Dysfunctional ACS Board meeting tonight

[DannyBoy]

Was anyone else in attendance at the board meeting tonight.  It was my first one.  I am no longer surprised at the current condition of our school system.  Tobi Jones....I take back everything I may have implied towards you on any past posts.

Several of the board members clearly have contempt for each other.  The president did not have any control.  Millikan is a bully.  The VP and the secretary sat there like they were spoiled kids that got sent to their room.  The secretary would all of the sudden call out for a vote.  The president would say ok Yeah or Ney.....board would vote...then someone would say what did we just do....let's do it over.  Apparently at the last special meeting, a resolution got jammed down the boards throat and they passed it anyway....shame on them.  Tobi brought it up that it should be reconsidered (hooray for her).  Millikan took offense because he knows he is 'right'.  The board re-voted asking for more time to consider the resolution they already passed.  Millikan got so upset he said...ok fine, we should just adjourn, then he got up and walked out.  It was awesome to watch.  Mr. Long was hung up trying to claim a "hypothetical" scenario to protect someone that must have been on the board before.  They rarely made eye contact with each other.  Erma Stewart and Tobi Jones seemed to be the only ones on the board that displayed a true caring for the community school system...and really wanted to do things right and give every consideration worthy discussion.

I am not sure what all was in the resolution in question.  It was something to do with the timing and who received the preliminary lay off notices.  Mr Millikan may be 100% correct; however watching the boards childish and unprofessional behavior was disturbing......like I said, I am not surprised our school system is in a shambles.

I really hope the board just takes whatever the ACSC challenge panel suggests and approves it.  If they try to come up with something on their own....we are doomed for repeated failure.

The AFT Representative didn't even bother to show up because 'something more important' came up.

When the patron from the crowd was speaking and making some great points...no one on the board, except Tobi and Erma, seemed to be paying any attention at all.  The superintendent and her cronies were sitting off to the side looking disgusted the whole time.

When it came time for new business....they were all so disturbed that someone blurted out a motion to adjourn and they all said YEAH and dispersed.

I could go on......

I saw that someone was video taping the meeting.  I would like to see the reaction to the state or federal secretary of education if they were to watch it.  I'm sure they would call for an immediate vote of 'no confidence' and take over our school system for us.  I used to think that would be a bad idea......Now I think it may be the best thing that could happen.

I will be interested to hear the AHB version of the meeting.

[Ghost of Jaco]

The ACS board has been a crock for a very long time.

A few choice examples:
The Chesterfield Elementary school couldn't be used anymore because it would have taken one million dollars to renovate it.
So they spent SEVEN million dollars renovating 10th Street school so they could bus the Chesterfield kids there.

Property taxes had to be raised because the population of Anderson was dropping and there were fewer students in the schools.
(I am not making that up, that was indeed their argument)

Fewer kids means fewer schools, so they began discussing closing Anderson High School.
Naturally this caused a huge brouhaha, but, hey, since it wasn't the Highland kids, who cares what the public thinks!
So the spent millions renovating the other high schools and renamed Madison Heights to Anderson High.
The old Anderson High School building was so embarrassed by the school board that it (apparently) self-immolated.

I haven't verified it, but someone told me yesterday that Lapel schools spend $10,000 per year per student and has a 92% graduation rate. Anderson schools spend $13, 000 per year per student and has a graduation rate of 52%.

[Gardengirl]

Perhaps the demographics are completely different for Lapel than for Anderson.

And, if Keith Millikan, the BEST teacher the Anderson schools EVER had says he's right, then he IS right! If he seems above everyone else, that is because he just is. He is just the best and it would serve everyone well to listen to the man!

[Anne]

I think you are correct GoJ about the amount of money spent on Lapel students and Anderson students, at least that is what I remember from the article in the paper. But the types of students are very different. ACS has a very large number of special needs students and low income students. IMO this makes a huge difference in graduation rates, etc. I'm not making excuses for ACS, the graduation rate is terrible, but their situation is very different from Lapel. I don't know what the solution is, but something needs to be done. Maybe the parents of students failing need to be forced to attend class with them!

[Ghost of Jaco]

Demographic differences aside, the ACS is a joke. Go to the top of the thread and read what Dannyboy wrote. He was there.

[Anne]

I did read it and it sounds like they must have all had a fight before the meeting and were pouting. Not adult behavior. I still think by trying to compare the students between Lapel (or most any similar small school system) is rather like comparing apples and oranges. When I went to my granddaughter's kindergarten class I was shocked at how far behind they were. It was Christmas time and some still didn't know their colors, abcs, shapes and there were only 12 or 13 in the class. After I met some of the parents I had a better understanding of the situation. I don't think you can lump all of these kids together and expect any or very few of them to excel esp. in the lower grades. I have three grandchildren who started their educaation in ACS. One an had excellent kindergarten teacher and could read and do math at grade 1 1/2 level, one could read at first grade level when she went into kindergarten and second grade at the end of kindergarten, the third could read a little when she went into kindergarten and through no teaching at school (all done at home) she read at first grade level at the end of kindergarten. I do not blame the teacher for this, she had her hands full with the very large boy who liked to hit people, the boy with the anger issues, the child who spoke no english, and the two little girls who "didn't have to listen because the teacher wasn't their boss".  Obviously something has to be done, maybe we should make the parents attend school with their children.

