The Pitt County Board of Education plans to "grow" three high schools, leaving three other high schools at the same capacity, according to their 2009 Facility Plan.
In the first phase of this plan, the school administration will add classrooms at Farmville Central High School. In the second phase of their construction plan, additional classrooms are planned for Ayden-Grifton High School and North Pitt High School.
While it seems great to add classrooms at these facilities, it won't be great when the school system begins bussing students to Ayden-Grifton High School, to Farmville Central, and to North Pitt. This will occur in order to fill up the classrooms while other schools will remain at their relative levels.
Certainly one reason for this is to keep from building another high school. However, there has been plenty of talk indicating that sports is also impacting the administration's decision because of the travel that Rose High School must endure. So what happens is the five county high schools will be "close" to the same enrollment enabling them to be in the same sports conference.
From a southern Pitt County perspective, Ayden-Grifton High School is a small high school that has been performing well of late. In my opinion, it needs to be allowed to grow normally, not grow at the hands of consultants who will move students in order to fill the classroom seats.
The Town of Ayden has a plan of growth and that plan should be allowed to take hold when the economy turns around. Large schools bring bigger problems. Anyone who believes that it is easier to run a large school over a smaller school is simply not enlightened.
Besides, Ayden-Grifton High School is a community school and we deserve to keep our students who are in our community.
it is obvious that the present administration has little concern for community schools and ours in particular. After all, this is the same administration that wanted to tear down successful K-8 schools in Grifton and Chicod before the people of each community stood up and resoundingly said "no". To-date, there's been no word on what will happen at Grifton School or for that matter, what the plans are with K-8 schools north of the river.
The time has come, we believe, for the community to take a look at the administration's attempt to artificially "grow" three high schools, and Ayden-Grifton High School in particular. I don't believe our residents in Ayden and Grifton want to be the place that tries to solve redistricting issues in and around Greenville.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Ronald Reagan has health care opinion?
This is from a 1961 speech from former President Ronald Reagan, and is a speech he made long before his election:
Ronald Reagan's 1961 speech ..............
"As if we’re not already overextended enough financially, the issue of National Health Care is now on the table once more vote. Here’s some perspective you might find interesting.
Now back in 1927 an American socialist, Norman Thomas, six times candidate for president on the Socialist Party ticket, said the American people would never vote for socialism. But he said under the name of liberalism the American people will adopt every fragment of the socialist program.
One of the traditional methods of imposing statism or socialism on a people has been by way of medicine. It’s very easy to disguise a medical program as a humanitarian project. Most people are a little reluctant to oppose anything that suggests medical care for people who possibly can’t afford it.
Now, the American people, if you put it to them about socialized medicine and gave them a chance to choose, would unhesitatingly vote against it. We had an example of this. Under the Truman administration it was proposed that we have a compulsory health insurance program for all people in the United States, and, of course, the American people unhesitatingly rejected this.
Let’s take a look at social security itself. Again, very few of us disagree with the original premise that there should be some form of savings that would keep destitution from following unemployment by reason of death, disability or old age. And to this end, social security was adopted, but it was never intended to supplant private savings, private insurance, pension programs of unions and industries.
Now in our country under our free enterprise system we have seen medicine reach the greatest heights that it has in any country in the world. Today, the relationship between patient and doctor in this country is something to be envied any place. The privacy, the care that is given to a person, the right to chose a doctor, the right to go from one doctor to the other.
But let’s also look from the other side, at the freedom the doctor loses. A doctor would be reluctant to say this. Well, like you, I am only a patient, so I can say it in his behalf. The doctor begins to lose freedoms; it’s like telling a lie, and one leads to another. First you decide that the doctor can have so many patients. They are equally divided among the various doctors by the government. But then the doctors aren’t equally divided geographically, so a doctor decides he wants to practice in one town and the government has to say to him you can’t live in that town, they already have enough doctors. You have to go someplace else. And from here it is only a short step to dictating where he will go.
This is a freedom that I wonder whether any of us have the right to take from any human being. All of us can see what happens once you establish the precedent that the government can determine a man’s working place and his working methods, determine his employment. From here it is a short step to all the rest of socialism, to determining his pay and pretty soon your children won’t decide when they’re in school where they will go or what they will do for a living. They will wait for the government to tell them where they will go to work and what they will do
What can we do about this? Well, you and I can do a great deal. We can write to our congressmen and our senators. We can say right now that we want no further encroachment on these individual liberties and freedoms. And at the moment, the key issue is, we do not want socialized medicine.
Former Representative Halleck of Indiana has said, “When the American people want something from Congress, regardless of its political complexion, if they make their wants known, Congress does what the people want.”
So write, and if your representative writes back to you and tells you that he or she too is for free enterprise, that we have these great services and so forth, that must be performed by government, don’t let them get away with it. Show that you have not been convinced. Write a letter right back and tell them that you believe in government economy and fiscal responsibility; that you know governments don’t tax to get the money the need; governments will always find a need for the money they get and that you demand the continuation of our free enterprise system. You and I can do this. The only way we can do it is by writing to our congressmen even we believe that he is on our side to begin with. Write to strengthen his hand. Give him the ability to stand before his colleagues in Congress and say “I have heard from my constituents and this is what they want.”
Write those letters now; call your friends and them to write them. If you don’t, this program I promise you will pass just as surely as the sun will come up tomorrow and behind it will come other federal programs that will invade every area of freedom as we have known it in this country. Until, one day, as Normal Thomas said we will awake to find that we have socialism. And if you don’t do this and if I don’t do it, one of these days we are going to spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children, what it once was like in America when men were free."
