Did you all know that there was a Charleston County Friends for Buist?
Neither did I. I did know there was a group of parents who started after District 20 Families in order to combat the attention that Buist received after all the false addresses. Apparently this is the same group. Evidently, it is led by attorney Mark Brandenburg who also is head of the Buist Foundation, a private non-profit according to him. I was unaware that there was such a thing as a private non-profit whose address with the federal government is a public school.
Any who there was an e-mail floating around after the article in the Post and Courier comparing the inadequacies between Charleston Progressive and Buist Academy. For those of you who have not read it, you should, it gives much insight to the racial discrimination from the Charleston County School district.
The email below....no I did not give you email addresses. The email below is from a parent of this fine organization and their views on the article. The key here is the name of the address list for members. Some of these are false addresses, some are legit. Isn't it wonderful when cheaters ban together to protect their not so secret fibs?
Note not all of these members have cheated, only some.
members:
Sarah Hoefer; Donna Lee Rose; Richard Gowe; Frank Dirks; John Hiers; Peter Demetre; W Keith Kirkland; Libby Russler; Becky Fenno; Eric LangJam; Ellie Langsom; David Richards; Robben Richards; Chris Whitacre; Kellie Thomas; Jeff Thomas; Susan Cale; Yvette Dede; Laura Stefanelli; Bobby Frye; Trap Puckette; Chris Cullum; Sallie Thomas; Ellison Berlin; Tommy Dew; Teri Hiers; Laurie Ann Hart; Leigh Brandenburg; Cindy Linhart; Sue Groff; Sallie Ballard; Ken Chavin; Robyn Bradley; Tina Rastogi; Jeri Lawing; Amy Manucy; Christy Sanford; Chip Legerton; Lennie WoodsSubject:
Interesting e-mail
To all:
I assume you all read the article in the P & C on Sunday. Should there be a response from Charleston County Friends for Buist? I would write a letter to the editor, but I am not up to speed on all of the facts.
I guess there are some simple rebuttals to the one-sided article:
1. The article starts with the assertion: “In almost any comparison of resources, Buist beats Charleston Progressive Academy.†Those are the comparisons selected by the writer. Are there any financial comparisons where Buist does not beat CPA? I don't know the answer, but if there are, they should be noted.
2. The Second paragraph states that the inequities are so serious that the Office of Civil Rights is investigating. I don't think the office of Civil Rights just happened on this case. Is this not the result of the lawsuit that has been filed? Should the instigator of the lawsuit be called out and provide a background for the litigation?
3. What were the original plans for Buist (as referred to in the article) and CPA? Is there a logical reason why the disparity exists? The writer does not investigate that angle at all.
4. Buist has, according to the article 397 students and CPA has 315 students. Buist has 26% more students than CPA. Does the difference in the number of students account for the fact that there are full time teachers for music and a full time nurse at Buist among other resources? It would seem logical to me that once you hit a threshold, you need full time staff to handle functions that are handled by a part time employee in a school with fewer students.
5. How do other schools compare? Are all schools in the district treated equally? How do the Buist and CPA budgets compare with other schools? Why are there disparities?
6. Finally, the most glaring error in the story is the math. According to the statistics in the story, Buist receives General Operating Funds of $2,439,685 for 397 students or $6,145.30 per student. CPA, according to the statistics, receives $2,059,809 for 315 students or $6,539.08 per student. Somehow the writer comes up with $7,086 per student at Buist and $6,061 per student at CPA. I assume there are other funds that are taken into consideration when calculating the per student funds. Does anyone know what the additional funds are? Or is the math simply wrong? Or is there some type of Typo?
Obviously, this article was once again, slanted negatively against Buist.
Is there any way we could get an editorial size letter published in the P & C stating accurate facts? Again, I am not fully up on the statistics, but would be happy to assist drafting the letter.
Jeff Thomas
Neither did I. I did know there was a group of parents who started after District 20 Families in order to combat the attention that Buist received after all the false addresses. Apparently this is the same group. Evidently, it is led by attorney Mark Brandenburg who also is head of the Buist Foundation, a private non-profit according to him. I was unaware that there was such a thing as a private non-profit whose address with the federal government is a public school.
Any who there was an e-mail floating around after the article in the Post and Courier comparing the inadequacies between Charleston Progressive and Buist Academy. For those of you who have not read it, you should, it gives much insight to the racial discrimination from the Charleston County School district.
The email below....no I did not give you email addresses. The email below is from a parent of this fine organization and their views on the article. The key here is the name of the address list for members. Some of these are false addresses, some are legit. Isn't it wonderful when cheaters ban together to protect their not so secret fibs?
