Charleston's Shame

Gotta Love Elizabeth Kandrac!

2009-11-08T16:54:00.005-05:00

Hallelujah! Elizabeth Kandrac is "taking on the district." Well, it's about time someone does. We finally have an educator on the school board who believes in checks and balances (unlike that other former Principal "what's her name" who enjoys going along to get along).

I had to laugh at Mr. Douglas' comments regarding Ms. Kandrac. Here's the recap: "I just think that she ought to resign and let someone who truly ....cares about the children - and the education in North Charleston - represent North Charleston." Was he implying he actually cared about the children and their education while HE was on the board? Well, that's a new one. What did he do for North Charleston all the billions of years he sat on the board? I guess we could say he contributed to more segregation and unequal education with the School of the Arts and Academic Magnet. We could also say he did a great job shaking the hands of high school graduates unable to read by "rubber stamping" all of those great policies he approved.

Speaking of policies, I had to laugh again when Mr. Gregg Meyers was quoted as saying the school "board's role isn't to monitor what's happening in classrooms...but to focus on guiding the district with policies and budget." You mean, like that literacy policy the board is working on? How ARE those policies coming, Mr. Meyers? Don't even get me started on that ridiculous Buist policy you came up with. Don't you get it?? You HAVE to know what is going on in the classroom to create policies. And clearly if we have illiterates in high school something is NOT happening IN THE CLASSROOM. I think what Mr. Meyers was really trying to say is he doesn't visit too many schools and he definitely doesn't take the time to observe teachers teaching. The man has to prioritize, right? How can we as taxpayers expect him to be a lawyer, visit schools, AND...fix that hair? C'mon. There's only so much time in the poor man's day. Have you seen that hair?

Personally, if I was Ms. Kandrac, I'd go live happily ever after with my new spouse and forget all about this crazy place. But she cares too much. That's her only problem. That and the fact that she actually takes her role on our school board seriously. Yeah, she's actually doing the job we elected her to do. Thanks, Ms. Kandrac. I wish you well, no matter what direction you choose.

Do we really need a policy for that?

2009-10-22T09:17:00.006-04:00

The following came from an article in the Post and Courier on Tuesday: "Charleston County School Board members took another step Monday toward making literacy the district's top priority and creating a policy to back that up."

Another step (as if they need more than one) and "toward making" as if it still isn't their top priority but they're thinking about it. I wonder how long this will take. CCSD wants to blame the parents. But wait a minute. CCSD didn't teach the parents how to read either! Yeah, that magic reading formula is taking us a few decades to create.

It's a sad day in public education when elected officials need a committee to create a literacy policy as a way to ensure our children are being taught to read in our schools. Since when did teaching a child to read become so complex? And what was the district's top priority before literacy? Putting a SMART board in every classroom?

It's hard not to believe the "keep 'em down" mentality is still alive and well here in Charleston County. Are we in the 19th century or the 21st century?

Burke Can't Even Keep its Athletes

2009-08-14T10:07:00.002-04:00

I'm impressed with Burke's quarterback Del'Javon Simmons who has decided to choose quality education over a senior year of athletic glory at Burke High School. I also think it speaks volumes that he chose not to relay his choice to Coach Earl Brown. Athletic Director and Coach Brown doesn't get and hasn't gotten it for a long time. Isn't it time for him to retire? Brown is quoted in the paper as stating, "If he's going down there to dedicate himself to making good grades, he could have done the same thing here." See, I didn't get that from the article, Coach Brown. I understood that the Burke student wanted "to prepare for the college tests" and clearly felt attending the prep school in Florida would afford him that opportunity more so than remaining at Burke. Simmons was just trying to be nice.
It's bad enough we can't keep our quality academic students at Burke. Now we can't even keep our star athletes. When is this community going to rise up and admit we have some serious problems at Burke?
Good luck, Del'Javon. You've already proven yourself wise beyond your years by making this choice.

Office for Civil Rights Comes to Town

2009-07-28T13:22:00.004-04:00

Evidently attorneys from the Office for Civil Rights want to hear from parents and community members affected by the recent school closings. They will be meeting Wednesday, July 29 from 6pm-8pm at the St. Julian Divine Center on Cooper Street.

Fraser parents filed a complaint against the school district for racial discrimination when the district decided to close numerous schools in order to address their budget crisis. The only schools chosen to close were predominately African-American Title I schools. Fraser parents want to know why the burden of the budget crisis fell on only this group of students. The schools these students are scheduled to transfer to are also predominately African-American Title I schools.
According to their complaint, "The impact is falling disproportionately on black children in Charleston County creating a disparate impact."

I feel for the Fraser parents. Many of them simply wanted to wait until the Fall of 2010 to move when the new Sanders-Clyde building will officially be ready (We all know the new school is not going to be ready in December 2009 as promised).

It makes you wonder. What will the Office for Civil Rights do? Can they do anything? The schools are closed. The children have been forced to prepare themselves for attending different schools in a few weeks. Can the Fraser parents prevent this from happening to other schools? Will community members from other constituent districts finally rally together against CCSD? I guess only time will tell.

If you had any doubts...

2009-07-24T20:55:00.005-04:00

You now should have no doubts as to where the Superintendent of Charleston County Schools priorities lie. For Dr. Mac, it's all about appearances. So much so, that Elliot Smalley, Director of Communications got a $10,000 raise. Budget crisis? The perfect storm? Think again...the storm affects the CLASSROOM...you know...teachers and students. But no way no how is Dr. Mac going to lose the posse paid to make her look good.
I enjoyed the Post and Courier's editorial on this so much, I think I may renew my subscription. Here's the link for those of you who may have missed it:
http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2009/jul/22/joining_six_figure_club89927/

Ray Toler, Elizabeth Kandrac, and Cousin Arthur voted against the raise. We should be asking the rest of our school board how they rubber stamp such nonsense.

The lawsuit goes to Columbia

2009-05-23T13:24:00.008-04:00

Nothing will change in Charleston County unless parents sue. True District 20 parents on Buist waiting lists should sue CCSD and the parents using false District 20 addresses. The lawsuit the District 20 school board and a District 20 parent filed against CCSD over Buist Academy will make it to the Court of Appeals on Wednesday, May 27.

I hope they get a less bias ruling than they received in Charleston County from Judge Scarborough, a former Buist parent.

For a quick recap, the District 20 board ruled District 20 students should receive priority to the only excellent rated school on the peninsula a few years ago, meaning District 20 students get in first before anyone else in the county. CCSD and the County Board ignored them. Yet, CCSD embraced the constituent boards when the US Justice Department filed a desegregation lawsuit against Charleston County over twenty years ago. CCSD was able to avoid desegregation citing state law which clearly says constituent boards determine which kids go to the schools in their districts. Funny how constituent boards exist only when CCSD deems it necessary.

In CCSD land, Buist is a "county-wide magnet school" for the "gifted and talented." I'll leave the G&T part alone because anyone with half a brain knows CCSD isn't really testing four and five year olds for being gifted. Kids are tested in the 2nd grade and gifted and talented programs start in the 3rd grade for a reason. There also is no such thing as a county-wide magnet school unless the constituent boards approve it. While the District 20 board of the 1980s may have agreed to be manipulated by CCSD, the board of the 21st century said "no way no how."

Let's just hope the Court of Appeals reads what Mr. Kobrovsky sent them.

Dot Scott says it all...

2009-05-05T10:44:00.002-04:00

According to today's paper, last night Dot Scott, President of Charleston's NAACP, "made it clear from the meeting's outset this was not a time for those who 'don't support public schools,' or those in favor of tax credits, to have their say." She calls that a town hall meeting? That's not a town hall meeting. That's an anti-Ford rally. No wonder Ford let his seat remain vacant.
And this is coming from Scott who supposedly put her child(ren) in private school. Has she read the Post and Courier lately?

