Condescension and Hypocrisy

Honestly, I'm not sure what aggravates me more...condescension or hypocrisy. Linard McCloud, the renowned band director for the incredible Burke High School band, served as the moderator for Dr. McGinley's District 20 Community meeting at Burke High School. This was the same man who served under Dr. Goodloe as a "moderator" for the A Plus Program at the Rhett campus as Rivers' students were abruptly moved to Burke without even hot water in the cafeteria at the start of the school year. It was a joke, yet McCloud stood by the administration in full support of the fiasco. We threw McCloud's comrade (and former Burke English teacher) Andrew HaLevi under the bus, yet McCloud remains a shining star.

So, who is Linard McCloud? McCloud is our neighbor. As McCloud told us to support Dr. Goodloe moving the Rivers' students to the Rhett campus, his own child remained in Mt. Pleasant schools. Don't get me wrong. I'm in favor of choosing the best educational path for your child, but don't pretend these options are good enough for our children and grandchildren when they're not good enough for your own.

McCloud moderating that meeting stinks as much as Thuane Fielding's attempt at telling us it was all about the children knowing her child is at Buist Academy. Cut the crap and give us some credit. I even heard another District 20 board member Ivy Ascue has her child at James Island Charter High School, yet she and Ms. Fielding think we should send our children to these low-performing schools. We see right through you. People like you keep our community separated and it's time to call you out on it. By the way, Ms. Fielding, I'd love to know YOUR opinion on closing Charleston Progressive so we can EXPAND a school for cheaters.

What should the Fourth Option be?

CCSD tried to present their three options to the District 20 Community tonight. They goofed right from the start when they attempted to give Wilmot Fraser a police escort out. That sums it up. CCSD is so disconnected with our community, they haven't a clue as to who he is. Mr. Fraser simply put a motion on the floor and they refused to change the agenda.

We've seen your options, CCSD. There are NO options for Fraser Elementary, Charleston Progressive, or the Charter School for Math and Science. We knew that and we didn't need you wasting our time. Tonight was our turn for you to LISTEN to us. The community hung in there and waited for their voices to be heard. The consensus was the need for better options. Yet, what should they be?

Bill the Bulldozer

Okay, I finally took the time to listen to last week's school board meeting on the Comedy (oops, I mean Educational) Channel last night.
My new name for Bill Lewis is Bill the Bulldozer. As he presented the proposal for our schools to the board, he admits we were "all punch drunk in putting this together" on late Friday. Yeah, that's quite an understatement, Bill. He goes on to tell us basically it's okay, Toya, we're working with Mayor Riley. Then Bulldozer Bill begins his presentation district by district.
In response to the Johns Island proposal, Ray Toler says, "Frierson is a newer building. Why close it?" Bulldozer Bill replies, "Nobody lives out in Wadmalaw." I think those residents of Wadmalaw would have to challenge you on that one, Bill.
Mr. Toler asked for a quick count on the population and capacity of the elementary schools, probably wondering why Mt. Zion survives the ax, yet Frierson doesn't. Little yes man to Bill mumbles some numbers in an attempt to answer Mr. Toler's question. AND THEN, Dr. Mac speaks the real truth: "We're seeing progress at Mt. Zion. We're not seeing it at Frierson." In other words, Mt. Zion makes me look better. Let's close Frierson.
New board member, Chris Fraser states something about "reserve capacity." And then goes on to explain Johns Island has a lot of growing room and we don't want to get ahead of ourselves. What does Bill do? Well he might as well have blown Chris a few kisses as he states, "That's a very profound statement." I'm sure Bill was muttering under his breath, Mr. Real Estate mogul, who do you think you are challenging the almighty Bill?

It's also quite a trip to listen to Ms. Toya chime in on that Courtney campus downtown. You know? That's where the Charleston Progressive parents have desperately tried to ensure their magnet school stays afloat despite the district's refusal to fund it as a magnet school. Will that campus go to Buist or will it go to the Montessori school? The Montessori parents are interested in the Berry campus. Yet it's really all about what those Buist parents want. Gregg made that very clear. He stated, "I'd really like to have the (Buist) Principal's position" on this. You know, 'cause that Buist Principal saved me a few years ago more than once and I owe her BIG time.

When Bill gets to District 20, it's a WHOLE different story. We have multiple schools with kids at risk and our goal is getting our kids into SAFE SCHOOLS (who cares if we educate them, right?) as soon as possible. Because...the EARTHQUAKE IS COMING! Well, an earthquake did actually visit Summerville this morning, but ask our parents if they're really worried about the next BIG ONE and I assure you, they're not.

Bill's presentation continues. Let's sell James-Simons (cha-ching,cha-ching). Move those kids to Rivers ('cause we can't let that Charter school get that building) and then move the Charter School to that mold infested Archer Building. Bill goes on to say, Mayor Riley sent us a letter about starting a Police Academy at Fraser. Where do the Fraser kids go? We're never told, but we've known that Fraser Elementary would be closed for quite a while and merged with the Sanders-Clyde students in the new building. It just ticks me off they haven't openly stated it. They expect us to believe Mayor Riley came up with his Police Academy idea out of his "bleep" over the weekend. I can just see the Mayor's letter to CCSD now..."As much as I love eating lunch with the Fraser students and as much as my sister's organization loved teaching those students how to Step, we have realized it would serve our community better to create more qualified police officers to arrest these students than provide them with a proper education..."

At the end of the circus show, I couldn't help but root for Ruth! Ruth Jordan asked, "What percentage of Buist students live on the peninsula?" And guess what? Dr. Mac doesn't answer. Go figure. She even has the audacity to state it makes sense to transport those kids to ensure they're attending a decent school. Don't worry. Anyone who follows this blog knows I've been there and done that. I won't go there again.

Yet I highly recommend watching the school board meetings on Channel 60 in the evening. They can be quite interesting...

Way to Go, McClellanville!

What a joy it was to read the McClellanville parents spoke their minds at their community meeting last night. Oh, I wish I had been there. They were even able to get the microphone from Sue Robertson (how much is she getting paid, again?)Evidently Ms. Toya played the "you can trust us" game again, but they didn't fall for it. It'll be interesting to see how the rest of the community forums go. I hope everyone is taking notes from the McClellanville community.

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich's arrest yesterday for allegedly "scheming to sell Barack Obama's Senate seat" was quite an eye-opener for me. Is there any chance we can get some federal investigators down here? An elected official who thinks he's above the law? The Governor is also charged with "illegally threatening to withhold state assistance...to the Chicago Tribune, in an attempt to strong-arm the newspaper into firing editorial writers who had criticized him."
Hmmm...thoughts of Mayors dance in my head, yet I can't figure out why. I think I just like Mayors so much that I often think of them when I'm reading the Post and Courier.
School closings? I'm not surprised. It sounds like the plan is finally being carried out. And we've got just the school board to get the dirty work done.

