Al Hartkopf for Orange County Board of EducationFor 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 atA. L. Stanback Middle School
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
Al runs SoundSide Management, a Hillsborough-based services & project management firm. Al currently serves as Chairman of the Town of
Through teamwork with Board Members and Staff, OCS has made many accomplishments during Al’s first term.
- 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.
- 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
- 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
- Al has continued to work positively with
- 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
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.”
19 comments:
Let me be one of the first to say how thrilled I am that Al has decided to run for re-election!
But let me also say this to all those who support school choice: Jeff Michalski and Al Hartkopf have agreed to spend the next four years of their lives supporting our right to school choice while also improving ALL schools county-wide. I think if they are willing to do that - then we should all be willing to support their campaigns - and I mean financially. It takes a lot of resources to run a campaign, and I believe this is not a burden that they should bear alone.
So if you have it - give it!
Ashley Ward
So I find this kind of funny. I voted for every member of the current board, except Al. I thought Al was too conservative. I enthusiastically supported Dennis and Liz followed by Debbie, Ted, Susan, and Anne. I was hopeful these educated, bright folks would create a school district that I would want to send my children to. How wrong I was. Now, I know better.
It was Al who voted against the current elementary school districts stating that the assignment map did not achieve SES balance and would lead to over-crowding at Efland Cheeks in just a few years. And guess what, he was absolutely right. More recently, he has opposed the expulsion of rising 1st and 2nd graders from HES as this will contribute nothing to SES balance at any school and be a significant hardship on those children and their families. Again, he is correct. I will not be fooled again. I will vote for Al. And I will look for candidates that believe parents should have a say in where their children can go to school. It is the parents who are their children's first and best advocate. I'm hopeful a new majority can be formed on the board that will respect the wishes of parents. You go Al!!! This time, you have my vote.
Thanks Ashley.
Anyone who wants to support Al's campaign, can send contributions to:
Al Hartkopf for Orange County School Board
2405 Uphill Court
Hillsborough, NC 27278
Support for Jeff can be sent to:
Jeff Michalski for Orange County School Board
6414 Beaver Valley Drive
Mebane, NC 27302
I received an email form Al this afternoon. He need funds for signs ASAP so they can be put up on March 7th.
Let's remember this summer, when Al was being shunned by members of the Board because he would not get with the program and dismantle HES. He looked at the plan, and he thought the plan would not improve the quality of education. Debbie and Liz laughed because the person they followed and trusted, Dennis Whitling, said the plan would work. Only problem was that Al stood in their way. He stood up for us when other Board Members abandoned us and called us names.
Remember when the board showed up at CES? Didn't go over too well. Same thing at HES. The Board realized that maybe Al was right. They changed plans, following the lead of Dennis.
Let's forward to the last board meeting. At the end of the open meeting, Ted reads a letter that Dennis had resigned from the Board. The disappointment, the dispair that was in Liz and Debbie's face, what could they have been thinking? Maybe that the person that they followed like a duckling was not the man that he had pretended to be. Maybe they questioned their ability to judge character. They probably were thinking that they will do their best to distance themselves from him at all costs.
I don't know if Liz is running--I hope she isn't. If she decides to run, please think about these horrible lapse in judgment. Do you want to have someone to lead Orange County Education that has a not so hidden agenda to punish 1st and 2nd graders of HES? Do you want someone who followed a person who got caught with their hand in the cookie jar? But most of all, do you want someone who will lie to you in your face and tell you in the pouring rain that they support HES and its year-round program, but then a year later try to shut it down and dismiss it for some "frills" school?
Al now has a website which will allow you to donate to his campaign with your credit or debit card through PayPal. Visit:
www.alhartkopf.com
Al is a great guy. Although Dennis treated him like trash at board meetings, Al defended him in the papers when the embezzlement charges came out.
I didn't see any quotes from Susan, Debbie, or Liz. You are exactly right: they are distancing themselves for their own self-serving agenda.
who is Stan Morris? He has filed for school board.
Stan Morris is a wonderful man. He attends Hillsborough United Methodist Church. His children go to Cameron Park Elementary.