The Cat's Out of the Bag

2009-05-04T18:24:00.004-04:00

Finally. The public knows the truth. CCSD socially promotes kids through our schools who are unable to read. CCSD CAN'T teach our kids how to read. I know. It's the lack of parental involvement. But guess what? CCSD didn't teach them how to read either.
Now what are we going to do about it? According to our Superintendent Dr. McGinley, CCSD has already taken care of these concerns with MAP testing and "coherent curriculum." Unfortunately, she must have missed the article where a CCSD teacher admitted many teachers can't even interpret the MAP scores. Who's in charge of MAP testing? Dr. Rose, the Director of Assessment and Accountability, was the rocket scientist behind implementing a test to help teachers determine what students needed help on in preparation for the PACT testing. Is your head spinning like mine is? Why hasn't Dr. Rose trained the teachers to interpret the scores? Why didn't CCSD just put that money towards REDUCING CLASS SIZE?
And the article in today's paper on the incredible strides the principal at Alice Birney is taking to teach middle school students to read proves coherent curriculum clearly does not exist in Charleston County. In other words, Dr. McGinley's little piece in yesterday's paper just doesn't make sense.
And wasn't McGinley the Chief Academic Officer when we socially promoted all special education students at Burke Middle? The Post and Courier stated our former superintendent "instituted the A-Plus program" at Burke middle, yet wasn't our CURRENT Superintendent the true master behind that joke of a plan? The joke of a plan that couldn't even properly ensure students received services required by federal law?
I wonder how Darby's rally is going at Morris Brown tonight. Yeah, public schools just need more money, Darby. It takes BIG BUCKS to teach kids how to read.

Senator Ford speaks the truth

2009-03-24T21:18:00.003-04:00

Here's our own Senator Robert Ford in The State paper on Sunday stating vouchers are the way to go. "...Ford is making the case that the students who would benefit most from a voucher-style program in South Carolina are African-Americans who attend poorly performing schools."

"He dismisses those who say his program would hurt already struggling public schools, framing the argument as a choice between protecting schools or giving children the lifeline they need to succeed."

“You’re damn right I’m hurting public education, because public education is hurting our kids,” Ford said."

I couldn't agree with that quote more.

2009-03-03T20:26:00.003-05:00

Fraser parents aren't going away quietly, despite our downtown representative on the school board insisting that CCSD will now begin to better education our inner-city youth. In Monday's paper it states Ms. Toya Green believes "the only way to offer a better education to students is to try something different."

My hat is off to Fraser parents, especially Latonya Gamble. According to today's Post and Courier, Fraser parents are seeking an opinion from the Office for Civil Rights as to whether their children are being racially discriminated against with regards to school closings. "Fewer than 75 white students attend the five schools that will be closed."

While CCSD claims they set up criteria and the targeted schools (excluding Charlestowne Academy) fit it, it makes you wonder. In a budget crisis, everyone should be making sacrifices. Yet who else is?

Ms. Gamble "questioned how the district planned to improve education for students by sending them to other failing schools." Sounds like a damn good question to me.

Who does magnet school transportation really benefit?

2009-02-26T13:07:00.012-05:00

I've heard School board veteran Gregg Meyers was a civil rights attorney, back in the day. I guess he had a change of ways. While, Mr. Meyers has no problem stuffing Fraser children into the Archer building in August, he can't stomach the idea of saving nearly $3 million by eliminating transportation to Charleston County magnet schools.
I also heard Mr. Meyers used to have a bus stop in front of his house on Sullivan's Island when his child went to Buist Academy. Surely, this bus stop was not necessary. I guess he feels his Mt. Pleasant constituents deserve the same luxuries he awarded himself. Too bad he doesn't think the Fraser children deserve to wait until August 2010 until they have to move from their neighborhood school.

There should be no bus transporting a child from his excellent rated neighborhood school to Buist Academy, plain and simple. A Mt. Pleasant parent wrote a letter to the editor the other day pleading for magnet school transportation to continue (especially to Buist Academy) for the children from McClellanville. That seems like a pretty reasonable request if that child would not be granted a similar education at his neighborhood school. Yet according to my sources, that kid doesn't exist. Who are the children from McClellanville to whom he makes reference? There are a couple of kids from Awendaw. And there are half a dozen kids from Adams Run, Ravenel, and Hollywood who attend Buist Academy. Maybe he got his McClellanville kid confused with those kids. Or maybe he's just another Mt. Pleasant parent who likes that bus transportation for his own kid who, according to MapQuest, barely lives five miles from the school.

In this budget crisis, if magnet school transportation is provided at all it should be set up the same way transportation is mandated under No Child Left Behind federal legislation, plain and simple. Otherwise, Mr. Meyers, we're going to continue to question your motives.

CCSD is at it again. Will the District 20 board fight them...again?

2009-02-14T14:37:00.009-05:00

While our community may continue to question the motives of a college student pursuing a seat on our constituent board, one thing is for sure. By his recent posting on this blog, it sounds like he has a mind of his own. Although I'm tired of the College of Charleston's pseudo partnerships with our schools, maybe Mr. Shalosky represents a different perspective. I say, "Welcome, Mr. Shalosky." You may be just the breath of fresh air our community needs, especially if you can think for yourself and quickly educate yourself on the history of our constituent district. Our District 20 board has been played by the big board as "never being happy" for years, simply because the District 20 board has refused to rubber stamp what the CCSD "experts" want.

I don't know all the facts, but evidently CCSD now wants a rush job on changing attendance lines in the districts where schools are scheduled to close next year. And guess what? CCSD officials have to do what they hate to do, turn to the constituent boards for approval. From what I understand, District 4 did what they do so well...they avoided their duties as elected officials. Yet according to Mr. Shalosky, it sounds like we can count on the District 20 board to do what we elected them to do.

Changing attendance lines should be taken slowly and seriously. This process should be put on hold until the community is properly informed and their voices are heard. What's the rush anyway? CCSD is rushing the closure of Fraser the same way they rushed our Courtney children to Rivers and then our Rivers' children to Rhett. And look at the mess Burke middle is still in. When does it end?

The District 20 board should create attendance lines for Buist Academy. They should also fight for Fraser children to remain at Fraser. To ask those children to move to Archer in August and then move to the new Sanders-Clyde in January is shameful. I assure you it would never be expected nor would it be tolerated in Mt. Pleasant. So why do we tolerate it downtown?

I urge District 20 residents to call your board members and let them know "we're still not happy." Our District 20 board needs your support.

In the meantime, I'll look forward to any information anyone has on where this process stands. And isn't it time to march?

Public tax dollars for a private school? Now I've heard it all

2009-02-11T08:35:00.005-05:00

Mayor Riley is a complex man with a clear agenda. Over the past thirty years we have watched our public schools sink into a dismal state with our mayor's hands right in the mess of it. By the city council's approval of "spending $4.75 million to buy land that essentially would be given to a new private school" known as Meeting Street Academy, one thing is very clear. Mayor Riley wants successful PRIVATE schools on the peninsula. To heck with any chance of successful PUBLIC schools. Segregation will continue as planned. Thank God for councilman Tim Mallard. I don't know the man, but at least he attempts to provide some form of democracy in this monarchy we live in by refusing to be a "yes-man" for the king.
Don't get me wrong. I'd love to see Meeting Street Academy succeed. It would be great for them to prove what we've known for several decades. CCSD doesn't know how to educate our kids anymore.
Yet to use public tax dollars to purchase land for a private school serving as few as 200 students as the mayor puts claims on Fraser's building for a Police Academy AND Burke High School can't even claim Stoney Field as their own is just plain sick.

Is it Charleston, SC or Rileyville, SC?

2009-01-12T14:40:00.005-05:00

I had to laugh at the editorial in the Post and Courier Saturday morning. In my opinion, laughing is the healthiest way of dealing with the politics of this town. The editorial refers to Dr. McGinley's proposal of selling the Taj Mahal (a/k/a 75 Calhoun Street) in an effort to get us out of the financial mess we're in. I don't believe it and I give her a "C minus" on this one. If she was really sincere, that would have been her first proposed option. The editorial states "Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr. (gotta love the full name in there) wants CCSD to remain on Calhoun Street..." And we all know what the mayor wants the mayor gets, right?
I don't know if any one else got it, but I got the sneaky suspicion the author of that editorial was sticking it to the mayor when they then stated "Maybe moving the district headquarters from its traditional location in the county seat won't turn out to be an option, particularly given the city of Charleston's strong desire to keep the headquarters downtown." The CITY of Charleston? I thought it was just the MAYOR of Charleston who had openly expressed opposition to the idea.
Yet, as long as we remain silent, they are one in the same. I just wish the residents and councilmen of the CITY of Charleston would quit letting the Mayor speak on our behalf.

Outreach? I think not.

