Morton, superintendent of curriculum and instruction." Recommendations the group will make include:
- Removing the current merger proposal from consideration
- Reexamining the HES application process
- Creating a magnet school program at CES
After a secret vote in which members listed their top 3 choices from the long list of ideas, the final recommendations above were the "winners."
The process by which these three recommendations were selected appeared to be driven more by Denise Morton's desire to end the meeting on time, than by any desire to fully consider actions that would directly impact the problem the group was tasked to solve. In fact, when the concept of a fixed ending time for the meeting was questioned, Ms. Morton replied that she felt there needed to be one in order to ensure the meeting resulted in final recommendations.
Of the three proposals the Task Force will report to the full Board of Education on Monday night, only the creation of a magnet school program at CES can claim to directly address the Free & Reduced Lunch disparity the group was charged with impacting.
The other two, while they may be perfectly valid things to consider, will have no effect on the socioeconomic disparity between the two schools, and one has the potential to have the entirely opposite effect. I will write more on that one soon.
As they say, the devil is in the details.
23 comments:
Unanimous minus 5? I don't think so! This is hardly a scientific poll. There are more than 5 people who care for the plight of the CES children.
E
Dear E:
I thought we had parted ways. Are you saying that merger is the only way to show that we care about the children at CES? I disagree with that b/c merger is not the answer to solving the high FRL at CES. The BOE has said that it is draining to teach children who need more services and I wholeheartedly believe that these children need to be dispersed into better classroom situations throughout the district.
Research shows that turning an "inner city" type school into a magnet is the only way to draw middle class kids (i.e. non FRL) into that facility. We need to have families WANT to get into to the school - not try to manipulate the district lines and attempt to force families to go there.
Last night it was reported that the cap for Charter Schools may be lifted. Maybe CES could be a charter school. Magnet or Charter - either way we have to revamp it and get away from the same old battle of trying to force people into a poorer neighborhood.
E - you have got to be Liz Brown.
There could not possibly be two people on earth who can not listen and learn from what the facts show. Take a step back and look at the situation from another angle. Merger is not the solution so what else can you put on the table? Stop beating a dead horse and contribute in a constructive manner. I have not seen one single idea come from you. Lead, follow or get out of the way. I personally challenge you to write something constructive. Just one idea.
What are some ideas for a magnet? Language Immersion? Arts? Music? All of the above? Here is a great opportunity to do something really special - let's not blow it being stubborn.
Tink's mom
Dear E, once again you are being antagonistic. When I read Alan's post it does not say that there are only 5 people concerned for the plight of the CES children. It plainly says that there are only 5 people who feel that the merger is the best solution for the plight of the CES children. Dear E, once again you are being antagonistic. When I read Alan's post it does not say that there are only 5 people concerned for the plight of the CES children. It plainly says that there are only 5 people who feel that the merger is the best solution for the plight of the CES children. You are manipulating the post to suit your own limited point of view. If the merger plan were so wildly popular, then it would have some support, as it is the majority of people, specifically the task force do not feel that it is the way to go. Now is the time to really look at solutions that are more than a band-aid approach to the problem. You say you are for the good of the students, then it’s time you stopped talking cheap and walking the walk toward a plan that is the right solution.
Okay, I like that idea. When addressing "E" we need to repeat everything in hopes that she is able to comprehend through repetition.
:-)
E,
By equating support of the merger with caring for the "plight of the CES children," you are saying that the parents, teachers and administration at CES don't care about the children in their charge.
You are the first person to ever make that assertion. Either you have information available to no one else, or you are showing your willingness to ignore facts (and common sense) in the pursuit of a personal agenda.
With the singular exception of you, it is universally understood that CES parents care about the "plight" of their children, that the CES teachers care about the "plight" of their students and that Ms. McDonald cares about the "plight" of all kids at her school.
At the Task Force meeting, none of the 5 CES representatives (two parents, two teachers and the principal) supported the merger.
The Task Force members were unanimous in their opposition to the merger plan.
As we sit here and argue the plight of the underserved children of our schools, lets also look at what we can do for the gifted children.
