Excellent questions. Yours are similar to those that have been asked, emailed, and verbalized. Yet, no factual data or evidence based information has been provided. At this point, I have no confidence that it will be. Again, if one of the two schools touted as being successful REGRESSED based on recent scores, what is the rush to get on this schedule. There is no burning platform from which we need to jump, of which I am aware. If there are indications of worsening scores, isn't that something that should be openly addressed, rather than the school board attempting an end around trick play? Just how bad is the wound on which this bandaid is being placed? Yet, for all these questions, one hears the equivalent of "crickets chirping", meaning silence from those who have been asked.
Again, if one of the two schools touted as being successful REGRESSED based on recent scores, what is the rush to get on this schedule.There is no burning platform from which we need to jump, of which I am aware. If there are indications of worsening scores, isn't that something that should be openly addressed, rather than the school board attempting an end around trick play? Just how bad is the wound on which this bandaid is being placed? This sums it up. Thank you Hatt
Talked to a Four Oaks Elementary parent this weekend who was at their first parent information session. She said that Keith Beamon said that even if their parents voted no to move forward with this new calendar, that the issue would still go to the Board who has the final say. This is a contradiction from what I was told by my principal. She said teachers AND parents had to both vote in favor or it would not go to the Board. So . . . more misinformation from our County's administration. Who do we believe?
Thought you would be interested to see an email I got from Dr Peggy Smith regarding Cleveland Elementary School teachers and their vote. It was nice of her to email me. Here it is: Thank you for your thoughts! I have just received this as my computer crashed and I just got it replaced. The logic is that is teachers do not support it, it will not be a success. The encouraging thing is that the CES faculty just wanted more time to study the idea. I regret that the time has been cut shorter than folks would have liked but there is always next year. Please express your support to Linda Edmundson and the parent leaders. Thanks again for your thoughts and please keep in touch! So there you have it. It ends there until next year. It does not seem as if they will push it through or have any thoughts of pursuing it despite it not going the way that many think the board wants it to. So whether you want the new schedule or not due process is being followed in our area.
That is the reply for Cleveland Elementary only, not the rest of them in the county. Is how I am taking this.....right?
Sounds to me that the unspoken message was "It doesn't matter what the staff or parents want, we're gonna keep pushing this until everyone is on it. And since the school board didn't 'mandate' the change, that the schools did, that voters should not view us as unresponsive to the community."
Respectfully, I do not see where you get that message. It sounds as if they listened to the teachers concerns and will give them more info on it and drop it from the rest of the process for now.
Hmmm . . . How did they get the CES faculty voting no as just wanting more time to study the idea? I'm assuming that her stating there is always next year means that this will be pushed on until all schools vote for the new calendar, right? They'll just keep putting it off until finally they wear everyone down or they get enough schools on it that they'll use that to justify mandating they all adopt the new calendar. Due process in action.
Oh, and if they believe that teachers voted no simply because they wanted more time to study the idea, why don't they give us all more time to study the idea?
It is my understanding that it was not just a yes or no vote. There were other questions asked. I think one of them was about having enough information.
That there was a question about having sufficient information SCREAMS to there not being enough facts to begin with. Yes, it is a fact that two formerly failing schools did achieve some success following adoption of this schedule AND additional resources. Yes, it's a fact that this issue was brought up before the broad a long time back, and the word was to keep the discussion closed until it was time for it to be presented. It's a fact that the teachers and staff voted on an issue where a one sided opinion was presented. It's a fact that none of those additional resources will be given to other elementary schools. It's a fact that the Cleveland area schools were high performing, or else they'd not have been listed as a school of choice for the two formerly failing schools. It's a fact that many of us have asked for comparable data and have received ZILCH. It's a fact that the school board hasn't addressed this issue, other than to have their spokesperson present their viewpoint. There has only been opinion, supposition, and wishful thinking presented. No facts are presented for comparison sake. I'm unwilling to be led down the primrose path without questions that deserves answers. Open and transparent my fanny!
I don't know if the horse is dead or not, but you are definitely beating it to death! To the point where people who may have been able to see your points in the past are becoming numb to them. Also, many people have posed questions to you that you have failed to answer, so how "open and transparent" are you? You have your own agenda too it seems. You need to face the fact that not everyone is going to agree with you and bring something new to the discussion.
You do not give the teachers a lot of credit for intelligence. Each had an option to vote no if he/she felt there was not enough information.
