Drip, drip, drip

Just when I had completely given up on our area's main media outlets, one steps in a gives me a glimmer of hope that we in Orange County are not the forgotten ones.

The Raleigh News & Observer, the paper of record for the Triangle, has finally noticed than an elected politician in its coverage area was recently convicted of a felony committed while in office. Of course, it took them nearly THREE WEEKS to notice.

From today's N&O website:

"Former Orange County school board member Dennis Whitling was sentenced to two years probation after pleading guilty to embezzlement and other charges earlier this month, according to court records."

"The alleged incidents occurred between December 2005 and September 2007. The law firm reported them in November."

Help me remember, what else Dennis was doing prior to September 2007?

Oh yeah, now I remember. He was looking down his nose at us unenlightened "racists," "bigots," and "elitists" as we fought to have a voice in our children's education, and to keep him and his accomplices from destroying the only school our children had ever known.

Last August, I wrote a column titled "Dennis Whitling was right" that ended with, "But, the meetings won't be for nothing - a new month means another $100 for Dennis. Cha ching!"

Since then I have been told that Dennis never accepted payment for being on the Board. In light of the current situation, I guess we know why. When you are stealing almost $5,000 a month from your employer, a $100 check from the county isn't even worth the bookkeeping hassle.

My how things can change in a year.

Faith restored

Just when I was beginning to think that no one was paying attention, late this week my faith was restored.

When Dennis Whitling was initially accused of embezzlement from his employer of 23 years, the local media was quick to report the story. When Ted Triebel pulled out a late-meeting surprise and announced that Dennis had resigned from the Board in disgrace, it was quickly covered by the local media.

But, when it was made public last month that Dennis had surrendered his law license and agreed to be disbarred in what appeared to be a preliminary step toward a plea agreement, only the Durham Herald-Sun reported the story.

When the second shoe dropped earlier this month, and the NC Department of Corrections released information that Dennis had be convicted of felony embezzlement on August 7th, I anxiously waited to see what additional details the media would report. The silence was deafening.

Nothing in the Durham Herald-Sun; nothing in the Raleigh News and Observer; nothing on WRAL. That was until this week.

This Wednesday, The News of Orange County finally published a story on Dennis's conviction - nearly two weeks after the fact, and nine days after I first reported it here. I guess better late than never.

Now that it is finally hit the press, other sites have decided to discuss the issue.

In what is her second posting on Dennis's travails [I still love her opening comment from last January: "Does anyone know this Dennis Whitling fellow?"], Ruby Sinreich of OrangePolitics.org has taken notice of the development and is publicizing it outside the shrinking world of News of Orange County subscribers.

Ruby closes her post with, "Good thing he was only on the School Board for 3 years."

Looking back on the past year and a half, I have to say - Too bad he was ever on the School Board at all.

Convicted!

DOC Offender #: 1095037

Well, after nearly six months of waiting for justice to be done, the Dennis Whitling debacle appears to have finally come to a close.

As of Thursday, August 7, 2008, the former Chairman of the Orange County Board of Education is a convicted felon.

Without so much as a single word in the media (surely to Dennis's delight), the North Carolina Department of Corrections has revealed that Dennis was convicted of Embezzlement in Durham County last Thursday.

He was sentenced to 6-8 months in jail - all of which was suspended - and immediately released back into our community on probation.

Schadenfreude

Those who visited my blog earlier today will surely notice that I have taken down the post most prominently featured on your previous visit.

Upon re-reading my earlier post I found nothing in what I wrote that was more "hurtful" or "over the top" than many other posts I have published. It was factual with a healthy dose of sarcasm. But, from the comments and emails I have received, something about this particular post obviously hit a nerve with a number of people.

As I often do when faced with a confusing situation, I turned to people I admire and respect for different perspectives. Throughout the day, I have had lengthy conversations with a few of those people, and they proposed a view that might have led people to respond differently to this particular posting.

Even though my posting specifically mentioned only Dennis Whitling, my suggestion that he might be selling his house to make restitution for his crimes was apparently seen as an attack on his entire family. As one adviser remarked, "if Dennis were single or his children were grown, there would likely have been a different response."

Dennis is not single, and his children are still young. As such, they too are victims of his crimes, and I would never consciously add to their pain. If I have done that, I sincerely apologize to Julianne Whitling and her children.

However, I will not apologize for commenting on Dennis Whitling's personal and professional demise.

To spend a year asserting that you are more enlightened than the masses and, as such, presuming you know what is best for them; to use your political position to force unwanted policies upon those you were elected to represent while labeling dissenters as "racists," "elitists" or "bigots" all the while stealing from those who trust you, is the height of hypocrisy.

And, a hypocrite of that order deserves ridicule when finally exposed.

Dennis Whitling: Disbarred

"I acknowledge that the material facts upon which the investigation are predicated are true." - Dennis Whitling

Given that I live in Orange County, I don't normally pay that much attention to the happenings in Durham, which is why I didn't pick up on this little story earlier in the day.

Thanks to a note from a good friend, I can update everyone on the latest chapter in the ongoing Dennis Whitling saga.

From the Durham section of the July 28th Herald-Sun:Attorney disbarred over fraud allegation

From staff reports

Jul 28, 2008

DURHAM -- Already under a Bull City indictment for embezzlement, attorney Dennis Alan Whitling has surrendered his law license and accepted disbarment.

A disbarment order dated July 18, but not previously made public, was issued after Whitling acknowledged in a sworn affidavit that he may have engaged in fraudulent financial transactions.

Whitling's legal woes began in February, when a Durham grand jury indicted him on allegations of stealing money from a Hillandale Road law firm.

In addition to a charge that he embezzled more than $100,000, the then-52-year-old Whitling was indicted for alleged corporate malfeasance, obtaining property by false pretenses and obstruction of justice.

Whitling was arrested but released under a $10,000 bond.

At about the same time, he resigned from a four-year stint on the Orange County school board.

Whitling is accused in the indictments of making off with money from the Durham law office of Thomas J. Stevens, where he worked from 1983 until September 2007, when he left to open his own practice.

He reportedly had maintained business accounts for the Stevens firm, issued its payroll checks and reconciled its financial statements.

Fiscal problems at the law firm became quickly apparent after Whitling departed, Durham Police Cpl. Bennie Bradley said in a court affidavit.

Accountants were summoned by Stevens and were "able to identify numerous discrepancies in Whitling's documentation of the firm's business transactions," Bradley wrote.

The accountants concluded that Whitling apparently made out 26 checks to himself in 2006 and 2007 -- 17 for amounts greater than authorized and the rest not authorized at all, according to Bradley.

In an affidavit submitted early this month to the N.C. State Bar, which oversees the conduct of lawyers, Whitling said he knew he was under investigation for "diverting to myself legal fees from an estate trust for which I was trustee."

Whitling said he was aware the investigation also encompassed allegations that he filed a false report, indicating various funds "had been disbursed to the law firm when in fact I disbursed the funds to myself.

"I acknowledge that the material facts upon which the investigation are predicated are true," Whitling wrote.

"My resignation is being submitted because I know that if charges were predicated upon the misconduct under investigation, I could not successfully defend against them," he said.

