tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post757526076215606134..comments2023-10-23T09:23:22.051-04:00Comments on Your Schools: CMS reform: Thumbs up or down?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger75125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-51374224702759266852011-08-17T16:30:09.309-04:002011-08-17T16:30:09.309-04:00Taxation WITHOUT Representation
High Schools on t...Taxation WITHOUT Representation<br /><br />High Schools on the westside receiving 5x's the funding of other high schools. Less funding and 35+ in the classroom on the southeast side.<br /><br />The last bastion of performance will be crippled in the coming years.Watch for the uprise in charter schools.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-22386232446260306602011-08-17T08:41:50.619-04:002011-08-17T08:41:50.619-04:00Thanks 12:53 AM This is just the reason any perso...Thanks 12:53 AM This is just the reason any person should be a school board candidate. This school system has got to be run more efficiently so what has happpened the last couple of years is stopped. What CMS is doing currently is unsustainable. Too mnay kids are being denied educational opportunity due to the strangling of schools at $4k to $5k per student and too many schools are getting no value at all for the $9k, $10k, $11k, spent per pupil.<br /><br />The class size issue is a joke also. The minorities are not going to figure this issue out even if you get to 1 student per teacher. They are not intelligent enough. Nor do they care that tax dollars are squandered.therestofthestorynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-31919676429146096282011-08-16T02:43:12.774-04:002011-08-16T02:43:12.774-04:00Anon 12:53......
As I said before, I don't do...Anon 12:53......<br /><br />As I said before, I don't doubt there are classes with more than 35 students per class. I also don't doubt some schools have no extra space to put students. I do believe some of the problems are lack of staff.<br /><br />My son's math teacher had enough and gave her notice long before the Christmas break. They couldn't find another math teacher for the 2nd semester so the principal shifted some staff around and the teacher he wound up with just didn't want to be teaching that class. She is one of those who makes a lot of money and has this and that certification blah blah blah.<br /><br />I am also familiar with the magnet transportation scheme cooked up to save money that we really didn't need to save afterall...Wiley Coyotehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16966764080565903720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-84486158804008015262011-08-16T00:53:19.821-04:002011-08-16T00:53:19.821-04:00To Wiley:
I am a teacher at an urban magnet secon...To Wiley:<br /><br />I am a teacher at an urban magnet secondary school. The overcrowding is rampant. One co-taught class last year (with 2 teachers) had 70 students in it. Many core classes had 35 of more. In some of them, there was not physically room in a class for seats/desks for every child, and students would take turns sitting on the floor. Our staff was absolutely bare bones for the course offerings we had, and it resulted in these ridiculous numbers. Today I received an email from our principal boasting that we had received additional money towards staffing, had added several positions (even more than he thought we'd get last June) and yet somehow I have a roster for one class with 50 students on it.<br /><br />As for busing, how familiar are you with CMS' new shuttle stops system for magnet schools? They no longer pick up students from their homes, but rather from other CMS schools. We lost over 100 students (which translated into the loss of 4 teachers a full month into the school year) because some students' parents could not get them to the shuttle stops. The magnet option is not as accessible as in previous years; parents' work schedules prevent them from being able to drive their kid to a shuttle stop and pick them up.<br /><br />I think something very important that CMS does not focus on is teacher turnover. Someone commented that Gorman did not treat teachers well. I completely agree with this statement. The tone of a school district is set at the top and it trickles down from there. We teachers are viewed as "disposable" and we were neither valued nor respected by our principals, our superintendent, or the parents during Gorman's time. I will say this: in the months since Gorman announced his resignation, the overall tone of emails sent to employees has changed slightly for the better. I can even tell a difference in the way that my principal addresses us now that Gorman is not in charge. We will see if there is a real difference as the school year progresses and we have contact with parents as well.<br /><br />If we want to improve the education of the children in this school system, there needs to be CONSISTENCY. Year after year, many good teachers seek employment in Union or Cabarrus county because they have had enough at the hands of CMS. CMS needs to change its tone and focus on retaining good teachers. The turnover is ridiculous in some schools and it prevents our children from getting the best education possible. Teachers that are treated well = high teacher retention = more successful students. The teachers who don't do their job well need to be fired, RIF'd, something. CMS is often too scared to get rid of the bad ones unless they can blame it on the budget--they are afraid of lawsuits.