RE: Plan To Move Students Upsets Stokes County Parents
I find this to be hilarious.
The "alternative" school was Ron Carroll's brainchild. It happened while I was on the Board of Commissioners. Quite a few parents were skeptical and this was widely opposed by teachers. Carroll, who was the Assistant Superintendent at the time, put down the staff opposition in his usual ruthless fashion and the school board asked for some money to start the school. Their sales pitch was that this really wouldn't have an overall effect on their facilities plan. Even though I saw this as capitulation by the system and an admission that they couldn't handle their own discipline problems, I was marginally in favor of it because it removed disruptive influences from classrooms around the county and gave those kids who really were in school to learn a chance to do so. We gave the school board the money to start the school.
Now, of course, the school board is going to use this to blackmail the Commissioners and to create a campaign issue for Ron Carroll and Ernest Lankford. This is the same dance that happens every two years in Stokes County. Parents will buy the snake-oil being sold by the school board. They won't ask the obvious question: If the purpose of an "alternative" school is to segregate discipline problems, and if the "alternative" school is already in a building of its own, what does the fact that the school board can't afford to build other schools have to do with anything? The school board knows parents get very emotional over the subject and they will use that to the benefit of Ron Carroll and Ernest Lankford.
They are hoping that voters will put Carroll, Lankford, and Culler on the Board of Commissioners. They will incite parents nearly to bug-eyed apoplexy over the prospect of getting a unanimous vote for fully funding the wishlist that the school board calls a budget. They will conveniently neglect to mention that fully funding that atrocity will increase taxes by about 25%. Those parents who think to question that will be assured that once the budget is fully funded, Stokes County schools will instantly become beacons of educational brilliance. Said parents will not ask the obvious follow-on: how it comes to be that almost two-thirds of the tax money spent in Stokes County goes to the schools, yet still they continue to suck out loud and off-key? Given that, what prospect do we have that even more money will improve the situation?
The "alternative" school was Ron Carroll's brainchild. It happened while I was on the Board of Commissioners. Quite a few parents were skeptical and this was widely opposed by teachers. Carroll, who was the Assistant Superintendent at the time, put down the staff opposition in his usual ruthless fashion and the school board asked for some money to start the school. Their sales pitch was that this really wouldn't have an overall effect on their facilities plan. Even though I saw this as capitulation by the system and an admission that they couldn't handle their own discipline problems, I was marginally in favor of it because it removed disruptive influences from classrooms around the county and gave those kids who really were in school to learn a chance to do so. We gave the school board the money to start the school.
Now, of course, the school board is going to use this to blackmail the Commissioners and to create a campaign issue for Ron Carroll and Ernest Lankford. This is the same dance that happens every two years in Stokes County. Parents will buy the snake-oil being sold by the school board. They won't ask the obvious question: If the purpose of an "alternative" school is to segregate discipline problems, and if the "alternative" school is already in a building of its own, what does the fact that the school board can't afford to build other schools have to do with anything? The school board knows parents get very emotional over the subject and they will use that to the benefit of Ron Carroll and Ernest Lankford.
They are hoping that voters will put Carroll, Lankford, and Culler on the Board of Commissioners. They will incite parents nearly to bug-eyed apoplexy over the prospect of getting a unanimous vote for fully funding the wishlist that the school board calls a budget. They will conveniently neglect to mention that fully funding that atrocity will increase taxes by about 25%. Those parents who think to question that will be assured that once the budget is fully funded, Stokes County schools will instantly become beacons of educational brilliance. Said parents will not ask the obvious follow-on: how it comes to be that almost two-thirds of the tax money spent in Stokes County goes to the schools, yet still they continue to suck out loud and off-key? Given that, what prospect do we have that even more money will improve the situation?
posted by Anonymous | 10:59 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home