Whenever I post something regarding Buist, the bloggers start blogging. Few, if any words are uttered when I report the dismal state of Burke Middle school's percentile of students scoring Below Basic. It's sad. I guess I can safely assume, the lack of education taking place in most of our downtown schools is not a concern. The fight over Buist is the focus. Why stop now?
The District 20 resident serving on our county school board and now current Chairperson Ms. Toya Green made some comment about not being able to sleep if Drayton Hall's charter was approved. I busted out laughing when a friend told me that. That girl is a trip. Did anyone else hear that? Approving Drayton Hall's charter may result in cuts elsewhere...like magnet school transportation. Sounds like a great idea to me. This same Ms. Green evidently sleeps just fine as her daughter attends school at Buist Academy with District 20 cheats. She's nestled with "sugar plums dancing in (her) head" over those four foreign language teachers, too. Yeah, no unequal education there, Ms. Green. God forbid we spread the wealth to Drayton Hall. Connect the dots. It doesn't take a rocket scientist. Smooth boy Meyers has concocted quite a batch of magnet school moonshine, hasn't he?

Valid points, but....?

I had quite a few critics on my last post make some valid points. Unfortunately, I couldn't help but wonder, were they Buist parents who had trouble sleeping for a change? Sorry folks, but I've lived this life too long. So long, I don't even appreciate true criticism when it comes my way. I apologize to those true critics who have nothing to do with Buist. But a mother's past has little relevance to what a positive future she is trying to make for her children. How many of you have the nerve to have your life story blasted in the Post and Courier? I certainly don't.

No one owes Ms. Capers more of an apology than our Superintendent. Our superintendent made quite an ass of herself in Wednesday's paper. Yeah, I said it. Sorry, I'm not here to please. I'm here to vent and hopefully make a change in the right direction. She said, "My heart broke when I read...about a Charleston mother..." Sniffle, sniffle...Yeah, yeah...according to my sources, you knew ALL about this Charleston mother and her children's story BUT you didn't give a rat's ass until that story wound up in the front page of the Post and Courier. Then you have the tackiness to "invite" Candace Capers back "into our schools." Dr. Mac, she didn't leave "our schools." She just went East of the Cooper, where so many of our white parents went long ago. They were just lucky 'cause they could afford to MOVE there, unlike so many others. Yeah, we also know how you shuffle the black kids to James Island under NCLB. My sources tell me there is NO bus that transports downtown kids to Mt. Pleasant. Why is that?
I also say, "Blah, blah, blah", on your administrators and their lack of resumes, too. Four out of those six Principals you praised in your commentary are first timers, Dr. Mac. I'm not knocking them. I'm just saying you have some nerve praising them. There's no resume, yet somehow you made it sound like there was one. These are all changes you've made in the last few months, yet you act as if these people attributed to your projected improvement rating. And please don't put our CDA "on the West side" under your leadership. We're tired of has-beens like Mr. Benton and we're certainly tired of guinea pigs, Dr. McGinley. Give us some credit and admit these schools need some serious help. We'll pray you made the right decisions with your "superstar" administrators. But in the meantime, will you please give Ms. Capers a damn bus so she can get her kids to a better school? You know? Like you do those Buist kids.

There's a Hero Among Us

Candace Capers is the parent CCSD wants us to be...or not? She is an active parent. According to the Post and Courier, she's so active she chose to take her children out of our district's failing schools and get them East of the Cooper...where the real schools are. You know? The schools rating Excellent on their report cards, making AYP EVERY year (not just every other year or worse). Moultrie Middle is a middle school which actually offers foreign language, something her 6th grader would not be receiving if she kept her at Sanders-Clyde or worse, Burke Middle. Those Mt. Pleasant schools actually require their children to read AND paraphrase.
God bless her. She's a hero. Thank you, Ms. Capers, for speaking the truth too many of us are afraid to utter. And good luck to your children who are truly receiving an education we cannot provide them on the peninsula.
And shame on you CCSD for not providing them transportation!

KJ is Mayor!

For those critics who claim I never have anything positive to say, this one is for you. Here's some good news! Kevin Johnson will be the first African-American mayor of Sacramento, California. Mr. Johnson has made a difference, refusing to accept mediocrity in our public schools. He believes in charter schools and as a result has started his own schools. He believes all children can learn no matter what their zip code.
These are happy times! Go KJ!

Thoughts on the new School Board candidates?

I'm not really sure what to think. Clearly, I believed Marvin Stewart was a much stronger voice for District 20 than Ms. Green. Why Ms. Green decided to run again is beyond me.
Losing David Engelman on our board is huge. He truly believed in holding CCSD accountable for the money they spend...which is clearly NOT going into the classroom.
Chris Collins? God help us all. He seems like a nice guy, but I'm not sure he knows up from down. He's a perfect "Mayor Riley pick", if you ask me.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Sanders Clyde hits the New York Times

I have to admit, I don't read the New York Times. But as word spread that Sanders-Clyde was on the front page of yesterday's paper, I had to pick up a copy. Personally, I think the writer's depiction of our "city of race and class divisions as old as the time-mellowed neighborhoods in this Old South shrine" was right on target.
What shocked me was our very own Dr. Rose so blatantly admitting something was amiss with the test scores at Sanders-Clyde. When did she realize this? Did she notify Dr. Goodloe from the beginning? When Dr. Goodloe stated she wanted Mishawna to duplicate her "success" at Fraser, did she mean what I now think she meant?
CCSD knew something was going on. So did the State Department. It's not rocket science. Whether Dr. Rose was upfront from the beginning...we may never know. Yet she certainly "saved face" with the New York Times, didn't she?
At least there's a few school board members and parents who don't mind speaking the truth, no matter how hard CCSD tries to hide it.

Low expectations continue

When I read the morning paper, I just shook my head. Last night, our school board voted to give our Superintendent an "$8,000 performance bonus and $300 monthly travel allowance increase"...if the district scores "an absolute rating of average," which of course we won't know until AFTER the November 4 election.
Not only do we applaud average, we give bonuses for average. That pretty much sums it all up for me.

who to vote for who is underdog voting for????????

I want to take a moment and talk to you about the upcoming election. Of course in this heated school board election you all have your chosen favorites. I wanted to let you all know why I am voting this way so that you can choose your own.
I am only talking about the Charleston County school Board because this is the main subject on this blog. I will not get into the national races or any other this isn't about that.
Charleston County School Board (2 seats to fill North Charleston)
Elizabeth Kandrac -she knows what the system is like and still wants to help fix it. Less of a Learning curve here.
Mattese Lecque-her former position at the Department of Justice and service to her country impresses me-lets hope she is tough enough for this group
West Ashley Seats (2 seats to fill)
David Engleman-He has nothing to gain and usually votes sensibly. Honest much more than not.
District 20
Marvin Stewart-He has been fighting for a longtime and still has it in him. I admire that. Also he cares about district 20 makes reasonable conclusions. Toya doesn't she only cares about her situation.
GO MARVIN STEWART

Too bad no one is running for district twenty if anyone hears of some write-in's let me know. If not write in Joe Riley--he claims that he cares...lets see if he does.

