I hate to keep coming back to Buist, but it IS the epitome of Charleston's Shame. According to advertisements, Buist is now accepting applications and will have it's Open House on Wednesday, December 12. Open for whom? Is Buist really OPEN? Or is it only for those who "impress" Sallie with their law degrees, fundraising capabilities, Yacht club memberships, and rock concerts?
Sallie Ballard, the principal of Buist Academy, will undoubtedly be dressed to impress on Wednesday. Evidently she also feels the need to "impress" parents by revealing the child of a rock star attends her school during their tour of Buist. Yes, according to a reliable source, Mrs. Ballard has felt the need to tell parents Darius Rucker's child attends her school during their tour. Can you imagine? Anxious parents are walking around Buist, wondering if it will be the best educational fit for their child and Sallie thinks they want to hear about Hootie and the Blowfish. When I heard this, I thought to myself, "What are the chances of Darius Rucker's child getting into Buist?"
So what are the chances of getting into Buist? We need a statistician to really look at the numbers, but I thought we could have some fun in the meantime. Take a look at the "The Buist Who's Who" list I've started and feel free to add some yourself. From what I understand the following people's children must have entered Buist Academy under the Countywide list which has hundreds of applicants, right? So what were their chances of actually getting into Buist?
1) Charleston's rock start Darius Rucker; 2)long time board member and civil rights attorney Gregg Meyers; 2) former CCSD board member Robert New; 3) CCSD's very own Buist lottery and assessment guru Janet Rose; 4)Buist baccalaureate teacher Mrs. Barrett ; 5) renowned Charleston attorney Mark Brandenburg; 6) City Paper editor-in-chief Stephanie Barna; 7)developer Wally Seinsheimer; 8)restaurateur Mark Cumins; 9)attorney George Kefalos (wife of renowned gallery owner Candace Martin)...
Now let's take a brief look at the downtown (aka District 20) list:
1) former CCSD board member Diane Aghapour; 2) Post and Courier reporter Robert Behre; 3)former City Paper reporter Bill Davis (oops I think he moved back to West Ashley); 4)newly elected CCSD board member Toya Hampton-Green...
These aren't the circles I swim in, so help me out if you can...And feel free to correct any mistakes I've made...
Happy Holidays!
And I thought getting into Buist was the luck of the draw...SILLY ME.
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15 comments:
It looks like only a lawsuit will change the process. Certainly, CCSD pretends butter wouldn't melt in its mouth. And who's around to make it do otherwise?
I know of two different families that report Mrs. Ballard bragged on the school tour about Mr. Rucker choosing Buist.
Why is Buist "off the table" for the latest edition of the reconfiguration plan for District 20 schools that is about to begin? When told that all the other downtown elementary schools would become "modified magnet" schools, like St. Andrews Math & Science, someone very familiar with that school said, "What does modified magnet mean?"
If St. Andrews is the correct model for a magnet school's admissions process, then it would seem that Buist should be following that model...not making it up as it goes along. The new 'Peninsula Project' (a/k/a District 20 Reconfiguration) must include Buist with open comments from the public or the whole plan is a sham.
No matter how good the Peninsula Project might be, if Buist remains unchanged, it will be establish that all else is being relegated to the back of the bus. Being from Philadelphia, Dr. McGinley may not appreciate that powerfully negative messages can be sent with what may appear to be only minor inconsistancies to her.
She needs to listen to the grassroots more and quit spending so much time on the phone with the mayor, Dot Scott and Joe Darby.
I agree with you, Anonymous 2. How stupid do they think we are?
For those of you who need some humor...the next time you hear Hootie's song, "I only wanna be with you" on the radio, replace the words with "I only wanna be at Buist." It fits quite nicely. Maybe Darius could sing it for the attorneys and yacht club members at the next school dance.
First of all I think it is very unfair to refer to Darius Rucker as a star. He had a hit or 2 a while back, but he no more famous than someone from a reality show like the Bachelor.
Look, I am hoping like you that my child gets into Buist this year. Why? Because it’s a good school and it’s exclusive. Not everyone gets to go there. That is a good thing. Do we wish all elementary schools where as good? Of course. That is where you should focus your anger. Or push for and expansion of another class for each grade, or a new facility. It’s a very small school.
I will be upset if my child does not get in. I have 3 balls in the lottery and I hope to make it. Will I cry “Unfair” if my child doesn’t? NO. How about just being happy for the kids who get to go? I good education public school education is typically an exclusive product based on the wealth of the community in which you live. The fact they do not limit it to people in district 20 alone is pretty amazing. Don’t blame Buist for trying to be fair. What happened did your “smart little child” fail the Young Children’s Achievement Test and not make it in? Don’t worry I am sure the little yellow short bus will happily stop by your house and pick up your kids.
The degrading comments by anonymous 3:19 is exactly what this dialogue doesn't need. We've already had too many elected county board members who have expressed themselves that way. The rest of us shouldn't lower the level of debate by joining them at their level.
"The fact that they do not limit [Buist] to people in district [20]" you said was amazing. It's more like they have labored endlessly to keep people from District 20 out of Buist...by hook or crook.
I agree with the "short bus" person two postings up although I don't like his use of words. You folks are just jealous that your kids aren't as smart as the Buist elite. The YCAT identifies gifted and talented children for Buist from all over the county. We desearve to have our children at this exclusive school in order to save this awful district. There has to be one non failing school downtown and who really cares if it is not made up of downtown children?
