The Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board is looking for a new member, and if history is any indication, there'll be a lot of interest.
Joyce Waddell, who represented District 3, stepped down to assume her role in the N.C. Senate. Her district runs from uptown north and east through the University City area.
Waddell ran unopposed in 2013. But in elections before that, the District 3 seat has been one of the more hotly contested positions on the board.
Nine names appeared on the ballot in 2009, when Waddell won the seat with 32 percent of the vote.
Four people vied for the seat in 2005, when George Dunlap won re-election.
Dunlap, who now is a Mecklenburg County commissioner, ran unopposed a few times before that.
Applications are due Feb. 2. You can apply online here. They'll pick somebody Feb. 5.
I have two people so far that I've confirmed are going to apply.
- Levester Flowers is a retired Bank of Amerca employee and a familiar face in local politics. He's a regular speaker in the public comment sessions and has been vocal about getting families more involved in their children's education. In 2011, as CMS moved to shut down campuses amid budget cuts, Flowers organized a group called "Save Our Schools." He has run for a seat on the City Council before.
He told the Observer he is throwing his hat in the ring to help continue the "upward spiral" of test scores, graduation rates and reading proficiency.
- Pat Martinez is a Charlotte businesswoman who runs a company called "Leadership in the Clouds," which works with other businesses on leadership development. She is an advocate for the Latino community and would be one of the first Hispanic people on the school board (if not the first).
She said she wants to "work with school board members to restore trust and continue to enhance the integrity of our school system."
Posts
14 comments:
He told the Observer he is throwing his hat in the ring to help continue the "upward spiral" of test scores, graduation rates and reading proficiency.
Educrats have already dumbed the system down for the current "upward spiral". So what's left to "dumb down" to ensure we get a 100% graduation rate and students continue to learn nothing in the process?
She said she wants to "work with school board members to restore trust and continue to enhance the integrity of our school system."
Trust? Trust doesn't help Little Johnny to read and there will never be any integrity in the public school system until all the current driving principles are eliminated; diversity, income, race, zip code, etc.
Just educate the KIDS!
How about an independent review of Battle's secret investigation of Morrison that led to his rapid firing before a new school board member is named? Who knows who might be a member of this cabal? We certainly don't need to strengthen it, as much as the majority of the current board might wish to.
How about someone who will let the students learn again how to add and subtract using the old fashion easy way with algorithms?
Anon at 6:41, are you implying that most members of the school board can add and subtract using any method at all? Are you implying the school board has a collective brain?
7:00 PM
Yes, we call them the BORG....
All educrats have been assimilated.
B - Board
O - Of
R - Regurgitated
G - Garbage
Start a write in campaign, I Larry Bumgarner am throwing in my name.
I went online last night and filled out the form, but it came up as a 404 for the confirmation, so if others have that problem then we know something wrong with the application.
The write in campaign should include all the reasons I should not be on the board.
That way you and the board can prove all this talk is just that, and no changes really need take place.
I will be bringing back the site www.Deconsolidate.com to get our system deconsolidated into manageable community driven and service school systems.
Oh and I will ask the school board to donate their salary to the most challenged schools, like I will do we can show this is for the Kids and not a stepping stone for another public office.
Oh and like Ann Doss Helms published before about potential applicants like me, I am using this as way of showing displeasure over the current system.
Showing displeasure, I should not be the one showing displeasure, the system should be showing its own displeasure on how badly it is operating, as they are watching the many lost lives they are producing each and every day.
So it will be interesting to see how Andrew handles the less than a cheerleader applicant.
So far he has provided more actual background and research on CMS than we have been privy to in some time.
So I hope we see even those of us who want a good change for the kids have just as much a chance as the one who will fall lockstep and already picked for the job.
You know the way things always go in Charlotte.
The 10 point scale will insure those who make a B make A, C is a B, D is a C, and F is a D.
Its college scale but high school is not college. Clearly its a gimmick.
When grades are artificially higher it makes students feel better about themselves?
Why not just give everyone an A ?
Why are they doing this now? What about all the 100 million students who had to live under the old system?
Would it be possible for school systems to arrange all past and present students to have the same so past students can feel better about themselves too?
This way if you had a B overall average you can now change your resume to say you had an A average, etc.
Plus a lot of students would not have to have gone to summer school, missed a grade, or even flunked out.
This is not fair. Where do you lodge a complaint?
I am a little naïve with who is in charge of who in a school system, so for CMS or North Carolina, who is George Battles boss? Who hires him, fires him?
Thank you!
Anon 10:18, Battle reports to the school board.
9:34
The Washington Post did a large series on the DC schools back I think in 2007 (DC schools are some of the worst in the nation). They report about how one high schools valedictorian when he tried to get into college, not only did he fail the remedial math and English exams for college placement, he was found to have a 6th grade level math and reading at 8th grade level.
It really is a serious issue, that should not be taken lightly in a community. It is a disservice to the student, the parent(s) and the entire community.
CMS really needs to watch themselves, dumbing down the classroom to cater to students who have crappy parents is a complete disservice to everyone. It increases crime rates in the future for that graduating class, it increases unemployment for that graduating class, it really should be considered malpractice and abuse.
It is unfortunate that this is how CMS is running its system.
Thank Andrew,
So per state guidelines, when there is a conflict of interest, as in the current CMS issue of: Battle vs. Morrison firing vs. BOE vs. constituents want and outside investigation---what do state guidelines say? CMS guidelines?
I feel the state needs to look into all of the above, but because I am naïve, I can't tell who is ultimately in charge of a NC school systems BOE, what the guidelines say about conflict of interest and community frustration/lack of trust of the BOE. Does the state come in or have rights to? Does the state have a right to come in and take over the BOE?
I was hoping the CO would explain by now, but I am writing on this blog in hope of finding answers.
9:34
"CMS really needs to watch themselves, dumbing down the classroom".
As you pointed out, this isn't just a CMS issue but a much broader issue. Prior to moving to Charlotte (1992), I taught as an adjunct assistant professor of dance at Penn State University. Throughout the semester, Penn State would assign someone to check in with professors regarding attendance and performance practices of minority students because - apparently - minority students attending this major university couldn't be held fully responsible for getting to class and completing coursework themselves.
I can't make this stuff up.
Resistance is futile.
Alicia
anon 9:34 I suppose you can slap a letter, or title, on any student and it still doesn't change the fact that, in the end, the truth always comes out. Like the B student who has to attend remedial classes after he/she graduates from CMS.
Post a Comment