<br /><br />CMS needs to be as consistent as possible from year to year. Everyone--parents, students and teachers alike--dread the changes that come. Teachers don't know if they'll have a job, or where it will be. The same goes for principals. Students are reassigned on a whim. The constant upheaval contributes to the white flight, the teacher burnout, and the general unstability in schools. If they can retain good teachers, that will help "turn the dial" and "do more with less" even in difficult budget years and hard economic times.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-54965609782690413702011-08-15T17:40:32.675-04:002011-08-15T17:40:32.675-04:00KW yes I kept the physical assessment of CMS schoo...KW yes I kept the physical assessment of CMS schools they put out 3 years ago. It was organized by number of classrooms rather than by discounted or not student population. I derived some very interesting descrepancies. Anyway, there are still a number of schools just under 50% capacity or just over that could be reorganized with nearby schools and possibly close another 10 schools/campuses.therestofthestorynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-55835557451543407782011-08-15T17:17:55.124-04:002011-08-15T17:17:55.124-04:00If it's REALLY about "poverty", then...If it's REALLY about "poverty", then why do Korean kids excel:<br /><br />http://oecdinsights.org/2011/06/22/lessons-in-resilience-from-pisa/<br /><br />And why do middle class black boys do worse than poor white boys:<br /><br />http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40095887/ns/us_news-the_new_york_times/t/black-boys-score-far-behind-white-students/<br /><br />Something else is definitely at work here, not just "poverty".<br /><br />At least not financial poverty...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-84790457256322964122011-08-15T17:05:59.896-04:002011-08-15T17:05:59.896-04:00TROTS,
We all know that staffing, Title I, econom...TROTS,<br /><br />We all know that staffing, Title I, economics, retc, etc go into making a school what it is for "capacity purposes".<br /><br />What is always misleading - and CMS is not the only school district to do this - is stating capacity at a school as X, then turn around 2 or 3 years later and all of a sudden the capacity is Y.<br /><br />The school didn't shrink. It didn't expand (unless mobiles were added or subtracted) but you get the point.<br /><br />Richland One tried to do that numbers game with my old high school back in the mid 80's.<br /><br />They added onto my school in '72 when I was there and the capacity was about 2,000.<br /><br />In 1985 when they were contemplating closing a high school, one a traditional all Black and the other before 1970 (my high school) which had been all White.<br /><br />The capacity numbers they were throwing out there for my school was around 1,300 students.<br /><br />What? The school didn't shrink and there were no mobiles involved in 1972 so what happened to the space for the other 700 students?<br /><br />A numbers game....Wiley Coyotehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16966764080565903720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-87616367158115020512011-08-15T16:06:12.155-04:002011-08-15T16:06:12.155-04:00KW, at first you might think it is just incompeten...KW, at first you might think it is just incompetence the way CMS manages space. And yes a lot of illogical moves are done just to satisfy some loud ignorant people. <br /><br />But then again, as CMS did for decades when they hid behind the busing court order, they may not want to be that good. More of the incompetencies of educrats.therestofthestorynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-68702030904574803832011-08-15T16:03:11.250-04:002011-08-15T16:03:11.250-04:00Thanks 1:32. I well know the Swann's intentio...Thanks 1:32. I well know the Swann's intention. And I have proof where they have sent out deliberate misinformation and I called them on it. They had doctored a chart I already had the original for that they had put out a few years earlier. <br /><br />But if you look at reality, who would they bus as KW would say. CMS has shrunk to around 32% white. The middle class blacks are fleeing the system as hard as they can go. If the economy were any better, I am sure those numbers would be going even stronger.<br /><br />As for redrawing assignment lines, you simply load up more and more high poverty kids into the inner city schools before you get out far enough to touch the suburban kids. When you get kids on school buses riding past 2 schools for their "neighborhood" assignments, you will get strong and loud opposition. Because the proof is out there that a black kid sitting beside a white kid does not help anyone and what the black organizers really want is to pull the white kids down in achievement level. It is just class envy.therestofthestorynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-36809929409413996832011-08-15T13:43:23.633-04:002011-08-15T13:43:23.633-04:00Thanks for posting the link to the various class s...Thanks for posting the link to the various class sizes by school.