Chirs Fraser...does he know Wilmot Fraser?

I always crack up when Buist supporters come out in force on this blog. I can tell you about our kids' illiteracy rate and you could care less. I could tell you our kids are NOT being taught music, art, or foreign language and you say our community isn't doing enough. We'll agree to disagree on that foolishness. There's no convincing you everyone deserves the same educational opportunities...no matter where there live or who their parents are. So, I'm changing the subject on the Plessy v. Ferguson supporters.
When I saw Charleston County school board candidate Chris Fraser's sign in front of the "Cigar Factory" condos, I couldn't help but wonder...does Chris Fraser know the Wilmot Fraser we know? They spell their names the same. Are they related?
Wilmot Fraser is the former Principal of East Bay Elementary (k/k/a Sanders-Clyde). While he is now in a better life, his son also named Wilmot Fraser has been a strong voice for our schools.
Yet the irony of a white man named Fraser with his sign next to our Fraser Elementary, named after Wilmot Fraser...a school many of us are convinced is "up next" in CCSD's real estate auction is just too much to ignore.

When current school board member Brian Moody announced he would not be running for reelection, yet endorsed Chris Fraser "the real estate developer", we heard Chris Fraser say,“I am very excited for this opportunity to run for a seat on the school board. There is no issue more important to our community and economy today, than improving the number and quality of graduates who enter the workforce. I have seen first hand the students in these schools and believe we need to create the best environment for these kids to grow and learn.” So is he saying he's actually visited our downtown schools? I doubt it.
My next question to Mr. Fraser would be: Why is your sign next to the Cigar Factory? Will Fraser Elementary be Fraser Elementary Condos (Part Deux Cigar Factory) in a few years?
We all know the talk is to merge Sanders-Clyde and Fraser...Maria initiated that when she made Mishawna Principal of both schools. No rocket science there...

The news also reported that "Fraser is principal broker-in-charge of Grubb & Ellis | BarkleyFraser a commercial real estate firm. For the past two years he has served as chairman of The Education Foundation, an initiative of the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce that builds partnerships between the business community and the schools..." Nothing more needs to be said there for me...Then we hear, "During his term, Fraser helped convene local leaders in business and education, and helped strengthen the relationships between the two to determine workforce needs and requirements."
Hmm...in other words, sounds to me like, we need to make sure Mayor Joe has his bed-makers and fry-cooks.
I want to know if Chris Fraser has kids in our schools (not magnet schools like Green and Meyers) and if so, where?? C'mon Chris Fraser, prove to us you're in this for the RIGHT reasons.

Sniff, sniff...I smell a rat!

School board member Gregg Meyers was able to pull off some free advertisement for his girl Toya today in his letter to the editor in the Post and Courier. Mr. Meyers makes reference to the "charter school Kool-Aid", yet if you want my honest opinion, Mr. Meyers and his girl are drinking way too much "magnet school Kool-Aid." You know, the "separate and unequal education" we folks down south REALLY appreciate.
Mr. Meyers says, "if you've had the Kool-Aid, you don't want any questions asked of charter schools." The same could be said about your magnet school Buist Academy, Mr. Meyers. Buist Academy: that crazy school downtown where it just so happens Ms. Green's child entered with flying colors as well as your own. How many kids did you have go through that school, Mr. Meyers? 6? 12? You're as lucky as Darius Rucker on that county-wide list, huh?
Students enter as District 20 residents, don't live in District 20, and yet they get to stay at Buist as District 20 residents "'cause they didn't know they couldn't move." Mr. Meyers led that crowd and I can smell him from here.

Big Bad NCLB

Shame on that federal law mandating that our students need to be proficient. What's wrong with Basic? Basic means are students are "minimally prepared." According to the Post and Courier, SC State Superintendent Jim Rex "criticized the federal law..." Rex blames the federal law for making our schools look bad. Well thank God somebody thinks basic isn't good enough for our kids.
Our state report cards define Below Basic as: "did not meet standards, must have academic assistance plan, the local board policy determines progress to the next grade level." Yet, according to our own Burke Middle 2007 report card, 62.4% scored below basic in English, 62.9% in Math, 77.8" in Science, and 76% in Social Studies. NOW HOW DID THEY PASS TO THE NEXT GRADE LEVEL??
According to the state report cards "Proficient" is defined as "well prepared to work at the next grade level; met expectations."
The top score is labeled as "Advanced", meaning "very high score; well prepared to work at the next grade level; exceeded expectations."
Forget that. We're not asking our kids to be advanced. That crazy federal law is actually asking for schools to increase the percentage of kids "well prepared to work at the next grade level." Now from what I understand from the Post and Courier article in today's paper, elementary and middle schools must have 58.8 percent of its students score proficient in order to make AYP as opposed to 38.2 percent last year.
Wow, we're actually expecting more than half of our students to be "well prepared to work at the next grade level" as opposed to barely one-third. Sounds like those high expectations of the federal government are getting the best of the low expectations of the local school system.
I say, "Thank God for No Child Left Behind." Get off your behinds, CCSD, and get with the program. Our children deserve more.

Say What?

CCSD's latest attempt to improve our schools includes all Title 1 middle schools starting school 2 hours later than usual two Wednesdays a month for professional development.
Yep, you heard it right. The children who need the most instruction are actually receiving less instruction. Word is Burke middle school students didn't know what to do with themselves. Parents had to go to work. Children disturbed neighbors opening car doors, invading one house over another. Well, duh, they're in middle school and they're unsupervised...waiting for the school doors to open.
Let me guess. The "educational scholar" who came up with this brilliant idea doesn't have kids, right?
According to a reliable source, when the District 20 board questioned Dr. McGinley about the foolishness of such an idea, she appeared "clueless" and said she'd check into it.
Why can't we have a Superintendent that has a PhD. in common sense?

Ms. Green vs. Mr. Stewart

So the District 20 seat on the County board is down to two candidates, incumbent Ms. Toya Hampton-Green and Constituent board member Mr. Marvin Stewart. For me, its no contest. Ms. Green represents the status quo. She doesn't care that our District 20 kids aren't even receiving a minimally adequate education. Mr. Stewart calls it like he sees it. He's a breath of fresh air from the politics of this town. I had to laugh when Ms. Green said "she's a team player and Stewart is a naysayer..." CCSD isn't educating our kids, Ms. Green. CCSD isn't providing any choices or effective solutions. So whose team are you on?
Keep talking Mr. Stewart, we're listening.

Sanders-Clyde's Sucess: Real or Faux?

So Charleston residents have learned the success of Sanders-Clyde may not be as it appeared. We won't know anymore until the SLED investigation is complete. However, we've heard the rumors and they're not good. I can't help but wonder what Dr. Goodloe was really thinking when she told us she wanted Mishawna Moore to duplicate her success at Fraser Elementary, making her Principal of both schools.
I'm also wondering about Dr. Rose's role in all of this is. Isn't she the Director of Assessment and Accountability? Is she checking MAP scores and noticing any red flags? Or is she too busy rigging the Buist lottery? Can we trust CCSD on anything?
Whether there's been cheating going on at Sanders-Clyde or not, we're clearly cheating our kids. We don't need to wait on the SLED investigation to determine that.