Ronald Reagan's 1961 speech ..............
"As if we’re not already overextended enough financially, the issue of National Health Care is now on the table once more vote. Here’s some perspective you might find interesting.
Now back in 1927 an American socialist, Norman Thomas, six times candidate for president on the Socialist Party ticket, said the American people would never vote for socialism. But he said under the name of liberalism the American people will adopt every fragment of the socialist program.
One of the traditional methods of imposing statism or socialism on a people has been by way of medicine. It’s very easy to disguise a medical program as a humanitarian project. Most people are a little reluctant to oppose anything that suggests medical care for people who possibly can’t afford it.
Now, the American people, if you put it to them about socialized medicine and gave them a chance to choose, would unhesitatingly vote against it. We had an example of this. Under the Truman administration it was proposed that we have a compulsory health insurance program for all people in the United States, and, of course, the American people unhesitatingly rejected this.
Let’s take a look at social security itself. Again, very few of us disagree with the original premise that there should be some form of savings that would keep destitution from following unemployment by reason of death, disability or old age. And to this end, social security was adopted, but it was never intended to supplant private savings, private insurance, pension programs of unions and industries.
Now in our country under our free enterprise system we have seen medicine reach the greatest heights that it has in any country in the world. Today, the relationship between patient and doctor in this country is something to be envied any place. The privacy, the care that is given to a person, the right to chose a doctor, the right to go from one doctor to the other.
But let’s also look from the other side, at the freedom the doctor loses. A doctor would be reluctant to say this. Well, like you, I am only a patient, so I can say it in his behalf. The doctor begins to lose freedoms; it’s like telling a lie, and one leads to another. First you decide that the doctor can have so many patients. They are equally divided among the various doctors by the government. But then the doctors aren’t equally divided geographically, so a doctor decides he wants to practice in one town and the government has to say to him you can’t live in that town, they already have enough doctors. You have to go someplace else. And from here it is only a short step to dictating where he will go.
This is a freedom that I wonder whether any of us have the right to take from any human being. All of us can see what happens once you establish the precedent that the government can determine a man’s working place and his working methods, determine his employment. From here it is a short step to all the rest of socialism, to determining his pay and pretty soon your children won’t decide when they’re in school where they will go or what they will do for a living. They will wait for the government to tell them where they will go to work and what they will do
What can we do about this? Well, you and I can do a great deal. We can write to our congressmen and our senators. We can say right now that we want no further encroachment on these individual liberties and freedoms. And at the moment, the key issue is, we do not want socialized medicine.
Former Representative Halleck of Indiana has said, “When the American people want something from Congress, regardless of its political complexion, if they make their wants known, Congress does what the people want.”
So write, and if your representative writes back to you and tells you that he or she too is for free enterprise, that we have these great services and so forth, that must be performed by government, don’t let them get away with it. Show that you have not been convinced. Write a letter right back and tell them that you believe in government economy and fiscal responsibility; that you know governments don’t tax to get the money the need; governments will always find a need for the money they get and that you demand the continuation of our free enterprise system. You and I can do this. The only way we can do it is by writing to our congressmen even we believe that he is on our side to begin with. Write to strengthen his hand. Give him the ability to stand before his colleagues in Congress and say “I have heard from my constituents and this is what they want.”
Write those letters now; call your friends and them to write them. If you don’t, this program I promise you will pass just as surely as the sun will come up tomorrow and behind it will come other federal programs that will invade every area of freedom as we have known it in this country. Until, one day, as Normal Thomas said we will awake to find that we have socialism. And if you don’t do this and if I don’t do it, one of these days we are going to spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children, what it once was like in America when men were free."
Health Care Debate
The most important debate among us right now is the Heath Care Reform Debate.
It is more important than the economy because it could very well have an extremely negative impact on every American, and those of us who reside in Pitt County.
Let me state some of my concerns:
•The bill is more than 1,000 pages long
•Congressmen were being asked to approve this bill before reading it.
•It is full of legalese and I challenge everyone to read it.
•It is, in my opinion, more than health care reform. it is government controlled completely, no matter what the proponents are saying.
•It sets up a health commissioner and the bill allows for guidelines to be developed. No one knows what those guidelines will be nor how much they will cost.
Those are just a few of my concerns without really getting into the substance of the bill.
Why are they concerns?
Obviously one thousand pages for one bill is going to have some impact on our lives. To expect Congressmen to approve this bill in short order shows the arrogance of government. To expect it to be approved with its legalese (to the point it is hard to understand) is the height of government at its worse. But, quite frankly, in my opinion, the preparers of this bill did not want the average person to understand it. That's why there are so-called myths. It is left wide open for all sorts of interpretations, and I understand why people are thinking the worse about this bill. Obviously, if you open a door for government it walks right in more every day.
In my opinion this bill allows radically too much government involvement.
What is the answer?
To tweak the free market system we have is my answer.
Get representatives of doctors, drug manufacturers and other facets of the health care industry together and work toward cost reduction, full insurance for the indigent, and preventative care for those who don't have it.
I keep hearing that 18,000 people are dying each year from lack of health insurance. I wish not a single person would die for any reason, yet 42,000 die in auto accidents each year. Are we going to stop driving or radically change the vehicles we drive or the roads we drive upon? No we are not.
About 1,500 people per day, or 541,00 annually, die for all forms of cancer. It seems to me, if there should be government incentives, it would be to find a cure for cancer through research.
i respect those on both side of this debate.
But, we do not need government-run health care.
It is more important than the economy because it could very well have an extremely negative impact on every American, and those of us who reside in Pitt County.
