{"id":914,"date":"2012-04-16T14:39:04","date_gmt":"2012-04-16T18:39:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2012\/04\/videos-joint-governments-2012-03-29.html"},"modified":"2012-04-16T14:39:04","modified_gmt":"2012-04-16T18:39:04","slug":"videos-joint-governments-2012-03-29","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2012\/04\/videos-joint-governments-2012-03-29.html","title":{"rendered":"Videos @ Joint Governments 2012 03 29"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/a>\nHere are videos of the entire\n“first annual Valdosta-Lowndes Governmental Leadership Meeting”\nthat was held 6:30 PM 29 March 2012 in the Lowndes High School Lecture Hall.\nHere’s\n\nthe announcement.<\/a>\n

\nThe meeting was introduced by\n\nDr. Steve Smith, Superintendent, Lowndes County Schools<\/a>.\nLowndes County Schools had a written position statement,\nwith everything from a broad variety of test scores and other metrics\nto specific examples of existing collaborations such as loaning busses\nto the Valdosta School System for away sporting events.\n

\n\n<\/a>\nDr. Smith\n\nclarified that:<\/a>\n

\nThis is not a community forum, it is not an open dialogue.\n<\/blockquote>\nHe told me before the meeting started that he was concerned that if they\nopened it up to questions from the audience it would take all night\nand it had been hard enough to get the various elected officials to show\nup at all without expecting them to stay for that.\nI didn’t see but maybe a dozen non-elected audience members,\nso I wonder whether that really would have happened,\nbut I applaud the various governments for collaborating at all.\nHe did say if you had a question you could\n\nwrite it down and\nhand it to a member of your elected government or school board.<\/a>\nHe also indicated that committees might form, not that evening,\nbut perhaps growing out of that evening’s meeting.\nHe reiterated this meeting was for brainstorming among the elected officials.\n

\nThe elected officials included\n\nValdosta Schools<\/a>\nSuperintendent and \nmany VBOE<\/a> members,\n\nLowndes School Superintendent and Superintendent-elect and many LCBOE<\/a>\nmembers,\n\nValdosta Mayor, City Manager, and many<\/a> city council members,\nand\n\nLowndes County Manager, Clerk, and voting commissioners,<\/a>\nbut not the Chairman.\n

\n\n<\/a>\nWes Taylor, Lowndes High School Principal & Lowndes County Schools Superintendent Elect\n\ntalked about finances.<\/a>\n

\n\n<\/a>\nValdosta Mayor John Gayle said\n\nwe’re regional now<\/a> (regional hospital, regional university, etc.).\nHe talked about how Troup County went about landing the Kia plant,\nwhich had to do with each governmental entity taking a role and collaborating.\n(It had nothing to do with school consolidation.)\n

\n\n<\/a>\n\nVBOE member Vanassa Flucas<\/a> said they try to put everything related\nto their schools on their website, in an effort of transparency for\nparents and students. Plus:\n

\nWe noticed that since we put our strategic plan on our website\napproximately three years ago, it was very well received.\nIt was very heartening; people could find the information that they wanted.\n<\/blockquote>\nImagine that!\n\n\nTransparency results in citizen feedback which is\nheartening to the elected board!\n

\n\n<\/a>\n\nValdosta Superintendent Bill Cason<\/a> gave the only real strategy and vision\ntalk of the night, about teenage pregnancy, drug abuse, and poverty,\nalready posted as\n\nThey come to school hungry; they come to school homeless.<\/a>\n

\n\nCounty Manager Joe Pritchard<\/a>\nclaimed the county was about to do strategic planning.\nMaybe that’s in the minutes of the\n\n<\/a>\n\nundisclosed location county retreat of a few weeks ago<\/a>;\nI didn’t see any strategy in the admirably voluminous VDT writeups of that “open” meeting\nto which the public was not invited.\nAnyway, Pritchard then mentioned\n\nemergency management facilties and Ashley Tye.<\/a>\n

\n\nDr. Smith’s last words<\/a> included:\n

\nIt’s OK to agree to disagree: it’s healthy!\n<\/blockquote>\nAnd that’s the path to open discussion among all parties in the community.\n

\n\n<\/a>\n\nDr. Wes Taylor, incoming Lowndes County School Superintendent,\nwrapped up saying he hoped this was only the beginning of further\njoint meetings and more collaboration,\nand that we all share\nDr. Cason’s concerns.<\/a>\n

\nHere’s the VDT writeup about the meeting,\nby Brittany D. McClure and David S. Rodock 30 March 2012,\n\nA shared vision for education.<\/a>\n

\nHere’s\n\na video playlist:<\/a>\n

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