tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post7846081736043294621..comments2023-10-23T09:23:22.051-04:00Comments on Your Schools: Name that cabinetUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger136125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-56200175343531400502012-07-20T14:11:34.432-04:002012-07-20T14:11:34.432-04:00To get to 3 districts all we have to do is add one...To get to 3 districts all we have to do is add one to CMS and LIFT. This should not be a hard thing to do and should very easily crush their results. Keith W. HurleyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-40381315271031967072012-07-09T20:47:10.936-04:002012-07-09T20:47:10.936-04:003 districts. Sooner the better.3 districts. Sooner the better.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-41199581666636860422012-07-09T09:54:11.003-04:002012-07-09T09:54:11.003-04:00Waddell was not failing immediately. Its first yea...Waddell was not failing immediately. Its first year was under the busing plan...with school choice a lot of students left but it still had its Early College and Language Magnet programs. The district did not support parents call for entrance requirements, Dr. Ellis turned off parents and CPCC because he did not provide a qualified coordinator after the first one retired. <br /><br />Waddell's scores were above a lot of schools before losing the magnet schools.<br /><br />Subsequent hidden continuous back door squeezing of Waddell's attendance zone to accommodate connected parents and communities who wanted to attend Myers Park and South Meck assisted in the death march with the final nail provided by the opening of Ardrey Kell.<br /><br />Does any one know that Waddell's student population increased in 2010-2011 after IB zone restrictions were put in placed and no more partial IB was allowed? Those that were kicked out of IB, couldn't find transportation, etc. were sent back to home schools. Only 2009-2010 numbers were used to sway public opinion about utilization...thus the need to open previously shuttered mobiles at Harding. What was that expense?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-45319098826012642042012-07-08T23:12:52.459-04:002012-07-08T23:12:52.459-04:009:39, do you not think any extra money has been th...9:39, do you not think any extra money has been thrown into this school and this part of town before?Billnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-18174147322703845872012-07-08T22:05:25.746-04:002012-07-08T22:05:25.746-04:00....Is it worth $55 million to try and resuscitate...<b><i>....Is it worth $55 million to try and resuscitate a piece of Charlotte history and civic pride?</i></b> <br /><br />West Charlotte established 1938... West Meck 1951.<br /><br />I would argue that both schools are part of Charlotte civic pride, but West Charlotte gets all the attention and money.Wiley Coyotehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16966764080565903720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-28186265570964027272012-07-08T21:39:20.447-04:002012-07-08T21:39:20.447-04:00West Charlotte High School.
Is it worth $55 milli...West Charlotte High School.<br /><br />Is it worth $55 million to try and resuscitate a piece of Charlotte history and civic pride? <br /><br />Apparently, the answer is "yes".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-38085798627462822442012-07-08T21:10:20.725-04:002012-07-08T21:10:20.725-04:008:44
Is it possible Davidson IB was too successful...8:44<br />Is it possible Davidson IB was too successful? I didn't get this closing unless it was intended to balance out and pacify the failing schools CMS closed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-47422488809266873302012-07-08T21:05:50.774-04:002012-07-08T21:05:50.774-04:00cont...
Re: "Inclusion" grades 6 -12. ...cont...<br /><br />Re: "Inclusion" grades 6 -12. <br /><br />Got me here. I think interpreting a Picasso painting on acid would be easier than trying to clarify what "inclusion" means and should look like in these grades. It's here where a grade K-8 model might actually make sense. <br /><br />-ADAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-12795145480053949422012-07-08T20:44:51.702-04:002012-07-08T20:44:51.702-04:0010:37 am
Davidson IB was part of the school closur...10:37 am<br />Davidson IB was part of the school closure package - yet the school ranked at the top of all scores. IMHO, it was a political decision, not cost cutting.<br />One reason for the closing, the school was substandard. DIB parents and Davidson community were involved in 'remodeling' the school. But CMS still closed the school.<br />Ironic, a private school is using the same building!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-75190384311902769662012-07-08T20:40:28.941-04:002012-07-08T20:40:28.941-04:00You've got a point, Wiley.You've got a point, Wiley.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-89552670243885529072012-07-08T20:28:31.981-04:002012-07-08T20:28:31.981-04:00West Charlotte had periods of success enabling It ...<b>West Charlotte had periods of success enabling It to muster enough community willpower to now try and LIFT itself out of the ashes to it's former glory.</b><br /><br />....and they did it back then without $55 million dollars.Wiley Coyotehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16966764080565903720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-33176183303912405992012-07-08T18:29:52.822-04:002012-07-08T18:29:52.822-04:00Bouncing around topics...