Let me state some of my concerns:
•The bill is more than 1,000 pages long
•Congressmen were being asked to approve this bill before reading it.
•It is full of legalese and I challenge everyone to read it.
•It is, in my opinion, more than health care reform. it is government controlled completely, no matter what the proponents are saying.
•It sets up a health commissioner and the bill allows for guidelines to be developed. No one knows what those guidelines will be nor how much they will cost.
Those are just a few of my concerns without really getting into the substance of the bill.
Why are they concerns?
Obviously one thousand pages for one bill is going to have some impact on our lives. To expect Congressmen to approve this bill in short order shows the arrogance of government. To expect it to be approved with its legalese (to the point it is hard to understand) is the height of government at its worse. But, quite frankly, in my opinion, the preparers of this bill did not want the average person to understand it. That's why there are so-called myths. It is left wide open for all sorts of interpretations, and I understand why people are thinking the worse about this bill. Obviously, if you open a door for government it walks right in more every day.
In my opinion this bill allows radically too much government involvement.
What is the answer?
To tweak the free market system we have is my answer.
Get representatives of doctors, drug manufacturers and other facets of the health care industry together and work toward cost reduction, full insurance for the indigent, and preventative care for those who don't have it.
I keep hearing that 18,000 people are dying each year from lack of health insurance. I wish not a single person would die for any reason, yet 42,000 die in auto accidents each year. Are we going to stop driving or radically change the vehicles we drive or the roads we drive upon? No we are not.
About 1,500 people per day, or 541,00 annually, die for all forms of cancer. It seems to me, if there should be government incentives, it would be to find a cure for cancer through research.
i respect those on both side of this debate.
But, we do not need government-run health care.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Memorial Day Tribute
My Dad seldom talked about his experience in the U.S. Army during World War II.
Ask him a question and he'd respond, "I was in the Army 3 years, 3 months, 3 weeks, and 3 days." I didn't understand why he chose to frame his service experience that way, but today, maybe I do.
He enlisted. And, I think that from that very moment he wanted to serve his Country in time of war and hurry up home. Maybe that's why he framed his service time the way he did ... that every minute of it he timed. I'm not sure he did but that was about the most you could get from him.
I questioned him on several occasions and got little from him. I know he was in the Normandy Invasion, but not in the early waves. He was in Artillery. I know he stayed in the European Theatre. I have pictures of him serving behind a piece of Artillery and in some cold, snowy countries.
I do recall one conversation with Dad that with stood out. Just before President Truman ordered the dropping of the bombs on Japan that effectively concluded the War, he said it was rumored that he and others would be taken to a small island off the coast of Japan. Dad had been moved from Artillery to Infantry by then. He said the rumor was they would get orders to storm the beaches of Japan as the U.S. did at Normandy.
Thanks to President Truman, his decision to use the bombs probably saved my Dad's life and countless other Americans.
It is a case in point about how decisions of a President affect the life and death of our citizens and the safety of our great Nation.
I think of my Dad a lot since his death in October 2001. But, today I thought this Memorial Day to be a really special day because of his Service to Country.
God bless my Dad and the thousands of Americans who have made living in America a cherished freedom.
Ask him a question and he'd respond, "I was in the Army 3 years, 3 months, 3 weeks, and 3 days." I didn't understand why he chose to frame his service experience that way, but today, maybe I do.
He enlisted. And, I think that from that very moment he wanted to serve his Country in time of war and hurry up home. Maybe that's why he framed his service time the way he did ... that every minute of it he timed. I'm not sure he did but that was about the most you could get from him.
I questioned him on several occasions and got little from him. I know he was in the Normandy Invasion, but not in the early waves. He was in Artillery. I know he stayed in the European Theatre. I have pictures of him serving behind a piece of Artillery and in some cold, snowy countries.
I do recall one conversation with Dad that with stood out. Just before President Truman ordered the dropping of the bombs on Japan that effectively concluded the War, he said it was rumored that he and others would be taken to a small island off the coast of Japan. Dad had been moved from Artillery to Infantry by then. He said the rumor was they would get orders to storm the beaches of Japan as the U.S. did at Normandy.
Thanks to President Truman, his decision to use the bombs probably saved my Dad's life and countless other Americans.
It is a case in point about how decisions of a President affect the life and death of our citizens and the safety of our great Nation.
I think of my Dad a lot since his death in October 2001. But, today I thought this Memorial Day to be a really special day because of his Service to Country.
God bless my Dad and the thousands of Americans who have made living in America a cherished freedom.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Time To Reduce Board Size
The Pitt County Board of Education has a 12-member board.
What follows is the members of each district and the seat they serve:
District 1: Seat A Michael Dixon and Seat B Ralph Love.
District 2: Seat A Billy Peaden and Seat B Mary Williams.
District 3: Seat A Marcy Romary and Seat B Jill Camnitz.
District 4: Seat A Roy Peaden and Seat B Barbara Owens.
District 5: Seat A Richard Tolmie and Seat B Jennifer Little.
District 6: Seat A Mary Grace Bright and Seat B Benjie Forrest.
The 12-member board is too large. The six-year terms are too long. This board should be reconstructed to mirror the Pitt County Commission in both geographic district terms and term of office.
The board is of its present size because of the merger of the Pitt County and Greenville City Schools systems. That merger occurred many years ago, and now is the time to effectuate positive change in this board. It is too large and cumbersome and deserves a reorganization that will make it leaner and more able to adjust to the current times.
Obviously the majority of those on this board are not making an effort to reorganize it. Thus, I would hope that when the 2010 elections get here it will become a serious topic of discussion for those who, not only choose to seek re-election but to those who will challenge incumbents.