2009-01-11T14:52:00.006-05:00

I couldn't help but notice the irony of The Chronicle's front page last week. The top three featured articles are authored by Barney Blakeney, Arthur Lawrence, and Brenda Nelson. We are all very familiar with Mr. Blakeney and Mr. Lawrence. Yet who is Dr. Nelson, or should I say REVEREND Nelson? She says, she has "had the opportunity to really listen to the heartfelt concerns of many..." Well, duh, woman. We can't dispute that. Don't you get paid close to $100,000 a year to show up to CCSD's dog and pony shows? I'm sure you are listening, but are you really HEARING us? I doubt it. In your article, you actually insult our intelligence when you feel it necessary to 1) identify yourself as a "Minister" and 2) quote a passage from the Bible. Your audacity to quote Hosea 4:6 really turns my stomach. As you quote, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou has rejected knowledge."
HUH?
I'm a true believer in separation of church and state, but I decided to thumb through the Old Testament and read a little. The passage Ms. Nelson quotes from continues "Because you have ignored the law of God, I also will ignore your children." Now THAT makes sense to me. We could place quite a few political cronies in place of God in that sentence and it makes even more sense to me.

Cut to the chase. Ms. Nelson is part of the problem. Her "testimony" in The Chronicle makes it clear she does NOT understand. She is black, yet she is out of touch with the black community. She knows CCSD is not teaching our children the basic skills necessary to function in society, yet she says nothing, reaping the rewards of her paycheck and kissing a little "you know what" to make sure it keeps coming.

I believe it was Ms. Memminger, a Fraser parent, who inquired about Brenda Nelson at the Burke Community meeting. She asked: Who IS she? And WHAT does she do? Close out her salary and others like her before you close our schools. Clearly if an active parent like Ms. Memminger doesn't know who CCSD's Community Outreach Coordinator is or what she does there hasn't been a heck of a lot of reaching going on.
Mr. Lawrence's article suggested merging our two downtown magnet schools to create true integration. I heard he got a phone call from Ms. Nelson reaching out to him the next day on what a bad idea that would be. Mr. Blakeney's article quotes Rev. Lewis and retired educator David Mack Jr. and the obvious fact all of the schools proposed to be closed are predominately African-American and the lack of quality funding and education taking place in these same schools year after year.
Which brings me back to Ms. Nelson. These communities were blind-sided by CCSD. That's not reaching out. That's p--sing people off. Many of the schools, such as our own Charleston Progressive won't exist under any of CCSD's options. Can you imagine if CCSD did that to a predominately white school? One day a school is advertising for 2009-2010 applicants, the next day they have no building.

I believe our community really wants integration. Yet CCSD is going about it the WRONG way. Communicate with the parents at CPA, Buist, and Community Montessori PRIOR to your proposal. Give them a chance to propose options. Instead, CCSD has pitted school against school, which unfortunately is creating more racial tension. How can you close a predominately black school with no prior warning and give its building to a predominately white school without creating racial tension? I pray at tonight's school board meeting the parents of these schools will unite and realize who the real devil is in this sick process.

Condescension and Hypocrisy

2008-12-27T20:45:00.007-05:00

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?

2008-12-16T21:54:00.003-05:00

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

2008-12-15T21:15:00.008-05:00

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!

2008-12-11T14:35:00.002-05:00

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.

2008-12-10T18:38:00.004-05:00

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.

2008-12-06T09:28:00.002-05:00

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....?

2008-11-22T21:33:00.009-05:00

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

2008-11-17T21:17:00.003-05:00

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!

2008-11-12T20:57:00.003-05:00

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?

2008-11-07T20:42:00.003-05:00

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

2008-11-01T21:53:00.003-04:00

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

2008-10-28T21:39:00.002-04:00

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????????

2008-10-28T20:15:00.003-04:00

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?

2008-10-23T20:09:00.002-04:00

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!

2008-10-20T18:51:00.005-04:00

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

2008-10-02T20:44:00.008-04:00

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?

2008-09-23T19:48:00.004-04:00

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

2008-09-16T13:25:00.002-04:00

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?

2008-09-12T08:05:00.007-04:00

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!

2008-09-03T07:38:00.003-04:00

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

2008-08-28T22:10:00.003-04:00

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

2008-08-21T22:32:00.002-04:00

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

2008-07-30T14:56:00.004-04:00

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

2008-07-28T21:54:00.003-04:00

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?

2008-07-22T14:19:00.002-04:00

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...

2008-07-19T20:52:00.002-04:00

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?

2008-07-06T09:54:00.002-04:00

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

2008-06-30T21:31:00.002-04:00

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

2008-06-19T20:44:00.003-04:00

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

2008-05-19T21:57:00.002-04:00

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?

2008-05-17T20:00:00.002-04:00

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...

2008-05-12T19:36:00.004-04:00

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

2008-04-20T09:03:00.002-04:00

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

2008-04-20T08:44:00.003-04:00

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

2008-04-05T21:20:00.004-04:00

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?

2008-04-02T19:48:00.003-04:00

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"

2008-03-06T19:38:00.006-05:00

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???

2008-02-25T18:56:00.003-05:00

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

2008-02-22T18:37:00.005-05:00

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?

2008-02-21T08:21:00.003-05:00

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?

2008-02-16T19:42:00.004-05:00

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

2008-02-03T08:39:00.000-05:00

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

2008-02-02T15:11:00.001-05:00

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?

2008-02-02T15:00:00.000-05:00

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.

2008-01-17T16:52:00.000-05:00

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.

Another year comes and goes...

2007-12-30T10:40:00.000-05:00

And where are we? Have we made any progress? I can't help but reflect back on the year. The cheats from Buist get to stay at Buist while we kick kids out of St. Andrews Math and Science. The parents of Fraser stood up to Dr. Maria Goodloe and she shot them down dismissing their concerns over their school sharing a principal. An OCR complaint regarding the inequities between Charleston Progressive and Buist Academy still remains unresolved. Members of the District 20 community have filed 2 lawsuits against CCSD, yet wait for a court date.
I've heard parents blame parents. I've heard CCSD blame parents and their lack of involvement. I've even read comments from people stating a parent should simply move to get a better education for their child...as if moving is a simple process.
Yet, I still believe we should educate all children no matter what their parents are doing and no matter where these children live. We are handing diplomas to functioning illiterates STILL in the 21st century. It's unacceptable. We are clearly not meeting the educational needs of our children. We want to continue to point the fingers in other directions when we should each be looking in the mirror. We can all be doing more to ensure all children learn to read and write. Education is the key too many of us take for granted. We can be doing more to ensure all children receive an equal education. Unfortunately, we are our own worst enemy. Because too many of us do not believe we can educate all children. We want to make excuses, yet there is NO excuse for allowing a child to reach middle or high school without basic reading and writing skills. As taxpayers, we should be outraged.
All children deserve an accelerated learning environment. School should be exciting and fun. Expectations should be high. Classes should be stimulating and challenging. Yet, our schools are failing our kids. We are chipping away at the children's natural love for learning, year after year...When will it end? When will we all believe all children deserve an equal education?

Buist and The Garden Club

2007-12-14T10:55:00.000-05:00

According to the Buist Foundation website, the Charleston Garden Club has adopted Buist Academy. Maureen Ray, a member of the Garden Club and a grandmother to several Buist students is "honored" on the Buist Foundation website. Excuse me, while I gag.

According to a reliable source, Maureen Ray is the wife of dentist Dr. Ray who allegedly insisted his sons use his downtown property to enter his grandchildren into Buist. Afterall, Dr. Ray pays taxes on his downtown property, right? Evidently, one son had moved his family to the St. Andrews Math and Science school zone, but that wasn't good enough for Dr. Ray, who is also a Yacht Club member. That son allegedly used daddy's dental office to get the eldest grandson into Buist.
The other son used daddy's condo at Vendue Range. I guess it's just another one to add to the "Who's Who" list at Buist, huh?

"Step it Up"

2007-12-13T21:16:00.000-05:00

In yesterday's "Your LowCountry" section of the Post and Courier, the big story is the new Step Team being implemented at CC Blaney Elementary. Evidently the town of Hollywood's Education Committee "initiated" this new team.
Oh, I don't know where to begin. Yes, I think dance is great. But CC Blaney's current overall rating is Below Average. How many of these children are reading at grade level, or better yet beyond grade level? Why isn't the town of Hollywood's Education Committee initiating a reading program providing incentives for students to improve academically?
I was speaking with a friend a few weeks ago regarding our frustration over the afterschool WINGS program at Memminger. No offense, but we don't need you to teach our kids how to Step. We'd prefer if you'd help them with their reading, writing,and math skills. Our kids are excited when they perform better in school. Don't you get it? We're tired of you dumbing down our kids!

