Editor’s Note: Folks, this article is NOT a trick article, an Eritas (Satire spelled backwards) or rhetorical hyperbole. This is 100% documented TRUE for all to see. YOU citizens, parents, taxpayers and voters can figure this out for yourselves. But, before this is over, YOU will realize that YOU have been had by CCS and Robert A has been telling you the truth all along. And Robert A is telling you one more time. YOU HAVE BEEN HAD!!! And YOU have done YOUR children a disservice of epic proportions!!!
The email from the Charlotte Observer came in to Robert A yesterday Morning. The subject was “North Carolina Elementary Schools Rated.” Robert A does NOT subscribe to the Charlotte Observer so HE could not open and read the article. The CO was just fishing Robert A to get him to subscribe.
So, Robert A “Googled” NC Elementary Schools Rated and there were hits from various other newspapers and news outlets, including the Raleigh News and Observer. The N&O also demanded that Robert A pay a subscription fee to read the entire article. But the lead-in statement indicated that the US News and World Records publication actually did the original ratings of all of North Carolina’s Elementary Schools.
When Robert A punched up US News and World Records, everything came up fine. No subscription fees were necessary. Sop, Robert A punched up the article and has included the LINK so all may see for themselves.
The title of the Article is Best North Carolina Elementary Schools. The lead in states: U.S. News analyzed 105,093 pre-K, elementary and middle schools. Browse our district and school profiles to find the right fit for you. Read The Methodology.
Note, for the “Methodology” you have to pull up the Link shown below and click at the end of the above statement. Robert A is NOT going to do that for you.
That Link is: https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/elementary-schools/north-carolina
Be prepared to be:
- Shockedat the number of Elementary Schools in North Carolina, around 1,462.
- Overwhelmed because you have to scroll down a list of many pages to get to all of the Elementary Schools in Cleveland County. Remember this is a listing from 1 to 1092 Schools in order of ranking and NOT by School System. However, the School System of that particular school also has the School District and some info about the school. Where it is, the demographics of the area, teacher to student ratio and the total school enrollment and other information.
- Pissed Offbecause Robert A has not provided the names and rankings of the Cleveland County Elementary Schools for you. Robert A scrolled down through every page and entry for Cleveland County Schools, but these are YOUR Children and if YOU are not willing to take YOUR time for YOUR children’s education, Robert A doesn’t give a damn if YOU get pissed off or not.
- Surprised at the ratings disparity between the various CCS elementary. (Tip: There is a huge disparity between CCS Elementary School Ratings and a cluster of CCS Schools from a common area of Cleveland County (Kings Mountain) that you would NOT have expected. Hint: AS YOU scroll through the list looking for CCS Schools, take note of each CCS School and its rating. Bring your notes to the next CCS School Board Meeting, Sign-up for Citizens Participation and Ask the CCS School Board “Why does CCS, as a consolidated School District for over 20 years have such a disparity in School Performance within CCS?”You might also want to ask the CCS School Board “Why has the CCS School Board repeatedly given the CCS Superintendent and General Office staff such good evaluations and expensive pay raises when the CCS elementary school ratings do not justify such actions??? Knowing that if Elementary School Performance is LOW, Middle and High School performance will also be low!!!
It will be interesting to see how many parents start showing up for CCS School Board Meetings and how many show up to run for office and vote out of office all the CCS School Board members that have allowed the school educational performance at CCS Schools reach such a state of affairs as presently exists at CCS.
Robert A recommends the CCS School Board at the very next meeting vote to modify their Leadership Selection policies to allow for THREE Co-Chairmen and TWO Co-Vice Chairmen who operate on a rotating basis.
Then select:
- Kenneth Ledford as the Co-Chairman Number
- Aaron Bridges as Co-Chairman Number 2
- Ronnie Grigg as Co-Chairman Number 3.
For Co-Vice Chairman, Robert A recommends:
- David Fisher for Co Vice Chairman Number 1 and
- Danny Blanton for Co-Vice Chairman Number 2.
Robert A makes these recommendations for the following reasons:
- The US News and World Reports article noted above regarding North Carolina Elementary Schools Ratings clearly PROVES that Cleveland County Schools surely needs and requires additional, continuing, immediate and rotating leadership experience and training for the CCS School Board.
- The CCS School Board Meetings:
- Should be increased from one back to two meetings per month
- Board Committee Meetings should be eliminated altogether as their existence created confusion amongst the whole board and were poor duplications of efforts since all their discussions and action are, by law, required to be performed by the full School Board during scheduled meetings that are open to the public.
- CCS School Board members should have full access to all CCS facilities and records during normal business hours without having to give advance notice and wait for permission. School Board Members are elected by the citizens and voters of Cleveland County and are expected to be given what they need and when they are available to spend their unpaid time to do what they believe they need to do. Isn’t this totally obvious???
- CCS School Board Members, like every other citizen of the United States, have First Amendment rights of free speech. Any and every CCS School Board member is expected to be transparent. Any and every CCS School Board member, on their own conscience and decision, should be allowed to have sufficient time to discuss and ask question regarding every action, goal and policy that has been adopted by the CCS School Board and any other issue and action that they believe needs to be documented and discussed at =CCS School Board Meetings as well as their own press releases ad they see fit. Note that any vote by any majority of CCS School Board Members has no legal right to disallow any other School Board Member of his or rights of Free Speech.
- No single School Board Member has the right to unilaterally decide to have any other US Citizen removed from any meeting that is open to the public without a majority of the CCS School Board taking an official majority vote to do so. And, that person that is removed must have committed some specific illegal act that is on its own is subject to prosecution. Otherwise, NO PERSON shall have his Constitutional rights violated by the CCS School Board. And any such removal ordered by the CCS School Board that is contested in any court, the CCS School Board Members who allowed such removal cannot claim immunity from prosecution and demand a CCS paid legal defense upon any legal action taken against them regarding illegal acts made by any school board member. i.e. No School Member shall abuse his position by having any other person removed from CCS premises or School Board meeting by taxpayer paid security officials such as the CC Sheriff’s Office or City Policemen, without due cause.
