Category Archives: Education

School Consolidation Lost by a Landslide with 14 of 16 precincts reporting

Not this time. Not Now. How about not ever after a 4 to 1 loss? 79.07% No Consolidation with 14 out of 16 precincts. All that is outstanding is provisional ballots and military, which are usually a handful. The percentage of no votes kept going up. Also more people voted on the school consolidation referendum than there were validated signatures on CUEE’s petition.

It looked like a landslide, and it was:

In other news, the mayoral vote almost voted that of four years ago. John W. Gayle will be the new Mayor of Valdosta with 57.3%.

Ben H. Norton retains his Valdosta City Council Seat with 76.56%.

Sunday sales of alcohol in Valdosta won with 52.3%. A similar alcohol referendum won in Lake Park with 65.99%.

It looks like Ben Futch will be the new Mayor of Lake Park with 54.85%.

Sandy Sherrill, Russell H. Lane, Paul Mulkey, and Roanald Carter will apparently be on the Lake Park City Council.

In Dasher, Edwin R. Smith will be City Council P3 and Donald J. Bryan will be P2.

In Hahira, Ralph Clendenin retains his City Council seat.

The school referendum details: Continue reading →

School Consolidation has Lost with 13 of 16 precincts reporting

The people united, were not defeated! 78% No Consolidation with 13 out of 16 precincts.

The percentage of no votes keeps going up, this time with since I last looked. There is no way school consolidation can win now.

School Referendum-Valdostatop
NO 6,153 – 78.07%
YES 1,728 – 21.93%
Total Votes: 7,881
Lowndes County Election Results
As of 11/08/2011 at 12:00pm, the turnout of
active registered voters was 16.4%

Refresh Page | Switch to Results

13 of 16 precincts are 100% reported:
  • Precinct 1 – Newsome
  • Precinct 2 – Pine Grove
  • Precinct 3 – Westminister
  • Precinct 5 – Jaycee
  • Precinct 6 – Naylor
  • Precinct 7 – Wood Valley
  • Precinct 8 – James H. Rainwater
  • Precinct 9 – New Clyatville
  • Precinct 10 – Mildred Hunter
  • Precinct 11 – Dasher
  • Precinct 12 – South Lowndes
  • Early Voting
  • Absentee Voting

School Consolidation Losing with 12 of 16 precincts reporting

In the latest election reports, more people voted about the school referendum than voted for Valdosta Mayor or City Council, and the precentage of no votes has actually gone up since I last looked. There is no way school consolidation can win now.
School Referendum-Valdostatop
NO 5,890 – 77.61%
YES 1,699 – 22.39%
Total Votes: 7,589
Lowndes County Election Results
As of 11/08/2011 at 12:00pm, the turnout of
active registered voters was 16.4%

Refresh Page | Switch to Results

12 of 16 precincts are 100% reported:
  • Precinct 1 – Newsome
  • Precinct 2 – Pine Grove
  • Precinct 3 – Westminister
  • Precinct 5 – Jaycee
  • Precinct 6 – Naylor
  • Precinct 7 – Wood Valley
  • Precinct 9 – New Clyatville
  • Precinct 10 – Mildred Hunter
  • Precinct 11 – Dasher
  • Precinct 12 – South Lowndes
  • Early Voting
  • Absentee Voting

School Consolidation Losing with 10 of 16 precincts reporting

One thing the Lowndes County government does well is election reports, and at this point I’m calling the school consolidation referendum as No Consolidation has won!
School Referendum-Valdostatop
NO 5,210 – 76.07%
YES 1,639 – 23.93%
Total Votes: 6,849
Lowndes County Election Results
As of 11/08/2011 at 12:00pm, the turnout of
active registered voters was 16.4%

Refresh Page | Switch to Results

10 of 16 precincts are 100% reported:
  • Precinct 1 – Newsome
  • Precinct 2 – Pine Grove
  • Precinct 3 – Westminister
  • Precinct 5 – Jaycee
  • Precinct 6 – Naylor
  • Precinct 7 – Wood Valley
  • Precinct 9 – New Clyatville
  • Precinct 11 – Dasher
  • Early Voting
  • Absentee Voting

Taxation without Representation —John S. Quarterman @ LCBOE 4 Oct 2011

As my mother, who used to teach at Pine Grove Elementary School (not a High School at that time), used to say, it takes a big man to admit it when he’s wrong, and Fred Wetherington is a big man
because he thought it was a good idea. He looked at the evidence; he looked at the research; and determined it was not a good idea.

