Valdosta School Board statement against school consolidation

Chairman Lee asked Vanassa Flucas to read the statement the board was about to vote on regarding school system consolidation:
The Valdosta City School Board opposes consolidating the Valdosta City and Lowndes County school systems at this time. The board feels that a decision to merge the two systems should be a collaboratively planned effort between the two school boards, the citizens of both the city and the county, along with those who have the best interest in educating all the children of our area.
Statement text continued after the video:


Valdosta School Board statement against school consolidation
education, referendum, consolidation, statement,
Work Session, Valdosta Board of Education (VBOE),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 29 August 2011.
Videos by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

The Valdosta City School Board is proud of our school system. We have an organization that
has been both academically and fiscally mindful of the needs of our students, and are committed to excellence. We have a strong, highly qualified teachers, leaders, staff in place, and through their efforts, our students are showing continuous growth and improvement. Our board will continue to support our students, leadership, teachers, and staff in improving the education for the children in our community.

We encourage the community to vote no to consolidation at this time.

[applause]

And we ask those who desire consolidation to come together with the two systems to discuss a plan, the true feasibility of Valdosta City and Lowndes County eventually merging at a future time. Ultimately this decision must be acceptable to both school systems, and the city and county residents.

We welcome you to come out to on three planned forums with the Valdosta City Schools to witness our commitment and to answer any questions you may have on this serious topic. These forums will be September 8th at Valdosta High School in the PAC, September 20th at Valdosta Middle School, and October 25th at JL Lomax Elementary School.

As always we appreciate the trust you have placed in us as the Valdosta City School Board, and we will continue to work toward constant strides for educational excellence in our schools. Thank you.

[applause]

-jsq