Note not all of these members have cheated, only some.
members:
Sarah Hoefer; Donna Lee Rose; Richard Gowe; Frank Dirks; John Hiers; Peter Demetre; W Keith Kirkland; Libby Russler; Becky Fenno; Eric LangJam; Ellie Langsom; David Richards; Robben Richards; Chris Whitacre; Kellie Thomas; Jeff Thomas; Susan Cale; Yvette Dede; Laura Stefanelli; Bobby Frye; Trap Puckette; Chris Cullum; Sallie Thomas; Ellison Berlin; Tommy Dew; Teri Hiers; Laurie Ann Hart; Leigh Brandenburg; Cindy Linhart; Sue Groff; Sallie Ballard; Ken Chavin; Robyn Bradley; Tina Rastogi; Jeri Lawing; Amy Manucy; Christy Sanford; Chip Legerton; Lennie WoodsSubject:
Interesting e-mail
To all:
I assume you all read the article in the P & C on Sunday. Should there be a response from Charleston County Friends for Buist? I would write a letter to the editor, but I am not up to speed on all of the facts.
I guess there are some simple rebuttals to the one-sided article:
1. The article starts with the assertion: “In almost any comparison of resources, Buist beats Charleston Progressive Academy.†Those are the comparisons selected by the writer. Are there any financial comparisons where Buist does not beat CPA? I don't know the answer, but if there are, they should be noted.
2. The Second paragraph states that the inequities are so serious that the Office of Civil Rights is investigating. I don't think the office of Civil Rights just happened on this case. Is this not the result of the lawsuit that has been filed? Should the instigator of the lawsuit be called out and provide a background for the litigation?
3. What were the original plans for Buist (as referred to in the article) and CPA? Is there a logical reason why the disparity exists? The writer does not investigate that angle at all.
4. Buist has, according to the article 397 students and CPA has 315 students. Buist has 26% more students than CPA. Does the difference in the number of students account for the fact that there are full time teachers for music and a full time nurse at Buist among other resources? It would seem logical to me that once you hit a threshold, you need full time staff to handle functions that are handled by a part time employee in a school with fewer students.
5. How do other schools compare? Are all schools in the district treated equally? How do the Buist and CPA budgets compare with other schools? Why are there disparities?
6. Finally, the most glaring error in the story is the math. According to the statistics in the story, Buist receives General Operating Funds of $2,439,685 for 397 students or $6,145.30 per student. CPA, according to the statistics, receives $2,059,809 for 315 students or $6,539.08 per student. Somehow the writer comes up with $7,086 per student at Buist and $6,061 per student at CPA. I assume there are other funds that are taken into consideration when calculating the per student funds. Does anyone know what the additional funds are? Or is the math simply wrong? Or is there some type of Typo?
Obviously, this article was once again, slanted negatively against Buist.
Is there any way we could get an editorial size letter published in the P & C stating accurate facts? Again, I am not fully up on the statistics, but would be happy to assist drafting the letter.
Jeff Thomas
10 comments:
Mr. Thomas is clearly in his "Mt. Pleasant box." Let's see he's zoned for an excellent rated school, yet how many of his children have benefited from Dist. 20's only excellent rated school? 3? 4? Is he up there with Gregg Meyers?
I wonder what address Mr. Thomas used to get that first child into Buist. Better yet, what address did Mr. Brandenburg use?
I'll believe you didn't use a fake address like your "friends", Mr. Brandenburg when I see your first child's enrollment form. If you have nothing to hide, why not show us?
Enrollment forms for every student at Buist should be made available to the press under the FOI Act. Those cheating Buist parents disgust me. They have no shame. Buist parents that didn't steal spots from downtown kids but stand by and say nothing are just as guilty.
Here's a bit of information about Mark Brandenburg. He left private law practice several years ago to become the in-house attorney for The Citadel, about the same time his first child applied to attend Buist. Jack Douglas is a member of the Citadel Board of Visitors (a/k/a Board of Trustees). Jack Douglas is Hillery's son. It would be very good to know what address Mark Brandenburg used for his child's application for admission to Buist.
In order to help explain the scam that is being covered up I'll use the Brandenburg family as an example of how some people cheat and what should be done to correct the problem. If the Brandenburg family doesn't legally and actually reside in Dist. 20, and if their second child was admitted as a 'sibling' and their first child was admitted a year earlier on a 'Dist. 20', and it is discovered in a review that someone 'misrepresented the truth' then both children should be administratively returned to their legally assigned school immediately. In other words the parents who cheat should be expelled. Their kids should go back to the schools they are zoned for or they should be properly admitted to another school but without breaking the rules that others are required to follow. Now if the Brandenburg family's first child was admitted to Buist on a 'county' list then they have no problem.
So, Mr. Brandenburg should want to quickly put this baby to rest and show us his first child's enrollment form...right?