<br /><br />Here's what I take from this.<br /><br />If you look at Mallard Creek for example, is the problem a building problem or a staffing problem?<br /><br />They state enrollment increased while the number of teachers decreased.<br /><br />Take West Meck. The numbers show 18 classes of 35 or more yet West Meck has had empty mobile classrooms sitting there for the past few years.<br /><br />Again, at West Meck, it sure isn't lack of space.<br /><br />As usual, anything with CMS and public education related to numbers is most always suspect and should be taken with a grain of salt.Wiley Coyotehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16966764080565903720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-38294903775770725742011-08-15T13:32:28.950-04:002011-08-15T13:32:28.950-04:00Restofthestory-Please read my comments carefully. ...Restofthestory-Please read my comments carefully. Believe me, I am not advocating for the "bus the suburban kids approach". My comments are to illustrate what some have been advocating as a solution to overcrowding. While they may couch their reasoning in terms of trying to help out the overcrowding situation in the suburbs, in reality they are trying to get those suburban kids into their schools for the sake of their diversity theories. (and one might ask why the Observer editorial board continues to lament the school closings) I am adamantly against this tactic and agree with you completely about suburban reaction to this and about how much better it would be to concentrate on what Mallard Creek is doing to reach its kids. But you and I both know the busing advocates are still out there and are still determined to insert their theories into assignment one way or the other. Check out the Tuesday Morning Breakfast Forum (note--not the Ballantyne Breakfast Club) from 7-12-11 to see what one of their favorite PhD's has to say on the subject (http://www.tueforumclt.org/NewsPages/NewsMain.htm). Or go to the Swann Fellowship's website (yes, they're still around) and see what Steve Johnston has to say about parents who want their kids going to school close to home: http://www.swannfellowship.org/. <br /><br />The above is why I say be careful with your vote. With 17 candidates the votes may be spread around so much that candidates with some very questionable agendas may garner enough votes to win a seat.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-7919055629305808412011-08-15T12:17:14.716-04:002011-08-15T12:17:14.716-04:00To 11:37 AM What would be the point in busing a s...To 11:37 AM What would be the point in busing a suburban kid into the inner city? Understand that with Charlotte's layout and trafic patterns that the suburban kids would have to get on the bus starting at 5:30 AM or so and not get home till 5:30 PM or so. DO you really think those families would be put up with being a pawn in a already deemed failed social engineering experiment? Because that is all they will view this "stunt" as.<br /><br />Rather why not look how a predominantly black high school like Mallard Creek can have the success it does? Maybe look at the parenting patterns that are different that most inner city schools. Maybe look at the news stories on Khallid Love Vance graduate going to Princeton and the young woman from West Charlotte HS. <br /><br />Also read the story form August 9 for more informaiton on why majority black schools like Mallard Creek HS, O'Berry and Harding do so well. The last 2 are but their population is black and high poverty and those kids and their families make sure they take education seriously. Some people get it and some are yet to "get with the program". CMS is not leaving any one behind who wants to get ahead. As the old saying goes, You can lead a horse to water but you can not make it drink.<br /><br />Do you no longer feel that successful students have the right to an education that challenges them?therestofthestorynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-44116429090867056322011-08-15T11:37:45.814-04:002011-08-15T11:37:45.814-04:00Thanks, Ann. Interesting. Note this comment from...Thanks, Ann. Interesting. Note this comment from the article, which makes no bones about where the most large classes are--the suburbs: <br />" "People say, 'Oh, well, the suburbs aren't (suffering).' I'm sorry, they are," McGarry said. "How much are we going to overburden our teachers?"<br /><br />But advocates for inner-city schools said school board leaders bear some blame for not pushing more aggressively to redraw attendance lines.<br /><br />They say overcrowding could be reduced by moving some suburban kids to less-crowded center-city campuses. Absent that, they say the results will be disastrous if class sizes go up in high-poverty schools.'<br /><br />Note, as I mentioned in a comment above concerning some advocates' desire to re-open now closed inner city schools--the goal appears to be to force suburban kids into those inner city schools. <br /><br />The moral of it all--Be careful who you vote for this fall!<br /><br />(Of course it's interesting that now that test scores are out, most of the schools listed last November as having many large classes continue to do well despite those crowded classrooms. And those with less crowded classrooms have many students that continue to struggle. Why is that?)