Sent: Tue, October 25, 2011 7:55:07 AM
Subject: Letter to the Staff
Friends,
Attached is a copy a document that was sent to all Lowndes County
teachers and staff from Dr. Steve Smith.
Thanks,
Sam Allen
Samuel Allen, Superintendent Emeritus [Valdosta City Schools]
REAL TRUTH: Continuing all of the current programs the Valdosta City
School System and the Lowndes County School System have would
require a
millage rate of approximately 24 mills. Considering state law limits us
to 21 mills, some programs will be eliminated. The decision to eliminate
such programs will be recommended by the Lowndes County Superintendent,
subject to final approval by the Lowndes County Board of Education. There
will be winners and losers in consolidation and several current successful
programs will likely have to go.
Commissioners asked some perceptive questions
two weeks ago at their work session,
as well they should, when South Georgia Medical Center
was asking the county to guarantee a hundred million dollars in bonds.
Some questions may remain.
Representatives from SGMC gave a two part presentation
about expansion of SGMC facilities, to include 96 new
private rooms in the Dasher Heart Center, the 5 story
parking deck, now under construction and due to be completed
in early 2012, and Life Safety and Generator Equipment updates.
Additionally, they spoke briefly on the acquisition of Smith Northview
Hospital on September 1, 2011. Smith Northview operates
as a campus of SGMC and all Smith Northview employees are now
SGMC employees.
The second part of the presentation was about the financial
Continue reading →
Received Saturday.
Lots of people from Hahira. -jsq
Valdosta, Lowndes County and other concerned citizens marched from the
Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce building through downtown
to Rev. Martin L. King Jr., Monument. There were many speeches given
along with the sharing of ideas at this historic event. The marchers
were lead by Valdosta Police Department and eneded in peace as we all
expected in our beloved community. Peace!
-George Boston Rhynes
George Rhynes talks to No Consolidation marchers
No school consolidation,
Vote No for Consolidation March, Friends of Valdosta City Schools (FVCS),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 22 October 2011.
Videos by George Rhynes for bostongbr on YouTube.
LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2011, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2011, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
Thank you, John for that accurate description of the most bizarre meeting
that I have ever attended.
Karen Noll and Dean Poling at the door
As I was not invited I remained at the door. Dean Polling came to
the door 10 minutes late because he’d been roaming around Rainwater
conference center with a few other folks before he found out the meeting
was located here. This meeting was held on the date that the CUEE had
given when it would unveil its education plan. So many assumed it would
be at the conference center and open to the public.(LOL)
The plan put together by the unnamed education task force a sub committee
of cuee pushed Levy into having it at VSU, when VSU has clearly stated
they are taking NO side!! So CUEE’s educational plan was presented before
the vote has been taken to an invited group at a public institution that
is staying out of the whole stinking affair. This is all to strange to
not ask why and who is behind this mess?
At the end when I told Myrna Ballard about the location
Occupy the Voting Booth @ Vote No for Consolidation March 22 October 2011 Part 1 of 2:
No school consolidation,
Vote No for Consolidation March, Friends of Valdosta City Schools (FVCS),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 22 October 2011.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman and John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
Here Amber, Bobbi Anne Hancock, LHS student Nathan Wilkins,
and VSU professor Karen Noll all march together.
They all Marched to Occupy Valdosta.
(Erin was in Atlanta, and Austin and others were out of town due to
VSU’s Fall Break.)
Doubtless there were others; nobody tried to take a head count of the crossover.
Child of the ghetto grows up to raise a park out of trash
and to invite the rich and famous to join her to make
sustainable development that works for all three of
developers, community, and government sexy and profitable.
A stray dog one day led her down a forgotten street to the river.
She got a seed grant, leveraged it 300 times, and turned
that street into a park.
She’s talking about the south Bronx in New York City,
and the Ninth Ward in New Orleans, but I think in her
problems and solutions you will see some similarities to
the south side of Valdosta.
If the Chamber was helping with this kind of thing,
that would make a far more positive difference to education
and real estate values for the whole community,
both inside and outside Valdosta, than pushing destructive school “unification”.
Rev. Floyd Rose, president of the local Southern Christian Leadership
Conference (SCLC), spoke against school consolidation yesterday at the
Valdosta to Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who founded SCLC.
There’s a mousetrap in the house –Rev. Floyd Rose @ Vote No for Consolidation March 22 October 2011
No school consolidation,
Vote No for Consolidation March, Friends of Valdosta City Schools (FVCS),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 22 October 2011.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman and John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
CUEE you have done what you tried to do —Sam Allen
No school consolidation,
Vote No for Consolidation March, Friends of Valdosta City Schools (FVCS),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 22 October 2011.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman and John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
Although maybe this isn’t exactly what CUEE wanted FVCS, SCLC, NAACP,
both school boards, the Valdosta City Council, etc. united about:
What are we gonna do?
Vote!
How we gonna vote?
No!
Sent: Tue, October 25, 2011 7:55:07 AM
require a millage rate of approximately 24 mills. Considering state law limits us to 21 mills, some programs will be eliminated. The decision to eliminate such programs will be recommended by the Lowndes County Superintendent, subject to final approval by the Lowndes County Board of Education. There will be winners and losers in consolidation and several current successful programs will likely have to go.
Amber Smith,