I look forward to hearing his platform.
Melissa West
What's Stan's position on the current HES mess?
According to the N&O this afternoon:
HILLSBOROUGH -- Stan Morris of Rougemont today filed to run for the Orange County Board of Education.
Morris, who works for the American Red Cross, has two children at Cameron Park Elementary.
This is his first election campaign.
“The concerns I have are with the fiscal efficiency and utilization of the funds that we have,” said Morris, who has lived in Orange County for about nine years.
Morris also said he wanted to see programs that would encourage participation in the schools not only by parents but by business and civic groups.
Right now I'm supporting (1) Al Hartkopf and (2) Steve Halkiotis. For the third pick, I'm wide open. I know Stan Morris, and he is a good man. I don't know what he thinks of the HES mess. I'll have to find out. I think Jeff Michalski is also a solid candidate that has a common sense approach to education. I also like Eddie Eubanks. Mr. Eubanks would be a major improvement over Liz or Dennis. Any one of these three candidates could possibly get my third vote.
I'd support a forum of all six candidates (Hartkopf, Halkiotis, Morris, Michalski, Eubanks, and McKnight) and discuss their visions of what needs to be done to promote education in Orange County.
A quote from the Independent, July 14, 2004:
"Liz Brown's passionate arguments on behalf of the group Fair Funding in County Schools have made her a provocative and controversial figure, a target of the anti-merger crowd in both school districts. (She and current board member Dana Thompson led a poorly conceived and short-lived boycott of southern Orange businesses to protest funding disparities between the school systems.) Brown was recently acquitted by a judge for pulling up campaign signs for conservative Hillsborough town board candidate Paul Newton. She is highly critical of the county commissioners, and her statements sometimes verge on personal attacks. With all that in mind, we believe her years of volunteer work and PTSA involvement demonstrate that she truly cares about Orange County schools. In order to transition from activist to board member, Brown will need to channel her passion into patience and work hard to build amicable relationships with fellow board members and parents. She'll need to be sensitive to the genuine concerns of those in the county who feel squeezed by property taxes. In essence, we hope she'll spend the first part of her term listening."
I bring this up on the dawn of Liz's decision to run again. Look at the great insight the Indy had back then. Did she ever learn to listen? No. Does she have a history of personal attacks? Yes. Did she demonstrate that she has a sensitivity about others in her four years? No.
Liz, if you are reading this, which I know you are, you better think twice about running again. You are so predictable. I know you are going to decide at the last minute--that is your style. My style is to let everyone else determine if you are a legitimate candidate.
If Liz Brown does decide to run for re-election, one thing is certain. Any candidates' forum with Steve Halkiotis and Liz Brown would be worth the price of admission.
As was mentioned in the Indy article on Liz, "She is highly critical of the county commissioners, and her statements sometimes verge on personal attacks." She would be a fool to believe Dr. Halkiotis has forgotten her behavior while he was a sitting County Commissioner. Paybacks are hell.
Attention Orange should consider selling popcorn and refreshments at a candidates' forum with those two.
I think the idea of having an open forum of candidates discussing their planks would be a positive to the Orange County Schools. Luckily, with this blog and attention Orange, we have ways of keeping our Board members accountable for their actions/inactions.
With 2 hours to go, I would love to see Liz run for re-election. To have her ranting divisive self up there debating school choice would totally be to our advantage. And anyone that agreed with her would be tainted as well. I'd love to see her discuss her moving of 300K in Title I funds with Mr. Eubanks and Mr. McKnight.
Times up. Thanks Liz and adios!
Now, lets get with the program, and elect somebody that will get the job done. Educate ALL our children. Get the money back into the schools that need it most.
Al should also be commended for helping Orange County get rid of one of the worst Superintendents in the history of public school education in America.
I plan on throwing a fundraising gala for Al and Jeff-details to follow. I would appreciate any products or services donated for a silent auction. You can contact me via email lperegoy@mebtel.net or phone 304-4209. This will be an evening that will allow everyone to contribute as well as having a good time!
Leslie Peregoy
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