"This is What it T...Bouncing around topics...<br /><br />"This is What it Takes" EC (Gifted and LD) mother's perspective on successful inclusion practices based on good (yes, I've had some) CMS experiences:<br /><br />1. A highly experienced and successful teacher who believes in inclusion practices. No rookies. Sorry, but this is what I believe and I don't care if you graduated top of your class from Brown. Teaching is an art and a science. It takes time to learn to do both well.<br /><br />2. A highly experienced principal who supports, believes in, and will defend inclusion practices.<br /><br />3. A highly experienced EC teacher willing and able to co-teach alongside a regular classroom teacher in a regular classroom setting (grades K-5). <br /><br />3. A LIMITED number of mild-moderate LD and Gifted EC children in each regular classroom. *(Gifted children and Learning Disabled children are legally defined as Exceptional Children (EC) - just to confuse the heck out of everyone).<br /><br />4. Earlier and more thorough testing and identification practices of students who are truly learning disabled and truly gifted. I'm suspicious of a school system that has 3 times the national average of gifted students (CMS). I'm suspicious of a school system that seems to house entire classrooms of LD students particularity in low-income areas of town. Define "gifted". Define "learning disabled". <br /><br />5. An aggressive action plan that addresses the needs of EC children starting the first week of school. NO, "Well, let's just wait and see". No. We don't have time to wait and see.<br /><br />6. A school environment that enables and encourages LD parents to voluntarily communicate with each other without violating privacy laws which is rarely an issue among the "gifted" mommy crowd. LD parents need to be able to talk to and support each other. This is really important. <br /><br />7. Strong communication and D-Day like execution practices between the EC and regular classroom teacher. Strong and ongoing communication between the school and EC parents.<br /><br />8. Strong community support for schools that house students with severe disabilities. <br /><br />9. Better college career counseling services for LD, gifted and average students. CMS drops the ball all around on this issue.<br /><br />10. Ability grouping based on individual strengths and weaknesses without all the helicopter parent drama. (Disclaimer: having miserably failed the helicopter parent test on many occasions). <br /><br />11. Allowing teachers to teach to their strengths. Ability grouping teachers. "Well-rounded" is over rated. <br /><br />- ADAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-86894772371583466122012-07-08T17:41:35.890-04:002012-07-08T17:41:35.890-04:004:59: You may be right in that board members such ...4:59: You may be right in that board members such as Arthur Griffin and Louise Woods (and I'm sure Velma and George as well) selected Waddell's site with the midpoint concept in mind. But as I said, its bond issue was not for a mid-point school, but for a south school. Since South Meck and Providence were both very overcrowded at the time and far south Charlotte (where Ardry Kell is now) was starting to explode with housing everyone assumed that far south Charlotte would be the location of the new school (silly us). <br />Yes, this was all right before desegregation ended. I imagine some board members saw the hand writing on the wall and wanted to get in one last lick--figured with Waddell located where it was some sort of busing would have to be continued to populate it. Instead they wound up with an expensive "mistake" that has created major angst for many parents and students over the years. And of course CMS eventually had to build an actual south high school (Ardry Kell). How much do you think this exercised in political correctness cost us, the taxpayers? Thank you Louise, Arthur, Velma, George, and whoever else voted for the site on Nations Ford.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-81339792268093828412012-07-08T16:59:14.705-04:002012-07-08T16:59:14.705-04:00I stand corrected. Waddell was not built as a mid-...I stand corrected. Waddell was not built as a mid-point school. However, I believe it was built with the intention of busing white and wealthier families to it. The building was completed right before CMS' forced busing polices were lifted from court order. Correct?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-28774030706213114682012-07-08T16:54:02.052-04:002012-07-08T16:54:02.052-04:00West Charlotte is an embedded part of this communi...West Charlotte is an embedded part of this community - for better and for worse. Waddell never was. It performed poorly right from the get-go. West Charlotte had periods of success enabling It to muster enough community willpower to now try and LIFT itself out of the ashes to it's former glory.