I look forward to the members of CUEE standing up and being big men and women because the research, their own research, and the research that we’ve heard tonight, the research from Tennessee, and the research from Troup County: consolidation is not a good idea.

And I’m still waiting for some CUEE big men or women….

Anyway, my question: Continue reading →

What will happen to programs and SPLOST? —Sam Allen @ LCBOE 4 October 2011

Sam Allen offered his head as a crystal ball. Dr. Smith replied it wasn’t clear enough. Everybody laughed at that as this video started, in which Allen, president of Friends of Valdosta City Schools (FVCS), and former superintendent of Valdosta City Schools, asked several questions, most of which Dr. Smith would have had to have had a crystal ball to answer. The questions included what will happen to certain programs, and what will happen to Valdosta School SPLOST funds.

Lowndes County School System Attorney Warren Turner did clarify a bit of what would happen if consolidation passes:

If consolidation occurs, there is no such thing as the Valdosta City School System, from the date the Georgia Secretary of State approves it.

Once they certify the election, there is no central office of the Valdosta City School System. There is a property located on William Street that is part of the Lowndes County School System….

The real question is where would the funds desginated for those facilities go, and can you even spend it? Tax Commissioner doesn’t know; Attorney General doesn’t know; and we don’t know.

Sam Allen joked:
CUEE, they probably know.
Everybody thought that was pretty funny.

Here’s the video:


What will happen to programs and SPLOST? —Sam Allen @ LCBOE 4 October 2011
Why we oppose consolidation,
Community Forum, Lowndes County Board of Education (LCBOE),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 4 October 2011.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

-jsq

Is consolidation inevitable? —David Mullis @ LCBOE 4 Oct 2011

David Mullis, author of the most basic and comprehensive resource on school consolidation, the Grassroots Handbook Against School Consolidation, noted that the Chamber and CUEE had tried to paint Valdosta School Supt. Dr. Cason and Lowndes School Supt. Dr. Smith as saying school consolidation was inevitable.

Dr. Smith replied:

I use the word “may”. It may occur. I’m not like CUEE; I don’t have a crystal ball to predict the future.
David Mullis asked for further clarification based on the data we have today.

Supt. Smith’s answer:

Now is the worst possible time to even consider consolidation or any other education innovation that’s going to cost more money that has possibly little or no return.

Here’s the video: Continue reading →

What effect will this have on teachers’ jobs and salary? @ LCBOE 4 Oct 2011

Someone (didn’t get her name; sorry) wanted to know how CUEE could say, on their glossy flyer they mailed out, that no teachers would lose their jobs. Supt. Smith responded that there would be winners and losers, and unfortunately more winners than losers. Yes, teachers have contracts. However, due to the economy, Lowndes County Schools already have a Reduction in Force (RIF) policy, through which they have offered retirement and about 80 teachers have already taken advantage of it.

Here’s the video:


What effect will this have on teachers’ jobs and salary? @ LCBOE 4 Oct 2011
Why we oppose consolidation,
Community Forum, Lowndes County Board of Education (LCBOE),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 4 October 2011.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

-jsq

Has CUEE compared parental involvement between school systems? —a parent @ LCBOE 4 October 2011

A parent (didn’t get her name; sorry) who said her children were in Lowndes County schools and she had gone to Valdosta City schools wanted to know if CUEE had collected any data to compare parental involvement between the two school systems.
Parental involvement is not as high as it should be… and the first step will be to start in everyone’s home….
[applause]
(Oh, and I can hear Continue reading →

Who will be deciding where our little girls go to school? –Sam Worthington @ LCBOE 4 October 2011

A local dentist asked the Lowndes County School Board and staff:
Two little girls, one is ten and in the county, another is three and will be going to the county. When me and my wife moved into this area, we spent a lot of time deciding where we wanted to live mainly based upon based on schools, and the schools’ records; where we wanted our girls to go.

If consolidation goes through, who will be deciding where our little girls go to school?

Supt. Smith said the Lowndes County Board of Education would make the initial decision, but it would have to be approved by the Department of Justice,
and we all know what that might be. I’d rather control it locally.
[applause]
We know because Continue reading →