She also said: Continue readingHi, I’m a parent, and I have three kids in school right now; one just graduated.
First of all, CUEE sent me flyers… to insult my schools…. That was very hurtful for my children to read those flyers telling them how bad my schools are. My schools are not bad, and I’m very upset about that.
[applause]
Lowndes County Board of Education will hold a
An Open Forum on Financial Issues Concerning Consolidation:
6PM, 1 November 2011All about the previous LCBOE Forum of 4 October 2011.
Lowndes High Cafeteria
1606 Norman Drive
Valdosta, GA
-jsq
and why I call on them to stand up and say whether they are for or against it:
the same old disproved disinformation sent again yesterday by a
CUEE board member from
the Chamber’s own email address to Chamber members.
If you support CUEE, you support this disinformation campaign
instead of real research that shows consolidation would do nothing
to improve education, it would raise everyone’s taxes, and
it would not help attract industry.
Instead, it would seriously damage public education.
This is not a time to be silent. Which side are you on? CUEE and the Chamber’s propaganda campaign? Or public education, and you will vote no?
CUEE Board Member “Jud Rackley, CPA” emailed yesterday from chamber@valdostachamber.com, subject “The Truth About School Taxes and Unification”, including:
I’ve heard several people say school unification will cause a significant tax increase. Yet, no one seems to know why this would happen. It appears this rumor is based on a document circulated by the Lowndes County Board of Education.
Dr. Troy Davis
spelled out why taxes would increase,
based on actual tax statements, plus information from the Lowndes County
Tax Assessors’ office and the actual budgets of the Valdosta and Lowndes
County School Systems.
See also former Valdosta
School Superintendent Sam Allen’s partial list
of massive layoffs, service cuts, and school closings
caused by reduced income because of less federal and state funding,
and increased costs due to bussing.
And the formal statements against consolidation approved overwhelmingly
by both school boards.
In addition to these statements by people with actual experience in school
administration, see also
the extensive statement against consolidation by the Valdosta City Council,
and
even the VDT turned against this consolidation effort.
If that’s not enough, David Mullis has compiled all the research
into a convenient
Grassroots Handbook Against School Consolidation.
Opposed to all this evidence, we have this undocumented letter Continue reading
Yesterday’s Occupy Valdosta organizational session went faster than expected,
and resulted in adding some events to the upcoming list:
Friday 11 November 2011 (date to be confirmed): Showing the movie Inside Job in November, prob. at VSU University Center.
Here’s
Erin Hurley talking about two of those events:
Continue reading
Referendum SupportersMrs. Julia AriallJohn and Helen Bennett Mr. James Bridges The Honorable Tim [Golden? Carroll?] Mr. Kevin Conrad Mr. & Mrs. Joe Cordova Mr. Ed Crane Mr. Curtis Fowler Mr. Jeff Hanson Mr. Lee Henderson Mr. Ryan Holmes Mr. Jerry Jennett Mr. Joe Johnson Greg and Nancy Justice Mr. Matthew Lawrence Mr. Richard Lee Mr. James McGahee Mr. Dutton Miller Mr. John Peeples Mrs. Jennifer Powell Mr. Donald (Butch) Williams |
Time to stand up and be counted. There are two sides to this issue. There’s the truth, and there’s a lie.
Which side are you on?
They say they have to guard us to educate their child.And what about the Chamber board, which apparently is no longer unanimous?
Their children live in luxury, our children almost wild.
Which side are you on, which side are you on?
— Florence Reese
How about Chamber members? Those signs out front of the Chamber: do they represent you?
Which side are you on?
-jsq
Jeff Bryant wrote for Campaign for America’s Future 13 October 2011, Starving America’s Public Schools: How Budget Cuts and Policy Mandates Are Hurting Our Nation’s Students
Critics of America’s public schools always seem to start from the premise that the pre-kindergarten-through-12th-grade public education system in this country is failing or in crisis.
This crisis mentality is in stark contrast to years of survey research showing that Americans generally give high marks to their local
schools. Phi Delta Kappa International and Gallup surveys have found that the populace holds their neighborhood schools in high regard; in fact, this year’s survey found that “Americans, and parents in particular, evaluate their community schools more positively than in any year since” the survey started.
The first factor: New austerity budgets passed by state legislatures are starting to have a huge influence on direct services to children, youth, and families.Well, we don’t have that problem in Valdosta City and Lowndes Schools. For example, graduation rates in Valdosta schools have been improving year over year, and both school systems are solvent.
So what happened instead?
Why, they made up a crisis instead!
A local business group convinced enough registered voters to sign a petition to get a referendum on the November 8th ballot to decide whether to abolish the Valdosta City School System, which would force the Lowndes County School System to take it over, and also would result in massively raised taxes, which still wouldn’t be enough, so services would have to be cut. Voila! Forced budget crisis! Fortunately, the two school systems have seen through it, and Continue reading
The letter is on the LAKE website. Here are a few excerpts: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 wouldContinue reading
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
Here’s the video:
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.
-jsq
Thank you, John for that accurate description of the most bizarre meeting that I have ever attended.Continue reading
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)
Karen Noll and Dean Poling at the doorThe 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
Here is the entire march southbound crossing the tracks.
Here’s Video 1 of 3: Continue reading