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-74351932458578202842011-08-15T11:26:51.024-04:002011-08-15T11:26:51.024-04:00Here's the link to Eric Frazier's story ab...Here's the link to Eric Frazier's story about large classes in 2010-11; it has a side link to a full list of the classes w/ 35+ students at that time.<br />http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/11/28/1870718/budget-cuts-bloat-cms-class-sizes.html#storylink=misearchAnn Doss Helmshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03511764376105157616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-19370146904560463862011-08-14T14:41:04.418-04:002011-08-14T14:41:04.418-04:00Yes, Strategic Staffing was an innovative idea tha...Yes, Strategic Staffing was an innovative idea that was suppose to boost academics among the low achieving schools. They fired principals in seven schools that showed low academic growth three years running . The new principals were placed in the same schools . Teachers that had proven themselves to be proficient in achieving high academic growth through testing were asked to teach in these schools for a bonus. These same teachers faired less than the teacher next door that was not receiving a bonus. The public and one board member repeatedly asked for results regarding the SS program. No data was given. Go back through the data and see that Reid Park was near the bottom (Byers last) for two of those years, yet as teachers were let go, bonuses were handed out to Mrs. Sturge and other strategic staffers. Ms. Sturge can tell you how she runs a successful strategic staffing school . She takes as many students that TFA’s or strategic staffers can not handle and places them into the classrooms of teachers that produce high<br />academic growth. (teachers that do not receive a bonus.) Once again a good idea is marred by CMS’s integrity.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-79549485691754376622011-08-14T14:11:34.366-04:002011-08-14T14:11:34.366-04:00To 1:00 PM--I referred to the "re-opening und...To 1:00 PM--I referred to the "re-opening under-utilized schools" because that is exactly what some would like to do with the schools that were recently closed, with their idea being that that suburban kids from crowded schools should be moved to those schools rather than closing them.<br /> I was not referring to Waddell as a school that had been reopened--I'm very familiar with the history of Waddell. <br />My neighborhood, which 3 miles from Providence and 8 miles from South Meck was slated to be reassigned to South Meck when Waddell opened. The assistant superintendent in charge of assignment at the time very patiently explained to us all that the kids that lived close to (and loved) South Meck needed to be assigned to Waddell, so we would then be needed at South Meck. Luckily we were able to fight this but it was not easy.<br /> Everything eventually has consequences. The board that voted for improper placement of Waddell in the first place and the county commissioners who voted to fund it are ultimately responsible for the community discord that the closing of Waddell has created.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-52912450982258520422011-08-14T13:04:00.771-04:002011-08-14T13:04:00.771-04:00The sole purpose of Waddell was to placate a const...The sole purpose of Waddell was to placate a constituency.<br /><br />The building of Waddell was controversial at the time because many felt it was in the wrong place.<br /><br />I guess 10 years later, those people were proven correct.<br /><br />CMS can always continue use magnets to "bus" students to low performing schoos.Wiley Coyotehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16966764080565903720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-70993104582296896022011-08-14T13:02:29.659-04:002011-08-14T13:02:29.659-04:00The original purpose of Waddell was to bus kids fr...The original purpose of Waddell was to bus kids from the South Meck area and bus kids from the West Charlotte area. However, before construction started, the school system lost the court case and thus had no capacity justification for Waddell. Of course too, the BOE at the time ignored the concerns for safety of that treacherous stretch of roads for the South Meck kids driving to school.<br /><br />However Arthur Griffith and his band of racists refuse to relocate the school to where capacity was needed, ala Ardry Kell. Since they could not fill the school legally by busing by race, Waddell was forever doomed to be underutilized since the neighborhood did not have the population to support especially with Olympic fairly underutilized at the same time.<br /><br />For 12:03 PM, yes that is another tired argument I hear about these parents not getting involved because they are too "intimated" by college degreed parents. And they use the same argument when not attending parent teacher conferences, attending PTA meetings, and on and on. When I ran school organizations in the past, I did pair folks who were willing but did not feel that talented with folks who were willing to take someone under their wing that even helped develop leadership for the next year. I made it clear that my job as the president and the job of the vice president was to be sure these committee chairpeople were successful and we would be right there with our sleeves rolled up beside them. It worked.