Tag Archives: CUEE

We still believe in school unification, but we can no longer support the current effort. —VDT

The VDT can read the handwriting on the wall, at least when it’s in the form of resolutions from both school boards.

After dancing around the issue and muttering about “ugly turns”, the VDT finally gets to the point in its editorial of today:

We still believe in school unification, but we can no longer support the current effort.

For the past several weeks, readers have asked us how unification would work. Would it change millage rates? Would students be bussed cross-county? Who would lose or keep their jobs? When would Valdosta City Schools dissolve its charter and the Lowndes County School System take over? What are the estimates on cost savings? Would it be more efficient? What happens Nov. 9, the day after the election?

We’ve asked these questions, too. No one can answer them.

The organization that worked to place the issue on the ballot has not offered satisfactory answers. Community Unification for Educational Excellence has admirably spent time proposing ways to increase academic performance if the systems are unified. But CUEE has yet to present a recommended plan for how the merger would work.

If the referendum passes, the school boards will decide how unification would proceed. And both school boards are opposed to unification.

It is this prevailing sense of the unknown that has spurred The Times to oppose the Nov. 8 referendum.

There are too many unanswered questions. There are too many uncertainties at this point. There has to be a better way to present this to the voters.

A vote for unification in this climate is a vote for chaos.

Most of those questions do have answers: Continue reading →

Anyone attending the CUEE meeting expecting a plan … left disappointed. —VDT

While many other people, such as Friends of Valdosta City Schools (FVCS), are trying to prevent the damage to education CUEE is trying to cause through its “unification” referendum, CUEE had a meeting of its educational committee yesterday.

Sharah Denton wrote for the VDT, CUEE focuses on academics:

Anyone attending the CUEE meeting expecting a plan for how unification of the city and county school systems would work left disappointed. Instead of discussing how the school systems might merge if CUEE’s campaign to dissolve the Valdosta school charter succeeds during the Nov. 8 election referendum, the Education Planning Task Force focused on its primary objective: improving academics for area students.
So they have no plan, and of course they also have no control over academics. If “unification” passes, that control would lie with Continue reading →

Why can’t Winnersville have two great school systems? —Sam Allen @ VBOE 29 August 2011

CUEE has lost its framing. Nobody calls it “unification” but CUEE. Everybody else calls it consolidation, same as for the last thirty years. And Sam Allen is turning the tide against it.

Sam Allen, president of Friends of Valdosta City Schools (FVCS) and former Valdosta School Superintendent said:

I promised myself three years ago when I left this place, that one thing I would never do, and that would come and attend another board meeting.
He said he came for a good cause this time.
The CUEE group is calling this unification all of a sudden. And I think that’s just a play on words, and a play on our intelligence. Because for thirty years we’ve called this process consolidation. Now all of a sudden we’re calling it unification.

We’re calling it unification because the only thing that we want to change is the central office. We want all the schools to remain the same. The only thing we want to change is what goes on right here at 1204 Williams Street.

Well if you’re going to unify a community, something has to change. This group has failed to put together a plan that we can follow.

And that’s the point, isn’t it? Continue reading →

Where was CUEE at the school board meetings?

If “unification” is about education, where was CUEE at the last two days’ school board meetings?

Maybe we’ll see CUEE at some of the three forums VBOE is organizing. Maybe they’ll address issues such as consolidation producing no improvement in academic achievement, consolidation causing increased taxpayer expense, and the need for any consolidation proposal to come from educators and parents, and to be voted on by all the citizens in the affected school districts; you know, the issues LCBOE just called them on.

-jsq

Celebrate the leadership that the BOEs have shown. —Karen Noll

Received yesterday on Unanimous: LCBOE votes to oppose school consolidation. -jsq
This is truly a time for educators, and the families of students in our communities’ schools to celebrate the leadership that the BOEs have shown.

That said, I would like to commend the LCBOE on the strength of their resolution. They not only state clearly that consolidating the schools would not increase in academic achievement, but a large tax increase would be expected. Another point that LCBOE included in their resolution is that such a referendum should only be brought by citizens, families, or educators. Jame Wright also made this point in his statement to city council last week. Without the support of the educators involved, and the families impacted, such a referendum question is just a big buck political agenda on the ballot.

This town is still small enough to call this spade – money trying to drive the education bus into the ditch.

Let me just say this-

NOT WITH MY KIDS’ EDUCATION, YOU DON’T!!!

The school systems don’t want to consolidate —WALB

Jade Bulecza wrote for WALB today, School systems oppose consolidation
Two south Georgia School systems don’t want to consolidate.
Hm, they noticed yesterday’s VBOE meeting with its statement and today’s LCBOE meeting with its resolution.

Almost as interesting is what they don’t mention. CUEE is not named; it’s just “a citizen group”. And there’s no mention that both meetings were full of FVCS people opposing consolidation, and not one single CUEE member willing to speak up for it. Less than two months ago, both WALB and WCTV named both groups and used words like “Talks Heat Up” (WALB) and “Showdown” (WCTV). What’s changed, TV media?

-jsq

Valdosta Board of Education considers consolidation tonight

This is a rare local government body that has their agenda online in web-accessible form (rather than entombed in a PDF). Tonight’s agenda includes this item:
17. A. Consolidation/board position – Mr. Lee – action required
Also this item:
18. B. Public forums on consolidation will be held Sept 8 (VHS PAC), Sept 20 (VMS) and Oct 25 (JLL) from 7-8:30 p.m.
I wonder will these be real forums, or the sort of fake forums VLCIA and CUEE have foisted on the community? CUEE’s Kick-Off meeting had no opponents speak, took questions only in writing, and conveniently didn’t get to Rev. Rose’s question of what would consolidation do to improve education. LAKE has published videos of the whole thing.

The only real dialog I’ve ever seen about education around here was was the one held by the Lowndes County Democratic Party 2 May 2011. LAKE has published videos of the whole thing.

According to the VBOE web page tonights meeting is: Continue reading →

Tonight: school consolidation referendum vote at Valdosta City Council

Now that CUEE got its 95 signatures more than 25% for a school consolidation referendum, the Valdosta City Council votes tonight on this item which has been added to their agenda:
5.a) Consideration of an Ordinance for a referendum to allow citizens of the City of Valdosta to vote on whether to annul and repeal the special independent school system so that the City of Valdosta public school system shall become part of the Lowndes County public school system.
This appears to be a pro-forma vote to put the referendum on the ballot. But you never know what might happen, especially in council comments or Citizens to Be Heard. Maybe FVCS will show up.

Thanks to Barbara Stratton for the heads-up.

Here’s the agenda.

AMENDED AGENDA REGULAR MEETING OF THE VALDOSTA CITY COUNCIL
5:30 PM Thursday, August 25, 2011
COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CITY HALL
Continue reading →

CUEE filed enough petitions for a referendum

Less than one percent of the registered voters in Valdosta have made the difference between CUEE’s school consolidation petition getting on the ballot and not.

According to the City of Valdosta’s website 19 August 2011: Continue reading →

Your children’s education at stake —Sam Allen, FVCS, 7 July 2011

Good question:
“Are you willing to put your children’s education at stake because somebody has promised you something they can’t deliver? I for one am not willing.”

Here’s the video:


Your children’s education at stake —Sam Allen, FVCS, 7 July 2011
No school consolidation,
Press Conference, Friends of Valdosta City Schools (FVCS),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 7 July 2011.
Videos by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

-jsq