What follows is the members of each district and the seat they serve:
District 1: Seat A Michael Dixon and Seat B Ralph Love.
District 2: Seat A Billy Peaden and Seat B Mary Williams.
District 3: Seat A Marcy Romary and Seat B Jill Camnitz.
District 4: Seat A Roy Peaden and Seat B Barbara Owens.
District 5: Seat A Richard Tolmie and Seat B Jennifer Little.
District 6: Seat A Mary Grace Bright and Seat B Benjie Forrest.
The 12-member board is too large. The six-year terms are too long. This board should be reconstructed to mirror the Pitt County Commission in both geographic district terms and term of office.
The board is of its present size because of the merger of the Pitt County and Greenville City Schools systems. That merger occurred many years ago, and now is the time to effectuate positive change in this board. It is too large and cumbersome and deserves a reorganization that will make it leaner and more able to adjust to the current times.
Obviously the majority of those on this board are not making an effort to reorganize it. Thus, I would hope that when the 2010 elections get here it will become a serious topic of discussion for those who, not only choose to seek re-election but to those who will challenge incumbents.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Lawyer Fees
Let me make myself clear here.
I have dutifully made a public information request to get a breakdown of the actual dollars Pitt County Schools (PCS) has spent for lawyers defending their failed 2005 Student Reassignment Plan.
I have been sent information that tells me and you how much money PCS has spent on legal fees, with the NOTATION that the amounts provided include all attorney fees and not just those associated with the 2005 Student Reassignment Plan lawsuit.
Before I report the numbers I would be remiss if I did not say that I cannot understand why PCS leadership would not want to keep the lawsuit costs separate from the rest of the District's legal bills. One would think management would want to know the cost of the lawsuit. One would assume leadership would think the public, at some point, might want to know. Let's take it one step further, too. One would think that having these amounts separated in the PCS accounting system would have been a very good business practice — maybe not one that is required by law — but certainly a practice management would have wanted to see separated for detail purposes.
Apparently, that did not happen. For me to get that information, I have to put some poor staffers to the task of pulling and copying those documents for me so I can pull it out. I don't mind doing the work that should have already been done but I hate to pile more work on those who are not responsible. So, I plan to report the figures that have been made available to me and let the readers decipher from that what they wish. That will give me time to think about whether I believe there is something in those documents that is more worthwhile to see.
These are the numbers from PCS. They are not my own. So here goes:
In FY 2006, $40,443.30 was paid to the Dixon and Allen, PLLC law firm.
In FY 2007, $85,403.63 was paid to the Dixon and Allen, PLLC law firm and $11,154.99 to Adrian A. Garcia, P.A., for a total of $96,618.62.
In FY 2008, $54,142.34 was paid to the Dixon and Allen, PLLC law firm, $40,382.70 to the Tharrington and Smith law firm, $690 to Carol Moore, and $1,753.75 to the Brocker Law Firm for a total of $103,841.20.
In FY 2009, through February, $3,573.82 was paid to Dixon and Allen, PLLC law firm, $35,095.56 to Tharrington and Smith law firm, $345 to Carol Moore, $3,922.50 to the Brocker Law Firm and $7,925.00 to the Everett, Gaskins and Handcock law firm, for a total of $50,861.88.
Over the period noted, the total cost for legal fees have been $291,176.50. I can't tell you how much is for the 2005 Student Reassignment Plan lawsuit. Maybe PCS management will finally decide legal feels spent on the lawsuit is important enough to research and freely provide to the board members and the public.
What I do know is that the law firm of Tharrington and Smith has predominantly worked on the lawsuit. Their fees total $75,478.26. I would guess the legal fees for the 2005 case will exceed $100,000.
Before I forget, all this does not include the annual salary of the school board's on-staff attorney who earns $80,000 annually, not including benefits.
I have dutifully made a public information request to get a breakdown of the actual dollars Pitt County Schools (PCS) has spent for lawyers defending their failed 2005 Student Reassignment Plan.
I have been sent information that tells me and you how much money PCS has spent on legal fees, with the NOTATION that the amounts provided include all attorney fees and not just those associated with the 2005 Student Reassignment Plan lawsuit.
Before I report the numbers I would be remiss if I did not say that I cannot understand why PCS leadership would not want to keep the lawsuit costs separate from the rest of the District's legal bills. One would think management would want to know the cost of the lawsuit. One would assume leadership would think the public, at some point, might want to know. Let's take it one step further, too. One would think that having these amounts separated in the PCS accounting system would have been a very good business practice — maybe not one that is required by law — but certainly a practice management would have wanted to see separated for detail purposes.
Apparently, that did not happen. For me to get that information, I have to put some poor staffers to the task of pulling and copying those documents for me so I can pull it out. I don't mind doing the work that should have already been done but I hate to pile more work on those who are not responsible. So, I plan to report the figures that have been made available to me and let the readers decipher from that what they wish. That will give me time to think about whether I believe there is something in those documents that is more worthwhile to see.
These are the numbers from PCS. They are not my own. So here goes:
In FY 2006, $40,443.30 was paid to the Dixon and Allen, PLLC law firm.
In FY 2007, $85,403.63 was paid to the Dixon and Allen, PLLC law firm and $11,154.99 to Adrian A. Garcia, P.A., for a total of $96,618.62.
In FY 2008, $54,142.34 was paid to the Dixon and Allen, PLLC law firm, $40,382.70 to the Tharrington and Smith law firm, $690 to Carol Moore, and $1,753.75 to the Brocker Law Firm for a total of $103,841.20.
