Category Archives: Community

Do you have solar energy yourself? Why yes, yes, I do

Grady Blankenship wrote a LTE in the VDT Wednesday, in which he asked
“do you have solar energy yourself?”
Why yes, yes, I do.
And I have some questions for everyone at the end.

Back

in 2009 we installed solar panels on our farm workshop.


At the time the closest certified solar installer I could find was in Marietta.
Four years ago there were 4 in the state.
now there are forty.
And that’s in a state that’s trailing

North Carolina
and even

New Jersey
in solar installations.

Also, I applied some weeks back for a USDA REAP grant for solar
for Okra Paradise Farms.


Much to our surprise, last week we

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People who look like you or people to do a job? —Jerome Tucker @ LCBOE 4 Oct 2011

Jerome Tucker continued talking about his experience, including at Griffin Industries,
and said:



You looking for people who look like you or are you looking for people to do a job?

He elaborated:

If you pay enough, I’ll find you people to work.
That’s a lie: you can’t find people to work in a business.
That’s a lie.

He talked about his experience with other schools and the local schools.
About business development:

I use the school systems.

He concluded:

If you live outside the city limits, call somebody in the city limits,
and please, please vote no.

[Applause]

Here’s

the video:




People who look like you or people to do a job? —Jerome Tucker @ LCBOE 4 Oct 2011

Why we oppose consolidation,

Community Forum, Lowndes County Board of Education (LCBOE),

Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 4 October 2011.

Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

-jsq

How will you know what’s going on in school if you don’t go in? —Jerome Tucker @ LCBOE 4 Oct 2011

Former chair of
Community Partners in Education (CPIE) Jerome Tucker continued:



Three weeks ago, at JL Lomax, I had lunch at Southeast Elementary Community
Partners in Education.
I didn’t see a Chamber […] person there; I didn’t see a CUEE member there.
How in the world are you going to know what’s going on in school
if you don’t go in?

[Applause]

He pointed out what most children want:

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I have never, never, been asked whether I’ve got one system or two —Jerome Tucker

Jerome Tucker has experience in all the major local business organizations
and with both the local school systems.
He used to be the chair of the Community Partners in Education (CPIE)
that a CUEE board member had never heard of.
He is the voice of experience, and here’s what he said:



You told me not to cheerlead, but I’ve got the mic in my hand.

I don’t have the right to vote, but I’m encouraging
everybody to vote no.
I have friends in the city.
Call them; tell them to vote no.

[Applause.]

This is too important an issue in our community not to lead a cheer.

Then he established his personal credentials, stated the truth as he knows
it, and issue a challenge.

First he bragged on the local school systems:

Somebody’s supposed to be about business thinks we don’t have what it takes
to compete;
somebody make a statement, and I’m an old country boy.
My granny told me things that are said are the truth or a lie.
The things I say … this afternoon are what I’ve experienced.

That’s what I call a primary source.
He discussed other places that brag on our school systems, then:

I challenge anybody to have been as involved as consistently and as long as I have
in business and community development in and around Valdosta and Lowndes County.
I’ve served as chairman of the Industrial Authority.
I’ve served as chairman of the Tourism Authority.
I’ve served as chairman of the Valdosta Technical Board of Education.
I’ve been on the superintendent’s council of schools.
A member of CPIE since its inception.
I challenge anyone….

What’s the challenge?

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Hahira City Council tonight

Tonight,

7:30 PM at the Hahira Courthouse, is the regular meeting


of the Hahira City Council.

Rumor has it they had a, uh, polite discussion about waste disposal at their work session Monday and they will make some sort of decision about that tonight.

I would post the agenda if it was online, but it’s not.
They do have minutes online, but the most recent ones
are from April.

-jsq

School Consolidation Statement tonight at Valdosta City Council

There are a bunch of changes to the Comprehensive Plan and the


Land Development Regulations (LDR) that people ought to pay attention to,
scheduled for tonight’s Valdosta City Council (VCC) meeting.
But the one many people are going to see is this one:

6.a) Consideration of a Position Statement on School Consolidation.