Go, Chicago!

Should we pack our bags and head to Chicago? According to an article in today's Post and Courier, over "1,000 Chicago public school students skipped the first day of classes Tuesday to protest unequal education funding..." Evidently in Chicago, they blatantly underfund their inner-city schools. So will someone here, please explain to me how it works in Charleston? According to the Post and Courier a few weeks ago, funding isn't the issue, yet we clearly don't have equal education.

Buist bloggers

Well the Buist bloggers are out in full force on my favorite critic's blog. Gotta laugh at those crazy people. They actually think their kids are smarter than ours. Smarter kids deserve a better education. I missed that Supreme Court ruling. They even think it's okay that they use Mommy and Daddy's address to get that better education. Mr. Demetre? You got some nerve showing up and mouthing off at the board Monday night, don't you? What about that Wally guy? Mark blahdenburg, too.
What a trip. The biggest trip was our girl Toya telling us if the board wants to go after "parents who haven't told the truth" then we need a committee. SHEEEET, girl. Where have you been? Better yet, how dumb do you think we are?
Thanks for the laughs, Buist babies, keep 'em coming. We welcome your crazy comments here.

New school Year Drama

Well a new school year has started and a new year of school issues. Don’t we all just dream of the day that we can send our kids to school, know that they are going to get the best education they can without that drama? Lets recap the drama so far
Goodloe....I mean McGinley wants to consolidate schools. Didn’t we go through this before? Do they think that we have forgotten? I am sure that McGinley is going to give the public some study that says larger schools are more conducive to learning. Isn’t the current situation downtown a product of consolidation? Wouldn’t a better idea be to make these schools better so that they will be able to compete with private schools and other excellent rated schools so students came to them? After all the CCSD is only after themselves and not the students. It is all about the bottom $ line at 75 Calhoun. That and resumes.

Next on day one the CCSD sends out the truant officers to get kids into school. While I would think that this would be a good idea for those that are known kids that are usually not in class lets bring out what is really important. If the kids aren’t there in the first 10 days the CCSD will not get paid. That is the real issue. Everything is about the dollar sign, when is it about our kids education.

Last the Charleston Charter School for Math and Science opened and McGinley left in the middle of the ceremony. What example is she setting for students everywhere? Students should not get up in the middle of class...student rule 1 respect your educators!

Passing the ball

Well, the ball has officially been passed. Dr. McGinley is leaving it up to the board on how to deal with Buist. She says the board "needs to give the administration direction on how to enforce the policy." Well, Doc, you didn't seem to have any problem enforcing the policy at St. Andrews Math and Science, so what's the problem?
Funny to watch ol' Mr. Meyers finally show his true colors publicly. Mr. Meyers, who told these parents they can move? Anyone with half a brain knows that would never stand up in a court of law and you know it.
Mr. Brandenburg? Well I can't help but wonder why his panties are all in a wad. UNLESS, he has something to hide. And what's the deal with this "district document from February 2007"? Parents have "relied on an understanding" they can fake an address to get into Buist, Mr. Brandenburg. That's what they've relied on. And who let them believe that? Well Miss Sallie Ballard, of course. Or was it Dr. Rose? If Dr. McGinley wanted to truly make things right, she should point those "ladies" to the door.

District 20 board chair Pam Kusmider "hopes the board does what is right for downtown residents." Don't hold your breath, lady. Aren't you the one filing lawsuits and civil rights' complaints? Since when do you "hope" the board will do the right thing? Give me a break.

Honestly, Mr. Douglas seems to be the only one who makes sense in the article. He says "students who entered (Buist)...because of their peninsula residence still should be living downtown or be asked to leave the school." Sounds pretty simple to me.
So why does Dr. McGinley need to pass the ball? Enforce it, girl. That is, unless you want to prove what so many of us believe to be right. "We" let people use whatever District 20 address they want and live wherever they want because CCSD wants to keep black District 20 residents out of Buist. You think we all live in the projects and as a result we must be rotten apples. Hey, District 20, where's THAT OCR complaint? Prove us wrong, Dr. McGinley. Do the right thing.

The Charleston Joe's

Did anyone else read Sunday's paper and notice the irony in it? Okay, I may officially be a cynic...something I don't call myself with any pride attached to it. Chief Mullen has been receiving a bit of bad press and our Mayor Joe is not happy.
So to help him out, did our Rev. Darby actually speak of gentrification as if it was a good thing?
His quote regarding Chief Mullen's progress as "running well" is this: "Its not as bad as it was. We don't have much parking and debris piling up,...This is the effect of progress of King Street. It's a changing place, a neighborhood in transition, going through gentrification." HUH??
His good friend Mayor Joe takes the time to write a whole commentary on how wonderful the Chief is. On the editorial page, Mayor Joe reminds us of how important it is to treat each citizen equally. Well, gee thanks, Mayor Joe. We sure appreciate your willingness to ensure our right to drink a "can of beer or cup of double malt" is just as illlegal as those in the French Quarter drinking a "glass of wine...or "the mythical mint julep on High Battery." It's just too damn bad you don't think those same double malt drinkers are worthy of a DECENT EDUCATION. Yeah, some of us can actually read, Mayor Joe.
So, I guess we should thank you for cracking down on those mint whatever drinkers. I appreciate you making sure we're being treated equally on that end.
So what happened? Don't get me wrong. I have nothing against the Chief. But I can't help but wonder. Did Rev. Darby and Mayor Joe sit down with their mints and malts to come together in support of Mullen?

She forgot?

Dr. McGinley seemed unaware that we have separate residency verification rules for Buist Academy until Diette Courrege brought it to her attention a few weeks ago. Now Dr. McGinley FORGOT to address these disparities with the board? Are you kiddin' me?

Let me give you a brief review. Buist is flooded with false addresses. The District 20 board turns the names in two years ago. The County board creates a new policy to send parents to jail if they use fake addresses. Nightline comes. Principals are overwhelmed with ridiculous paperwork. (That is, everyone except Principal Ballard at Buist...she's getting her hair done). The false address folks remain at Buist. No one goes to jail. No one is even fined. Why? Because the CCSD board creates stupid policies and then doesn't enforce them. We kick a few kids out of St. Andrews. All the while pretending we've addressed the problems at Buist.
Sorry, Dr. McGinley, I'm not buying it. We pay you too much to forget something like this. Maybe if we had a consequence (like denying your car allowance for a month), you wouldn't be so forgetful.
Those of us in District 20 won't forget. We're still waiting...

Time will tell...