<br /><br />For 12:31 PM, the BOE's for several years continued to rebuild and build in the inner city and strangle the suburban schools that had real capacity needs. The suburban parents and kids were aware of being social engineered and felt demeaned that they were only a pawn in a political war. Additionally, they knew too that safety was no longer a concern for CMS because they would not remove students who attacked staff, raped other students, gang attacked single kids, etc. CMS was more interested in keeping kids from dropping out than the educational opportunity for all students. I abide by the proverb, one bad apple will spoil the barrel. I would rather cull out the 1 to 2% of the students causing the trouble and save the next 20% that were likely to drop out due to the harmful environment of the school. Just like the principal, Tom Clark, played by Morgan Freeman in the movie, Lean On Me.therestofthestorynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-82493426440662444402011-08-14T13:00:38.523-04:002011-08-14T13:00:38.523-04:00Waddell was opened, not reopened, at the taxpayer&...Waddell was opened, not reopened, at the taxpayer's expense of a new, fully loaded school designed to fail. The mere fact that a high performing CMS school was available to occupy and succeed, salvages earlier BOE stupidity.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-76213344748646324792011-08-14T12:51:54.867-04:002011-08-14T12:51:54.867-04:00The purpose of Waddell ultimately proved the faile...The purpose of Waddell ultimately proved the failed theory of forced busing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-45362500471995496942011-08-14T12:31:45.144-04:002011-08-14T12:31:45.144-04:00Wiley, The answer to your question at 6:25--"...Wiley, The answer to your question at 6:25--"Who is it they want to integrate?". It appears to me that the goal of some is to re-open those under-utilized inner city schools and help fill them by busing in students from overcrowded suburban schools. Wasn't that the original purpose of Waddell?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-31160688105783936912011-08-14T12:14:59.542-04:002011-08-14T12:14:59.542-04:00Wiley,
State guidelines don't allow 40 kids in...Wiley,<br />State guidelines don't allow 40 kids in a class at the elementary school level although there is some cock-a-meme (sp?) formula that allows for a "plus 2" - plus 5" kids per classroom which I don't fully understand.<br /><br />Unless I'm delusional (I've been called worse), the Observer did in fact list schools that had 30 plus kids in various classes last year. Again, mostly at the high school level. The list did not include classes like P.E. or Modern Dance.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-79659535350591169712011-08-14T12:06:25.225-04:002011-08-14T12:06:25.225-04:00led me to conclude. I never won a spelling contes...led me to conclude. I never won a spelling contest.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-19673317938207509932011-08-14T12:03:54.995-04:002011-08-14T12:03:54.995-04:00therestothestory,
As a former PTO president at a ...therestothestory,<br /><br />As a former PTO president at a private school - before transferring my children to CMS for 6 years and then back again - you are correct that it's the same small percentage of volunteers pulling the heavy load. This is universal no matter where you are. My church is no different. However, my experience in CMS has lead me to conclude that many parents (mostly moms) can feel intimidated by PTA's that are almost always run by higher income people with college degrees and generally with a good amount of business experience. With a degree in fine arts, I was the exception to this rule as far as business experience goes. I pretty much flew by the seat of my pants and let the M.B.A.'s handle the spread sheets while I did what I was good at. <br /><br />I think one of the keys to getting more parents involved at school is making people feel like they have something to contribute no matter what their backgrounds or job titles are - which is true in most cases. I'm guessing your K-12 school experience was fairly positive, as was mine. I think it's important to remember that many parents may not have had good experiences in school or, perhaps, never graduated from high school making them less inclined to feel comfortable around us overeducated know-it-alls.<br /><br />5:50Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-6517273281171383132011-08-14T12:02:11.105-04:002011-08-14T12:02:11.105-04:00Anon 11:27...
I have yet to find any data showing...Anon 11:27...<br /><br />I have yet to find any data showing classroom sizes of 35 or more students in CMS.<br /><br />As I stated before, I don't doubt that in certain cases those classrooms exists but I do not believe it is ramapnt throughout CMS.<br /><br />Here is a link showing 2009/2010 high schools per pupil spending, FRL and stedent/teacher ratios.<br /><br />http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/01/07/1962837/cms-per-pupil-spending-high-school.html<br /><br />Again, please post any information to the contrary.Wiley Coyotehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16966764080565903720noreply@blogger.com