Some people are confused, because VCC has no formal authority over
any school system.
They didn’t have any formal authority

to decide whether to put the school referendum on the ballot, either.
According to the Lowndes County Board of Elections, once

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We educators were ignored back then —John Wayne Baxter

Received today on

LCBOE did its homework about consolidation. -jsq



Hey John, I appreciate your summary of the latest meeting on
consolidation. I was on the Chamber sponsored consolidation committee
back in 1993-94. The same folks pushing the effort then are pushing it
now. Back then, nothing about improving education was ever mentioned;
it was all about banking and real estate. Only two educators back then
were on the committee, the two superintendents from the school systems,
and we were never asked our opinions on anything. We were totally ignored.

Yes, we educators were ingored back then and there is no doubt in my
mind that this group pushing for consolidation is ignoring opinions of
educators now. I believe the “dollar bill” mentality of a handful of
folks is the driving force behind this effort, and I don’t mean the tax
payers. Of course, this is just my opinion; I could be wrong.

We have two excellent school systems now in one county. Here is the method
that I propose for a merger: if and when one of our school systems gets
to a point where it cannot provide quality education for it’s students,
let that school system’s school board approach the other school board
and begin discussions on consolidation or some other remedy. Why
should some bank or real estate company be the driving force behind
consolidation. Maybe kids should be put ahead of lining the pockets of a
few business owners. And the most important thing to remember about this
action is: once Valdosta gives up the charter for it’s school system,
it’s over and done with; good or bad, it’s over; Valdosta can never get
it back. Think about that!

Everyone please note the usual

LAKE blog submissions policy.
Also, if you like what LAKE is doing, please go to the
LAKE facebook page and Like that page.

-jsq

LCBOE did its homework about consolidation, 5 October 2011

Unlike

consolidation proponents,
the Lowndes County Board of Education did its homework,


showed it to us all, and could answer questions,
all demonstrating that school consolidation would not improve education,
would increase expenses and taxes, and far from bringing in more industry
would probably drive some away by reducing the quality of education.

Tuesday evening, going beyond

the research it had already published,


Dr. Troy Davis took CUEE’s own figures for how much more consolidation would
require to be spent per each Valdosta City school student,
and demonstrated that not only would that

require raising taxes for both
Valdosta and Lowndes County residents to near the state-capped maximum
of 21 mils, but even then there is no way enough tax revenue would be
generated to pay for all the things CUEE proposes to do after consolidation,
and probably not even enough taxes to continue employing all the teachers
currently employed by the two school systems.
Oh, plus consolidation would lose state and federal grant money by
increasing the composite school system size, so the local taxpayers
would have to make up that slack, too.

Jerome Tucker, on fire as a cheerleader, spelled out his life-long

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Perceptions on School Unification —Clinton Beeland

Well,

I was wrong:
there is still somebody willing to try to link
school consolidation in Troup County with the Kia plant,
even though

there’s no evidence there’s any connection and the mayor of the
town with the plant complains about the results of consolidation.
The appended LTE appeared in the VDT the other day. -jsq

Perception (from the Latin perceptio, percipio) is the process of
attaining awareness or understanding of the environment by organizing
and interpreting sensory information

– Wikipedia



I have sat on the sideline for a while on the issue of
consolidation. Perhaps I am still on the sideline since I am not going
to tell you how to vote. Regardless of the decision on November 8th I
will continue to support education in one or two systems. In any event
I feel compelled to at least provide some words for consideration.
Here is my perspective from the sideline.

It is very apparent that we have pride in our schools. Pride is both

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How did we get here? —JC Cunningham

Received Friday. -jsq

Things really have not changed have they? There are still people out


there who believe they can force their will on the people regardless
of the circumstances. I still cannot believe that we are here.
Consolidation, Unification, where did this come from? What mind first
came up with this idea and what is the real motive behind it?

Eight months ago when I heard that Rusty Griffin and his merry band
of followers were once again trying to force unification down peoples
throats, I never thought it would catch on and would just fizzle away.
Oh, how wrong.

Over the months this consolidation issue that I thought would never gain
steam is now on the ballot and could possible pass this Nov. 8th.

I have seen this thing divide friends, families, co-workers and even

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