What are the Chances???

2007-12-07T20:58:00.000-05:00

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.

Separate but Equal?

2007-11-18T09:49:00.000-05:00

Charles Black was a white attorney from Texas who helped Thurgood Marshall and the NAACP write the brief presented to the US Supreme Court in what eventually led to the desegregation of public schools. According to the movie "Separate but Equal", a particular passage Mr. Black wrote had a strong impact on Chief Justice Earl Warren as he wrote the majority opinion which led to a 9-0 ruling on desegregating our schools. It read: "These infant appellants are asserting the most important claim that can be put forward by children. The claim to their full measure of the chance to learn and grow and the inseparably connected but even more important claim to be treated as entire citizens of the society into which they have been born."

Watching the movie "Separate but Equal" brought to light many of the battles we still face in ensuring all children are treated as entire citizens. How do we justify not providing art and music in a small, yet predominately black school such as Baptist Hill High School? How do we justify busing our black students on the peninsula to Mitchell Elementary for SAIL as Buist children receive it at their school with full-time SAIL teachers on staff? The US Supreme Court concluded that separate is not equal. Unfortunately, we have reached the 21st Century and it is very clear many of our schools in Charleston County are separate. While we could blame parents for this situation, it is also very clear these same schools are not equal. Who do we blame for that?

CCSD Plays Games Again

2007-11-10T07:35:00.000-05:00

Dr. McGinley is playing the same games Gregg Meyers and his crew like to play. Shame on you, Dr. McGinley. Anyone reading the paper this morning with half a brain should realize the manipulation taking place. You are NOT enforcing any attendance lines at Buist. Yet 10 children are suppose to live on the peninsula and 10 children are suppose to live in low-performing school zones when they apply and enter the school each year. What is the purpose of those lists if you only have to live in the county to attend the school?
The District 20 Board gave YOU and every board member the list of numerous parents who had falsified addresses and no one did anything. That's what Alice Paylor, Sallie Ballard, and Dr. Goodloe told them to do. Yet, according to Mr. Meyers you don't have to live at the address you provide when you go to Buist. You only need to live in the county of Charleston because "people have a constitutional right to travel."
Meanwhile at St. Andrews...well, they have a real attendance zone and evidently they're finally going to follow it. We've known there was a fake address issue over there for a while, so maybe we're finally making progress. Unfortunately, there are more. It's easy to change the name on the identification requirements CCSD is using for residency verification and we all know it. Concerned citizens have shown us examples of that on this blog and others.
I think it's time the citizens of Charleston get off their computers and speak out.

Buist...again???

2007-11-02T14:24:00.000-04:00

Well, here we are again. Buist Academy is in the headlines with more bad publicity. I do have a few questions, though. Okay, so we now know that CCSD is willing to admit children attending Buist do NOT live in Charleston COUNTY. HUH???? Sounds like some parents owe Charleston County taxes to me. Remember how they do it in Philly, Dr. McGinley?
But what about the OTHER issue? You know, the one that was uncovered last summer? The 10 slots that are suppose to be for residents who live in downtown Charleston didn't go to downtown residents. At least 2 spots went to cheating families out on Folly Beach. 1 spot went to a lovely child whose parents own a nice college rental on Coming Street. Another spot went to a child whose parents had their house sold before school even began. Let's see...who else? Oh, yeah...we shouldn't forget the lovely Bee Street apartment owner who claims 4% at his gated Headquarters Island home. You get the picture. The kids who really live downtown are still waiting on the waiting list, Ms. Paylor. CCSD officials and all school board members are fully aware of this, yet they still sit quietly doing nothing.
Has Buist filled the vacancies they had at the 10 day count or is Principal Ballard still waiting on her Yacht club friends to make a decision?
We need an audit of the entire school. This is ridiculous. Will it never end?
C'mom, Justice Department...where are you?

What you don't know about your childs school could hurt them!

2007-10-17T01:53:00.001-04:00

We have all known for a long time the dangers of mold in the south and along the coast. But what we are not considering is that some of the schools are harboring mold. Some of this mold is making our children sick. I want to know how many of you have children in the school that are chronically ill with something like a headache or stuffy nose. Please consider the possibility of mold and question your schools principal. There is mold in some of the schools and the officials at the CCSD are not going to tell you unless you ask and force them to.
Parents have a right to know what is going on that the schools...they also have a right to know that is making their children ill in the environment. It is unwritten rule that the CCSD not tell parents of these evils that may lurk at the schools.
I know of two schools for a fact that are infested with mold. Mold that is affected some children.
Please tell me if you have any others you suspect.

What is the YCAT?

2007-10-16T20:19:00.000-04:00

The Young Children's Assessment Test is used to determine whether a child is eligible for Buist Academy or not. But what is this test? Should it be used at the age of 4 or 5 to determine whether a child is gifted and talented? Dr. Janet Rose of CCSD has publicly stated numerous times that she recommended Buist Academy NOT begin before 2nd grade. So why does CCSD continue to test 4 and 5 year olds? In fact, Sallie Ballard, principal of Buist Academy, wants us to believe they can determine which children will be successful at Buist and which ones won't. Unfortunately, this test may be excluding the best and brightest. Children who were reading (yes, I said reading) before kindergarten have not met the 75th percentile testing score as required by Buist Academy. Is Principal Ballard concerned? It appears not. What school excludes children who are reading PRIOR to kindergarten as not meeting the academic entry requirements?
Buist's SAIL program is also raising eyebrows. Evidently as many as 16 children in one 2nd grade class did NOT meet the SAIL requirements last year. What did Buist do? Well, they retested the kids, of course. All children at Buist must meet the SAIL requirements for 3rd grade...there are no alternatives.
So, can we determine gifted and talented children at the mere age of 4? It appears not.

Hillery Douglas trying to make back handed deals

2007-10-15T18:08:00.000-04:00

This is a sad event but we all fear it is true...
This is an anonymous editorial comment about an event that took place sometime prior to Tuesday, October 9:

It has been confirmed by at least one of those present that Hillery Douglas set up a meeting with Pete Lawrence either earlier this week or late last week for the purpose of forcing a downtown African-American community leader to recant his support for a charter school. The Charter School for Math and Science scheduled to open within the former Rivers High School building next year has stirred resentment from some black organization leaders while it has gained grassroots support from many black and white parents who want improved public school choices downtown. The private meeting amounted to an ambush and an attempted mugging. It failed to sway the intended victim and may have in fact caused him and other downtown black residents to become more ardent supporters of charter school alternatives as a way to get existing schools back on track.

Arthur Peter Lawrence is a Burke High School graduate, a co-founder of the Friends of Burke organization, President of the Westside Neighborhood Association and a recipient of the City of Charleston's Koon Award for his record of community service. He is actively supporting another African-American, Dudley Gregorie, in his campaign for Mayor of Charleston. After much soul searching and seeking answers to many questions, Pete recently came out in support of the proposed Charleston Charter School for Math & Science. He said he did this because the existing CCSD schools located downtown are either not available to most downtown students (Buist is a magnet school with a closed admission process) or most of the remaining downtown schools are failing so badly that there is little hope for change in the near future. CCSD claims it is unable to adequately improve downtown schools or make them racially diverse saying that the causes of poor schools downtown are beyond their control.

Pete has also said that only after the charter school group became active, CCSD finally began to take an interest in advancing plans for the improvement of Burke's academic programs. Previous proposals for Burke by CCSD all were for goals that have all been assoicated with minimum standards. It was as if CCSD had no interest in Burke's success until they were challenged with the possibility of loosing control to another charter school. This one would become an alternative for the relief of long suffering downtown parents. Pete said he could support that.

What made this meeting with Pete Lawrence unusual is that Pete was given the impression he was being invited to meet one-on-one with Nelson Rivers to discuss his support for the downtown charter school. Nelson Rivers is Charleston native and a highly respected national NAACP official who helped start the NAACP's North Charleston branch.

It was not to be that kind of meeting. What Pete Lawrence found when he arrived was a full house. It included Hillery Douglas, Dot Scott, Joe Darby and Ruth Jordan, in addition to Nelson Rivers. What was supposed to be a discussion between two individuals began to appear as if Pete had been set up for a confrontation with a crowd he had opposed before. Unknown to Pete until it was too late, the meeting was arranged and specifically designed to pressure him into publicly recanting his support for the math and science charter school. Nelson Rivers was simply there to "mediate". Pete had been ambushed.

