Update 5:30PM 30 August 2011:
Text of the resolution and
video of the board adopting it are posted.
Update 7:12PM 30 August 2011: a recent LHS graduate points out it was 7 to 0, since there are 7 board members. Let’s call it unanimous.
Karen Noll of FVCS illustrates the result of
today’s Lowndes County Board of Education meeting:
eight to zero unanimous for
a statement opposing school consolidation.
More videos of the meeting will follow.
-jsq
The Lowndes County Board of Education has put up
an agenda
for today’s called meeting at 1PM,
which includes these items:
VI. a. Resolution Regarding Consolidation
VII. a. Resolution Adoption
Hm, another school board that puts its agendas online in web-readable form.
Maybe the municipal elected and appointed bodies could adopt this format.
On the other hand, would you want to merge with a school board that doesn’t
know when its own meetings are?
I went to the Lowndes County Board of Education at 11:30, and the woman (Terri) who
previously told me
that was the time of today’s called meeting now says it is 1PM.
She apologizes for the confusion. She says it was previously 11:30,
but they changed it to 1PM.
Here’s
the video:
1PM (confirmed) today LCBOE to vote on school consolidation
education, referendum, consolidation, statement,
Work Session, Lowndes County Board of Education (LCBOE),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 30 August 2011.
Videos by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
-jsq
You can see them inside during
during the reading of the statement
and
after the vote.
Many of them spoke during Citizens to be Heard; video to come of that.
Here they are outside afterwards:
-jsq
The Valdosta Board of Education voted tonight 8 to 1 for
a statement opposing school system consolidation.
As
she said she would,
Jeana Beeland voted no.
That’s eight to one for
the statement against school consolidation.
Here’s
the video:
VBOE voting to oppose 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.
-jsq
Update 12:15AM 30 August 2011: It’s really at 1PM and an agenda is posted now.
I called the Lowndes County School Board number just now at (229) 245-2250
and asked if there was a school board meeting today.
They said yes, at 11:30. (That’s different from the rumored
time of 1PM.)
It’s a called meeting for the purpose of discussing school system consolidation.
The woman who provided this information said:
Not sure there’s a resolution.
They may say their stands.
They meet at 1592 Norman Drive in Valdosta.
There is at this writing nothing on their web page and no notice in the newspaper that I can find.
Of course by state law all they have to do for a called meeting is
to post a notice at their meeting location and send a notice to the newspaper of record; the newspaper doesn’t have to publish it.
-jsq
A motion and a second were heard on
the statement just read by Vanassa Flucas.
Jeana Beeland spoke up, talking about how proud she was of the
school system and how it has grown; she went to VHS; her children
are in the system, and “I know it’s serving them well”.
And my greatest fear is that I will come to you so biased
because I know that the school systems not consolidating
for the next few years is what’s best for my child….
More transcription after
the video:
Why I’m going to vote against the motion —Jeana Beeland @ VBOE 29 August 2011
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.
But there are so many people involved in this issue….
And I
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
Council Carroll made a motion to put the referendum on the ballot
and Council White seconded.
Yost, White, Norton, and Carroll voted for.
Wright and Vickers voted against.
The mayor then pointed out voters will have had to be registered for six months
to vote on this referendum in November, so if someone registered
tomorrow, they couldn’t vote in November.
(It’s not clear that this is actually true, but it is what he said.)
They all had more to say later in Council Comments.
Here’s
the video:
5.a. Vote to put school consolidation referendum on ballot —Tim Carroll @ VCC 25 August 2011
petition, education, referendum,
Regular Session, Valdosta City Council (LCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 25 August 2011.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
-jsq
First they voted on stopping debate on
the motion on the floor (to deny putting the referendum
for school consolidation on the ballot).
White and Norton voted against stopping debate.
Then they voted on the motion to deny.
Council White agonized over whether they were doing anything illegal.
They
split evenly 3 to 3:
Wright, White, and Vickers for denying, and
Yost, Norton, and Carroll against.
Since it was a tie, the Mayor got to vote.
First he made a statement, which included:
It started out in the least inclusive manner.
…
This seems forced to people who don’t want the city school system
and to a city school system which doesn’t want to cope with these
people right now.
And that’s unfair.
He suggested the legislature should handle it.
After all that, he voted against the motion to deny,
so the motion failed.
Here’s
the video:
5.a. This seems forced —Mayor John Fretti @ VCC 25 August 2011
petition, education, referendum,
Regular Session, Valdosta City Council (LCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 25 August 2011.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
-jsq
Council Vickers said there was no plan for how to do school consolidation, and so he was against the referendum, and he called for a vote on his motion to deny the referendum.
He said that if we were going to consolidate school systems,
the two school boards should sit down and make a plan.
But in this case, there is no plan.
…
We just don’t know.
…
Too much is unknown.
He called for a vote on
his motion to deny the referendum.
Here’s
the video:
5.a. There is no plan … we just don’t know –Sonny Vickers @ VCC 25 August 2011
petition, education, referendum,
Regular Session, Valdosta City Council (LCC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 25 August 2011.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
-jsq