Whitling emphasized that his resignation as a lawyer was being "freely and voluntarily rendered" and was "not the result of coercion or duress."

He could not be reached for comment Sunday.

Though couched in a lawyerly tone, make no mistake, that is an admission of guilt.

I can only assume this is the first step in a plea bargain that will likely prevent Dennis from receiving the punishment he so richly deserves for breaking the trust of his employer of nearly 25 years, and of the people who elected him to represent them on the Orange County Board of Education.

I fear, once again, that it will be a case of justice denied.

4 out of 12 is bad. Isn't it?

I was reading the WRAL.com website this evening and noticed a story about how "most area schools" failed to make adequate yearly progress this past year based on a set of preliminary data.

As usual, I expected the article to focus on the Wake County schools with perhaps a brief mention of Durham County, but I didn't really expect anything to be included about Orange County. After all, as last year taught me, Orange County is less than forthcoming with its preliminary testing data.

But, to my surprise, the article said that "33 percent of schools in Orange and Cumberland counties met AYP." So, I thought this might be worth a closer look.

A link titled, "Preliminary 2007-08 AYP Results" was included in a sidebar to the WRAL story. Lo and behold, clicking through the links will ultimately allow you to see the preliminary results for each Orange County school.

As it turns out, one less Orange County elementary school successfully achieved AYP than last year - 3 of 7 - meaning four elementary schools failed. For 2006-07, only three elementary schools failed to make AYP - Central, Efland Cheeks and New Hope.

Interestingly, this year, one of those schools has improved its performance - even with new higher math standards - and joined the short list of higher performing Orange County schools.

And, that school is Central Elementary. The parents, teachers and students at Central should be celebrated for succeeding even as the bar was raised!

Unfortunately, not all of our other schools met the challenge. These preliminary results mean that at least four elementary schools will fail to make AYP, and be labeled "failing schools": Cameron Park, Efland Cheeks, Grady Brown and New Hope.

While this is not new territory for parents of children at Efland Cheeks and New Hope, it will likely come as a surprise to those with children at Cameron Park and Grady Brown.

Surely, there is something the new Orange County Board of Education can do to help these two new "failing schools."

Maybe the Board should consider something dramatic, like, perhaps, merging Cameron Park with Central, so that the higher performing children at Central can help raise the performance of the struggling children at Cameron Park through the "peer effect."

I am sure that both sides would agree as long as the newly merged school retains the traditional calendar.

It's that time of year again

Not only are children returning for another year at Hillsborough Elementary School, it is also time for the Orange County Board of Education to signal the course it will chart by choosing its leadership for the coming year.

In what has become a dominant message in the current Presidential campaign, the Board chose to embrace change and reject the failed "leadership" of Ted Triebel and Debbie Piscitelli.

In the new Board's first official act, it sent a positive message of change by wiping its slate clean of those responsible for the last two years of divisive failure and eroded public confidence. In a potential sign of rebirth on King Street, the Board chose two leaders with absolutely no connection to the Board's recent failures.

But, it apparently wasn't without drama.

Both Ted Triebel and Debbie Piscitelli sought to cling to the power they wielded with such a heavy hand over the past year. But, both of their efforts were doomed to failure as the majority of the Board unceremoniously turned them out of their leadership positions.

According to the News of Orange County, Ted Triebel's effort to remain the Board's Chairman failed on the first ballot as newly elected Board Member Steve Halkiotis was elected Chairman by a tally of 4 to 3.

Debbie Piscitelli fared somewhat better - or merely had her repudiation delayed - as she managed to tie newcomer Tony McKnight at three votes apiece (with one vote for Eddie Eubanks) on the first ballot. However, on the second ballot Debbie too was rejected as Tony garnered the required fourth vote.

With Liz Brown off doing whatever it is she does, Dennis Whitling pondering the possibility of spending his golden years behind bars, and both Ted and Debbie relegated to the sidelines, this Board is in a great position to begin re-building its trust within the community - last Monday night it took a huge first step.

I have high hopes for the coming year, but only time will tell if my hopes are well founded.

Not the best case scenerio, but ...

I cannot say that I am happy with last night's election results. In fact, I am quite disappointed.

While I am disappointed that two people I respect and admire lost an election, it is not the first time that has happened to me. Like most of us, I am old enough to have seen a number of people I respect lose an election. That is politics.

I am most disappointed, however, that the educational future of 420 Orange County children will remain in doubt for at least two more years. After a bitter 14 months, last night's election results, for me, meant another two years of generally boring Board meetings, countless interviews with the media, and a need to closely watch the coming Board's every action.

The results were not the best case scenario many of us had hoped for - the long-term security of year-round education and the knowledge that our children would not be expelled from their school.

However, I cannot believe it could possibly be worse than the disaster wrought by Liz Brown and Dennis Whitling.

I have high hopes that Tony McKnight and Eddie Eubanks are reasonable men who will actually do something to help the children struggling in Orange County's two lowest performing schools, rather than the current Board majority's tendency to pay lip service to their needs while pursuing a social experiment in our schools.

It is a travesty that Al Hartkopf will not be returning to the Board for another term, his willingness to frankly discuss issues, clearly avoided by others, may have caused him to be labeled "divisive," but it also made him a strong representative for his constituents. To be divisive in an ocean of hypocrisy is no vice.

But, if some voters chose not to support Al because of his frank, confrontational style, more chose to ramp it up a notch in voting for Steve Halkiotis. Anyone who spends more than five minutes in a room with Dr. H cannot help but look forward to the firebrand's time on the Board.

Like I said, yesterday's election did not result in the best case scenario for HES, but neither did it result in the worst case. We have already lived through the worst situation and it only made us more resolved, more aware, more organized and ready to continue the work of advocating for our children.

Fact checking

For only the second time since starting this blog in March of last year, I have published a comment that I originally delayed because I wanted to confirm a serious accusation by an anonymous poster.

The first time was last September when someone claimed that Liz Brown was criminally prosecuted for removing the campaign signs of another candidate while running for her seat on the Board in 2004. After doing a Google search, it turned out the commenter was correct, and I promptly posted the comment and explained why.

Yesterday afternoon, I received an anonymous comment that made serious claims about two current Board of Education candidates. I felt I couldn't responsibly publish the comment without some form of confirmation.

Now, I regularly receive anonymous comments that I feel make irresponsible or outlandish claims that purport to be statements of fact, but I refuse to post them without some kind of proof. Rarely does that proof exist, and I reject those comments. This time is different.

The following claims were made in a larger comment thread about who to vote for in the coming election:

"Tony McKnight thinks the school board should be able to raise our taxes whenever they want more money.

Eddie Eubanks is currently delinquent on his property taxes."

I will first address, what I believe to be, the most serious accusation made in the post - a candidate for School Board who has not paid his property taxes.

In light of the current debate over creating new taxing mechanisms to ensure Orange County has enough revenue to meet its needs and the ever present concern about meeting the funding needs of the county school system, the thought that a current candidate for the school board would neglect to pay his property taxes is unthinkable.

Unfortunately, it is true.

