I have challenged the citizens of Cleveland County many times to attend School Board Meetings or at least watch the video Broadcasts. I have often stated, “Don’t believe me, watch the Broadcast.” At the last count 1,761 people took the challenge and watched the Broadcast for the last School Board meeting on August 26, 2019. This exceeds the average views of school board meetings by about 1,500 and not one viewer has contacted me saying my coverage and analysis was not 100% Correct. And, from a comparative evaluation, of the nine Elected School Board members, Danny Blanton is the obvious “Einstein” of the bunch and the other eight acts just like monkeys. As I have stated many times, don’t believe me-go back to the August 26, 2019 meeting and watch that prime example, just like 1,761 of your friends and neighbors have already done.
Also, come to the meeting tonight or watch that Broadcast too! When it comes out.
The meeting tonight has a short agenda, but I predict fireworks. After either attending every Cleveland County School Board meeting for the past six years or watching the videos of those I happen to miss, I can predict with uncanny insight what is going to happen. And it is not hard.
For instance, the agenda for the meeting tonight has already been published on the CCS website. On that website, the agenda item and most often supporting documents of information for each item of the agenda are often available on the website for everybody to see. And read in advance of the meeting. What is telling is not the information that is included, it is the information that is NOT included.
For Example, on tonight’s agenda there are three items on the agenda without supporting information. The Personnel Report, Legislative and Budget Updates and Student Transfer Reports.
On the Personnel Reports, there are usually many teacher and staff resignations that usually draw “Einstein” type questions from Danny Blanton. Like, “why are there so many resignations?” and “are we finding out WHY so many are resigning?” This always puts Superintendent Stephen Fisher in his “fast-talking” mode, trying to baffle everybody with “bull-ony” instead of actually providing any truthful information. Then the monkeys make a motion to approve the personnel report and the vote is most often eight monkeys vote to approve the report and the Einstein votes NO. Since this is the first few weeks of school, who knows what will happen tonight?
Then, there are things that are NOT on the Agenda. Like Einstein’s request for information asking what CCS has been paying in legal fees for the past three or five years? A totally simple and straightforward question. A question that has NOT been answered over the course of two months, and is still NOT on the agenda. Along with the fact that CCS is under a Title IX Federal investigation for gender discrimination at Shelby High School. $Millions spent on the boy’s baseball field; ZERO spent on a girl’s softball field. A totally obvious violation of Title IX.
Another missing agenda item involves the CCS HR department, under the unqualified Assistant Superintendent Jennifer Wampler, allowing a certain employee benefit to be dropped without telling anybody. Supt. Fisher has previously stated that “Nobody has complained about it” only to have Professor Einstein reply that “how could anybody complain when nobody was told that the benefit had been dropped.” In all these situations, you have to conclude that Supt, Fisher is a full-blooded Monkey too.
Another VERY BIG thing is missing from the CCS Board Meeting Agenda too. The failing RESTART Schools. Recent info indicates that one-third of Cleveland County Schools are failing. Around 10 schools that have officially failed or are too close for comfort to failing grades by State measurements. If you consider that the CCS Budget per year is $155 Million, over $51.66 million in tax dollars per year are spent on failing schools. in Cleveland County’s so-called “Public Schools.” CCS schools run by eight monkeys who outvote the one Einstein.
All of our children need to be attending good schools. Not just two-thirds of our children. And guess who the majority of those one third of our children attending failing Restart schools are? The same ones that CCS has been working forever to close the gap on. And never achieving that goal. And never will it seems. Do I need to say any more about that?? Speak up folks. I will publish your comments exactly as you say. You can bet the Shelby Star will only publish watered down versions. If at all.
But, one thing is certain tonight. Under the Public Participation portion of the agenda, an agenda item that is required under North Carolina Law, “Professor Einstein”-ala Danny Blanton-will take the floor for the State mandated three minutes every citizen is required to have the opportunity to speak about but the Monkeys refuse to allow him to speak about under an approved agenda item. And, the Monkeys are most likely to let Professor Einstein’s words go in one ear and out the other without hitting any of the vacuum in-between.
Folks, remember that five of the monkeys, Shearra Miller, Richard Hooker, Roger Harris, Jo Boggs and Jeff Jones are up for election in 2020. Let’s send these monkeys back to their “jungle,” wherever that may be and elect five more Einstein’s to the School Board. Let’s help Professor Danny “Einstein” Blanton round out a 6 to 3 majority of adults on the CCS School Board. And then let them do what is necessary to make CCS answerable and accountable for the education of our most prized possessions-our children!!!
