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.

Attention Orange!

The Orange County Board of Education's efforts to expel children from HES based simply upon how much money their parents earn is about to enter an entirely new stage.

In an attempt to level the playing field with this runaway Board, a number of Orange County parents (not including me) have formed a grassroots organization to provide the parents of children in Orange County with a voice the Board cannot ignore - Attention Orange.

In its first action, Attention Orange retained an attorney to review the Board's actions with regard to the new HES student expulsion plan. Unfortunately, top-flight attorneys do not come cheap, even if the cause is right and just.

As such, Attention Orange has asked for help in publicizing their efforts, and asked me to encourage my readers to make contributions to help cover the attorney's fees.

After speaking at length with two members of the group, I am convinced that it is legitimate and that all funds will be handled with the utmost honesty.

Additionally, the group has agreed to regularly provide a detailed accounting of all spending and has promised to donate any funds they collect, above and beyond what is needed to pay the attorney, to the Hillsborough Elementary School PTA.

Given the disdain this Board has repeatedly shown for the community it supposedly serves, I believe that a properly funded legal defense fund is the only way Orange County's parents can have a voice in where their children attend school.

For these reasons, I have already donated to the group, and I encourage every parent in Orange County to do the same.

To make things easier and more efficient, Attention Orange has set up a PayPal account through which people can make donations. You can donate using your credit or debit card, or an existing PayPal account balance by clicking the button below or on the right side of this page.

Your children's education could quite literally depend on the support we provide this group of concerned parents. Please give whatever you can afford. No amount is too small.

For more information on Attention Orange, or to get involved, you can contact the group at: AttentionOrange@yahoo.com.