In FY 2009, through February, $3,573.82 was paid to Dixon and Allen, PLLC law firm, $35,095.56 to Tharrington and Smith law firm, $345 to Carol Moore, $3,922.50 to the Brocker Law Firm and $7,925.00 to the Everett, Gaskins and Handcock law firm, for a total of $50,861.88.
Over the period noted, the total cost for legal fees have been $291,176.50. I can't tell you how much is for the 2005 Student Reassignment Plan lawsuit. Maybe PCS management will finally decide legal feels spent on the lawsuit is important enough to research and freely provide to the board members and the public.
What I do know is that the law firm of Tharrington and Smith has predominantly worked on the lawsuit. Their fees total $75,478.26. I would guess the legal fees for the 2005 case will exceed $100,000.
Before I forget, all this does not include the annual salary of the school board's on-staff attorney who earns $80,000 annually, not including benefits.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Approved project list
It is now official!
The Pitt County School Board of Education approved a $37 million project list Monday night as a part of their ongoing Long Range Facility Plan.
Approved were the following projects:
• $1.3 million sewer project at Chicod School.
•$6.8 million for adding a gym, expanding the cafeteria, etc at D.H. Conley High School.
•$8.1 million at Eastern Elementary School for 11 new classrooms, a multi-purpose room, cafeteria,etc.
•4.2 million for 10 classrooms at Farmville Central High School, an expanded cafeteria and new parking.
•$16.1 million for a new 742 capacity model elementary school.
•$350,000 for a sewer project at Pactolus and Stokes.
•$200,000 for a reconfigured Pre-K-center and office area at Sadie Saulter
The board also closed Third Street School in its action on Monday.
Additonally, the school board signed off on student reassignment of students at A.G. Cox, C.M. Eppes and E.B. Aycock middle schools.
What will be interesting is to see how Pitt County School staff will handle the reassignment of students at the three schools mentioned above.
The Pitt County School Board of Education approved a $37 million project list Monday night as a part of their ongoing Long Range Facility Plan.
Approved were the following projects:
• $1.3 million sewer project at Chicod School.
•$6.8 million for adding a gym, expanding the cafeteria, etc at D.H. Conley High School.
•$8.1 million at Eastern Elementary School for 11 new classrooms, a multi-purpose room, cafeteria,etc.
•4.2 million for 10 classrooms at Farmville Central High School, an expanded cafeteria and new parking.
•$16.1 million for a new 742 capacity model elementary school.
•$350,000 for a sewer project at Pactolus and Stokes.
•$200,000 for a reconfigured Pre-K-center and office area at Sadie Saulter
The board also closed Third Street School in its action on Monday.
Additonally, the school board signed off on student reassignment of students at A.G. Cox, C.M. Eppes and E.B. Aycock middle schools.
What will be interesting is to see how Pitt County School staff will handle the reassignment of students at the three schools mentioned above.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Cost to fight 2005 Redistricting Plan
I initially posted some figures on this Pitt County Schools issue that were not totally accurate.
I asked to get the attorney costs associated with the lawsuit over the 2005 redistricting case. When those figures were returned to me, there was a notation in parenthesis that said the figures provided were for all attorney feels (not just the reassignment case).
I have made another public records request to have those figures broken down so the public knows how their public funds are being spent to defend a lawsuit, or to provide me with the attorneys' bills so I can do the math.
So, stay tuned. I'm planning on getting those numbers posted here soon.
I asked to get the attorney costs associated with the lawsuit over the 2005 redistricting case. When those figures were returned to me, there was a notation in parenthesis that said the figures provided were for all attorney feels (not just the reassignment case).
I have made another public records request to have those figures broken down so the public knows how their public funds are being spent to defend a lawsuit, or to provide me with the attorneys' bills so I can do the math.
So, stay tuned. I'm planning on getting those numbers posted here soon.
Tonight's School Board Meeting
The Pitt County Schools facility committee will recommend that more than $37 million of their initial $57 million Long Range Facility Plan be approved tonight during their regular March meeting.
What will be recommended to the board tonight will be a $1.3 million sewer project at Chicod School, $6.8 million for adding a gym, expanding the cafeteria, renovating the auditorium, parking and a new traffic plan at D.H. Conley High School, and $8.1 million at Eastern Elementary School for 11 new classrooms, a multi-purpose room, cafeteria, and various other upgrades.
Also recommended will be the addition of 10 classrooms at Farmville Central High School, an expanded cafeteria and new parking for a cost of $4.2 million., a new 742 capacity model elementary school for $16.1 million, a sewer project at Pactolus and Stokes at a cost of $350,000, and a reconfigured Pre-K-center and office area at Sadie Saulter at a cost of $200,000.
It will also be recommended that Third Street Schools should be closed and student reassignment be activated between A.G. Cox, C.M. Epps and E.B. Aycock schools.
What will be recommended to the board tonight will be a $1.3 million sewer project at Chicod School, $6.8 million for adding a gym, expanding the cafeteria, renovating the auditorium, parking and a new traffic plan at D.H. Conley High School, and $8.1 million at Eastern Elementary School for 11 new classrooms, a multi-purpose room, cafeteria, and various other upgrades.
Also recommended will be the addition of 10 classrooms at Farmville Central High School, an expanded cafeteria and new parking for a cost of $4.2 million., a new 742 capacity model elementary school for $16.1 million, a sewer project at Pactolus and Stokes at a cost of $350,000, and a reconfigured Pre-K-center and office area at Sadie Saulter at a cost of $200,000.
