Tag Archives: VBOE

VBOE School Consolidation Forum @ VHS 8 September 2011



This was the first of three forums on school consolidation
hosted by the Valdosta Board of Education.
It was at Valdosta High School on 8 September 2011.

Here’s

a playlist:




VBOE School Consolidation Forum @ VHS 8 September 2011

education, schools, referendum, consolidation, unification,

Forum at Valdosta High School, Valdosta Board of Education (VBOE),

Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 9 September 2011.

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

-jsq

Videos of VBOE Education Open Forum 25 October 2011

Here are videos of the entire Open Forum on education


held by the Valdosta
Board of Education at JL Lomax Elementary School 25 October 2011.
This forum was advertised starting

29 August 2011, almost two months in advance, and was
the third of three forums held by VBOE.
As I asked back back on 1 September,

Where was CUEE at the school board meetings?
One or two showed up at each of the VBOE forums.
Where were the rest of them?

Oh, that’s right!
CUEE’s idea of a forum is to phone up


selected people in the middle of the night to come to

a meeting when both school superintendents are out of town,
oh, and not invite the newspaper of record.

If you still haven’t been to a real open forum, the Lowndes

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Any parent is free to send their children to Valdosta Schools —Susan Wehling @ VBOE 25 October 2011

Susan Wehling made several good points Tuesday, including an invitation for CUEE to put their children where their mouth is, like she already has.



Hi, 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]

She also said:

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The Real Truth About School Consolidation by Supt. Smith to Lowndes County Schools

Received today. -jsq



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]

The letter is on the LAKE website.
Here are a few excerpts:

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.

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Count the Vote No Marchers

Some said 200, others 250, others 300, for how many marchers following this banner Friday:

Here is the entire march southbound crossing the tracks.


Here’s

Video 1 of 3:

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The promises that are impossible —Barbara Stratton

Received 6 October 2011 on
LCBOE did its homework about consolidation. -jsq



CUEE has staked their efforts on catch phrases & false promises that look
& sound good. All of their info is at best a half truth. The promises
that are imposible to keep are lies. I was raised believing a promise
broken is a truth untold, which is a lie.

Unfortunately this tactic
will work for today’s lazy voters who won’t even take the time to go
to a website where the true facts are posted much less do their own
research. Surely don’t ask them to leave the comfort of their homes &
entertainment & personal addictions to attend any public meetings on
either side when they should be visiting both sides at least once. They
are part of the convenient idiot masses that facilitate take overs by
the clever greedy for money & power few.

Both school boards [VBOE, LCBOE]
and their
supporters have done a great job of researching to produce true evidence
that dissolves all the CUEE false rhetoric & print.

We cannot assume
that truth will prevail because it is much easier to believe the fast
sell that requires no personal effort. CUEE is banking on this. Most of
the
school consolidations that have occurred
had many that were shocked
when they passed because they did not account for the money/power ruses
of the facilitators working so well with the lazy voter public. Many will
not even show up claiming they have no stake since they have no children
in either system. They are too lazy to check the researched facts to
see they will be paying higher taxes for a handicapped unified system.

-Barbara Stratton

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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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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