I searched the Orange County Revenue Department's website and confirmed that as of 11:47 p.m. last night Eddie Myers Eubanks was, in fact, "currently delinquent on his property taxes."

How can someone who has failed to pay his fair share expect a voice in spending $24 million paid by others? And, how can a voter grant him that voice?

Next, the commenter asserted that "Tony McKnight thinks the school board should be able to raise our taxes whenever they want more money."

In this case, I again turned to my old friend, Google. I simply entered "Tony McKnight tax" into my Google search bar. The second entry to come up was list of responses to a 2006 questionnaire from a group opposed to the merger of Orange County and Chapel Hill-Carrboro schools. Among the questions about the potential merger of the two school districts was this one:

"Do you support or oppose giving taxation authority to the board of education?"

"McKnight - Yes, I support giving taxation authority to the BOE."

It is possible that, given his resounding defeat in the 2006 election, that Mr. McKnight's views on the matter have changed, but he has failed to communicate any change of heart. I can only assume that his views remain the same today.

Given that the man who formerly controlled the Board of Education, Dennis Whitling, is under indictment on charges of felony embezzlement and "malfeasance," I doubt many Orange County taxpayers would be willing to trust this rogue group with the power to reach directly into their pockets to fund the scheme du jour.

First they came ...

Throughout the now settled discussion of what to do about the SES disparity between Orange County's elementary schools, many people have asked: What about academic achievement at our county's "failing schools"?

Unfortunately, there have been few answers to come out of the Orange County Board of Education.

Last year, three Orange County elementary schools failed to make adequate yearly progress (AYP) as determined by the state's end-of-grade tests - Central Elementary, Efland Cheeks Elementary and New Hope Elementary. For Central and Efland Cheeks, this was the second year in a row.

Because these two schools received federal education dollars under Title 1, federal law required that parents be given the choice to transfer their children to another district school. Nearly one hundred children changed schools; as was their right under federal law (ironically enough, including the children of Central's PTA President). Those days are over.

One less publicized element of Ted Triebel's failed "Original Charge", was the "redirecting" of the district's $300,000 in Title 1 money to fund a district-wide Pre-Kindergarten program. While such a program is likely to have a positive impact on the district, and should have been considered even outside the larger discussion of elementary school assignment, the only reason it was considered was that it provided an immediate way to remove Central and Efland-Cheeks Elementary schools from Title 1 School Improvement status without have to wait for those pesky test scores to improve. If the Board spends the money on something else, they don't have to play by the federal rules.

During a Board meeting held at Cameron Park Elementary School last December, former Board member and current felony indictee, Dennis Whitling proposed "redirecting" the federal funds as a way to "control" the ability of parents to opt out of either Central or Efland Cheeks.

Prior to resigning from the Board in disgrace, Whitling advocated the creation of "middle class schools" at Central and Efland-Cheeks. His reasoning was that the "peer effect" of compelling a number of affluent and middle class children to attend those two schools would raise the academic performance of their struggling students while simultaneously raising each school's average academic numbers. In essence, he argued that school choice under NCLB was hurting academic performance.

However, like in many other areas, he was wrong.

Recent research into the impact of Title 1 School Choice in Charlotte-Mecklenburg clearly shows that school choice options under NCLB actually raise academic performance and have the additional benefit of reducing suspension rates.

Published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, the research clearly illustrates an argument I have repeatedly made over the past year - Orange County parents need MORE choices for the education of their children.

However, the current Board we are saddled with seems determined to systematically reduce the choices parents will have for where their children attend school.

According to the "modified" reassignment plan the Board adopted last Monday, the next likely target in an attempt to exert its unchecked control of Orange County parents is the district's existing student transfer policy. For the 150 or so children currently attending schools other than those the Board of Education has mandated they attend, their days are numbered as well.

This process reminds me of the poem, "First, they came" by Lutheran minister and concentration camp survivor, Martin Neimoller.

First they came for the Communists, and I didn’t speak up,
because I wasn’t a Communist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up,
because I wasn’t a Jew.

Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn’t speak up,
because I was a Protestant.

Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me.

Like Dennis Whitling clearly said - it's a matter of control.

And, soon parents will have the opportunity to take back that control. Early "one-stop" voting starts this Thursday at the Hillsborough Library. Even if you are not registered to vote in Orange County, you can register and vote immediately at a "one-stop" site.

Don't be in the situation next year where you have to write:

First they came for the year-round school, and I didn't speak up ...

Take the time to speak up - Vote!

I feel like I've been Knighted

Thanks to a comment someone submitted yesterday evening, I found out that a high honor has been bestowed upon me and this blog.

We have been noticed (and linked to) by the reigning Queen of the Orange County blogosphere - Ruby Sinreich.

Ruby runs OrangePolitics.org, the blog of record for "progressive perspectives on Orange County" and those wanting to keep up on the latest uproar in Chapel Hill/Carrboro.

In the interest of full disclosure, I was an infrequent poster to OP before moving from Chapel Hill to Hillsborough about four years ago.

However, with the exception of a short thread on Dennis Whitling's recent troubles (I love Ruby's opening sentence: "Does anyone know this Dennis Whitling fellow?"), and a lengthy string of comments on the ASVAB controversy at Cedar Ridge High School, OP appears to have taken no notice of Orange County Schools in nearly four years. It is almost as if nothing of real note takes place north of I-40.

But now, Ruby has turned her bright light from southern Orange on the parents of Hillsborough Elementary School.

By titling her post, "Hillsborough parents get their way," Ruby seems to imply that HES parents, who have spent over 14 months fighting for the very survival of the only school their children have ever known, are little more than petulant children who whine until they "get their way."

Of course, it is entirely possible that I misinterpreted the meaning of her "get their way" comment.

If by that she meant that a group of diverse, informed, empowered citizens organized themselves to seek a redress of grievances from a democratically elected governmental body ultimately resulting in a less than ideal, but satisfactory, compromise, I guess she would be right.

Either way, I am honored to be noticed by the Queen. You can call me Sir Allan.

Credit where credit is due

While I may seem to more easily voice my opinion when I find something lacking, I also want to compliment things I feel are done well.

I have recently been very critical of the coverage The News of Orange County has provided throughout the entire HES/CES Merger/Reassignment debacle. In the course of that criticism, I specifically stated that I found the paper's reporting "significantly lacking in both objectivity and journalistic quality."

This time I want to compliment The News of Orange County and its Editor, Casey Ferrell.

Today's article about Monday night's Board of Education meeting is, by far, the best coverage provided by any media outlet. The News provided its readers with the most detailed account of the Board's options for altering HES in an accurate and fair manner, while still capturing the theater of the absurd that was this meeting.

Additionally, Casey's editorial on the lengths the District Staff took to go "above and beyond their call of duty" in an effort to keep as many children as possible at HES was directly on point and strong as well.

Great work, Casey.

Did you get yours?

Today, the mailman (and in my neighborhood he is a man) delivered a confirmation that the Orange County Board of Education has graciously agreed to allow my son, Carter, to return to the only school he has ever known.

Here is the full text of the letter:

April 8, 2008

To the Parents/Guardian of Aidan Scott,

At their regularly scheduled meeting on April 7, 2008, the Orange County Board of Education approved the Hillsborough Elementary School Student Selection Plan for the 2008-2009 school year.