So if everyone's petitions are certified, we have Toya Green, Russell (what was his last name?) and Marvin Stewart running for our District 20 seat on the County board.
No offense to the Russell guy, but I honestly don't remember your last name. Miss Toya "I don't represent District 20, I represent the County" makes me want to vomit.
So my vote goes to Marvin Stewart. Thank God we have a choice for a decent representive on the county board. Why the hell is the Toya chick running again? Are her strings still being pulled by the Mayor? Her husband Dwayne was smothered by Robert Ford in the primaries. Did that impact her decision? Oh, if those walls could talk. Anyone with half a brain can see she's absolutely miserable during those board meetings. So why go through the pain?
Time will tell as to how this plays out. From what I understand, Marvin Stewart wants all schools to receive the funding certain magnet schools receive. He's also in favor of charter schools. What a breath of fresh air. He actually wants EQUAL EDUCATION. Toya seems to have no problem sending her daughter to Buist Academy while the rest of us wonder if our child will have a certified English teacher in the classroom...never mind PE, Music or oh, yeah...Spanish, French, and SAIL! I guess Miss Toya thinks magnet schools are okay...so what about charter schools? We don't have any charter schools testing kids for admission and EXCLUDING certain children like your magnet school, Miss Green. I look forward to the debates when you attempt to explain yourself.
Thank you, Mr. Stewart.

What's going on?

Once again, I'm reading The Chronicle wondering what Dr. McGinley is thinking. She's reading it, right? I can't help but think Pren Woods a former Burke graduate, turned Burke teacher and Marvin Stewart (also a Burke graduate) have more sense than our administrators. Their words are harsh, but they speak more truth than our top paying CCSD officials. We throw gimmicks at our low-performing schools as if we still can't figure out what it's going to take to educate them. It's not rocket science. How about READING, WRITING, and ARITHMETIC?

I Vote For Books

What does it take to improve our schools? On one front page story of the Post and Courier, we're told Dr. McGinley is proprosing a plan for "a typical classroom to have: a Smartboard, a ceiling-mounted projector; two student computers; a teacher laptop, a laser printer; and a document camera, which projects any image or object on a display screen." Are we suppose to be impressed? Who decides she's the expert on what it takes to improve our schools?
On another front page story, we're admitting our libraries don't have enough books for our students and "the quality of books is a serious problem." Considering the fact we are giving diplomas to students who can only read at minimal levels, I say let's go with the books.

School Choices

According to the Post and Courier, CCSD is trying to pretend they're getting a jump on SC Superintendent Jim Rex's school choice plan. I have to quote it. The article states, "The West Ashley constituent school board has unanimously endorsed a plan that will enable its middle school students, regardless of where they live, to attend whichever middle school they want, either West Ashley or St. Andrew's middle schools.
Wait a minute. I thought it said students could choose whichever middle school they want, so why not CE Williams Middle School? Oh, yeah, that's just for the magnet students from St. Andrews Math and Science or Ashley River Creative Arts. Students living down the street from CE Williams can't even attend the school unless they enter a lottery AND WAIT. Peninsula residents know all about that waiting. Don't hold your breath because it's not happening. I'm just disappointed in the West Ashley constituent board for pretending along with CCSD that they're actually offering choice when they're NOT. Personally I wouldn't want my child going to either West Ashley or St. Andrew's middle school. Neither school has ever met Adequate Yearly Progress as outlined by federal law. Both schools are either rated Unsatisfactory or Below Average. So what's the BIG CHOICE?
According to their websites, survey results show 81% of the teachers at West Ashley Middle are satisfied with the learning environment. Yet only 60% of its students are. At least the students are willing to speak the truth.
On St. Andrew's website, 82% of the teachers are, once again, satisfied with that learning environment, but OOPS! the parents and students' surveys were LOST IN SHIPMENT. Hmmm...
I know CE Williams is no picnic, either. We know about the pot smoking in the bathroom and the robbers disbursing money on campus thanks to the Post and Courier. Yet, they seem to get that AYP every now and then and their state rating has been "Good" four out of the last five years.
CCSD, you have such a long way to go and yet you seem so lost in which direction to turn.

Life without Education

On Mother's Day, I think we were all reminded how important education is in our community. We have lost one and another has been accused. Out of respect for the families, I will not offer too many details. Those of you in our Eastside community know who they are. We know the temptation many of our youth face.
We need to all stand up and attempt to teach our children education is the key, not drugs. Yet how do we do that when our schools aren't educating our youth? Continue to speak out. Don't settle for anything less. When your children come home and tell you they didn't do anything in school today, find out why they're saying that. Speak out.

What does AP stand for?

I couldn't help but have a few cynical thoughts as I read the paper this morning regarding Burke's new AP Academy. I felt the District 20 constituent board members summed it up. Mr. Ellis hadn't even heard of it...I wondered how many other District 20 constituents would say the same thing if asked the same question. Do the other District 20 principals even know about it? The District 20 Chair and Vice-chair agreed that we need to address the needs of District 20 students first before adapting curriculum developed to recruit students outside our district. What's the drop-out rate at Burke now? 50%? How are we addressing that? Better yet, how are we addressing our students entering Burke either at best unable to read at their grade level or at worst unable to read at all?

Now, you're telling us there's an AP Academy? Let's go back to Mr. Ellis who I believe is a true representative of our community...I wondered if the reporter asked him if he knew what AP meant? AP stands for Advanced Placement...college courses taken in high school to allow a student to receive college credit. HUH?? I know...we just keep asking for trade. Many of our kids are college bound, but many just want to get the hell out of school with the skills to make a decent wage. They tell us they have a trade program through a partnership with Trident Tech, but they don't and now they expect us to get excited about our kids receiving credit for English 101?
Don't get me wrong. I'm all for keeping our expectations high, but you're not even close to addressing what our kids need. Get real, CCSD. Quit worrying about what's going to make the adults look better and focus on what's going to help the kids DO better.

Interesting stuff...

I've been keeping up with my second favorite blog "The Newless Courier" and I find it quite interesting that Buist postings get the most rise out of people. Why do you think that is? Are there an overabundant amount of Buist supporters and nonsupporters who love blogs? Maybe so...or maybe we just can't let it go which leads to our obsession with blogs.
Why do Buist supporters continue to call people frustrated with the corruption at Buist "Buist haters"? They see the corruption day in and day out...how can you look at corruption and not be frustrated? Unless you are a part of it...I guess that may keep you quiet, huh?
Word is our Buist friends raised over $100,000 on their fundraising night at the Citadel. Need I say more? It's a public school, people...so where's the money coming from? If the lottery truly is the "luck" we're led to believe, man oh man, is Buist "lucky." Luck at drawing in those expert fundraisers...luck in drawing in those restaurant owners, yacht club members, and attorneys to make sure they're keeping their "t's" crossed. And then isn't it special that they so happen to let in a few of our black friends just to make themselves feel better? Gee, thanks. Yeah, I have a friend who is very excited her child from Hollywood gets to attend Buist. But I have other friends whose children are trapped in our District 20 schools begging for accelerated curriculum with no chance of getting into Buist. What about them?
Oh, yeah, FAKE addresses took their spot and have been taking their spots for years. It's that simple. And those Buist "supporters" know who they are, yet they say nothing.
Instead they attempt to call out people who have done nothing wrong but stand up for what's right. And I'd like to personal thank those who have stood up for what's right. Yeah, I read all of the ridiculous crap you wrote on the other blog and it made me sick. How does the saying go about the guilty pointing fingers? It takes one to know one.
We all know George Kefalos never lived at 28 A Addlestone. Why would he? He lived at a beautiful marshfront home on Folly Beach at the time...tax records don't lie, unless you're cheating the Assessor's Office. Is your chin dropping yet? Yeah, that's the address that attorney of law used, people. Patrick Hill's child didn't live at a tiny apartment on Bee Street, let's see, I think it was 40 Bee St., #205..right?...c'mon people. They claimed 4% on Headquarters Island. Do I need to keep going on and on? One poster stated people were "labeled" as cheaters who didn't cheat. Maybe that person will tell me who since they never stated who on the Newless Courier blog. I'll be happy to correct any mistakes made by anyone, just let me know.