Hillery Douglas reportedly got ugly. He called Pete fowl names and said that he had to change his position or else. He said Pete was betraying the black community by not standing with those who opposed this charter school. What Pete Lawrence discovered was that these individuals who all had been in some way responsible for the poor condition of downtown schools were now desperate for a spokesman to carry their message of opposition to the downtown community. They were opposed to the racially diverse charter school group. They needed someone with a platform within the downtown black community to be their downtown mouthpiece. They decided that Pete was the one, because he had dared speak in favor of the new school. They didn't care if forcing him to change his position meant continuing to cut the throat of downtown schools like Burke. In spite of the pressure, Pete wouldn’t back down.

It became obvious that Pete wouldn't cross over and those present didn't have a person to carry their message with downtown credentials. Hillery Douglas reportedly became very angry and began threatening Pete. Nelson Rivers had to physically come between them according to the witness or it might have gotten worse. Nelson Rivers as it turns out may not have been fully aware of what kind of power play was going on until after the meeting had begun.

The strong arm tactics of Hillery Douglas are deplorable, but it is also highly questionable as to why he and Ruth Jordan, both members of the current Charleston County School Board, would choose to participate in a backroom, closed door attempt to intimidate a downtown school advocate and private citizen knowing that their were witnesses who could go public. Without question they were trying to force Mr. Lawrence to change his public position. They wanted him to ignore logic and to actively oppose a racially diverse, community based charter school group which was organized to create public school choices for downtown parents. Both Douglas and Jordan have gone on record as supporting this charter school but behind the scenes we find they are doing something else. By this account, they have misled the public about their support for the charter school as well as knowingly participated in what amounts to a politically motivated mugging.

Pete Lawrence, and other determined parents and residents of downtown Charleston like him, are continuously being pressured and in some cases threatened financially to not support the charter school. Others have been verbally abused and threatened by Hillery Douglas for speaking out for public schools downtown, a cause the Hillery Douglas dislikes. Pete Lawrence has the courage and the good fortune to not be beholden to corrupt power brokers who have been willing to sell out downtown school children. Because he’s a man of integrity and has no financial ties to these bosses, he continues to speak his mind. Others downtown are not so fortunate. Most downtown parents and public school supporters are just glad that there are people like Pete Lawrence who have the ability to speak of ideas that most people downtown can only think or speak of privately.

It's a disgrace that these people (Douglas, Scott, Jordan and Darby) are given the air of respectability by being portrayed as community representatives only for us to learn later they have behaved like thugs when the cameras are turned off and the reporters go home. Downtown schools, especially Burke High School, are fortunate that they are being defended by courageous and unbending supporters like Pete Lawrence against the assaults and neglect of thugs like Hillery Douglas and his fellow gang members including Dot Scott, Joe Darby and Ruth Jordan

Longborough vs. Shoreview

2007-10-07T21:09:00.000-04:00

It's election time again and we all know how fun it is to watch those streets get paved. It looks like the mayor is getting more serious this time. It's finally going to happen (drumroll)... We're going to build the affordable housing at Longborough! You know, the place where we kicked out all of the low-income families because the Beach Company wasn't quite rich enough? The problem is the Mayor has a distorted view as to what constitutes "affordable." It appears in the Mayor's view, affordable is a house worth up to $150,000. Anyone who has any common sense about loans knows you should purchase a home no more than two and half times your gross income. Foreclosures are on the rise, interest rates are climbing and it's time we get back to that rule. Now, why would we want to put up to $1400.00 a month into a mortgage payment knowing good and well we can't sell it for a reasonable profit? Why not just rent? HELLO? Don't most people buy property as an investment?
Let's just keep the poor...poor, right, Joe?
According to the Post and Courier, we're looking at 900-1200 square ft. quads. So who is going to buy these homes? The article states "former Shoreview residents get first priority." Yet the "city officials" admit these same residents couldn't afford to buy them anyway. Can I say, HELLO, AGAIN???
Please tell me the residents can see through Joe this time!

Mock Trial Ends

2007-09-30T19:17:00.000-04:00

While work kept me away from Thursday's "hearing", news travels fast in this small town. Word has spread and evidently the Queen of Hearts has spoken. Our District 20 board representatives and community members sat through the "mock-trial" on Thursday and much to no one's surprise, the County board members ruled against District 20 residents receiving priority to Buist Academy. This should make for good news to the Office for Civil Rights' pending investigation. I thought the constituent boards were to blame for our segregated schools, not CCSD. Chop, chop on that transcript, please.
Did Mrs. Ballard keep her facts straight during her testimony? Please correct me if I'm wrong on this. I can only imagine what interesting reading the official transcript will be. Was she or was she NOT made aware of the District 20 board's new policy? Was it June when she first received a letter outlining their changes? Or was it in February? Evidently, Mr. Choice the Superintendent testified he had spoken to her on the phone within a day (or so) of the new policy being approved in January of 2006. Yet, she clearly ignored the new policy.
On another note, Ms. Alice Paylor is doing quite the juggling act. Has she advised the CCSD board on this matter? Is it a conflict of interest that she represents Mrs. Ballard in front of her clients, who are also serving as the judge in this joke of a case? She stated she had not advised them. Why, Ms. Paylor, how DID you file that Answer to the Complaint the District 20 Board filed in the Court of Common Pleas? Through telepathy? Oh, yes...we get it...you're employed by CCSD, not by the CCSD Board of Trustees. But isn't it the CCSD Board of Trustees who approves your employment? How DO you keep that straight face?
Keep up the fight, District 20 representatives and Mr. Kobrovsky. I did not have the pleasure of taking a "sick day" to hear the fiasco, but I look forward to the comments of anyone who did.

Buist Vacancies?

2007-09-22T09:27:00.000-04:00

According to the CCSD 10-day attendance report, we once again have vacancies at Buist Academy. Hmmm...I wonder when these vacancies will be filled. Will it be like last year when we had as many as 11 vacancies in the 7th and 8th grade for the entire school year? Principal Ballard has stated it's difficult to fill vacancies in the upper grades. Has she considered offering those vacancies to our children at Burke? Surely, we have students at Burke who meet the academic requirements. In fact, I bet we could have those vacancies filled by the end of the week, IF that's what CCSD really wanted. I find this very interesting. I thought everyone was fighting "tooth and nail" to get into Buist. There's obviously a few parents out there who don't believe Buist is all it's cracked up to be.

Toya Hampton Green: But We Do Things Differently At Buist

2007-09-16T05:40:00.000-04:00

It was interesting to follow the article in this morning's P&C about the latest fruit basket upset being proposed for the administration of CCSD. It sounds like just a lot of deck chairs and the Titanic again.

It’s bad enough that this appeared to be the product of yet another extra legal meeting behind closed doors by CCSD and its board, but the article referred to a particularly annoying comment made by one of the board members. The final couple of paragraphs focused on an exchange between CCSD officials and the presumptive resident board member from downtown. It was almost laughable if Ms. Green wasn't so condescendingly out of touch with her neighbors and their ongoing cry for improving the seven failing public schools located within a mile radius of Buist.

The writer, Diette Courrege, also left out a rather important observation relating to Ms. Green in her coverage of this exchange. The details might have been of interest to her readers and made Ms. Courrege’s article more relevant.

As it was presented in the P&C article, the seemingly attentive and concerned downtown representative on the county school board was quoted as an advocate of CCSD requiring more reading for elementary and middle school students. She used her own child's Buist Academy experience as an example to make her point. Ms. Green volunteered using her child as an example but the writer failed to carry the example any further based on knowledge that Ms. Courrege as an experienced reporter already has.

It is important to remember that as of the date of her remarks, Toya Hampton Green's daughter was barely into her fourth week as a kindergarten student at Buist Academy. According to Ms. Green, her daughter is required to read four books a week. If that’s true, Buist requires 144 books to be 'read' by each child in a Buist kindergarten class between now and next May. That would compare to the twenty books per year that CCSD is only now proposing as the minimum for all Charleston County elementary school students.

I can understand how Ms. Green may be struggling to appear to want the same standards for every other school that Buist already has, but what’s her point? This would appear to mean that she wants 'the Buist experience' for every child attending all other elementary schools in Charleston County. Ms. Green is practicing the art of grandstanding but Ms. Courrege is letting her get away with using an imaginary grandstand.

