The HES PTA met last night and announced that Orange County Board of Education members will attend the group's August 28th meeting for a Q&A session on the proposed merger of Central Elementary and Hillsborough Elementary schools.
I strongly encourage every parent to attend! Make your voice heard.
This is the first (and likely only) real opportunity parents will have to receive answers from Board members. Unlike during the highly restrictive "public comment" period before each regular Board meeting, they will not be able to sit quietly and ignore parent concerns.
I have no illusions that this meeting will change any of their positions on the merger, but at least parents will have the chance to demand explanations from these elected "leaders" - whether they get those explanations is another matter.
I don't believe for a second that the entire Board will attend this meeting. I think there are Board members who lack the courage to honestly answer parents' questions for fear of publicly exposing their hypocrisy and personal agendas. As such, there will likely be some who are conspicuous in their absence. They should be remembered for their arrogance and cowardice.
That said, this is the last best chance to have your voice heard. Even if you are like me, and have never attended a PTA meeting, take this small chance to hold your elected representatives accountable.
Be there for your children on August 28.
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17 comments:
There are many HES supporters that are hoping you, Mr. Scott, will be able to attend the meeting yourself. Your voice would be very appreciated and needed!
What time is the PTA meeting on Aug 28th?
You may want to tone down the name calling and accusations. You want the board to be receptive to your concerns. I know if someone was calling me names et al I'd tune them out or (in my more immature moments) do the opposite of what they want just to piss them off.
But that's just me!
That's them too! Funny you say that is your mature way to handle things; is to do the opposite to piss someone off.
This is not about pissing people off, or seeing who can have the last word, or to see who has the most power-- it is about doing what is RIGHT for our children. What they are doing is nothing to play with or to take lightly.... I sure hope you don't run for a seat on the board!
But that's just me!!
How many board members do you think will attend the meeting on August 28th? If a majority of the members attend, they will have a quorum and must advertise a public meeting. Want to take bets? Al and Anne will show up to let HES know "they've got our back" - yeah, right. Look where that's gotten us in the past eight months.
Time and location have not been set. Talk at the PTA meeting was that the it was going to be at 7pm in the gym.
Keep a lookout for info sent home and/or posted on the door outside of the main office bldg.
Okay, I have to confess. I didn't get the literary reference to the title of this comment. Knowing Allan though, I knew it would have relevance. So for those of you only read fiction (like me), here is a link that explains the reference.
http://www.penguinreaders.com/downloads/
9780582432581.pdf
Kylie
Will Shirley C. be at the PTA meeting?
Al recommended that HES be selected as a "school of choice". Even after being told it didn't make sense. He's got our backs alright. He's looking for a vote.
For those parents who are still opposed to the merger, I think you need to be very clear as to why you oppose it. I would band together and pick three reasons, based on fact not emotion. Have these points of opposition crystal clear and present a unified front. I think you need to separate the opt in kids from the merger issue.
The opt in kids will be fine and should not present a problem. There is room in the classrooms and larger class sizes will get Liz off of your backs about how she "wishes she had that few students" in her child's class.
I suggest you pressure the board to create a plan to integrate HES more and keep the year round schedule in tact.
I think the board has competence issues to say the least and will not be able to merge the schools without a clear cut plan. Add to that a new superintendent who isn't on a vendetta rampage and there may be hope.
Decide if you are opposed, what are your reasons and band together.
The Board wants the HES parents to shut up and go away. HES parents are being disruptive to the Board's agenda. The merger is going to happen, and there really is nothing HES parents can do about it.
The Orange County Schools employee handbook states in their organizational plan that parents are the top of the organization, then school board, and then superintendant.
The merger may happen no matter what we say, but there WILL BE CONSEQUENCES TO THE BOARD'S DECISION! Can we say election year, anyone? Overcrowding in all other elementary schools? More schools in title 1 school improvement?
Wake up school board! Either you work with us or against us. In the end we will still have the power over our children's education, not you!
What is going to happen to Efland Cheeks? They need some assistance, and the Board has not addressed the long-range problems with this school. Also, the Board has not at all addressed the problems with our Middle Schools.
I personally don’t think that anyone on the board cares if they get re-elected or not. I think it is all about showing HES parents who has the control. What truly amazes me is the fact that seven people have the authority that they have. They have the authority to dismantle a high performing school whether it is by merger or simply closing it down. Why wouldn’t it take a county- wide vote, by all people paying taxes- who wish to vote, to have something like that approved? By doing this, it would halt hasty decisions made by the school board and force them to have a clear agenda of what it is they are trying to accomplish.
I am against the merger simply because it does not address the reason that these students are failing and correct it. That should be the school board’s thought as well. It is nothing but an attempt to fudge the scores and nothing else! I find it repulsive that these people can say they have the best interest of the children of Orange County in mind when they do what they do.
Talk about "transparency"....Has anyone received notification of the August 28 meeting with the Board from school administration?
The school administration of HES is not sponsoring the forum for the board members. The very active PTA is hosting the forum. Any information about it should come from the PTA, not the school administration.
Didn't everyone get the letter from the HES PTA on Wednesday?
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