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!
Monday, February 25, 2008
Friday, February 22, 2008
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!
As soon as I get the response I will post it so keep in touch!
Thursday, February 21, 2008
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.
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.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
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?
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?
Sunday, February 3, 2008
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.
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.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
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.
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.
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.
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