Under this plan, Aidan Scott will be enrolled in 3rd Grade at Hillsborough Elementary School for the next school year. Ms. Horner, Principal of Hillsborough Elementary School, will be sending out information packets to the families of all enrolled students in the near future. If your child is enrolling for Kindergarten, please note that Kindergarten registration will be held on April 30th at 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Please call 732-6137 to register.

Thank you for your continued support of Orange County Schools.

Sincerely,

Michael J. Gilbert
Public Information Officer
Orange County Schools

If you, or someone you know, received a rejection letter, I would be very interested in posting its text. Of course I would edit out their child's name before publishing it.

[For bonus points: Who can identify the grammar error in the first sentence of this letter?]

An open letter to OCS Staff

I received the following open letter to the OCS Staff from Board of Education Candidate Jeff Michalski. I think Jeff speaks for many Orange County parents.

Dr. Rhodes,

As a Hillsborough Elementary parent and a school board candidate, I wanted to take a moment to congratulate you and your staff, particularly Dr. Morton and Mr. Gilbert, on a job well done.

You were given a very negative task by members of our current Board, but rather than succumb to the negativity at hand, you made lemonade with those lemons. You were asked to expel a very small number of children from the only school they had ever known.

Your team did its job and reported on progress utilizing the board’'s original charge. However, by coming up with an alternative plan, you and your staff went above and beyond to fulfill the wishes of the board while protecting our children. For that, my family and I, as well as many others that I represent, are grateful.

It was strange for me last evening. I was so grateful and smiling, but I still had a pit in my stomach. I felt guilty about my relief. Yes, the educational opportunity for my kids and other HES kids had been protected, however, nothing had changed with regard to the discourse at hand.

1. The focus of the Board is still on SES, not student performance or school improvement.
   
2. It is quite evident that none of this was ever about helping Central Elementary School or Efland Cheeks Elementary School.
3. Finally, there is still the question of turning away federal funds, earmarked to help ECES and CES, in order to avoid Title 1 status and disallowing parents the right to pull their children out of failing schools.

These are issues I hope will be rectified by a new board in July. But more immediately, you and your staff have done exemplary work to provide a solution to the admission process at HES without expelling our children from a wonderful school.

Thank You,

Jeff Michalski
Parent
School Board Candidate

We've been modified, but Liz remains the same

After a very animated discussion and a period of confusion about what would happen if they couldn't get a majority to support any proposed plan, the Orange County Board of Education passed what the District Staff presented as a "modified" assignment plan.

The good news: Every child currently attending HES will be allowed to return next year! No HES children will be expelled!

The bad news: Twenty four children who had hoped to start Kindergarten at HES this coming July (and 7 others hoping to join the school in later grades) will be turned away; most to two schools at risk of failing AYP for the third year in a row.

Even in the shadow of this injustice, I must say that this was by far one of the most entertaining Board meeting I have attended. It was likely due to the fact that Liz Brown repeatedly vented her disdain for me and this blog during her futile attempts to kick out as many HES kids as possible.

Liz came so unglued at one point that Ted Triebel threatened to declare her "in contempt" when she accused me of "intimidating" the other Board members. She said, "the lesson is clear, if you don't like something the Board is doing, start a blog and intimidate the Board members. They are easily intimidated."

If nothing else, Liz proved yet again why she shouldn't be on the Board (as if we really needed another reason), and why the parents of Orange County are lucky that she will not be serving much longer.

Now that the short-term future of HES is clear, it is time to secure its long-term future as well. The only place that can occur is at the ballot box on May 6th. We all need to do everything we can to ensure that people who actively support HES are elected to the Board.

As of today, only three Board candidates have openly voiced their support for HES. They are incumbent Board Member Al Hartkopf, former school resource officer Jeff Michalski and former long-time County Commissioner and retired high school principal Steve Halkiotis. Only by electing these three candidates can we be sure HES will exist beyond next June.

Luckily, you don't have to wait long at all to make a difference. A fundraising gala is being held tomorrow evening to raise money for the campaigns of Al Hartkopf and Jeff Michalski. You can see the information here. Even if you haven't RSVP'd, you can still drop by to make a contribution to the candidate's campaigns.

If you can afford it, please donate money, if you can't please donate your time, and most important of all, vote for them on May 6. The future of HES depends on it.

HES Expulsion Plan Revealed

[Note that this column has changed since it was originally posted. After viewing the District Staff's presentation, it is was made clear that the 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students shown as being turned away from HES are, in fact, new applicants to the school rather than existing HES students being expelled."

Yesterday, thanks to Ted Triebel, I received a final draft of the Orange County Schools' HES Registration and Student Expulsion Plan. This is the presentation OCS Staff will give at tomorrow night's Board meeting.

Read this doc on Scribd: Rotated HES Registration and Student Selection Report

This presentation provides data collected during the HES "registration" process, and finally tells us how many current 6 and 7 year-olds our elected "representatives" have ordered expelled from the only school they have ever known.

There are some really repulsive things here, yet more fodder for outrage.

If the Board continues forward with Ted Triebel's debacle, the District will expel 34 children from HES.

In a surprising show of fairness for the children of Orange County (clearly lacking in our elected Board of Education), the District staff has also prepared a "modified" student expulsion plan. This alternate plan would return every current HES student to their chosen school - while also surpassing the Board's SES diversity goal.

According to this "modified" plan, only those children with no experience at HES would be denied admission. While the vast majority are newly arriving Kindergarteners, a hand-full are new applicants for the upper grades.

Given the insanity of this situation, I entirely understand why the parents of so many HES students made alternate arrangements for their kids, and simply chose not to reapply.

But, the surprises aren't just for parents of children at HES. Central Elementary parents are in for a pretty big surprise next fall.

Hidden on the last page of the District's presentation is a bitter prize for the Central Elementary community. The District Staff is proposing cutting the total number of CES teachers by 25% (and I presume an equal number of teaching assistants). Accommodating this cut, will require nearly doubling the size of each kindergarten class and increasing the size of 1st grade classes by 50%.

As if that wasn't enough, it isn't all.

After the Board robbed the children at its poorest elementary school of $140,000 in federal education funds, it would be logical to think that any new spending the District Staff proposed for CES would go to restoring funding for Reading Recovery and at-risk student programs. Oh, no. Instead, the District recommends spending $115,000 at CES, not for academic programs, but for renovating the school entrance and main office, and for lighting upgrades. I'm sure the children who failed to pass their EOGs last spring can't wait.

How exactly is doubling class size for the county's poorest students while renovating the school staff's offices supposed to help them succeed? Oh, it's a good thing that student performance isn't a concern any more, now that Central is no longer in School Improvement. Isn't it interesting how a lack of oversight changes things?

I can't wait to hear the spin Denise Morton puts on this tomorrow night. It should be a good show.

Funny how things happen

I will never cease to be amazed by how ironic life can be.

It has been a while since I wrote something here, and was trying to think of something to write about last week when what should be delivered to my door (or more accurately my driveway) but a "complementary" day-old copy of The News of Orange County.