I have watched everything being said on this forum, and not said anything because I usually don't get involved in all the arguing on here. However, I can't let Hatt's comment stand uncontested. We were not presented information from one side. We were given two calendars, discussed the pros and cons of each, and then were given a chance to express our opinions through a survey. To imply otherwise is an insult to all the men and women who dedicate their lives to teaching the children of this county. If the response to the survey was positive, meaning the teachers felt the modified calendar would benefit our students AS A WHOLE, then parent nights were set up to address questions so that parents could make an informed decision for their family. Period. I do not see any of this as hidden or with a secret agenda. (Have you been watching Conspiracy Theory?) Because everyone is aware of the surveys and the parent nights, where is the lack of transparency to which you keep referring? I will, by the way, have children on a different schedule from my own if this is adopted at my school. Despite that, I know it will benefit the students at my school so I support the modified calender.
It is a fact that the staff was presented with options, as stated by a staff member. somehow i doubt hat6 has been in a meeting on the staff side of things. it is a fact that the board could have done this without input. it is a fact that the board is surveying individual staffs to gauge interest. it is a fact that the board is holding informational meetings for parents and then surveying them to gauge interest. it is a fact that the board/school staffs have contacted local childcare operators to identify availablity of care in the event of an alternate schedule, to gauge viability. it is a fact that the board's spokesperson speaks for the board, and so the board has in fact addressed the issue. the issue will be brought before them formally after committee reports based on all the interest-gauging they've done. until then, other than assigning the fact-finding to a committee, how else would they address it? it is a fact that board members have been present at parent meetings. it is a fact that hat6 has opposed this from the beginning, has viewed every glass as half empty instead of half full, and has used hype and speculation of his own to trump up support for his side of the argument. again, for the record, i am purely an objective observer, as i have no child in the system, nor any tax dollars at risk (other than money i spend in johnston county), so feel free to ignore me. i don't know what history might be there, but hat6 seems to really dislike the board in general and appears to be using this as an opportunity to attempt to villify them. IMHO, of course.
:iagree: Just let the parents vote. If enough support it, then let that school try it. Believe it or not Hat6, some people might like the different schedule rather than a long summer. The county should then let parents from the schools that try it, who don't want it, to transfer to a nearby school. And let parents from that school, who did want it, to transfer as well. Everyone would benefit from a little choice.
just posted by a friend on facebook. doesn't sound as underhanded and sneaky and one-sided as some might have us believe.... Tracy R Just left a meeting with Ed Croom-Superintendent for Johnston County Schools discussing the "proposal" for the alternative school schedule. Lots of good questions were raised. Lots of families for & against the calendar.
I was there, and was very impressed with Ed Croom. He was not underhanded or sneaky. He claimed he supported the alternate plan, but didn't think it was necessarily the best choice for every school or every family. He even suggested voting "no" if you have a kid in middle school and kid in elementary school because of the schedule conflict. I thought he did a good job of giving the pros and cons. I was also impressed that he was willing to stay there until 9:30 or later to answer questions.
You might want to ask that of my wife, a career public school teacher. I don't question our teacher's intelligence. I was questioning whether all the facts were presented when the staff was asked to vote. The facts bearing on this issue certainly haven't been presented to the public. I've asked questions, civilly, about this process and the comparisons being made without sufficient data provided. Castigate me if you will. I encourage an open dialog. That has yet to happen. I've been an active member of a school advisory board of one of these elementary schools. I'm a proud product of public school education. I expect a lot out of teachers, admin, and a big bang for the buck that we taxpayers invest in this. I'm a parent of a child in this school system. I'd say I have a stake in the schools performing well. I'm also skeptical enough that when I feel a need for data driven, evidence based outcomes as purported by the leadership, I expect to see it, and have that data in sufficient time to investigate. Others may feel comfortable being led along by those in charge. Blind loyalty rarely leads to long term success. FWIW, my posting is a case of mind over matter. Those who matter to me don't mind, and the rest don't matter.
So there you have it: anyone who disagrees with hat6, no matter how civilly, is an ill-informed/underinformed kool-aid drinker who is so naïve as to fall for this scam without even bothering to question it. Your posts have contained some straight facts, but mostly just your interpretation of events and your opinions about motive. Just because you don't know the answer, doesn't mean there isn't one. You have repeatedly only assumed the worst, and presented the results of your logic chains as the only likely outcome or possibility. I say you're doing the process a disservice by not allowing it to happen before condemning it, and you're doing the system as a whole a disservice by assigning malicious intent to every action of the school board, thereby undermining their credibility within the community with little or no evidence upon which to do so. Idk, I think it's possible for two rational adults to view the same circumstance and reach totally different, but equally valid, results. As soon as I hear "anyone with a brain knows" or "wake up and smell the coffee" type talk, I know that person has run out of legitimate debate and resorted to petulance....
