See also the statements against consolidation by
both school boards.
Many citizens spoke at the
29 August 2011 VBOE meeting
where all but one Valdosta School Board member
voted for the statement against consolidation.
VBOE then held three open forums:
Continue reading
held by the Valdosta
Board of Education at JL Lomax Elementary School 25 October 2011.
This forum was advertised starting
29 August 2011, almost two months in advance, and was
the third of three forums held by VBOE.
As I asked back back on 1 September,
Where was CUEE at the school board meetings?
One or two showed up at each of the VBOE forums.
Where were the rest of them?
Oh, that’s right!
CUEE’s idea of a forum is to phone up
selected people in the middle of the night to come to
a meeting when both school superintendents are out of town,
oh, and not invite the newspaper of record.
If you still haven’t been to a real open forum, the Lowndes Continue reading
Referendum SupportersMrs. Julia AriallJohn and Helen Bennett Mr. James Bridges The Honorable Tim [Golden? Carroll?] Mr. Kevin Conrad Mr. & Mrs. Joe Cordova Mr. Ed Crane Mr. Curtis Fowler Mr. Jeff Hanson Mr. Lee Henderson Mr. Ryan Holmes Mr. Jerry Jennett Mr. Joe Johnson Greg and Nancy Justice Mr. Matthew Lawrence Mr. Richard Lee Mr. James McGahee Mr. Dutton Miller Mr. John Peeples Mrs. Jennifer Powell Mr. Donald (Butch) Williams |
Time to stand up and be counted. There are two sides to this issue. There’s the truth, and there’s a lie.
Which side are you on?
They say they have to guard us to educate their child.And what about the Chamber board, which apparently is no longer unanimous?
Their children live in luxury, our children almost wild.
Which side are you on, which side are you on?
— Florence Reese
How about Chamber members? Those signs out front of the Chamber: do they represent you?
Which side are you on?
-jsq
Jeff Bryant wrote for Campaign for America’s Future 13 October 2011, Starving America’s Public Schools: How Budget Cuts and Policy Mandates Are Hurting Our Nation’s Students
Critics of America’s public schools always seem to start from the premise that the pre-kindergarten-through-12th-grade public education system in this country is failing or in crisis.
This crisis mentality is in stark contrast to years of survey research showing that Americans generally give high marks to their local
schools. Phi Delta Kappa International and Gallup surveys have found that the populace holds their neighborhood schools in high regard; in fact, this year’s survey found that “Americans, and parents in particular, evaluate their community schools more positively than in any year since” the survey started.
The first factor: New austerity budgets passed by state legislatures are starting to have a huge influence on direct services to children, youth, and families.Well, we don’t have that problem in Valdosta City and Lowndes Schools. For example, graduation rates in Valdosta schools have been improving year over year, and both school systems are solvent.
So what happened instead?
Why, they made up a crisis instead!
A local business group convinced enough registered voters to sign a petition to get a referendum on the November 8th ballot to decide whether to abolish the Valdosta City School System, which would force the Lowndes County School System to take it over, and also would result in massively raised taxes, which still wouldn’t be enough, so services would have to be cut. Voila! Forced budget crisis! Fortunately, the two school systems have seen through it, and Continue reading
Greg Gullberg wrote for WCTV 22 October 2011, ‘Vote No’ For Consolidation March,
For the second week in a row, protesters picket outside the Chamber of Commerce to the tune of: ‘No Consolidation’.
But unlike the occupy movement, this rally has one message; one voice.
They say: ‘Vote No’…..
But what does Valdosta’s first black mayor say about it?
“Just Vote No,” the Mayor chants from a podium.
Mayor Sonny Vickers is one of the strongest opponents of the consolidation plan. “The group that’s pushing this has no authority. No kind of plan to tell us anything. Because they are not on the board. So they cannot tell us anything specific about what’s going to happen,” says Mayor Vickers.
The letter is on the LAKE website. Here are a few excerpts:Sent: Tue, October 25, 2011 7:55:07 AM
Subject: Letter to the Staff
Friends,
Attached is a copy a document that was sent to all Lowndes County teachers and staff from Dr. Steve Smith.
Thanks,
Sam Allen
Samuel Allen, Superintendent Emeritus [Valdosta City Schools]
REAL TRUTH: Continuing all of the current programs the Valdosta City School System and the Lowndes County School System have wouldContinue readingrequire a millage rate of approximately 24 mills. Considering state law limits us to 21 mills, some programs will be eliminated. The decision to eliminate such programs will be recommended by the Lowndes County Superintendent, subject to final approval by the Lowndes County Board of Education. There will be winners and losers in consolidation and several current successful programs will likely have to go.
Valdosta, Lowndes County and other concerned citizens marched from the Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce building through downtown to Rev. Martin L. King Jr., Monument. There were many speeches given along with the sharing of ideas at this historic event. The marchers were lead by Valdosta Police Department and eneded in peace as we all expected in our beloved community. Peace!
-George Boston Rhynes
Here’s the video:
George Rhynes talks to No Consolidation marchers
No school consolidation,
Vote No for Consolidation March, Friends of Valdosta City Schools (FVCS),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 22 October 2011.
Videos by George Rhynes for bostongbr on YouTube.
-jsq
Here is the entire march southbound crossing the tracks.
Here’s Video 1 of 3: Continue reading
There was quite a bit of overlap between Marching to Occupy Valdosta
and the Vote No March.
Gretchen’s sign says Occupy the Voting Booth.
Here’s Part 1 of 2:
Occupy the Voting Booth @ Vote No for Consolidation March 22 October 2011 Part 1 of 2:
No school consolidation,
Vote No for Consolidation March, Friends of Valdosta City Schools (FVCS),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 22 October 2011.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman and John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
Amber Smith,
intrepid subjective VSU Spectator reporter,
wrote LHS Alum Against Consolidation.
Here Amber, Bobbi Anne Hancock, LHS student Nathan Wilkins,
and VSU professor Karen Noll all march together.
They all Marched to Occupy Valdosta.
(Erin was in Atlanta, and Austin and others were out of town due to
VSU’s Fall Break.)
Doubtless there were others; nobody tried to take a head count of the crossover.
Here’s Part 2 of 2: Continue reading
Rev. Floyd Rose, president of the local Southern Christian Leadership
Conference (SCLC), spoke against school consolidation yesterday at the
Valdosta to Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who founded SCLC.
Here’s the video:
There’s a mousetrap in the house –Rev. Floyd Rose @ Vote No for Consolidation March 22 October 2011
No school consolidation,
Vote No for Consolidation March, Friends of Valdosta City Schools (FVCS),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 22 October 2011.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman and John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
-jsq