In an ideal world, this would have been an attempt by my hometown paper to keep me informed about local events, but the this was clearly an effort by The News to solicit me as a paying subscriber. The enclosed flier tried to attract me with promises of "fresh news with a personal connection to the community" and a "special rate" of "Only $38" for two years. (I'm not sure a day-old paper really screams "fresh news.")

Because I would rather have dead electrons in my computer than dead trees in my driveway, I don't subscribe to any physical newspapers. However, if I did, the News of Orange County would probably be my last choice.

Under the current editor, Casey Ferrell, I have found the paper to be significantly lacking in both objectivity and journalistic quality. I was able to look at the "complementary copy" left in my driveway last Thursday to find examples of both deficiencies.

One need go no farther than the lead article. It is telling that the only article initiated "above the fold" was not written by either of the paper's two reporters/editors. It was, in essence, a glorified press release by the Orange County Commissioners which the paper's editorial staff elevated to the status of "fresh news."

But, in a wave of irony, this week is not without truly fresh news. I received the following message this morning:

To all,

I'll be leaving The News of Orange County. My last day will be May 8.

Sorry for the mass email (and given the number of addresses this is being sent to, some may not receive it due to spam filters). Some of you I know personally and well, as friends and acquaintances, and still others I know as working contacts and sources. I wanted to give you all the courtesy of knowing that I will be leaving the newspaper and moving on. I thank each of you for your time, for your cooperation and for the role you played in helping me put out a successful newspaper for nearly two years.
...

Warmest regards and best wishes,

Casey Ferrell
Editor
The News of Orange County

I can't say I am sorry to see Casey go. Maybe now my hometown paper can begin to rebuild its credibility in the community.

I cordially accept

Earlier today I received the invitation below and was asked to post it to my blog so that everyone could be invited. I am happy to do it because I enthusiastically support both candidates it will benefit:

You are cordially invited to a Fundraising Gala

April 8, 2008
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Kelsey's at Occoneechee
378 S. Churton Street, Hillsborough, NC

Come meet two HES parents who are running for Orange County Board of Education:

Al Hartkopf and Jeff Michalski

Enjoy free refreshments and music!

There will be wonderful items available to bid on in a silent auction.

Please R.S.V.P. by April 1, 2008
Contact Leslie Peregoy at 304-4209 or lperegoy@mebtel.net

Are you registered?

The fight for the long-term survival of year-round education in Orange County, and for a return to school board accountability to the voters of Orange County, is ultimately going to rest with the people we elect on May 6th.

The only way to rein in the current arrogant, out-of-control Board is to elect reasonable people in this May's "primary" election.

The people we elect in May, will serve on the Board for the next four years, and will have the power to immediately reverse every unconstitutional, discriminatory and divisive policy forced upon the parents of Orange County by indicted felon Dennis Whitling, Ted Triebel, and Liz Brown.

As such I have an important question:

Are you registered to vote in Orange County?

How about your child's grandparents? Adult siblings? Aunts and uncles? Cousins? Neighbors? Friends of the family?

If you aren't sure, you can check anyone's voter registration status through this link.

If anyone you know is not registered, they have until April 11th to register. Registration information is available here.

If they miss that deadline, they can still vote by visiting a "One Stop Absentee Voting" site before May 3. Information about one stop voting is here.

It is critical that we turn out as many votes as possible on May 6th.

If you need a clear illustration of the importance of each vote, note that in 2004, a shift of only 30 votes would have kept Dennis Whitling off the Board and saved Orange County a shocking embarrassment in 2008. Every vote counts - especially this year!

Register to vote, speak to your friends and family, donate your time and money to reasonable candidates, and, most of all, VOTE!

Act like your child's future depends on it, because IT DOES!

Another Attention Orange Meeting

Attention Orange has asked me to post the following message:

Hi all,

Attention Orange has planned a third meeting on Wednesday, March 12th at 7pm at the Orange County Public Library in Hillsborough.

It is most important that all who can attend - do attend. Not only do we plan on updating everyone on our latest efforts, but we also have a very specific plan of action we would like to discuss and implement.

See you then!

Attention Orange

Am I the only one who didn't get the joke?

Although it bills itself as "America's Finest News Source," I must admit it's been a number of years since I regularly read The Onion.

Since finishing my undergrad degree at UNC, I have been a little too preoccupied with work and raising a family (and most recently working on my Master's) to spend much time immersed in thinly veiled parody.

But, much to my surprise, I just discovered that I have apparently been reading elaborate parodies for the past year or so. At least that is how long I have been aware that the News of Orange existed.

After all, how else but as parody can you explain this quote from News of Orange Editor Casey Ferrell in a thoroughly self-serving article touting his own "accomplishments" recently printed in Hillsborough's hometown paper?

"...our primary goal remains the same — to work as hard as we can to continue earning the respect of our readership."

That's a joke, right? It must be a joke; I laughed out loud when I read it. Someone, anyone, please tell me it's a joke!

For an added level of irony, look who's photo is featured prominently on the front page of the "winning" issue.

That is just too funny to be serious journalism.

The final number is six

With this afternoon's closing of the window for candidates to declare their intent to run for a seat on the Orange County Board of Education, we now know who the candidates will be.

Even though rumors ran hot and heavy for the past couple of days that Liz Brown would try to punish the parents of Orange County by seeking another divisive term on the Board, it was not to be. To the delight of many (myself included), Liz will not be haunting us for much longer.

Here is the final list of those vying for the seats currently held by Liz and Al Hartkopf, as well as the one recently vacated by Dennis Whitling after being accused, indicted, charged and arrested on multiple felonies.

• Incumbent and Current Board Member Al Hartkopf
• Former Orange County Commissioner Steve Halkiotis
• Former unsuccessful Board Candidate Tony McKnight
• Political newcomer and former School Resource Officer Jeff Michalski
• Political newcomer Eddie Eubanks
• Political newcomer Stan Morris
  

Al Hartkopf for School Board

Al Hartkopf for Orange County Board of Education

For Immediate Release
February 27, 2008

Al Hartkopf, who was first elected in 2004, has filed for re-election to the Orange County Board of Education. Al lives in Hillsborough with his wife Kathy and their two daughters, Kya age 13 and Sierra age 9. Kya is in the seventh grade at A. L. Stanback Middle School. Sierra is a fourth grader at Hillsborough Elementary.

Al runs SoundSide Management, a Hillsborough-based services & project management firm. Al currently serves as Chairman of the Town of Hillsborough Board of Adjustment and volunteers with the ALS Band Boosters and the HES Intercession Remediation Program.

Through teamwork with Board Members and Staff, OCS has made many accomplishments during Al’s first term.

• Gravelly Hill Middle School is open and serving students in a brand new facility with a dynamic staff.
  