It will also be recommended that Third Street Schools should be closed and student reassignment be activated between A.G. Cox, C.M. Epps and E.B. Aycock schools.
Friday, February 20, 2009
High Schools are being affected by LRFP
Are the high schools being addressed in the Pitt County Schools Long Range Facility Plan (LRFP)?
The elimination of the K-8 configuration model is what concerns most people about the LRFP. The model is being destroyed in an effort to solve under enrollment at other schools. And, in the citizen effort to save the K-8 schools, the plans for the high schools have essentially gone unnoticed.
There are high schools, contrary to what some may think, that are being addressed in the plan. Unfortunately, school officials are not volunteering any detailed information. You have to read the LRFP, or what I call the Pitt County Student Assignment/Reassignment Plan, to pick out some of the specifics.
Only two high schools were mentioned in the first phase of the $55 million funding.
The first is D.H. Conley High School which is receiving $6.7 million for general remodeling and renvoation. Note the capacity in the report on Page 70 (See LRFP at http://www.pitt.k12.nc.us/). Conley’s capacity will rise from 1,386 to 1,428 students. The 42-student jump is a three percent increase in capacity.
Farmville Central High School will receive about $4 million for 12 classrooms, an auxiliary gym, two vocational classrooms, and general remodeling and renvoation. Farmville’s capacity will increase from 780 to 1,020 students. The 240-student increase represents nearly a 31 percent rise in capacity.
School officials have said on several occasions they want to “grow” their smaller high schools. Thus, Farmville Central is the first school to see a significant increase in capacity.
The LRFP’s student reassignment component is aligned to the PCS’s project recommendations. If plans go as expected student reassignment could occur in the years 2010 and 2011.
From the LRFP, on page 74, “The schools that could be affected by student reassignment are listed beside each of the recommended building projects.” Since we’re talking only high schools here, page 74 indicates that the D.H. Conley attendance area is not affected by reassignment. On the other hand the report says, “Farmville Central High School—Farmville Central High School, South Central High School, J. H. Rose High School”. This leads me to believe that some students in the South Central High School and J.H. Rose High School attendance areas will be reassigned to Farmville Central.
That’s the first phase of the county’s plan to “grow” their smaller high schools. The question is what areas will be bused to Farmville? How long will the bus rides be?
So, if anyone thinks high schools are not being if this plan goes into effect, they should think again!
Coming
Next: The second phase with high schools.
The elimination of the K-8 configuration model is what concerns most people about the LRFP. The model is being destroyed in an effort to solve under enrollment at other schools. And, in the citizen effort to save the K-8 schools, the plans for the high schools have essentially gone unnoticed.
There are high schools, contrary to what some may think, that are being addressed in the plan. Unfortunately, school officials are not volunteering any detailed information. You have to read the LRFP, or what I call the Pitt County Student Assignment/Reassignment Plan, to pick out some of the specifics.
Only two high schools were mentioned in the first phase of the $55 million funding.
The first is D.H. Conley High School which is receiving $6.7 million for general remodeling and renvoation. Note the capacity in the report on Page 70 (See LRFP at http://www.pitt.k12.nc.us/). Conley’s capacity will rise from 1,386 to 1,428 students. The 42-student jump is a three percent increase in capacity.
Farmville Central High School will receive about $4 million for 12 classrooms, an auxiliary gym, two vocational classrooms, and general remodeling and renvoation. Farmville’s capacity will increase from 780 to 1,020 students. The 240-student increase represents nearly a 31 percent rise in capacity.
School officials have said on several occasions they want to “grow” their smaller high schools. Thus, Farmville Central is the first school to see a significant increase in capacity.
The LRFP’s student reassignment component is aligned to the PCS’s project recommendations. If plans go as expected student reassignment could occur in the years 2010 and 2011.
From the LRFP, on page 74, “The schools that could be affected by student reassignment are listed beside each of the recommended building projects.” Since we’re talking only high schools here, page 74 indicates that the D.H. Conley attendance area is not affected by reassignment. On the other hand the report says, “Farmville Central High School—Farmville Central High School, South Central High School, J. H. Rose High School”. This leads me to believe that some students in the South Central High School and J.H. Rose High School attendance areas will be reassigned to Farmville Central.
That’s the first phase of the county’s plan to “grow” their smaller high schools. The question is what areas will be bused to Farmville? How long will the bus rides be?
So, if anyone thinks high schools are not being if this plan goes into effect, they should think again!
Coming
Next: The second phase with high schools.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Researching an Ayden book
William Harrington and I are in the process of doing research for a future book about Ayden High School athletics.
Both of us are Ayden alumni. Both of us have an abiding love, not only for sports, but also for the community in which we grew up. It was there that we learned many lessons, among them was persistence, a consistent work ethic, and an attempt for excellence in our life pursuits.
I can’t speak for William. I have not reached the excellence plateau, but I have certainly enjoyed an attempt at excellence in the work I’ve performed over the past 44 years. I’ve fell short, but the trip toward that plateau was well worth the effort.
I have been trying to get copies of Ayden High School yearbooks. I’ve had a great deal of success but I still need to find quite a few yearbooks in the 20’s, 30’s, 40’s and 50’s. In future blogs here I will get more year specific.
What is our plan for the book we wish to write? In a nutshell we’d like to provide a history of Ayden athletics from its early days until the school closed its doors in 1971. We hope to show how the early days set the foundation for Ayden’s record football winning streak, its basketball and baseball state championships. We don’t know exactly how this book will play out. I am sure our thoughts today may change before we conclude. But, we’re going to give it the old Ayden effort.