No English, No Spanish

The Burke middle school kids have been screwed again. There are 8th graders who have no English teacher. They haven't had a certified English teacher since January. And the kids who thought they were actually going to get a chance to receive a credit for Spanish lost that as well. Their Spanish teacher walked out several weeks ago. How do we tolerate this? Where are the civil rights activists? Where are the community members with a conscience? Better yet, where is our representative on the school board when we need her? If Mt. Pleasant students were dealt this situation, I assure you those parents would be heard loud and clear. Are we all just too beaten down to stand up for what's right?

Stoney Field is a Corridor of Shame, Mayor Riley

Mayor Riley states in the documentary the "Corridor of Shame" that students living in rural areas are not as fortunate as those living in rich cities such as Charleston. Yet, time and time again, we witness our own "Corridor of Shame" right here in our rich city. Stoney Field should never have gotten to the state it's in. What happened? Is it racial discrimination? James Johnson stated in yesterday's Post and Courier that "It only happens in black schools." Or is it simply red tape...with the city and the school district fighting over who should be responsible for the renovations?
Either way, the stadium should have been maintained and that is clearly not the case. The pictures in yesterday's paper said it all. Who can sit on those bleachers? And clearly the faucets aren't functioning in the home team's locker room. We as a community should be outraged. This is OUR only high school on the peninsula.
Bill Lewis states, "We definitley have Stoney Field on our requirements list, along with stadiums in other constituent districts. Our objective is to bundle these all together so they are treated similarly." So what are you saying, Mr. Lewis? Are you saying other stadiums are worse off than Stoney Field? Give me a break. Where's Mark Cobb, Mr. Lewis? Why do we have to turn to the media anytime we need something? Why can't you MAINTAIN our schools and their facilities? I challenge Mayor Riley, Mr. Lewis, and Mr. Cobb to go check out the concession stand this week. But don't eat before you visit...you may just lose your lunch.

SC State's problem says it all

The article in yesterday's paper regarding SC State's dilemma said it all, yet few of my friends have made any mention of it. Evidently, a consultant has the key to our higher ed problems. It's a sad day when we need to hire a consultant to tell us college bound kids should be prepared for college. So the word is... SC State needs to stop enrolling students who "lack basic skills" to succeed in order to boost their graduation rate. HUH????
What are we doing accepting kids to college who lack basic skills? Better yet, what are we doing giving these kids high school diplomas? I wonder how many of these kids come from our very own Charleston County?
I'm sick of our state dumbing down our kids. When are we going to say "enough is enough?"

Partial Magnet School Choice Plan or Not?

Don't worry...I'm not holding my breath. But I am curious as to how Dr. McGinley's Partial magnet school choice plan is going to work out. For starters the word "Magnet" gives me the creeps. It screams "inequities"! Unless, of course, you're talking about Charleston Progressive. Charleston Progressive located directly across from our beautiful Visitor's Center is Charleston County's only magnet school without ANY extra "magnet" staffing. Maybe CCSD thinks because it's a Title I school they don't need to give it any extra money..."C'mon they're getting money from the feds, why should we give them anything extra?" From what I've heard, Gregg Meyers says it depends on what your definition of a magnet school is. Evidently in his mind, a magnet school is a school which attracts children from different areas of the county. That's funny, Gregg...because according to CCSD's formula for staffing, there's clearly something more going on.
So, back to my original question...what WILL a partial magnet school be? Will it receive partial magnet staffing? If we use Buist as our model, staffing our schools even partially may not be half bad. Hell, it's better than what we have, even WITH our Title I money. Yet, will it be enough to turn our schools into partially decent schools? I guess time will tell...

"CCSD Board At it Again"

Well, if I didn't know better, I would have thought I was at a legislative delegation meeting today as I read my morning paper. The good ol' boys' system crosses all lines here in the Lowcountry.
The Post and Courier reported on the reactions of our CCSD school board members as they watched the video made to "encourage" our top teachers to transfer to our low-performing schools. Brian Moody said "he wasn't sure the district could take any bigger step to improve education." Hmm...one small step for high-poverty kids, one giant leap for good ol' boys feelin' good about themselves, huh, Mr. Moody? Nancy Cook said "the board should go a step further and adopt a policy that its below average and unsatisfactory schools be staffed before any others." Now, how long has she been on the school board? And how long have these schools been dealing with vacancies year after year?
Former civil-rights attorney Gregg Meyers "pointed out that the campaign has been made possible through a change to the Act of Consolidation...that eliminated constituent boards from the hiring process and gave them to the county board." Well, now, Gregg...this means your board is finally responsible for the mess we're in, doesn't it? And when are you going to get these vacancies filled at our low-performing schools now that those damn constituent boards aren't standing in your way? Hey, Gregg, now that you're in charge, maybe you could get us a Spanish teacher at Burke middle? Or better yet, an English teacher? Maybe you could do what the District 20 board tried to do last year and get one of those many foreign language teachers from Buist over at our "unsatisfactory" schools which have NONE?

Did she really say that???

It's Saturday morning...I'm trying to digest what I've heard on the news and through the grapevine and looking forward to reading the Post and Courier article on the Buist lawsuit.
Understanding Judge Scarborough had a child who attended Buist Academy, I admit I wasn't surprised by his ruling and I agreed with most of the article. We know Buist Academy was created to show the Justice Department we could, once again, integrate a District 20 school. We know John Graham Altman, among other CCSD board members, told District 20 board members that CCSD would pull the funding for Buist if District 20 didn't agree on it being a county-wide school. We even remember how Alice Paylor, CCSD's current attorney, met behind closed doors to agree to a "list" with the District 20 board. Then, Robert New and some other community members filed a lawsuit because that meeting was held in executive session and violated FOIA. We also know Robert Rosen, CCSD's attorney, represented the District 20 board in that lawsuit. Good for them, considering his associate helped them violate it.
We know the District 20 community was outraged - has BEEN outraged since 1985 on Buist being a county-wide magnet school.
So with all of that being said, did Dr. McGinley really say Buist's "rigorous academic environment can and should be replicated within the next 18 months"??
Well, dog-gone, gee whiz, Dr. McGinley, what have we been waiting 25 years for? You're the savior we've been looking for!! Now my great grandchildren have a chance at a decent education!