Or is he like Demetre? And Walters? Maybe the Hoefers? or the Rays? Hmmm...when should I stop? Could I stop? Is there no end to the cheaters? I agree with the comment above regarding the "silent ones." Mr. Wilborn, a true District 20 resident and supposed Civil Rights Attorney, should be standing by District 20 residents and their constituent board. Yet what does he do? Not a damn thing (except maybe criticize the vocal ones). You're a hypocrite, Mr. Wilborn...just like all the other Buist parents who have sat quietly by. Shame on you all...
It takes a pretty brave person to say someone else "cheats" and then provide ZERO facts to back up their claim. I challenge any of you spineless, mud slinging "anonymous" blog respondents to show where Mark Brandenburg cheated at anything. That goes for the author of this blog also.
I'm Mark Brandenburg, referred to frequently above. I certainly appreciate and agree with my brother's comment. I've always thought "anonymous" is for poets. On blogs, apparently, it's for cowards. Pseudonyms are no better. If you don't have anything "to hide" (as Mr. / Ms. "Tell it like it is" alleges I do) why not sign your name? At least get your facts straight. I'm happy to sign my name, and even show my face (see below).
My family and I live on Johns Island. When our son entered Buist in 2004, he did so on the county-wide list. Thus, we didn't "lie" on our application.
Yes, I left the private practice of law to join the staff at The Citadel. I did so in October of 2005, a year after my son entered Buist. For those who need proof, (ie "anonymous" from June 15) here it is: http://pao.citadel.edu/mark_brandenburg. The insinuation that Jack and Hillery Douglas somehow assisted or engineered my son's entry into Buist is, at best, bizarre. At worst, it's defamatory.
As to the group "Charleston County Friends for Buist:" Yes, I led the meeting at Buist during which some 50 to 75 parents agreed to call ourselves that. We organized to let the CCSD Board, and the public, know there were others keenly interested in the admissions policy, in addition to the District 20 group. The CCFFB organization included parents of students from five of the eight constituent districts which make up the CCSD. Our point was that the admissions policy shouldn't favor just one district (as the District 20 group advocates). When Buist was created, it provided opportunities to students from all across the county, and it should continue to do so.
And last, I am not the "head" of the Buist Foundation. For verification of that, here is the foundation's website: http://www.buistacademyfoundation.org
Some cynic ("Underdog" perhaps?) will undoubtedly reply and ask some variant of: "Why don't you reveal who the cheaters are?" or "Why are you joining with people you KNOW cheated to get their children in Buist?" The answer is: I don't know. I do know the law of defamation, though. Falsely accusing someone can expose the accuser to loss of money, loss of occupation (does anyone remember Mike Nifong?), and perhaps even worse (it is still a crime in South Carolina). CCSD chooses to keep address information confidential, as it is entitled to do under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. The South Carolina Freedom of Information Act cannot make public what federal law makes private.
I am absolutely shocked that a parent can lie to gain his or her child's acceptance into Buist and then look that child in the face. I wholeheartedly join in the condemnation of those who do so. However, CCSD, and now, sadly, the court, bears responsibility for identifying those individuals.
/s/ Mark C. Brandenburg
Mark no one said that you cheated to get your child into school. I would hope that all would be honest when it comes to their childs education. Unfortunately this is not the case and people are not being honest.
I do have one question since you bring up FOIA... Your non-profit's address is at Buist. Is your non-profit public then? If not how can a private non-profit be housed in a public school building.
Thank you in advance for clearing this and other matters up?
Sincerey,
Underdog
I'm just curious Underdog. Do you represent the parents of downtown children who took the admissions test and did not meet the criteria for admission?? I always find it amazing how many people suddenly have a problem with the process AFTER their child doesn't get in....hmmm.... And what a waste of energy all this is. Why not do something constructive like build up other schools instead of obsessing over one that is largely successful?
EFlowers
I am a studedent at Buist, and, after reading this, am outraged. I know many of the people on your list of "cheaters", well enough to be 100 percent sure that they would never do such a thing as writing a false to get thier kids into school. I am very sorry, Underdog, that your child did not get into Buist, however, it is wrong to blame the parents of children who were fortunate to get into the school.
While I cannot speak to this controversy, I can say that Ellison Berlin is a shady businessman and terrible landlord. I lived in a property owned by Ellison Berlin, and I was cheated out of money. When I complained to him and his property manager, he called me to scream at me and tell me "I'd never live in this town again"
Ellison Berlin is a spoiled child of a rich, old-money Charleston family. I do not put it past Ellison to have acted unethically in this Buist situation as well, though I cannot speak personally to his involvement in that.
I recommend avoiding business with him and his company Berlin's Restaurant Supply (though his brother Ed Berlin is a fair man--just avoid Ellison).
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