In the process we hope to learn some stores former alumni will have to tell us. Stay tuned. You may be someone we’d like to talk to.
Our first interview was with Coach Thomas L. Lewis. William, Paul Miller and I spent several hours at his home on Oak Island, N.C. We enjoyed his company and we got his view of the times in Ayden from 1962-1967. Lewis was the football coach when Ayden began its 46-game winning streak in 1964. He left before the streak ended.
We’ll be interviewing other coaches and players and hopefully we’ll have a book a lot of people will want to read.
I think I do speak for William when I say this is an effort of love, not one for monetary gain on our part. We want to capture a history of Ayden High School that no one, to-date, has captured. And, those who want that history will have the opportunity for a keepsake.
Email me at moakley@coastalnet.com if you have AHS athletic information that we might be able to use.
Both of us are Ayden alumni. Both of us have an abiding love, not only for sports, but also for the community in which we grew up. It was there that we learned many lessons, among them was persistence, a consistent work ethic, and an attempt for excellence in our life pursuits.
I can’t speak for William. I have not reached the excellence plateau, but I have certainly enjoyed an attempt at excellence in the work I’ve performed over the past 44 years. I’ve fell short, but the trip toward that plateau was well worth the effort.
I have been trying to get copies of Ayden High School yearbooks. I’ve had a great deal of success but I still need to find quite a few yearbooks in the 20’s, 30’s, 40’s and 50’s. In future blogs here I will get more year specific.
What is our plan for the book we wish to write? In a nutshell we’d like to provide a history of Ayden athletics from its early days until the school closed its doors in 1971. We hope to show how the early days set the foundation for Ayden’s record football winning streak, its basketball and baseball state championships. We don’t know exactly how this book will play out. I am sure our thoughts today may change before we conclude. But, we’re going to give it the old Ayden effort.
In the process we hope to learn some stores former alumni will have to tell us. Stay tuned. You may be someone we’d like to talk to.
Our first interview was with Coach Thomas L. Lewis. William, Paul Miller and I spent several hours at his home on Oak Island, N.C. We enjoyed his company and we got his view of the times in Ayden from 1962-1967. Lewis was the football coach when Ayden began its 46-game winning streak in 1964. He left before the streak ended.
We’ll be interviewing other coaches and players and hopefully we’ll have a book a lot of people will want to read.
I think I do speak for William when I say this is an effort of love, not one for monetary gain on our part. We want to capture a history of Ayden High School that no one, to-date, has captured. And, those who want that history will have the opportunity for a keepsake.
Email me at moakley@coastalnet.com if you have AHS athletic information that we might be able to use.
Friday, February 13, 2009
A smaller school board?
A smaller school board
It is time for a smaller Pitt County Board of Education.
In June 1986, a 15-member Interim School Board was authorized by state statute upon the merger of the Pitt County and Greenville City school boards.
There were many people who did not believe in the merger of the two systems. Strong sentiment against merger was especially prevalent in the Pitt County system. Yet, the votes prevailed to effectuate the merger.
Members of that board included county board members, Mark W. Owens, Jr., James. W. A. (Jim) Black, Ferrell L. Blount III, J. Beverly Congleton, Jr., Walter E. Gaskins, Robert A. Halstead, Sr., Anne M. McGaughey and Stephen W. Tripp. Greenville members included George E. Williams, Erma S. Carr, Frank D. Grooms, and Stephen G. (Jack) Wall. Added to that board were Alfreida Jordan Parker, Matthew Donovan Phillips and David Lee Shackleford.
Eventually, the board was reduced to 12 members. There were discussions during the merger process of further reducing the board. Yet, despite that discussion, the size of the board remains, as it was initially set.
It is time to reduce the 12-member board to nine to mirror the election process of the Pitt County Board of Commissioners. Six members would be elected from the same six individual districts while two super districts would be formed for the election of three additional members.
The 12 members of the school board that exist today are elected from six districts. There are two seats, known as A and B, in each district. Each seat has a 6-year term. The A seats and B seats are staggered for election. Members are elected on primary day and qualified at the first meeting in December.
What would a reduction of the school board membership do for education?
I believe it would make the board more manageable and easier to reach consensus. There would be savings involved with the monthly pay that school board members receive for their services and possibly other savings related to the loss of the three members. I believe, too, that by have three super districts (the combination of two individual districts), it would broaden the thought process of those three members.
At the very least it is time to discuss the reduction of the Pitt County Board of Education. We need to do it in a methodical and intelligent way. But, in the end, we should do what is best for the education process.
Current members of the board include (listed as A seat first and B seat second):
District 1: Michael Dixon and Ralph Love
District 2: Billy Peaden and Mary Williams
District 3: Marcy Romary and Jill Camnitz
District 4: Roy Peaden and Barbara Owens
District 5: Richard Tolmie and Jennifer Little
District 6: Mary Grace Bright and Benjie Forrest
Watch for the poll coming up regarding this issue.
It is time for a smaller Pitt County Board of Education.
In June 1986, a 15-member Interim School Board was authorized by state statute upon the merger of the Pitt County and Greenville City school boards.
There were many people who did not believe in the merger of the two systems. Strong sentiment against merger was especially prevalent in the Pitt County system. Yet, the votes prevailed to effectuate the merger.
Members of that board included county board members, Mark W. Owens, Jr., James. W. A. (Jim) Black, Ferrell L. Blount III, J. Beverly Congleton, Jr., Walter E. Gaskins, Robert A. Halstead, Sr., Anne M. McGaughey and Stephen W. Tripp. Greenville members included George E. Williams, Erma S. Carr, Frank D. Grooms, and Stephen G. (Jack) Wall. Added to that board were Alfreida Jordan Parker, Matthew Donovan Phillips and David Lee Shackleford.