BUIST lawsuit decision

As news channel two just reported, there is a decision that has come down concerning the District 20 law suit against the CCSD concerning Buist Academy. It does not surprise this downtown individual that it was a negative response to District 20 constituents. It is my feeling that the ruling is full of inaccurate information including calling Buist an abandoned building at the time of it's creation. Well my definition of abandoned is not let's rezone all the kids who attended Buist to Fraser and call it abandoned. That may be, in my opinion, the CCSD's definition. What does this mean? What are we to do? Keep fighting. After all it is important to our communities that we improve our schools for our future. It is also apparent that 75 Calhoun is not hearing our voices.
As soon as I get the response I will post it so keep in touch!

Should it be North Charleston's shame as well?

Well, at least we should give credit to North Charleston's city council for stepping up to the plate and demanding answers to their school situation.
Unfortunately, I wonder if they walked away satisfied with CCSD's responses and I hope they were perplexed by Bill Lewis' solutions. As stated in the Post and Courier, CCSD "is spending $211 million to build or upgrade new schools in North Charleston, school district Capital Improvements Director Bill Lewis said. Among those are a new Stall High, an expanded North Charleston High and a new Academic Magnet High and School of the Arts."
Now how many North Charleston students actually ATTEND 2 of the above referenced schools?
And new buildings don't make a good school, Mr. Lewis. The School of the Arts has proven that.
Why can't we fix what's going on INSIDE these schools before we begin spending millions of dollars on new buildings? Our priorities are messed up and as taxpayers we should be outraged. I'm afraid CCSD doesn't know HOW to fix the inside.

Can we stay in the fight?

Does anyone have the Rosa Parks' fight in them? On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks was asked to give her seat to a white person, yet refused. Did you know she was sitting in the "colored section" of the bus? She wasn't even sitting at the front of the bus. She was in the back! She just happened to be sitting when a white person had no seat. Her family was harassed and threatened on a daily basis. She and her husband lost their jobs. They made the ultimate sacrifice. Now, we feel if we hold up a sign of protest for equal education, we've crossed the line. Our children are being bused to Mitchell Elementary on Wednesdays for SAIL, while Buist kids get SAIL right in their school every day of the week. Our children are being bused to James Island to schools that don't even meet AYP requirements, yet we graciously accept the tranfers. Our children are riding on the back of the bus when it comes to education, yet what are we doing to change that? It's 2008, yet do we have the fight in us anymore?
Marvin Stewart of the District 20 school board says it's not a race issue. I applaud his unwillingness to use the race card; eventhough, I have a tendency to disagree with that idea. He says we're fighting for quality education for every child on the peninsula. The only problem is, most of the white people are seeking alternatives in gaining their quality education. When are we going to say "enough is enough?" And do we really know what it means to fight for what's right?

A new AP at Burke

Well, we're getting rid of the Academics Plus (aka A Plus) program at Burke Middle. From what I witnessed, most of "the plan" was never truly implemented to begin with. What's the plan now? We still have 7th graders doing 4th grade math and 8th graders reading on a 1st grade reading level, so...there's a plan, right?
Yet the only plan in the works from what I read in the Post and Courier is to expand the Advanced Placement (aka AP Academy) program at Burke high. Should we be pleased Mr. Benton seems to recognize he'll have to recruit outside of District 20 for students to fill these classes? And what ARE we doing about thoses students who are struggling to read and write?
It's a numbers games. The administrators know they need the more challening curriculum to attract the accelerated student. And we need those accelerated students back at Burke to make those administrators look better. Yeah, I get it. We need to offer more challenging curriculum in the hopes of improving that damn data, but PLEASE quit pretending we don't have a bigger problem that desperately needs to be addressed.

District 20 board versus CCSD board

Well, it's coming down to the final round...or is it? On February 15th at 9:30 am, Judge Scarborough will hear both the complaint filed by members of the District 20 community as well as an appeal filed by those same members when the CCSD board ruled the District 20 board has no jurisdiction over THEIR county-wide magnet school Buist. (Yeah, I know if you believe in following state law, there is NO SUCH THING as a county-wide school UNLESS the constituent board approves each of those transfers).
Now here's the kicker. Read the brief filed by CCSD's attorney Alice Paylor back in the day when CCSD was fighting to avoid a desegregation lawsuit. Ms. Paylor says Charleston County's constituent boards determine attendance lines, not CCSD. She even uses the District 20 board's fight over determining who attends Buist as an example of this. HUH??
Yeah, I thought the same thing, so let's just keep it simple. CCSD used the constituent boards to avoid the lawsuit the US Justice Dept. brought against the District and THEN ignores the constituent boards when they attempt to excercise those responsibilities. Once I get a hard copy of that infamous public document, I'll share some of the quotes with you. Word is there's a copy floating around via e-mail. Hopefully, it'll arrive at my e-mail sooner rather than later.

World Language Department?

Buist Academy not only offers Spanish or French to all of their students beginning in kindergarten, it also has a World Language Department. What is that...you ask? Well, I'm hoping you can tell me. Evidently, Srta. Sara Lyle and Sra. Robin Polasek offer after-school tutoring for students in 4th through 8th grades for the great price of (drumroll) only $45.00 an hour if you prefer "one-on-one tutoring." For groups of 3 or more its only $25.00 an hour. (Hmmm...I wonder what it cost for 2 students?)
I don't now about the rest of you, but you're talking about a nice chunk of my grocery bill each week. What do parents who have had their children in our District 20 schools which do not offer Spanish or French do? How do they afford this? But then again, maybe that's the point.

ANOTHER VIEW FROM BEAUFORT

While on a business trip recently, I got a take on how schools in Beaufort County are handling some of the same issues we have here. What a difference 67 miles makes. Charleston County is clearly alone and still in the Dark Ages on much of this. Beaufort has issues, but it is far and away more in compliance with the law and with common sense than anything we are seeing here.

I realize this is based on just one example and reflects only a first impression but it is still very encouraging. One otherwise very ordinary elementary school (Port Royal Elementary School or PRES) is associated with a neighborhood very much like Park Circle in North Charleston. At PRES they have 350 students in a PK-5 school building that was built in 3 parts ove r the last 100 years...and they like it that way, being sort of funky, as it sets them apart as unique. Part of the school building is closer and more directly connected to the street than even Memminger, not unlike schools I've seen in small cities, towns and villages throughout Europe. It's school "yard" doubles as an open community park, almost a reminder of Harmon Field across from Burke, only immediately next to the school.

Twelve years ago PRES was a failing school near the run down state ports authority and other industrial facilities located in "downtown" Port Royal. Despite its location there was a commitment to turn it around. This was primarily a position taken when it was learned that the school district didn't really own the land under the school. If they tore the school down...the property wasn't theirs to sell. Essentially, the Beaufort School District was stuck with the school so they had to make it successful or it would continue to be a drag on the district. Making it work was their only logical option when it was down to 75 student, 5 teachers and facing closure. In the 12 years since it has had as many as 365 students at one time. Currently it is at 350 students with 35% minority, 40% FRL, and a modest number of Hispanic and Vietnamese students classified as ESL. Overall, it fairly well reflects the demographics of the Beaufort County School District.

