This item starts off with CCS Board Chairman Shearra Miller stating that CCS Supt. Fisher had drafted a letter to State Senator Ted Alexander asking for control of the CCS calendar be brought back to local authorities. Like Dr. Fisher just now discovered a problem with the calendar gap. Then Miller starts reading a resolution that accuses the NC General Assembly of “seizing control” of school calendars, “imposing a one size fits all mandate” on school calendars, etc. Basically, blaming the NC General Assembly, under Republican control, for all kinds of problems that CCS has totally created for themselves. All the while following the same old line of “resistance” proclaimed by the NC Association of School Boards (or whatever it is called”). Not very conducive for the General Assembly to cooperate with CCS I would say.
At second glance, this so-called “Resolution” drafted by Supt. Fisher at Chairman Miller’s direction, including the accusations noted above and other more subtle language that was actually a hateful, devious and deceptive ploy by the School Board to sabotage the whole process with the General Assembly while holding hostage the vocational educational opportunity for many Cleveland County students.
Such language accusing the NC General Assembly of “Seizing Control” and “imposing mandates” and other such language in this resolution is more than just the run of the mill “resistance” as seen every day that President Donald Trump has been President. The School Board is blaming every single problem at CCS on the Republicans in the General Assembly and Danny Blanton too. If the General Assembly accepts the Resolution as is, in the name of helping in the vocational educational development of our children, politically they have “bought” the idea that they, the NC General Assembly, were the problem to begin with. If the NCGA rightly kicks back this Resolution because of the improper “political” language and the calendars are not changed, the NCGA will be blamed for depriving kids of a proper education. And, in the process, make Danny Blanton look bad for pushing such a resolution with such offensive language. There is more.
Then, and seeming to be an incredible act, Chairman Shearra Miller lays it upon Danny Blanton to get the ball rolling with getting the Commissioners, CCC, Town Mayors and others onboard with endorsing this resolution that will essentially only provide a short-term fix to long term problems at CCS. As well as provide political “hay” for attacking the Republicans in the NC General Assembly as well as any Republican candidates for the School Board in the 2020 Elections.
Many of us would, if we were in Danny Blanton’s shoes, (that is being undercut and ignored so many times and even more so in the January 28, 2019 CCS Board meeting) might just say, let Dr. Fisher handle this. That is what all of you other Board Members say is his job. But Danny Blanton rose above all of the other Board members pettiness, for the noble purpose of trying to help the children of Cleveland County, accepted the responsibility of getting signatures on all the documents and getting the documents to Raleigh. But, in fact, Miller’s actions of letting Danny Blanton handle the task of running this Resolution, “Poison Pills” and all, is clearly a planned scheme to cast blame on the NCGA as well as Danny Blanton.
But even more issues cropped up with this Resolution to resolve this school calendar “flexibility” fix that were not originally caught by anyone. It took several hours of sleepless thinking in the middle of the night to realize some of the other problems. Big problems too.
One problem that ironically came from Danny Blanton’s own comments was when he stated that rearranging the school calendar to where students take tests right after the lessons would improve test scores. An example was taking exams right before the Christmas Holidays instead of after. Also so sated in one of the Resolution Whereas’s. Something seemed amiss about this approach. I am sure Danny Blanton’s main concern was eliminating that 30-day calendar gap and his comment on better scores was the result of improper influences as described below.
I realized that this “raising scores” or” lowering scores” concept was the major reason that a Year-Round schedule had been adopted several years ago for several failing Cleveland County schools in an artificial attempt to get their scores up. The year-round school schedule did not add one minute of additional instruction time for students. It just rearranged the failing school schedules so state mandated tests were taken right after the student were “crammed” for the tests. I also realized that many students, including myself in college, would “cram for exams” the day (and night) before exams. Probably every student in the world has done that at one time or another.
I also began to realize that this “cram for exams” does work to get better scores on a particular test. But I also realized the “education” for our children that we pay so dearly for is for the long-term. We go to school to learn the lessons we will need and use for the rest of our individual lives. “Cramming” today for a test tomorrow is not nearly as effective as long-term learning technique based on repetition over time. Building today on what you learned yesterday. Building tomorrow on what you learn today. And so on. I soon concluded that having schools with such Year-Round schedules are actually very devious and deceptive frauds. An artificial way that test scores are only slightly raised a bit to indicate some improvement. Which only helps the school system look good to the State Board of Education and citizens too, but to the actual detriment of students who were only taught to take the test and were vulnerable to begin with. And will now be lacking in many skills for the rest of their lives.
The discussion on this “calendar flexibility” Resolution also took other twists and turns. Often to the “dark” side. And in hateful, devious and deceptive ways.
Several of the “Whereas’s” in the Resolution state that due to state mandates certain “winter graduates” will not be able to start community college or universities in the second semester. The fact is most colleges and universities have their courses laid out in a certain order. An order where you take introductory courses in the first semester mand more advanced courses after that. The fact is also that most high school students that graduate in the winter are graduating early because they have run out of high school courses to take.
All this boils down to two things:
1. The High Schools do not provide enough advanced courses for college bound students to take.
2. If this calendar flexibility resolution results in a calendar change, the students who might graduate early and then immediately enter college at the more advanced level, many more will likely flunk out of college.
And our school board is wanting to put into place measures that will increase the flunk-out rate for these college students? Wouldn’t it be better to keep a full high school schedule with appropriate coursework to better prepare college students for college? Isn’t that answer obvious? Yet, our school board wants to take the easy way out for them without giving a hoot about students. Is that hateful, devious and deceptive or what?
Probably the silliest “Whereas” was that Sports and Band schedules have not changed from before the so-called state mandated schedule. My thoughts on that: So what???
Probable the most cynical “Whereas” is local boards of education “are best equipped to understanding the balancing act of meeting the community’s needs and maximizing student success.” After attending or watching videos of every single school board meeting for over five years now, and paying attention; I would say the CCS statistic that says 46% of graduating students do not read, write and do math at proficient levels is proof enough that whatever the CCS Board Members goals really are; properly educating the children of Cleveland County is not one of them.
Now folks, after saying all of that, I would suggest that we support a CCS school calendar change as a temporary fix to help those students that are in the pipeline this very minute. The key word is TEMPORARY!!! All the while we have to demand that the CCS Board immediately review their curricula, demographics, “community needs”, etc. and develop a real live strategic plan to return our Cleveland County education system, both CCS and CCC, to the levels and standards of years back when the education system in the USA was the best in the world. To educate our children to become first class productive citizens instead of spitting out socialist sympathizing indoctrinated morons who can’t read, write and do arithmetic proficiently. Or find a job.
Cleaning house on the school board at the 2020 elections would also be a good idea. They have lost the trust of citizens. They have lost the trust of the County Commissioners who have already taken the step of removing the School Board’s authority to appoint CCC Board of Trustees. We need a school board that will work toward what is in the best interest of our children’s education and not some Raleigh based liberal-socialist political agenda.
That’s my 2 cents. Stay tuned for the news about this “calendar flexibility” stuff as it develops.