Eventually, the board was reduced to 12 members. There were discussions during the merger process of further reducing the board. Yet, despite that discussion, the size of the board remains, as it was initially set.
It is time to reduce the 12-member board to nine to mirror the election process of the Pitt County Board of Commissioners. Six members would be elected from the same six individual districts while two super districts would be formed for the election of three additional members.
The 12 members of the school board that exist today are elected from six districts. There are two seats, known as A and B, in each district. Each seat has a 6-year term. The A seats and B seats are staggered for election. Members are elected on primary day and qualified at the first meeting in December.
What would a reduction of the school board membership do for education?
I believe it would make the board more manageable and easier to reach consensus. There would be savings involved with the monthly pay that school board members receive for their services and possibly other savings related to the loss of the three members. I believe, too, that by have three super districts (the combination of two individual districts), it would broaden the thought process of those three members.
At the very least it is time to discuss the reduction of the Pitt County Board of Education. We need to do it in a methodical and intelligent way. But, in the end, we should do what is best for the education process.
Current members of the board include (listed as A seat first and B seat second):
District 1: Michael Dixon and Ralph Love
District 2: Billy Peaden and Mary Williams
District 3: Marcy Romary and Jill Camnitz
District 4: Roy Peaden and Barbara Owens
District 5: Richard Tolmie and Jennifer Little
District 6: Mary Grace Bright and Benjie Forrest
Watch for the poll coming up regarding this issue.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Speakers were unanimous
Speakers at Ayden-Grifton High School were unanimous in their 3-minute speeches to members of the Pitt County Board of Education Thursday night (Feb. 12). None of the 29 speakers wanted the school board to change the K-8 grade configuration.
A variety of reasons were given. Among those stated was the lack of continuity for students, the negative impact on the community and its people. Also mentioned were the hardships it would create for parents whose children may be bused to Ayden. The hardships would include extra after school care and transportation issues, which could lead to lost educational and extracurricular opportunities for the students.
Stay tuned. More on this meeting.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Quiz Bowl Champions
The Ayden-Grifton Quiz Bowl team defeated D.H. Conley on Saturday at Sheppard Memorial Library by a 210-95 score.
Participating in the event, in addition to Ayden-Grifton and D.H. Conley, was South Central High School, J.H. Rose High School and North Pitt High School. Ayden-Grifton is the smallest of the county's six high schools.
Ayden-Grifton defeated South Central in the opening round then defeated Conley and Rose to set up the championship with Conley.
Members of the team include starters Eddie Boseman, Kelley Brown, Jack Grochowski, and Melodie Libby. Remaining team members are Jared Ingle, Shellby Lewis, Kevin Johnson, Jeffrey Wilson, and Michelle Cox.
Will Tyer, a graduate of Ayden-Grifton High School by way for Grifton's K-8 school, is the team's coach.
Congratulations to this group of young women and men.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Thinking about configurations
Think about this!
Chicod has a K-8 school configuration.
Grifton School is a K-8 school configuration separated partially by McCrae Street.
Ayden has a K-8 configuration separated by Third Street.
Farmville has a K-12 configuration on essentially the same or adjoining campuses.
G.R. Whitfield has a K-8 configuration.
Bethel has a K-8 configuration.
Pactolus has a K-8 configuration.
Stokes has a K-8 configuration.
The point is all these communities have one thing in common, with the exception of Farmville. All are K-8 communities while Farmville is a K-12 community. Thanks to the foresight of previous Farmville leaders they were able to keep their schools based in town, and that was admirable leadership. Who wouldn't love to have a K-12 campus in their community?
So, why now, when there is absolutely no academic reason, should the K-8 configuration be dismantled in other selected communities? The communities include Chicod, Grifton and G.R. Whitfield. More than likely the schools north of the Tar-Pamlico River will also be affected by Pitt County Schools' Long Range Facility Plan. Let's call it a student assignment plan. That's what it really is.
Why bus children when it is not required? Why cause parents to hire expensive after school daycare because both parents are at work? Why shift transportation costs to parents? Why make it more difficult for children to walk to and from school?
I recall my Dad saying to me while growing up on the farm. "Son, anything will work if you want to make it work."
Obviously K-8 schools have worked and will continue to work if school leaders want to make them work.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Listening sessions
The most important issue facing the people of southern Pitt County now is the Pitt County Schools Long Range Facility Plan (LRFP).
The LRFP seeks to dismantle K-8 schools at Grifton, Chicod and G.R. Whitfield. It proposes, in Grifton, to bus 6-8 grade students to Ayden Middle School. Grifton School will remain a K-5 configuration. The plan also proposes to make Chicod a K-5 school and G.R. Whitfield a 6-8 schools. Students in grades 6-8 at Chicod and in grades K-5 at G.R. Whitfield will be bused to other schools.
The proposed plan eliminates traditional school attendance boundaries, allowing school staff to move children in an effort to manage building capacity. Although the plan doesn't specifically speak to it, it is possible that children in the K-5 Ayden Elementary School could be bused to Grifton's K-5 if capacity warrants.
For those parents, community leaders, and taxpayers who want to have a say in this issue, the next listening session is at D.H. Conley High School on Monday (Feb. 9) night at 7 p.m. and at Ayden-Grifton High School on Thursday night, February Feb. 12, at 7 p.m.
Speakers should be at each listening session early, as early as 6 p.m, I would suggest, in order to sign up to speak for three minutes.
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