Buist is for the "best and brightest" of the county....anyone that gets in is lucky to have such a gifted child. The YCAT has to be used to screen potential Buist scholars. Sallie has a tough job and it's not her fault if your children are not very bright.
As the above poster noted there isn't room for everyone at Buist. So what if children of important people get into Buist. We need the high profile types to keep this valuable institution going.
So what if a few people fudged their addresses? There are bigger problems for the school system to deal with. I bet those people downtown on the waiting list can all afford private school anyway. How else could they afford to live downtown?
Jealousy is really ugly guys. Get over it. Go build your own Buist if you don't like what we have. Buist isn't for everyone.
Again, I don't like the "short bus" comment. You guys just need to make one of your other downtown schools better. Why don't some of you go to Memminger? You could make it better in just a few years.
Buist is not going anywhere but this bad publicity is not good for the children. Why not focus this anger at the school board? They set this up years ago and they have one school that works.
Don't mess up the one good thing downtown. It makes your district look a lot better to have Buist in it.
Sure, I would like to not have to drive downtown everyday but my child is the right fit for Buist. Why don't some of you get a transfer out our way?
Surely, these Buist parents are intoxicated, right? I agree it's a little early to hit the bottle, but how else do you cope with yourselves?
I feel sorry for you both. And I feel sorry for your children. I will pray for you and when I've truly digested what you just wrote, I'll try to respond calmly and honestly.
In the meantime, I think I'll go read some passages from Dr. King.
You are Charleston's Shame.
Yeah, Darius Rucker is a rock star as much as Candace Martin is a "renowned" gallery owner. YUCK!
To the short bus people who commented above...
As the only parent listed on the law suit against the CCSD concerning Buist I must let you in on a little fact known as the farce of Buist. As my daughter sits something like 6 on the downtown list, she was never tested despite what Sally Ballard my have said about her testing procedures. She tests on the list to whom she wants in. While I am sure that you want your child to attend, I hope that you are on of the elite so that your child does get in.
What you all have failed to mention nor even which to consider is that the school discriminates against an entire population of people. Maybe you all should ask yourselves what is the right thing to do as a human being. Should you make your school district better for all and show your children that doing better for others is just as important as doing well for yourself.
My daughter may never have the opportunity to attend Buist, but she knows what it means to fight for what she believes in and stands strong willed against people like you.
Good luck with your lottery, take a hard look at the school. I hope you find it worth it.
There are way too many assumptions some people are making about those who have questioned CCSD's practices involving Buist. Many people who initially favored Buist are finding it increasingly difficult to justify its overtly discriminatory actions...regardless of what people say are its policies (be they real or imaginary policies).
I think Nancy McGinley, possibly by mistake, has just offered the only solution possible with her "choice schools" plan announced on Friday. Her plan for "partial magnets" with admissions priorities at other schools (1st to zoned residents, 2nd to constituent district residents & 3rd to county-wide residents) is exactly what the District 20 Board said it wanted for Buist some time ago...but which was ignored by CCSD until now. McGinley has opened Pandora's Box on herself with this one.
Why should Buist remain a law unto itself on which academically qualified student gets in and which academically qualified student doesn't? Either Buist should be required to conform to this model or the other schools in this plan should adopt the Buist system. There shouldn't be two systems, one for Buist and one for everyone else.
The truth is showing that the Buist system doesn't even work properly for Buist...unless you are among those pulling the strings. The only fair, logical and legally supportable method would be for Buist to be required to conform to the same system being proposed for every other school. Incidentally, that's the successful system now working at comparable magnets like St. Andrews, Jennie Moore and Ashley River Creative Arts.
These schools are now being called "partial magnets" in McGinley's new plan. So does this new plan make Buist something more than a "partial" magnet and if so what does that mean?
Buist is a sore spot primarily because it is an exception to almost every rule, including the ones we would like for our children to know, like why lying, cheating and stealing are wrong. The growing distaste for the school has little or nothing to do with some people not getting their children into the game that CCSD has been playing at Buist in recent years while sticking the rest of us with the bill. How much has the CCSD's legal defense of this school cost us and has it really been worth it for CCSD not to seek a solution that doesn't involve lawyers and the courts?
You forgot philanthropist Cappi Wilborn and her civil-rights attorney husband.
To
December 14, 2007 10:50 AM
December 13, 2007 3:19 PM
Okay, it is not about intelligence although Buist has some smart people who go there. We do have several morons and when I say morons I mean literal morons. They can't reason right. They can't even stand up for their political beliefs. They just sit there and agree with everyone else. Someone says they like this and everyone agrees. There are also a few fameous idiots who are just impossible. What makes them so smart? Because they knew some dumb thing in kindergarden?
When I started kindergarden I couldn't read and I wasn't smart. When I hit 1st grade though I became "intelligent" and in 4th grade I was smart enough for Buist. So what?
Don't try to say "Buist is great." because no it isn't. I know someone who is so intelligent and can memorize thousands of facts but has fallen into such a depression from being bullied that their mind is going to waste. Congrats Buist!
I attended Buist...and hated it. However, the method of admissions (while not seeming fair to those whose children do not get it) is just as fair as the admissions to any college or other institution of higher learning. While some may argue that such form of admissions should not be used at a public elementary school, Buist is not the only school in CCSD which employs this method of admissions. To be able to create the academic environment which is so coveted at Buist, not everyone can be accepted. And honestly, studies have shown that a student who attends a terrible school can be just as successful as a student of equal intelligence who attended a more "elite" school. Your child's success is most dependent on your child, not his/her school.
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