Ms. Green’s suggests that “the Buist standard” should be applied to children who have been denied access to CD classes. As a county board member Ms. Green decided CCSD couldn't afford to make additional pre-kindergarten classes available where they are needed most. Then there is the fact that Ms. Green wants all those children not lucky enough to win the Buist lottery to reach for those many required books from the partially empty library shelves found at schools that CCSD's budget failed to fund sufficiently.

I think Ms. Green's superficial comments say much about her total disconnect with the realities of public education in Charleston County beyond the closed universe that is otherwise known as Buist Academy. Ms. Green needs to get a grip on the reality that exists outside the closely guarded gates of Buist Academy. It’s a very difficult and inequitably reality that she helps to maintain by continuing to be so out of touch with her constituents.

Peninsula Project

2007-09-13T19:55:00.000-04:00

According to the Superintendent at the community meeting held last night at Burke...there IS a plan. The new name for the plan is the Peninsula Project. Catchy title. I like it better than the "Reconfiguration Plan." Gotta hope there's no pun intended, but I can't help but think of Mayor Riley. We all know he's not a fan of the "projects."
Supposedly Dr. McGinley has been "working" on this for a few months (???) and will "unveil" it soon??? Sorry, folks. I'm not buying it. Been there...done that...I thought we had learned some lessons from the last chick. You need community involvement, Dr. McGinley. You had the community there last night. Why didn't you present "the plan" to them prior to the meeting and get their feedback at the meeting? Time's a wasting and our kids aren't getting any younger. They need a decent school TODAY. And please don't tell us you're going to expand Buist. We don't want Sallie Ballard's version of Buist. Put Buist in Mt. Pleasant and save the taxpayers the money spent on transporting them over the rivers. We don't want to expand a school full of cheaters. C'mon, Dr. McGinley, show us you're different. Talk to us! You have some incredible community members wanting to be involved in public education. You should be dividing them into different groups and meeting with them regularly. Don't let another 10 weeks pass us by. We're waiting...

Watch Burke HS Carefully: Now You See Us…Now You Don’t!

2007-09-02T20:38:00.000-04:00

Closed Door Deals Continue Between CCSD & City Hall

A rumor from a high level within the administration is saying that Gregg Meyers, Toya Green, Joe Riley and Nancy McGinley are working on a deal to change the direction of plans for a new building to house the Academic Magnet High School (AMHS) in North Charleston. They reportedly are now looking downtown in a deal that may cause Burke to soon be history, at least on its present campus. This is still a rumor, but it’s beginning to fit the context of other actions that have been documented already. It deserves more explanation since it is a potential bombshell if the rumored deal is even remotely true.

Here is some background on the latest from the rumor mill. The projected cost of a combined campus for both the Academic Magnet HS (AMHS) and the School of the Arts (SOA) in North Charleston has become too great (reported to now exceed $85 million). This is making some CCSD officials and county board members very nervous. Both schools (AMHS & SOA) see sharing gyms and other campus facilities as a problem. The proposal Gregg Meyers is now supposed to be floating, unofficially and behind closed doors, will establish only a very basic trades and job training program at Rivers. This is in response to years of pleading from the Burke community to restore what was once a very successful vocational and technical stills program at Burke. The thought is that if vocational programs were placed at Rivers, with Burke students given access, then that will finally satisfy Burke supporters. The Charter School for Math and Science is seen as totally unrelated. If McGinley has her say the charter school will eventually be a non-issue.

They must be joking...

2007-08-06T14:57:00.000-04:00

So I wake up this morning to a Post and Courier story informing me the Charleston County School Board is "experimenting" this year with Memminger Elementary and North Charleston Elementary. CCSD is giving both schools an extra $237,000 for a Spanish teacher, Asst. Principal, a science teacher, full-time nurse and guidance counselor (shouldn't every school have that?), art and what else? Oh, yeah, a parent educator. So much for that point system we all keep complaining about, huh? There are so many problems with this "plan", I don't know where to begin. Can you help me??
Evidently we need to thank Toya Green and Arthur Ravenel. Your school can have these things if these two board members say so. Mr. Ravenel is hoping the white people will come now. What does that mean? I'm all in favor of integration, don't get me wrong. But does he think we need white people in our schools for them to improve? OUCH! Mrs. Green "picked" the school because Memminger's Principal is the former Asst. Principal at Buist. What does that have to do with anything? Is Mrs. Green feeling a little guilty that her child will be attending Buist, receiving the education that so few of us living on the peninsula are apparently entitled to? Oh, that's right. Mrs. Green's child is SMARTER than our children. THAT'S why she gets to go to Buist and not us. Silly me, I keep forgetting that part of this ridiculous joke of a school system. I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that she's on the school board. She was lucky in the lottery, just like so many other attorneys, AND she has a smarter child, just like so many fundraisers, Yacht club members, doctors, and rock stars.
Now don't forget, we have ONE year to show CCSD a Spanish teacher, a science teacher, and a nurse (etc...) will help improve student achievement (a/k/a PACT scores). Otherwise, I guess they might take our guidance counselor and all the other goodies away. Do they have Spanish on the PACT test?
C'mon people, forget those deposits you've made on your private schools and forget that transfer you fought so hard to receive, get your child to Memminger! I heard they have open enrollment, so it shouldn't matter where you live, you can go there. I wonder if Arthur and Toya asked any Memminger parents what they thought of this idea. Better yet, did they ask any Memminger teachers? I heard the Dist. 20 Superintendent didn't even know anything about this. I wonder what the Principals at our other city schools are thinking...

2007-07-22T23:06:00.000-04:00

I want to clear something up about my personal thoughts about Buist and so called cheaters.

First, I do not think that Buist is a safe environment for any child. Why?
Take the death threats a few years ago by two students against another. It is my understanding that these kids were never even suspended nonetheless expelled according to the CCSD code of Conduct. Who stood up and protected the victim? When the District 20 board did they were crucified.

Second, I don't think that it challenges any child including the super smart ones to have hours upon hours of homework every night after a full day of school. Vit D is important.

Third, I do not think that children should be forced to maintain a B average....especially with the high divorce rate in Charleston-according to the CCSD. Kids go through enough just being kids.

Fourth, I do not think that any school should be able to make up there own rules as they go along which is what Buist seems to do. If they were honest and true 25 percent of the kids that attend Buist would live yes live downtown.

Fifth, I don't think that my child or any other child benefits from being forced to maintain even if they are so smart that they are bored. Did we forget the part where kids are also meant to be kids? I have much more enthusiasm for a child that works hard on their own, personally I think that they have a higher long term success rate.

I do not think that parents should be forced to turn their friends in. So no Mark I will not ask you or any parent to turn someone in. I think that the CCSD should do their job and live up to their responsibility. As a society that is what we expect.

As a community everyone who lives in Charleston County should be very concerned. Charleston is growing, most of the medical care is downtown and we can not attract people and families to buy homes in the downtown area because there is no place for people to send their children to school. So the downtown area including parts of West Ashley have little choices to send their children to public school. Not everyone wants or can afford to send children to private school. Gas prices are estimated to go up. So if nurses and new doctors who have families are choosing to live in other urban environments as gas prices creep up where does that leave us?

As for everyone who did cheat, I don't know who they are. I am not even guessing and I don't want to know. I would hope that they would recognize that they are taking a spot of a child who really needs it. Who ever did or does cheat...I have no doubt that if you are meant to be at Buist it would be so, there are other powers that control the CCSD and Buist Lottery. Nothing is by chance! For those of you who are thinking about putting your child on the list think hard, go to every school. I think that you will find that Buist isn't what you thought is was. Although music lessons for all is very nice. Did you know that some kids down the street don't have any microscopes?

You may ask why I am behind a more honest Buist then...well part of being a kid is having kids in the neighborhood to play with. Charleston has lost that, downtown needs to he humbled. There is something bigger then us, the sooner we recognize that the sooner we can get back to what made Charleston great in the first place.

Honestly Buist isn't good enough for my children thus they are not on the list.

Federal Funds

2007-07-22T22:15:00.000-04:00

It was my understanding that Federal Funds were supposed to go to specific causes and required a certain procedure...Oh and it has to be used up to get any more.

1.So why is it that a principal of a school is using federal funds for an after school program to fund something else? I must sympathize with him or her though because they have to use up the funds to receive any more.