The Fox 8 ten o'clock news featured a segment in the Buckley Report about educating the gifted. I encourage everyone to go to their website and view that story. I think some of you, especially E, will find it to be enlightening. I will try to add the link here but if you cannot get to it from here you can go to www.myfoxwghp.com. You will find the report just above the "poll" on the right side of the screen in the "seen on TV". Please read the article and watch the video as soon as you get the opportunity because I'm not sure how long it will be there.
http://www.myfoxwghp.com/myfox/pages/InsideFox/Detail?contentId=4948143&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=5.7.1
"you are saying that the parents, teachers and administration at CES don't care about the children in their charge.
You are the first person to ever make that assertion."
Actually, many, many of the posters have been saying just that. I cannot count how many times I read someone saying the CES parents have to "step up the the plate" or the teachers and/or the administration must be doing something terribly wrong.
How soon you forget!!
Ahhh... The personal insults from Hillsborough's Elitist Society (HES). It really doesn't bother me. Rather, it enforces the fact that I think differently than your group.
Once again, let me let you know...I'm not Liz Brown.
To Mr. Scott: you question me about my personal agenda. My agenda is for ALL kids in Orange County. I am for giving everyone a chance to succeed, not just the chosen ones. I am for equality. I am not for selfishness.
To anonymous November 16, 2007 1:04 PM: you hit it right on the head. Mr. Scott is telling everyone that only 5 support the plan. But guess what? SIX MEMBERS OF THE BOARD VOTED FOR THE PLAN!! THIS IS PUBLIC RECORD!!!
E
E,
You see, that is the difference between us. I understand the difference between now and then.
In the past two weeks, I have personally spoken to two Board members who do not support the CES/HES merger (now) regardless of how they voted 5 months ago (then).
That leaves five who still appear to support the move (as I said in my column).
Hopefully, with the Task Force's unanimous repudiation of the plan, they will soon change their minds too.
Luckily, they will have to stand up and be counted very soon.
Move on E. It doesn't matter who you are. This sight needs to be utilized to problem solve not twirl around on a soap box. I see you did not accept the challenge to put a constructive idea on the table. I find it bizarre that you continue to espouse concern for the plight of the children. Where has your concern led you? To volunteer? Attend a meeting? Brainstorm? What are you actually doing for the common good?
Regardless of who or how many voted for the merger, it isn't a sound idea. Now that the BOE has had to create an avenue for other thoughts and ideas to be genuinely heard, what you are doing about it? I am not concerned with the perceived name calling. We are all adults and should be able handle the pressures of a tough situation. If you can't take the heat, start your own blog.
Please refrain from using our site to throw stones. Many of us have actually spent a great amount of time trying to come up with a solution for a school system that is struggling to bridge the gap between the "haves" and the "have nots". The least that you could do is to be a part of the solution not the problem.
Tink's Mom
If anyone is having trouble accessing the Gifted Education report from Fox 8 in Greensboro, I put a link on the front page of my blog, down on the right side.
From what I understand, the school official discussing the program in Forsyth County, Rick Courtright, actually lives in Chapel Hill, but drives to Winston-Salem every day to lead that program.
Too bad we can't keep people like that closer to home.
E,
You stated, "To Mr. Scott: you question me about my personal agenda. My agenda is for ALL kids in Orange County. I am for giving everyone a chance to succeed, not just the chosen ones." I have to ask you, what is your agenda? If you have one, why don't you share it so we can use this blog constructively?
By the way, HES is an initialism for Hillsborough Elementary School.
Cheri
Okay, let's discuss types of magnet programs that parents would be interested in. It is my clear understanding that Cameron Park has dibs on Math & Science Magnet and that they have put a lot of work into those programs. So what else is left?
Art/Drama/Music: Is there enough interest? Does anyone have any experience with a school life this. Could a school like this appeal to all cultures? Not just upper/middle class things like strings and piano. Drums? Acting? Theatre appreciation? Really awesome art classes with their own kiln? I am hoping that by discussing the pros and cons, we might actually assist the Task Force with ideas. What kind o art/music/drama would appeal to African American families. There is so much rich art/music from Africa it seems that this would be easy to create a school that is balanced.
