Sam Allen of Friends of Valdosta City Schools (FVCS) tells us
what CUEE didn’t.
“You can read the billboards, you can look at the pretty brochures, but that’s all your going to get.”So what haven’t we been told? Continue reading
Craig Howley, Jerry Johnson, Jennifer Petrie wrote 1 February 2011,
Consolidation of Schools and Districts: What the Research Says and What it Means:
…the review of research evidence detailed in this brief suggests that a century of consolidation has already produced most of the efficiencies obtainable. Research also suggests that impoverished regions in particular often benefit from smaller schools and districts, and they can suffer irreversible damage if consolidation occurs.Isn’t such irreversible damage what Rev. Floyd Rose got Mrs. Ruth Council to admit?
They are referring to black schools before desegregation in the 1960s.Rev. Rose: “…we were told about the world, where we came from, how we got here.”
Mrs. Council: “I think we did receive a better education.”
Rev. Floyd Rose is president of the local SCLC, and here is a statement by Leigh Touchton, president of the local NAACP: Continue reading
Continue readingQuestions abound: Why is it that Lowndes County residents will not be voting on the most important issue to face their school system since its inception in 1950?
If I lived in the county I’d be mad that CUEE and the Chamber of Commerce chose to leave my vote out of such a very important decision.
Quick fact: Consolidation alone will not save money & Consolidation alone will not improve academic success, according to the Vinson Institute report commissioned by CUEE and the Chamber.
Further Query: Why would CUEE and the Chamber of Commerce spend $50 grand to collect the signatures for the petition causing the City of Valdosta to spend thousands of tax dollars (2 staff dedicated to task & 4 temps hired) to verify the signatures on the petition?
I have actually attended several of the public meetings and listened to the discussions from the Education Planning Committee. I’m not sure if you realize this or not, but the committee consists of parents, concerned residents and educators from both school systems and VSU. The committee also has members who are supportive and opposed to school unification, and it includes both city and county residents. In fact, Sam Allen even attended and participated in the last meeting.Continue readingThe objective of the Education Planning Committee is to
It seems to me the burden of proof is on the people proposing to make massive changes in the local education system. And CUEE has not provided any evidence for their position. Sam Allen of Friends of Valdosta City Schools (FVCS) pithily sums up CUEE:
“It’s not about the children. It’s about somebody’s ego.”
I don’t think the children should have to suffer for somebody’s ego.
CUEE’s unification push isn’t about education. It’s about a “unified platform” to attract industry. That alone is enough reason to oppose “unification”. It’s not about education!
As former Industrial Authority Chair Jerome Tucker has been heard to remark on numerous occassions, “nobody ever asked me how many school systems we had!” The only example in Georgia CUEE points to for this is the Kia plant that came to Troup County, Georgia. It’s funny how none of the locals seem to have mentioned any such connection in the numerous articles published about the Kia plant. Instead, the mayor of the town with the Kia plant complains that his town doesn’t have a high school. That’s right: he’s complaining that the school system is too consolidated! The only actual education between Kia and education in Troup County is with West Georgia Tech, the local technical college.
CUEE has finally cobbled together an education committee, but it won’t even report back before the proposed ballot referendum vote. CUEE has no plan to improve education.
If CUEE actually did want to help the disadvantaged in the Valdosta City schools, Continue reading
Sam Allen asked in various ways:
“What about the children?”He made it clear he doesn’t think school consolidation will help the children, and it will definitely hurt current Valdosta teachers and staff, so he says don’t do it.
Continuing the FVCS press conference, Sam Allen asked some good questions,
“If the school system was good enough for them, why isn’t it good enough for us?”and
“If there’s not going to be any change, why are we doing it?”
Here’s Part 1 of 9: Continue reading
I remember when Lowndes County consolidated two high schools into one, and the rationale was cost saving and more resources for science classes. What it was really about was football. And it worked: Lowndes High School now often wins the state championship, and Valdosta hasn’t in a decade. While education lags behind.
I think the Lowndes County Board of Education is doing the right Continue reading
3. Kennedy School in Portland, OregonThe school rehab could be an idea for pine grove school: closest hotel to the base with non traditional services.
You won’t mind staying after school at the Kennedy School hotel. A former neighborhood elementary school, the Kennedy was transformed into a luxurious and funky hotel, with guest rooms in former classrooms – complete with school-related décor like blackboards and coatrooms. After-school features include a restaurant, multiple bars,
a brewery and a movie theater. Set in an up-and-coming residential neighborhood, the Kennedy draws locals and visitors alike.
-gretchen
Sam Allen, former chair of the Valdosta school board and head of
Friends of Valdosta City Schools (FVCS) held
a press conference
to announce opposition after
CUEE announced 9,000 petitions for a referendum to
combine the Valdosta and Lowndes County school systems..
Why so late with the opposition?
Sam Allen explained:
“We were scared. We were intimidated because we had heard about all these consultants coming down, and all these studies being done. So we just thought that we would just sit back and watch and this thing would eventually go away like a bad dream. But folks I want you to know it’s not going away like a bad dream. It’s becoming a nightmare.Guess they’re not scared any more.Now we stand before you with one purpose in mind: do not sign any petitions. … If it comes to a vote, we want you to vote no.”
He added: Continue reading
They have a facebook page.Friends of Valdosta City Schools, Inc.
P.O. Box 5514
Valdosta, Georgia 31602
allen306@bellsouth.net
(229) 244-8268
Sam Allen, Chairman
Valdosta City Schools Superintendent EmeritusPUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
June 30, 2011Press Release:
Friends of Valdosta City Schools, Inc. (FVCS) will be holding a Press Conference on the steps of Valdosta City Hall (216 E. Central Ave) at 10:00 AM on Thursday, July 7, 2011 to formally announce its opposition to the current effort by the “Community Unification for Educational Excellence” (CUEE) group to Consolidate the Valdosta City School System with Lowndes County School System. We are inviting all citizens of both Valdosta and Lowndes County who support the opposition of Unification/Consolidation of the school systems.Sam Allen, Chairman
229-244-8268
While I think FVCS is making one of CUEE’s mistakes in thinking this is all about Valdosta, FVCS’s event is something I can get behind. Maybe FVCS will even come out with what they are for.
-jsq