By a vote of its SIC and PTO, they decide each year how best to spend their school's Title One funds! (Get that, they decide how to direct their financial resources...and this is a "working class" school with a fairly large minority population!) They have an after care program that runs before and after the school day which is officially from 8:00 am to 3:15 pm. The after care is both academically and recreationally focused. It opens with breakfast at 7am and closes each day at 6pm. Day care is an unbelievable bargin with a sliding scale of charges that max out at $25 per week per child (they may have to raise that by $10 next year) depending on each family's financial need. Since all parents at PRES work (even in 2 parent households) the first hour of after school care is free for all students and usually focused on completing homework or class projects.

They have Spanish offered at all grade levels starting at PK. They're trying to offer Chinese, but they haven't found a qualified teacher yet. As for their interest in Chinese, those involved with this school have found that LD students (including those identified as ADD or Dyslexic) often excell in learning foreign languages when the alphabet is different. Part of the reason for this need and their discovery of how to address it their commitment to including special needs students within their program. By school community and local parent preferences, they requested years ago to have an LD class at the school. This was in order to meet community demands even though the school's relatively small size would normally exempt them from including classes for children with "exceptional needs". If this wasn't enough, the school voluntarily has accommodated 9 children with more severe special education needs, including 2 with Autism.

They have taken this foreign language challenge even further. (Oh, how refreshing to learn that educators are allowed to use their imaginations in places that are beyond the reach of CCSD.) This school recognized that it had several students who were loosing what is sometimes called "heritage" language skills as 2nd and 3rd generation children of imigrants who are no longer speaking traditional languages at home. To reverse this trend some Hispanic parents have asked that their children be allowed to participate in an optional class that helps them translate their written assignments into Spanish so that their bi-lingual language skill will progress equally. The only trouble with this advanced foreign language approach at PRES is (at least for the moment) that when PRES kids get to middle school, the current Beaufort County Schools foreign language program forces them to start over with numbers and colors. Needless to say former PRES students are all making "A's" in their 6th grade middle school Spanish classes. Beaufort is now looking into making an intermediate level Spanish class available since so many well prepared kids (if they are not already bi-lingual) are entering some of their middle schools from schools like PRES.

Oh, and this school has had an elementary level International Bacalauret (IB) program for years. It just started single gender classes (another parent approved change) about 3 years ago starting with their 1st grade. They are now up to 3rd grade and will move the single gender classes all the way to 5th grade...if that's what the parents want. They have uniforms, too. Just khaki pants and navy shirts with the school logo.

Since the Beaufort YMCA is a block or two away, the students walk to the Y and their PE classes include basic swimming lessons...the Y is essentially this elementary school's gym for a few hours a week.

This is not an upscale part of Beaufort...as I said it's more like Park Circle since it's also very near the entrance to Parris Island Marine Station...not exactly Mt. Pleasant or South of Broad, either. As for AYP...it's 'Yes'...for the moment.

They are only rated "Average" by state standards, but they see meeting community needs as a higher calling than playing games with school report card scores. They don't cherry pick kids (as demonstrated by their inclusion of two types of special needs students...including those least likely to help raise their PACT scores.). No child from their attendance zone is ever turned away...though they did have to make arrangements for one child to be home schooled because he was too disruptive. They are 30 students over their maximum capacity, which accounts for both NCLB transfers in (they take priority over all other non-attendance zone transfers) and as many as 35 children of District employees, administrators and in-school teachers who choose to send their children to this school. Again, no child from the Port Royal attendance zone is ever denied a seat, but interestingly, they never put a child out if their family moves...they just make room.

Another interesting statistic from this "little school that could" was also mentioned. Provided they meet the attendance zone or tranfer requirements, the school continues to attract a number of students with parents looking to leave private schools and instead enter the public school system for the first time.

The natural market demand for this school is confirming and validating whatever it is that they are doing at Port Royal...and it seems to be just right. Again, they accommodate their neighborhood kids first and still manage to reflect the economic and racial mix that is the average for the entire district. If they didn't have the innovative programs they have been allowed to develop from within, the school wouldn't be able to attract or keep the students they have...and they wouldn't reflect the demographics of the Beaufort District or even their attendance zone either. In other words, every school in downtown Charleston could be this way if CCSD would just let it happen and there was a commitment from within each school to do it.

Unfortunately, because county and school politics being what they are almost everywhere (and because PRES doesn't have the protections associated with a charter school), Port Royal can only guarantee that their programs (and the people who run them) will be in place for one year at a time. The superintendent and the county school board, not the parents or the surrounding community, could decide to sweep it all away for reasons that have nothing to do with educating these particular students or serving this part of Beaufort County.

The Port Royal school appears to have great chemistry and the enthusiasm is obvious as several staff members described to me what they enjoy most about the school which is a lot. The entire staff (very diverse in age, race and backgrounds from what I saw) have been at the same school for 3-15 years. They aren't stuck in one place either because the school is still evolving and they are proud of that, too. They have no one with less than 3 years experience working at the school and the principal was part of the team that turned the school around 12 or more years ago.

They roll their eyes but agreed with me when I said that I'm more concerned with how a school works than how a school looks on paper. They honestly admitted that they expect their report card to possibly drop below an "average" rating the next year or two simply because the school progress reporting system is so geared to "one size fits all". They openly stated that they are more focused on meeting individual student needs, especially as these are always changing. They are not all that focused on school report card objectives...at least they are not obsessed with them, but it's a reality they have to operate within those guidelines until the state changes them. They also expect to miss the 10% annual improvement objectives since their school is reaching the logical limits of this game. It's clear they have made significant improvements to get to this point and will continue to be competative with other good schools, no matter how it's measured.

Instead of giving me questionable school report card statistics, they have done something that some have only been able to talk about on the District 20 Board, an idea that CCSD has simply ignored. The Port Royal staff can track what happens to their students years after their students leave the school following 5th grade. That's the true reflection of their success story. Twenty-seven of their former students graduated from Beaufort High last year and were accepted at the college of their choice. Of these, 19 received full or partial scholarships to those colleges.

They couldn't have had much more than 50 students in each grade at PRES. Even if you didn't consider that not all PRES students end up at Beaufort HS or that some former PRES students move out of the area before completing high school...PRES has a college acceptance rate that looks like CCSD's drop out rate! That's over 50% of its students.

Former Port Royal students consistantly do extremely well on an 8th grade achievement test. The teachers at the middle school that PRES feeds into say that Port Royal students are easily identifiable in their classes simply because those are their students who are the most engaged, always curious and ask the most questions starting on day one. One last thing...PRES is a year round school that students, teachers and parents all swear is the best system for their school community.

Why can't we do this here? Port Royal isn't in Bordeaux or some exotic or foreign place like that. For christ sake, it's just Beaufort.