Language Immersion: I honestly don't know how this works. It would probably be a big draw for ESL kids, but would that help FRL? Is this the kind of magnet that would draw the NON FRL kids that are needed? What does anyone else know?
Gifted Magnet? This is coming into play in other areas of the nation, and it would probably balance the school, but is this a helpful direction for the district? What would a gifted magnet do to the other school? Would it free up resources for the non-gifted kids and make it better or would it be a detriment?
Could we model Durham School of the Arts which has a very very strict racial/gender balance? I have friends who are dying to get their white children into a school that is 50% minority.
Okay, what other ideas are out there? The BOE and Task Force need some valid ideas that are constructive.
Tink's Mom
There's an article about magnet schools in the latest issue of "Fifteen 501" magazine. You can pick it up anywhere in town.
"Please refrain from using our site to throw stones."
Tink's mom spent 2 postings telling "E" that they do not listen, out of touch, etc., and then she states this quote. Careless quotes like this is making HES parents look like we are hypocrites. Count to 20 backwards....
To Cheri: this problem is not about me, but about what has happened to our school systems. I have already told everyone that I am looking for equality.
I like what Tink's mom discussed--making every school a magnet. This is what should have happened a long time ago. However, the Board can budget this for next year, but the County Commissioners will never fund this request. Magnet schools cost money.
Want to know where we all can unite and get what we want? We need to let the Commissioners know that they should fully fund our schools. If they are not willing to fund our schools, we need to vote them out and replace them with educators.
E
Replace them with educators like Liz Brown? I don't think so! I will be working on the capaign against her next year.
E-nlightened
To the Nov. 17 1:56 p.m. poster criticizing me (Tink's Mom)
I am frustrated with E b/c she doesn't not engage in constructive dialogue. I see no value in someone who is not involved in this situation to stand back and agitate. That is a waste of my time. The blog doesn't need to be a venting board for people looking for a pissing contest. We need real answers fast. E's approach is to irritate without ONE SINGLE IDEA. I challenged this person help and it did no good. She continued to be obnoxious.
I am sooooooo sick of the bitching and moaning. Start thinking people. Stop looking around for someone to magically get us out of this mess and come up with some ideas. Even if it isn't a great idea, with some healthy devil's advocate maybe we can get somewhere.
Our schools are sucking wind and they used to be good. What are you going to do about it? Don't criticize me for trying to get real answers on the table. From the beginning I have tried to be solution based. This is everyone's problem (try selling your house in a district that stinks) yet everyday I am amazing by the clueless people who just shrug and say it will be fine.
So, what did the article about magnet schools say?
Another problem that needs to be addressed are the legal guidelines for changing CES. So CES is a Title 1 school that no child can be made to attend. How much does it have to change to erase that situation? From the research that I have read, across the nation School Boards are frustrated trying to get balanced schools in poor neighborhoods. So for me that means how can we have parents want to go to school with a variety of children - ethnically and financially. (Hence the comment about DSA - what is that school doing to have upper middle class people beating down the door to go to a balanced school??)
LET'S TALK CONSTRUCTIVELY PEOPLE!!!!!
Dear Craz-E,
I, along with every other person I know, would never elect you (err, Liz Brown) to be a County Commissioner. Liz has been somewhat Laz-E on the Board, missing about 2 1/2 months of meetings this summer. When she speaks, she's always flak-E.
Let's look at the idea of converting all of our schools into magnet schools. Figure out how much it's going to cost, and deliver it to the Commissioners in a respectful manner. Rubbing their faces into the ground is not acceptable. I'm sure that the Commissioners are somewhat leer-E of you.
Craz-E, Laz-E, Flak_E...
So much for no name calling. How quickly some associated with HES are forgetting the "Dolphin Creed" - maybe that needs to be posted in the heading of this blog.
Wow and you forgot leer-E.
While I don't agree with E, she has just as much right to express her opinion as anyone else does. She is adament about her beliefs and even though they are totally different from mine, I still admire her for standing her ground for what she believes in.
I do think that post was harsh!
I'm glad everyone has a sense of humor.
People who do not understand Liz Brown think this is name calling. People who know Liz Brown accept this as fact. Those who can accept humor will laugh. Those who have no humor will whine.
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