• The International Baccalaureate Program continues to grow and thrive.
• The Closing the Gap Committee report was completed, accepted, and their mission extended.
• Professional Learning Communities are being implemented at schools throughout the system.
• We are negotiating a partnership with Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute to bring the latest state-of-the-art pre-Kindergarten methods to public school.
• Durham Technical Community College’s Orange County Campus is being finished and will soon be open to bring post-secondary education closer to home.
• An external audit of our business processes was completed saving the system tens of thousands of dollars.
• The Partnership Academy Alternative School has a permanent home and is expanding its service.
• Our Biotechnology and Health Education Curricula are established and growing. The demographics of America assure that these fields of study will be invaluable to our students and society.
• The Middle College Program is in full swing and provides yet another avenue for students to succeed.
• We have implemented an energy conservation program throughout the system.
• Our Vocational Education and Agricultural Science Programs are tops in the state and continuing to grow.
• Al attended the FFA National Conference in Indianapolis with the Orange County FFA contingent.
• Al has continued to work positively with County Commissioners to acquire needed funding and taken the cause of better funding to Raleigh to encourage state leadership to remain committed to education and local control.
• Al has continuously explored and championed the concept and implementation of school choice within the context of public schools. His support in the area is affirmed by four years of proposals, motions, and votes.
• When Al was elected in 2004, the County Commissioners were considering the consolidation of our system with Chapel Hill – Carrboro City Schools. Al was a clear voice of reason and worked to keep our school system our own. After four years, Orange County still has its own school system.

While we have made progress in our community and schools, there remains so much more to do.

• We should continue working to provide greater transparency in the affairs of our school system.
• We must focus on students’ environment, mitigate summer learning loss, and close the achievement gap.
• The need for fiscal responsibility remains on all fronts. With tighter budgets at the State level and the County’s debt service responsibilities, simply calling for more funding is not a winning strategy. External audits of finance, curricula, and programs must be undertaken.
• Ongoing education and training for teachers must be accommodated. We must keep our teachers inspired, invigorated, motivated, and above all, meet their continuing educational needs.
• We must unceasingly march towards open educational choice in public schools. After these four years working within the system and acquiring an in-depth understanding of local and national education trends, I am convinced that if we fail to provide school choice from inside our public school system, our system will be changed from the outside-in.
  

“The public schools belong not to any Board, any Person, or any Administrator. The public schools belong to the People. If the People decide to return me to the Board, I will continue my pledge to assure every student in Orange County Schools receives the best education we can provide.”

News Flash!

Al Hartkopf has filed for re-election!

With only 48 hours to go before the window closes on those interested in running for elected office, the first (and we can hope, only) incumbent to seek another term on the Orange County Board of Education has filed his paperwork with the Board of Elections.

This brings the number of candidates vying for one of three open seats on the Board to five.

The other candidates officially in the race include:

• Former Orange County Commissioner Steve Halkiotis
• Previously unsuccessful Board Candidate Tony McKnight
• Newcomer Jeff Michalski
• Newcomer Eddie Eubanks

Diversity yes, displacement no

The following letter was published today in the Durham Herald-Sun's Chapel Hill Herald.

I think this parent speaks for many of us who have been unfairly painted with an "anti-diversity" brush by both the Orange County Board of Education and its media mouthpiece.


Diversity yes, displacement no

As a parent at Hillsborough Elementary and an active participant in the grass-roots organization, Attention Orange, I deeply resent the implication made both in the press and by some members of the Orange County school board that we are opposing the board's plan for diversity.

It has been clearly stated by the attorney that represents Attention Orange and by many parents in open session that we are NOT against the board's goal of diversity in Orange County. We are against the discriminatory and unconstitutional practice of expelling 20 children from one school in a district of 7,000 children and seven elementary schools.

The expulsion of these children will not impact the diversity at either the schools to which they are sent or the school from which they come. This is a targeted effort by the Orange County school board toward Hillsborough Elementary families -- and is one in a long line of retaliatory efforts from this board.

Very simply put -- we support the board's efforts to increase diversity in all Orange County schools, but we ask the board to reconsider displacing these 20 children based only on their parents' income and education level.

Melanie Wilson
Hillsborough
February 27, 2008

Jeff Michalski for School Board

Jeff Michalski for Orange County Board of Education

Press Release
Thursday, February 21, 2008

Jeff Michalski has announced he will run for the Orange County School Board. The Michalskis, who live at 6414 Beaver Valley Drive in Efland, have made northern Orange County home for nearly ten years. Jeff and wife Maria are the proud parents of two young children: a son who is a first grader at Hillsborough Elementary and a daughter who this fall, hopes to begin her kindergarten year at Hillsborough Elementary.

Jeff states that he is running for Orange County Board of Education because he “is committed to providing the best possible education and choices for the children and parents of Orange County”.

Jeff, known as Coach Ski or Deputy Ski, has devoted the majority of his adult life to teaching, coaching, and guiding young people to exceed the expectations of others and strive for excellence in every aspect of their young lives.

• Behavior Specialist and Exceptional Children’s Teacher (Durham)
• Football and Softball Coach (Durham)
• Strength and Conditioning Coach (Cedar Ridge High)
• Original School Resource Officer (Cedar Ridge High and Partnership Academy)
• Drugs Alcohol Resistance Education (DARE) Instructor (Grady Brown Elementary)
• Gang Resistance Education and Training (GREAT) Instructor (A.L. Stanback Middle School)

Currently, Jeff works as a Resource Developer recruiting, training, licensing, and supervising therapeutic foster parents. Jeff works for the same agency for which he and his wife Maria were therapeutic foster parents for nearly five years.

Jeff is very involved in the community:

• Hillsborough Elementary volunteer
• Coaches two youth soccer teams
• Teaches catechism (youth religious education) in his church

Jeff's goals for Orange County Schools include:

• Choice in Public Education
• Involving the community in support of our schools
• Closing the achievement gap by improving ALL Orange County schools
• Providing focus and support to our schools not currently meeting AYP standards
• Empowering students to become life long learners

And then there were three

In addition to former County Commissioner Steve Halkiotis and former Board of Education candidate Tony McKnight, a newcomer has thrown his hat into the ring for a seat on the Orange County Board of Education.

The Durham Herald-Sun reports this morning:

"In other filing news, first-time candidate Jeff Michalski of Efland joined the race for the Orange County Board of Education on Thursday.

Michalski, who said he "is committed to providing the best possible education and choices for the children and parents of Orange County," is a former behavior specialist and exceptional children's teacher and a former school resource officer at Cedar Ridge High and Partnership Academy.

The 10-year resident of northern Orange County is a resource developer for Durham-based Caring Family Network, where he recruits, trains, licenses and supervises therapeutic foster parents, who provide a structured environment that supports learning, social and emotional skills of displaced youths.

Michalski, also known as 'Coach Ski' or 'Deputy Ski,' has been a football, softball and strength and conditioning coach in Durham as well as a D.A.R.E instructor for Grady Brown Elementary.

The school board candidate, who has two children at Hillsborough Elementary School, said his top priorities are 'choice in public education, involving the community in support of our schools and closing the achievement gap by improving all Orange County schools.'"

I personally spoke to Jeff Michalski this morning and will be able to share more information about the man and his campaign later today.

Suffice it to say, I was very impressed with Jeff's commitment to the children of Orange County, his broad experience in a variety of roles in Orange County schools, and his direct understanding of what it takes to be the parent of a child in our schools. I was so impressed, in fact, that I have already sent a campaign donation.