2. Why does every child at Buist receive the SAIL program for free because it is a federal program when not every child qualifies? Yes we have kids downtown that do not have enough books and these kids who already have so much and some who's parents lied get even more.

3. What has the CCSD done with it's federal money? Not much for the kids downtown or in North Charleston. What do you think that the federal government would do if they found out that the local school district may not be correctly using the grants that were given to them?

You all should challenge the CCSD to be upfront with these federal funds and where this money goes and should go. I wonder what happened to the groups that were supposed to be fighting for these schools. Have they all left us to fight for other battles or have they given up because this happens everywhere. Life is too short to accept that answer.

Wake up and smell the coffee the world is changing and it is leaving us behind. Charleston is growing but has no school system to keep the great parts of a society evolving.

Farewell

2007-07-17T17:52:00.000-04:00

Word is a former editor of a local newspaper has left the peninsula and moved back to West Ashley now that he has all of his children at Buist Academy. Should we be happy you actually did live downtown unlike so many of the other cheaters? Should we say thank you for the time and energy you gave to our community? We should have known there was a reason you wouldn't stand by your neighbors and openly criticized the District 20 Board's fight for our residents last year. I guess it's nice to be living in the house you actually own now, huh?

Goodbye Jerry

2007-06-27T21:56:00.000-04:00

Channel 5 reports Jerry leaving CCSD...humm what did he do? Was he tired of the B.S. or did he grow a conscience? Whatever the cause or the reason he was the communications guy, the messenger. Let's see if you can sing Jerry. The CCSD will leave you all alone. Someone has to be the fall guy.

Stupid Things Said by CCSD Board Members

2007-06-27T20:53:00.000-04:00

We have all heard and read stupid things that came from the mouths of CCSD board members.

Some of my favorites are the following. I have heard these things from multiple sources and they always make me laugh. I hope they make you laugh too.

Nancy Cook

In a recent City Paper Blog, Nancy commented on closing some more downtown schools.

“If I won’t send my child to that school, then that school should be closed.”

- There are so many things that I could say about this. She would only accept Buist I am sure. If the Office of Civil rights was not convinced already this should top it off. I think that she is starting to plan for her campaign. This comment is like the President saying he would send his child off to war in Iraq.

Greg Meyers

In a Buist Task Force meeting the District 20 Board asked that children who go in on the downtown list maintain downtown residency. Greg's response was this

"People have a constitutional right to travel"

That is right Greg. The Constitution says that Americans have the right to vote, free speech and when lying to get into a pubic school they have the right to travel. I think that Downtown to Sullivans Island is so far that this counts as a vacation. I won't even touch the difference between residency and vacation. I think he should know, since he is a member of the BAR and a civil rights lawyer.

Arther Ravenel-

I heard this through the vine but I have to publish it. To me it hit home. When asked to support a foreign language program at Charleston Progressive because it was the only middle school without one he said

I just can't support it, Charleston Progressive is an ugly school.

I am going to leave that one alone...it speaks for itself. Also I think we should give Cousin Arthur some slack. He comes from another generation that failed to sit next to Ms. Parks on the bus. I like the guy though. Someday he may do some good for the schools.

Toya Green

I was elected by the county not downtown residents. I represent county schools.

Who voted for this freak? Opps I think her kid got into Buist this year. She represents the downtown set. Oh well, according to Nancy, we won't have many schools left anyway. Lets just keep putting kids on the Peninsula down more, because that shows them how much we care.

I know that you all have heard more than this. Send them in and lets keep laughing because things are going to get worse before they get better.

Comic Concerns Aren't Comical

2007-06-25T16:01:00.000-04:00

What is wrong with our city? We are more concerned over comics in the Post and Courier than we are about our schools. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate my daily dose of humor just as much as the next guy; but this is ridiculous. Maybe if the District 20 board had listed the false addresses used to enter Buist Academy next to "Shoe", the public may have cared. Better yet, they should have listed them INSTEAD of "Shoe" and then the public would have really been outraged. Dr. Goodloe-Johnson's parting comments to Katie Crawford regarding the situation at Buist Academy were completely misleading and she knew it. Yes, fake addresses are used throughout the nation, but how many neighborhood kids are being kept out of their schools as a result?

Fallen Heros

2007-06-19T23:42:00.000-04:00

I wanted to speak with you all about the fallen fire fighters that we all lost yesterday. My heart aches for their families because they risk their lives for all of us everyday and usually we take if for granted.

I hope that everyone learns from this event. Stop and say hi to your neighbor, read another story to your children and do something wonderful for someone even if they don't know that you did anything at all.

Charleston is filled with such wonderful people and their hearts are so large. We can become a great city with no shame we just need to want it and do the right thing.

We are measured by how we have helped and cared for others.
It is these selfless acts that really speak to who we are.

These fire fighters have done so much for us. They have saved our lives, kept us safe and cared for our children.
Please, Please show them that you care. Chief Thomas, Charleston Fire Fighters and their families need our support now. We all can make a difference in someones lives.

Photo copyright AP Photo/Alice Keeney

What happened to the Charleston Charter School?

2007-06-18T20:38:00.000-04:00

Channel 5 reported on the protest at the Rivers Building by the NAACP.

They said that there were several dozen protesters and that the NAACP did not want anything done to the building.

First of all, something must be done with the building. There is no point in having the building just sit there and decompose in the sun, wind and rain. Why not oh... make it a school? It always has been a school and should be a school, so while this may be crazy, let's make it a school.

Second, Dot Scott said that she wanted it to be a High Tech High and wanted it predominately African American. Hmmm... that sounds like Greg Meyers and Nancy Cook of the CCSD school board. But then Dot Scott always chooses to speak in support of the school board and Goodloe. Where were they when the Rivers Building was closed down in the first place? All of those teachers were fired---mostly African American and impressionable young kids were put at Burke. I know where they were, they were supporting Goodloe's resume. Now where has she gone? She used the NAACP and she ran as fast as she could. Do you think they were maybe trying to make a good impression on the new superintendent?

Third, just how does Dot Scott think that High Tech High will happen without community support? The Charleston Chamber says that they will support it from the CCSD. Of course they are going to say that; the CCSD is one of the chambers largest customers. The first rule in business is the client is always right. How could they say anything but yes?

The BIG question is where is the Charleston Charter School for Math and Science or is that District 20 Families? I thought that they were the same thing. Aren't they? I realize that District 20 Families was started when all that Buist stuff happened a year ago then came the Charleston Charter School for Math and Science. So isn't that the same group?

Anyway, where are they? The NAACP was attacking the charter school so why did they not defend themselves. Now I think there is a lot of miscommunication about the charter school but there are strict rules with public money. Thus if the law says that the racial makeup of the school must reflect that of the community I think that that will happen. The school needs public funds to operate and are held to a tighter scrutiny then the CCSD. Take a look at other charter schools around that have operated for a little while.

Even the mayor of N. Charleston wants North Charleston High School to become a charter school because the CCSD refuses or cannot bring it up to a good, safe standard. I hope that you succeed Mayor Summey. That may be their only hope.

Where was the charter school to defend themselves, or educate these members of the NAACP who do not have all the facts? What about the old business saying: "All publicity is good publicity?" Why weren't they there to get the coverage? Come on, that is free advertising.

I wonder who will stand up against the NAACP. Someone needs to because they have their information wrong and exactly who do they represent? Unfortunately it seems like the Rosa Parks of this world are long gone. This town continues to operate like it has for a longtime. Everyone just sits by and doesn't stir up the water. What is going to happen to our community if no one does anything? I'll tell you what we will happen if we just sit by....we'll get pushed out of our town. As a community we need to realize that the CCSD will never change if we don't make them. We have to make them care about us or we will continue to get the short end of the stick.

It's a Numbers Game

2007-06-17T09:06:00.001-04:00

As reported in the Post and Courier this morning, CCSD will pay the company who runs Murray Hill Academy $3.2 million dollars this year. The school's enrollment will also drop from 432 to 324 next year. The new building where Murray Hill Academy is located has cost the district $9.1 million dollars. Do the math. Are you angry yet? Well, if not, how about this fact? They have teachers who DON'T have state certifications and for most of the year have had NO mental health counseling. What are they doing over there? I've heard parents and students from our city say it's nothing better than a jail. Why are we treating our children like inmates? How many of our Charleston kids have been shuffled to this joke of a program without due process and without receiving the promised counseling they so desperately need?
It's a numbers game for CCSD. All this program has done is use our children to make Goodloe-Johnson's resume appear as if CCSD has lowered its expulsion rate. Will Dr. McGinley fess up and call it like it is?