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-71978984567613881152012-07-08T16:52:59.920-04:002012-07-08T16:52:59.920-04:00The bond issue for Waddell was not "sold"...The bond issue for Waddell was not "sold" to the public as being for a "midpoint" school. It was to be a "new south high school", which everyone (except the majority on the school board) recognized was sorely needed. Once built there was a huge issue with assigning students there. CMS intended to move many South Meck kids to Waddell and Providence kids to South Meck. Both moves created long drives (or bus rides) for re-assigned students. You didn't have to be wealthy or white to not want your kids driving on 485 and 77 early in the morning to reach Waddell (remember this was not a magnet assignment but a regular high school assignment). And funny thing, parents also objected to their kids being moved from a school within 3 miles of their home to one that was 8 miles away.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-68367229242863577152012-07-08T16:44:31.161-04:002012-07-08T16:44:31.161-04:00Waddell was built as a "mid-point" schoo...Waddell was built as a "mid-point" school for the purpose of desegregation. The problem was, white and wealthier patents refused to send their children there according to CMS dictatorship plan.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-29473812129928304242012-07-08T16:36:00.537-04:002012-07-08T16:36:00.537-04:00West Charlotte has a long and interesting history ...West Charlotte has a long and interesting history that ties in with segregation and desegregation not to mention a long list of mover and shaker alumni. Waddell never had this going for it. I find it hard to believe that Waddell would have closed had the school performed well. Come on. Give me a break.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-16115002724579112602012-07-08T14:58:24.628-04:002012-07-08T14:58:24.628-04:00An interesting side note to the building of Waddel...An interesting side note to the building of Waddell. A large group of Providence parents and South Meck parents fought locating the school on Nation's Ford, as it was obvious that was not where the growth was. When we lost the school board vote, we then attempted to persuade the county commission to refuse to release the bond funds designated for a new "south" high school. At Large Member Becky Carney, who had lived in southeast Charlotte while her children attended high school and then had moved on up to Queens Road, refused to talk to any of us (as did Parks Helms). The board went on to release the funds and the inappropriately placed school was built. So when Becky made her recent "mistake" when voting on fracking I had little sympathy for her. She left a lot of students crying over future school reassignments and she didn't care at all.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-68895198157855827222012-07-08T13:19:18.389-04:002012-07-08T13:19:18.389-04:00...still waiting on the 10 year, $1.86 BILLION dol......still waiting on the 10 year, $1.86 BILLION dollar bond package to rear its ugly head again...<br /><br /><b><i>....After a long recession-driven slump in school construction, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools officials laid out a $1.86 billion 10-year plan for school construction and renovation Tuesday (January 25, 2012)....</i></b><br /><br />Insanity....Wiley Coyotehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16966764080565903720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-35676945337961242862012-07-08T12:59:51.880-04:002012-07-08T12:59:51.880-04:0010:37
Why then wasn't West Charlotte, West Mec...10:37<br />Why then wasn't West Charlotte, West Meck, and Garinger shut down. Also, if you look into the history of Harding (around 2008-2009), you will find that its test scores were abysmal. They went up in the following years because Harding's parents fought for and received standards for acceptance into the all magnet school, especially the level III or IV on the EOGs mandate (same for Berry). This requirement, along with zone restrictions for IB choices, made the magnet (population decreased at Berry also, making them underutilized) population decrease. Scores the next year rose. The only turning around it did was changing the student population. Now it is turned in the opposite direction. <br /><br />Waddell had a 30& EC population which included severe special needs (beds and wheelchairs), Autistic, Occupational, LD, etc. Their are federal laws about how many students can be in each classroom. Waddell's utilization numbers were cooked.....look at the way they are now characterized to accommodate the language school. There are only 72 classrooms at Waddell, Smith had, I think, 71 classrooms and was overcrowded. How has moving to Waddell relieved that overcrowding?