I look forward to actively supporting Jeff's campaign and to seeing him on the school board for years to come.

Attention Orange Meeting Details

I received a message from Attention Orange earlier today, with a request that I post the text of a message the organization sent to all K-2 HES parents earlier today. I was out of town on business all day (I do have a life, you know), and wasn't able to post it until now.

Hi all,

As many of you are aware, last night the Board of Education met in the Central Office Building at 7pm. I was amazed - no ... stunned - at the parent turnout! We covered that room in orange! Thank you so much! There were more than 40 parents who attended - most of whom were wearing orange.

We now await word from the Board's attorney. However, let me emphasize that no votes can be made in closed session - and no votes were made at the end of the meeting once it returned to open session. Therefore, it is only reasonable that I assume nothing has changed. We are on to injunction, folks!

Attention Orange will be holding a meeting on Thursday night, Feb. 21st, at 6:30pm in the Conference Room at the Orange County Public Library in Hillsborough. We will be discussing the Board's response and our next step in the legal process. This meeting is ONLY open to HES parents! Please come!

Attention Orange

Once again I encourage every HES parent to support Attention Orange. Even if your child is "grandfathered" under the current plan (like mine), there is no assurance that this rogue Board of Education will honor its commitment to your children in the future.

Please attend the meeting Thursday night and donate to Attention Orange's legal representation fund. All you need to do is click on the "Donate" button on the right side of this page to give with your credit or debit card. Donations by check (made payable to "Attention Orange") will also be accepted at Thursday's meeting.

Wednesday Whitling News Update

A great deal more news about Dennis Whitling's mounting legal troubles has come out since his resignation from the Orange County Board of Education was announced Monday night.

The Durham Herald-Sun has two articles on Dennis' current predicament. One exclusively covers the criminal aspect, while the other discusses the impact on the school board. Both articles report the indictments that charge Dennis with embezzlement of over $100,000 from his former employer, "corporate malfeasance, obtaining property by false pretenses and obstruction of justice."

According to the Raleigh News & Observer, Dennis was arrested and charged last Thursday by Durham Police, but was quickly released from custody after posting a $10,000 bond.

Last Thursday!? Why is this only coming out 6 days later?

Also, joining in the parade of media coverage is Hillsborough's own News of Orange with a story posted online today.

Finally, in a sort of validation of this as an important regional news story, even WRAL TV has coverage of it on their website.

I will do what I can to keep everyone informed as developments come to light.

Ch...Ch...Ch...Changes

What a difference a day makes.

Yesterday morning, Orange County had a Board of Education made up 7 elected officials. Today there are only six. And according to media reports, the Board will simply wait until the voters fill the vacant seat in May.

I must say that this group of Keystone Cops has finally made a decision with which I agree. Let the voters decide who represents them. The last thing we need is repeat of the undemocratic fiasco that embroiled Carrboro a while back.

As for the Dennis Whitling scandal, I cannot deny that I am happy to see him off the Board. I think it is a genuine victory for the parents and children of Orange County.

However, I am going to take the high road and resist the extremely powerful urge to kick the man while he's down, even though I don't feel he would show the same courtesy to the parents and children of HES. That said, I will continue to link to developments in the case and publish comments from those who want to express an opinion on the issue.

Now for the original reason I sat down to post tonight. A while back I began receiving a large number of anonymous comments that I felt made unfair accusations about different groups of people and from people using names I knew to be fraudulent. While I would openly welcome comments from Joel Osteen on my blog, I find it hard to believe he has time to become involved in the politics of Orange County schools.

As a result, I began taking a more proactive approach to deciding which comments I publish to this blog. Unfortunately, this has struck at least one poster as unfair, and he/she has called on me to account for not publishing one of his/her recent comments.

In response to the posting I made after last night's Board meeting, I received the following comment this morning:

"Your statement that the announcement was made after the press left the meeting is completely incorrect. The announcement was reported in today's Durham Herald Sun. Where is the freedom of speech when you won't report my comments about the board member who resigned last night?"

While I typically will not respond to an anonymous comment, I felt a response might serve to both answer some of the poster's concerns while also providing some clarity around the issue of submitting comments.

Let's start with the anonymous poster's assertion that I was incorrect in my statement that Ted Triebel waited until the media had left before announcing Dennis Whitling's resignation. My statement was correct. Because they have early deadlines, reporters from the Raleigh News & Observer and Durham Herald-Sun routinely leave meetings early. Both Cheryl Sadgrove of the N&O and Ginny Hoyle of the Herald-Sun have told me that it is because the Central Office Boardroom has no wireless Internet access through which they can file their stories. As for last night, both left before Ted's announcement.

Yes, there was a report about Whitling's resignation in the Herald Sun this morning. What the poster assumes is that the Herald-Sun reporter needed to be present for the announcement to write her article. This was not the case. In fact, I emailed word of Whitling's resignation to the Herald-Sun reporter as soon as I arrived home, and then emailed her again when video of the announcement was posted to this blog. Had I not done so, there would have been no report in this morning's paper.

Second, let me provide a simple explanation for why I did not publish the anonymous poster's earlier comments about Dennis Whitling's situation. It was simply because the poster repeatedly referred to Dennis Whitling as "Dennis Hastert." Now, Dennis Hastert is a former Speaker of the US House of Representatives who, to my knowledge, has never been criminally charged with stealing $115,000 from a Durham law firm.

Finally, this is a good opportunity to provide a bit of clarity around what gets posted to this blog. Since day one, this has been a moderated blog. This means that I, and I alone, decide what gets published here. That fact has always been outlined in the "Commenting details" at the bottom of this page. It has always stated, "This is a moderated blog. The comments allowed are entirely at the discretion of the blog owner." That's me.

This is not now, never has been, and never will be, a free-for-all zone. Like almost any blog that allows reader comments, there are rules. And, I have sole authority to enforce those rules as I see fit.

If at any time you submit a comment that does not appear on my blog in a reasonable period of time, feel free to send me a message with your contact information, and I will respond with my reasoning behind rejecting your comment.

News Flash!

Dennis Whitling Resigns!

If nothing else, Ted Triebel appears to have a flair for the dramatic.

He waited until the very last moment to read a letter from ex-Chair Dennis Whitling announcing his resignation from the Orange County Board of Education. I can only suppose that the allegations he stole nearly $60,000 from his former employer aren't just going away.

If I didn't know this Board better, I would never be so cynical as to assume the announcement was intentionally made after the press had left the meeting. But, after watching this group for nearly an entire year, I am not naive enough to believe the timing was a coincidence.

I am so glad I attended tonight's Board meeting, and even happier I stayed to the very end. It appears that is when the most interesting things happen.

In addition to Dennis' resignation letter, had I left early, I would have missed Liz Brown's attempt to get the Superintendent to use "any means available" to shut down this blog. I would have hated to have my ears burning all night and not know why.

Wow, what a night! What can they do next time to top this?

Showing the Orange

In support of Attention Orange, I am turning my blog orange for the day.