Goodloe Admits it

2007-06-13T20:11:00.000-04:00

As I was going to sleep watching the evening news I saw the reports where Dr. Goodloe-Johnson admits that Charleston has a racial problem. I have heard it all.

The following link is the link to Katie Crawford's interview with Dr. Goodloe-Johnson http://www.wcsc.com/home/video/7949587.html.

Please review it yourself and see if you can catch her from her other interviews. Dr. Goodloe has stated a number of times that there are very little race related issues with the Charleston County School District. Privately though she has told white parents just to send their kids to school as a solution to these parents not having an excellent rated school to send their kids to. So you are telling me that in the last 4 years she has chosen not to address the issue of race in the school district that she has been officer and chief of? That is a failure of the worst kind. Instead she has helped to keep these schools segregated.

Lets take a look at Burke High School. Two of the best programs that the district has came out of Burke-Academic Magnet and Military Magnet. Burke has always been a predominately African American school and it has been great. Now you are telling me that it took Goodloe and the CCSD 4 years to realize that there was a racial problem in Charleston pubic schools? The ironic thing is the kids in these schools aren't the ones with the racial problem; they know that there is a divide but work to fix it. Have you ever seen kids of different races playing together? Have you seen adults of different races play together?

Look at the so called leaders of the African American community. Dot Scott and Rev. Darby keep speaking for what they call the entire African American community. Have you gone out and spoken with us? If you had you would find that we want what is best for our children. We are educated and want our children to have all the same programs and resources that every other child in our city has. We know that these schools are separate. All anyone has to do is look at the schools that are in the worst academic shape and see that these schools are predominately black. These schools also lack the same programs that are offered in other schools. Did you all know that Charleston Progressive is the only middle school that does not offer a foreign language? Did you also know that it is a magnet school? Some magnet school, it lacks enough books and microscopes.

For years we have been told that we could not transfer our kids becuase there was a lack of room at other diverse schools. These other schools are not really diverse. Take a look, a hard look, how diverse are all the schools in our area? How diverse are Mt. Pleasant elementary schools? Now where are the majority of the great programs?

I am tired of the CCSD and people like Goodloe continuing to do irreparable damage to our community (by our I mean all races in our community) just to improve their resume or give their friends huge contracts while we all know they recieve some benefit.

As a community we all need to stand up to these people. It is our world that we can change. We just have to start working together.

Charleston County Friends for Buist

2007-06-11T20:58:00.000-04:00

Did you all know that there was a Charleston County Friends for Buist?
Neither did I. I did know there was a group of parents who started after District 20 Families in order to combat the attention that Buist received after all the false addresses. Apparently this is the same group. Evidently, it is led by attorney Mark Brandenburg who also is head of the Buist Foundation, a private non-profit according to him. I was unaware that there was such a thing as a private non-profit whose address with the federal government is a public school.

Any who there was an e-mail floating around after the article in the Post and Courier comparing the inadequacies between Charleston Progressive and Buist Academy. For those of you who have not read it, you should, it gives much insight to the racial discrimination from the Charleston County School district.

The email below....no I did not give you email addresses. The email below is from a parent of this fine organization and their views on the article. The key here is the name of the address list for members. Some of these are false addresses, some are legit. Isn't it wonderful when cheaters ban together to protect their not so secret fibs?

Note not all of these members have cheated, only some.
members:
Sarah Hoefer; Donna Lee Rose; Richard Gowe; Frank Dirks; John Hiers; Peter Demetre; W Keith Kirkland; Libby Russler; Becky Fenno; Eric LangJam; Ellie Langsom; David Richards; Robben Richards; Chris Whitacre; Kellie Thomas; Jeff Thomas; Susan Cale; Yvette Dede; Laura Stefanelli; Bobby Frye; Trap Puckette; Chris Cullum; Sallie Thomas; Ellison Berlin; Tommy Dew; Teri Hiers; Laurie Ann Hart; Leigh Brandenburg; Cindy Linhart; Sue Groff; Sallie Ballard; Ken Chavin; Robyn Bradley; Tina Rastogi; Jeri Lawing; Amy Manucy; Christy Sanford; Chip Legerton; Lennie WoodsSubject:
Interesting e-mail
To all:

I assume you all read the article in the P & C on Sunday. Should there be a response from Charleston County Friends for Buist? I would write a letter to the editor, but I am not up to speed on all of the facts.

I guess there are some simple rebuttals to the one-sided article:

1. The article starts with the assertion: â€œIn almost any comparison of resources, Buist beats Charleston Progressive Academy.â€ Those are the comparisons selected by the writer. Are there any financial comparisons where Buist does not beat CPA? I don't know the answer, but if there are, they should be noted.

2. The Second paragraph states that the inequities are so serious that the Office of Civil Rights is investigating. I don't think the office of Civil Rights just happened on this case. Is this not the result of the lawsuit that has been filed? Should the instigator of the lawsuit be called out and provide a background for the litigation?

3. What were the original plans for Buist (as referred to in the article) and CPA? Is there a logical reason why the disparity exists? The writer does not investigate that angle at all.

4. Buist has, according to the article 397 students and CPA has 315 students. Buist has 26% more students than CPA. Does the difference in the number of students account for the fact that there are full time teachers for music and a full time nurse at Buist among other resources? It would seem logical to me that once you hit a threshold, you need full time staff to handle functions that are handled by a part time employee in a school with fewer students.

5. How do other schools compare? Are all schools in the district treated equally? How do the Buist and CPA budgets compare with other schools? Why are there disparities?

6. Finally, the most glaring error in the story is the math. According to the statistics in the story, Buist receives General Operating Funds of $2,439,685 for 397 students or $6,145.30 per student. CPA, according to the statistics, receives $2,059,809 for 315 students or $6,539.08 per student. Somehow the writer comes up with $7,086 per student at Buist and $6,061 per student at CPA. I assume there are other funds that are taken into consideration when calculating the per student funds. Does anyone know what the additional funds are? Or is the math simply wrong? Or is there some type of Typo?

Obviously, this article was once again, slanted negatively against Buist.
Is there any way we could get an editorial size letter published in the P & C stating accurate facts? Again, I am not fully up on the statistics, but would be happy to assist drafting the letter.

Jeff Thomas

The Failure of No Child Left Behind...

2007-06-08T21:36:00.000-04:00

The failure of No Child left Behind....
The failure of NCLB is a crime in itself. Many people thought that it was the answer to all of the problems of the educational system and lower social economic class, such as the poor African American community. It is not the solution to the problem and now we are forced to ask ourselves why.The first problem is obvious. There are no consequences for those who violate the law of NCLB. There is no punishment. What is the federal government going to do...take away federal funding? Yes, they should.

Some of you may or may not know that each school that is rated a charter or a magnet school receives federal grants more than a regular school. There is a condition these school are supposed to make special exceptions for those social economic groups that are at a disadvantage. A magnet school like Buist with a waiting list is supposed to put the disadvantaged child's name in the lottery twice for each time they put in the name of a child with little or no disadvantage.The main goal of NCLB was to integrate the kids who were disadvantaged with advantaged kids so they had the opportunity to go to a better school and have a chance at achieving a higher education.There are open spots in the middle school classes of Buist Academy. These are spots that the principal herself says she has a hard time filling. Today, I learned of a child that was denied a NCLB transfer to Buist as well as a regular middle school in Mount Pleasant... a child that would be in one of these hard to fill spots. This is a child who is being denied her right under NCLB to transfer to another school. The district states the parent did not complete her request within the alotted 2 week deadline.

Last year, these parents had until mid July to complete these NCLB transfer requests. This parent is African American and of a lower social economic class. You can draw your own conclusions, but I am going to tell you mine. The letters that the Charleston County School district sends out are hard for me to understand, nonetheless, a parent who has only a mid high school education. There is no question this parent is African American.

I think The district is not allowing this child to move to a school that was a NCLB transfer option in Mount Pleasant because she is African American. I know other parents who have transfered their children in the June and July months to other schools without a problem....wait they were white. I wish someone could prove me wrong...but I know you won't be able to. The cards in Charleston County School district are stacked against the poor African American.

Next lets talk about the numbers game.

To learn more about nclb visit http://www.ed.gov/nclb/landing.jhtml