<br /><br />Waddell was built in 2001, Harding in 1959 with all of the maintenance issues surrounding such an old facility. Simple solution, move Harding to Waddell, change Waddell's name to incorporate both school names, and move Smith to Harding or one of the other closed schools. <br /><br />Several reasons why that did not happen: Smith parents did not want their children going into that neighborhood with such an open campus; powers that be manipulated a fight within the black community between Harding and Waddell advocates that turned ugly; Waddell did not have a powerful alumni base; Smith had been promised Waddell at least a year earlier so reacted strongly when told the move would be to Harding, even saying they would rather stay where they were; and powerful political entities and strange bedfellows allied<br />to give Waddell to Smith. Erica Ellis-Stewart sold everyone out to save Harding then shipped her son to Raleigh. <br /><br />Waddell initially, was told it would not close because it did not meet the criteria the board had set but, of course, they kept cooking the numbers until the numbers placed West Charlotte over Waddell. Go look at all of Mike Raible's charts from the beginning in 2009 when the board was setting their guidelines.<br /><br />Federal grant money for magnets had run out, Waddell was sacrificed to save magnet programs.<br /><br />Sorry for the long history lesson, but I am tired of the misconceptions regarding the closing of Waddell. I will bet money that the cost to modify that school overshadows any so-called savings. Didn't the new occupants have to stay out of the gym for a while because a kid got hurt?<br /><br />Where are the reports on everything related to those closures, especially the financials?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-15331192013706742022012-07-08T11:57:32.219-04:002012-07-08T11:57:32.219-04:00Waddell, West Meck and West Charlotte all had/have...Waddell, West Meck and West Charlotte all had/have dismal graduation rates and performance.<br /><br />Their grad rates at the time were all within a point or two of one another yet Waddell closed, West Meck still plugs along and we all know what's going on with "saving" West Charlotte.<br /><br />As far as me "buying into CMS' song and dance" about budgetary decisions is a FACT, whether schools were closed then or sometime down the road.<br /><br />Waddell should have NEVER been built there as Whitewater was built where it is. Whitewater was vastly underutilized which is why students were moved there as part of the closings.<br /><br />CMS didn't go far enough cutting the budget and dumping properties.<br /><br />So, to answer your question, I do not jest.Wiley Coyotehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16966764080565903720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-43086651510065167802012-07-08T11:39:34.163-04:002012-07-08T11:39:34.163-04:009:36
I agree with you up until the point you sugg...9:36<br /><br />I agree with you up until the point you suggest non-EC parents should tackle the issue of poorly executed inclusion practices. EC parents should be driving this issue with non-EC parent support. You are correct, having more than 3 or 4 kids with learning disabilities and/or other disabilities mainstreamed into a regular classroom doesn't serve any student well. On the other end, EC (by definition) includes kids who are classified as gifted. The problem here is that CMS has three times the number of gifted students as the national average. The criteria for being identified as gifted can vary dramatically from one school system to the next. In real world, a typical classroom shouldn't have anymore gifted EC kids in it than learning disabled EC kids. By law, both groups are entitled to extra educational services. So, the problem isn't simply how CMS executes EC services it's also how CMS identifies EC students.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-36260891507974226012012-07-08T11:22:32.696-04:002012-07-08T11:22:32.696-04:00Listen folks for the last time this is why LIFT wo...Listen folks for the last time this is why LIFT wont work. Its leader Watts is a "snake salesman" who quit CMS to go sell the community on how bad it is. If its so bad then stay away Denise. She found a excuse to sell to some corporate minority folks to get some cash. Its a bake sale for her to get a six figure job for 4-5 years. Get it straight this is not gonna change she is a "snake salesman" backed by KOJO ! Besides Al Sharpton Kojo makes snakes !Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4020455191286536580.post-20182880449513579802012-07-08T10:47:42.041-04:002012-07-08T10:47:42.041-04:008:43
Surely you jest, Wiley. Waddell was built in...8:43<br /><br />Surely you jest, Wiley. Waddell was built in the wrong place but I find it hard to believe you bought into CMS' song and dance about closing the school strictly for budgetary reasons.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com