You can show your support by wearing orange at tonight's Orange County Board of Education meeting. The meeting details are below:

What: Orange County Board of Education Regular Meeting
When: Monday, February 18, 2008 @ 7:00 pm
Where: Orange County Schools Central Office
200 King Street
Hillsborough, NC 27278

Agenda

While the meeting is scheduled to begin at 7:00, if you want a seat, you will need to be there early. Also, if you want to share your comments with the Board, you will need to sign up before the meeting begins.

I hope to see many of you there.

Do I need to hear more?

I must admit that I wouldn't know former County Commissioner Steve Halkiotis if I stood in line behind him at Cup A Joe tomorrow morning. Of course the same would have been true of any current Board member exactly a year ago today.

As I have said many times in the past, I never paid much attention to Orange County politics before the fiasco of merging Central and Hillsborough Elementary schools was proposed late last February. [Can you believe this farce has been going on for nearly a full year?]

Not personally knowing either of the people who have filed paperwork to run for an open seat on the Orange County Board of Education left me at something of a loss in drawing an early opinion about either.

Thankfully one of our local newspapers has offered an insight into Mr. Halkiotis' thinking that has played heavily into my early belief that he is a candidate I should support - both with my vote and my money.

In an article in the N&O's Chapel Hill News, Mr. Halkiotis specifically cited the Board's attack on HES as a prime reason for his entering the race:

"I've been extremely befuddled why you'd want to take the best performing elementary school -- the most successful program you've got -- and for some reason water all that down to help Central Elementary," Halkiotis said.

Central needs help, and Efland-Cheeks Elementary School after that, he said. But not at Hillsborough Elementary's expense. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," he said.

After reading such a rational and reasoned perspective from a school board candidate, I have just one more question:

Where can I send my campaign donation?

Wake Up HES Update

Again this afternoon, concerned parents passed out flyers in the HES pick-up lines.

Here is the full text of the flyer:

WAKE UP HES

On Wednesday evening, Attention Orange held its first meeting. There is much work to do:

* Attend this Monday's School Board meeting: 7pm, Central Office Building (200 East King Street, Hillsborough). To show our solidarity, please wear ORANGE! While there has been some talk of gathering outside with signs, upon further examination, signs are problematic. It is more important we be sitting in the Board room when school board members and central office staff arrive, and signs are not allowed in the Board room.

* Inquire about and DONATE to Attention Orange, the major grassroots effort to legally challenge the Board. You may donate anonymously and electronically by visiting http://savehes.blogspot.com and selecting "Donate". You may use credit, debit, or your PayPal account to donate directly. To find out more about Attention Orange, please submit inquiries to attentionorange@yahoo.com.

Attention Orange hired an attorney who is aggressively moving forward. Orange County Schools has been notified of the grievance and given a short response period. If the board does not end it's expulsion of HES students, a cease and desist injunction will follow.

It is imperative that we work together as an HES family. The future of our school is at stake. We cannot do it without you.

* Get the word out. Many in our HES family are completely unaware of the recent school board decisions and imminent threat to our school.

Reputable attorneys are expensive - HES is worth it!

Ignored no more

The mother of a child in Orange County Schools was kind enough to send me a Letter to the Editor she has submitted for printing by the News of Orange, the Durham Herald-Sun and the Raleigh News & Observer. (If any of them print her letter, I will link to it.)

[Update: Ms. Chandler's letter was printed in the N&O's Chapel Hill News on Sunday Feb. 17. Ut appeared in the Durham Herald-Sun on Tuesday, Feb. 19. I have still seen nothing in our hometown newspaper, the News of Orange.]

Dear Editor,

The right to challenge elected officials and express dissent at policies with which there is disagreement are foundations to the concept of American democracy. However, occasionally a board of elected officials behaves in such a way that even these most basic of rights are ignored. This is the case with the current Orange County School Board. There is an attitude that permeates this Board that is most unbecoming. As a parent of children in Orange County schools, I have witnessed some disturbing behavior over this past year. Comments made by Board members during open meetings, comments made between Board members and other parents, and comments made to the media by various Board members have left many parents feeling intimidated and undermined: bullied into submission rather than engaged in their children's learning. In short, parents fear speaking out against this Board for fear of unfair retaliation. I would have hoped that the current Chair, with his long military career, would have understood and honored this most important of American ideals.

In addition, the secretive methods employed by this Board only exaggerate these fears. For example, I have met many parents who feel as if the “real” conversations about Board policies do not occur in the Board room in public as they should be, but rather occur after hours, during frequent lunch outings among Board members, or in communications that are not in the public sphere. Doesn’t this undermine the transparency that is required of a school board? It is time that the voters of Orange County step up and reclaim for themselves what belongs to them. Hopefully on May 6th they will.

A.R. Chandler

Efland, NC

The fact that I have heard many parents speak of fearing their children will be targeted by the Orange County Board of Education if they dare to raise their voices against the travesty occurring on King Street, tells me that this parent's concerns are mirrored in homes all over the county.

The best way Orange County parents can fight back against these schoolyard bullies is to support the only grassroots effort using the rule of law to oppose this rogue Board - Attention Orange.

If you care about fairness in Orange County Schools and the "concept of American Democracy", please support Attention Orange with your thoughts and prayers, but most importantly at this critical time, with your money. Please donate to Attention Orange!

Wake Up HES

In case you missed it yesterday afternoon, a group of concerned parents were passing out orange flyers to parents in the HES pick-up lines.

Here is the full text of the flyer:

WAKE UP HES

It is time for HES families to make a stand.

Whether or not your child is grandfathered, their continuing education at HES is at stake. Once the Orange County School Board succeeds in depopulating HES through their current plan, the Board will have all it needs to justify closing HES and ending the year round program.

There are things we can do:

• Sign up for free or reduced lunch. If your family qualifies, even if you still intend to send in lunch money, please sign up. Then sign up again at the beginning of the new school year. According to OCS Administration, free and reduced lunch numbers will be the measure of diversity.
• Inquire about and donate to Attention Orange, the major grassroots effort to legally challenge the Board. Attention Orange has retained an attorney who is aggressively moving forward. You may donate anonymously and electronically by visiting http://savehes.blogspot.com and selecting "Donate." You may use credit, debit or your PayPal account to donate directly. Next week Attention Orange will hold a meeting. To find out more, please submit inquiries to attentionorange@yahoo.com .
• Share this information with others.

Together we can make a difference.

Together we can save our school for our children and those to come.

Attention Orange Update

I have received a great deal of positive response to my earlier blog posting and the email I sent regarding the efforts of the newly-formed grassroots group Attention Orange.

Judging from the number of messages I have received offering support, there is a great deal of interest in becoming directly involved in the fight against Orange County's rogue Board of Education.

In response to the outpouring of support for the group, the founders have asked me to post the following:

"Attention Orange will be holding a meeting next week. If you would like to attend to gather additional information about the group, please email attentionorange@yahoo.com with your contact information. You will then receive information regarding the meeting time and place. We need everyone's support! Families that are grandfathered in may not be directly affected but your friends and neighbors will be, please come to support your HES family in this important fight. We look forward to seeing all of you there!"

Until the meeting, there is one thing every parent can do to help - join me in contributing to the group's legal expenses. You can easily contribute using the "Donate" button on the right side of this blog.