[kimmi]

I know this is a bit off topic but I did appreciate President Obama saying that education begins at home, turn off the TV and read to you child!!  Anne is so right in the discrepancy of the ability in children that come into kindergarten.  If most had been watching Sesame Street instead of Sponge Bob, they would have been better off.

Now return to your regularly scheduled program.

[Exterminator]

...turn off the TV and read to you child!

You're making the assumption that they can read.

[Ghost of Jaco]

I know this is a bit off topic but I did appreciate President Obama saying that education begins at home, turn off the TV and read to you(r) child!!  Anne is so right in the discrepancy of the ability in children that come into kindergarten.  If most had been watching Sesame Street instead of Sponge Bob, they would have been better off.

Now return to your regularly scheduled verbal abuse by Ex.

Amen, kimmi!

[kimmi]

You're making the assumption that they can read.

Also true!!  We can ask them to stick to the basics and leave the Dr. Seuss to the experts! 

[Gardengirl]

People have been saying the same thing Obama said for YEARS and it seems to do no good! People use TV to babysit their kids.

Out here in California, I am shocked by the amount and kind of work a first grader does. And, it should be the same nationwide since it's all due to the No Child Left Behind act. My granddaughter has 10 pages of English and 8 pages of math due each week as her homework. The math we're talking is pre-algebra and geometry and the kids don't even have their addition to the 9's memorized yet! But, the kids are still expected to learn things above their head. The teacher said he sets them up for failure, and it is so true.

[Exterminator]

Amen, kimmi!

I see that empirical data isn't the only thing you'll twist to suit your needs.   

[Ma and Pa]

I feel like the crux of the problem is that education is not valued today as much as it was in the past. When we (baby boomers, in general) attended school, it was looked upon as our job. As an employer has certain expectations of his employees: be there on time, every day; follow the rules, and do good work-- so too did the school system have pretty much the same expectations of us, and they were backed by our parents who held us to similar standards. Nowadays, sadly, the same doesn't hold true. Kids expect immediate gratification for any expenditure of effort, and education's benefits sometime don't show their truest value until an individual gets out into the "real world". Besides, they think they will all get into professional sports, and failing that, there's always the lottery to win! And parents don't seem to care.

And Kimmi, you couldn't be more right: one of the most important things parents (and grandparents) can do for kids is READ to them, and instill in them a desire to acquire knowledge, either thru the schools, or by their own efforts. Kids need library cards more than they need video games! But that's just an old geezer's viewpoint.

[kimmi]

I feel like the crux of the problem is that education is not valued today as much as it was in the past. When we (baby boomers, in general) attended school, it was looked upon as our job. As an employer has certain expectations of his employees: be there on time, every day; follow the rules, and do good work-- so too did the school system have pretty much the same expectations of us, and they were backed by our parents who held us to similar standards. Nowadays, sadly, the same doesn't hold true. Kids expect immediate gratification for any expenditure of effort, and education's benefits sometime don't show their truest value until an individual gets out into the "real world". Besides, they think they will all get into professional sports, and failing that, there's always the lottery to win! And parents don't seem to care.

And Kimmi, you couldn't be more right: one of the most important things parents (and grandparents) can do for kids is READ to them, and instill in them a desire to acquire knowledge, either thru the schools, or by their own efforts. Kids need library cards more than they need video games! But that's just an old geezer's viewpoint.

Thanks!

Part of the problem that I see is that no one trusts anyone with their children anymore.  Some of it is for good reason, but I think sheltering children doesn't allow for them to learn some life lessons.  Plus if your child never feels failure of any kind until they are older, they wouldn't have developed the coping skills needed for those situations. 

I don't trust the bus driver so I drive my kid to school.  Okay but there are social interactions - both good and bad - that are learning lessons.  Kids then learn that buses are bad places.  Is that appropriate? 

Walking your child to their room every morning.  Although appropriate on certain occasions, a child who has this done for them every day doesn't have to be responsible to learn how to do it themselves, doesn't think they can do it themselves, and mommy's (and daddy's) cord gets bigger and tighter. 

NOT MY CHILD!  Really?  We were all kids.  I find it hard to believe that any one of us were perfect in that what the teacher said we did was an out right lie if they sent a note home or called.  My parents really were not interested in what I had to say.   Well I guess children must be a whole lot more perfect than we were because "NOT MY CHILD!" is a mantra of too many parents. 

I don't want my child to have any consequences so I'll do their homework for them.  Really?  You already passed the 4th grade.  It is now their turn. 

I don't want my child to go on a field trip unless I can go.  I don't care if you only need 3 parents and have them already.  Oh and by the way, we won't be riding the bus either.     Is this your vacation?  Because last I checked I thought this was a learning experience and yes you will take a group of kids if you are coming! 

It is not that parents are not welcome at school, because they are.  There is a line though of over doing it.  I have parents float in and out all the time in my classroom, but the ones whose parents stand in the hall and fret while watching their 10 year old unpack their own bag or bite their nails to nubs until their child looks at them through the window one more time are only creating little anxious children who will probably be on Xanax before they are 18. 

Immediate gratification - I agree.  Education not valued - absolutely!!  How can you value education when you don't trust or respect the adults in charge?

[Sandy Eggo]

Or give your children some independence so that they may excel or make a mistake and learn from it?

I've seen it myself. I think they mean well, but sometimes parents help so much that they actually hinder the child.