I will start this off by saying “I told you so!!!”
The Shelby Star published a deceptive piece on December 27, 2020 titled School District to seek new attorney. As soon as I saw this, I knew that, after only one school board meeting with the new School Board Majority, that this new School Board Majority was under attack. An attack totally meant to cover-up all the corruption in the past and put the New Majority Chairman Robert Queen, Vice Chairman Joel Shores and members Ron Humphries, Rodney Fitch and Danny Blanton under attack. I am in the process of writing detailed articles about the Shelby Star article and other CCS issues.
Now, just a few days later, comes another attack on Facebook under the guise of a liberal Facebook group (www.Change.org) who are attacking the new School Board Majority with other deceptive attacks, Like former Shelby School Board member John Schweppe who says the new School Board is off to a “rocky start” and needs training from the NC School Board Association. I say hokum to that. I say Cleveland County voters gave the new school board members an overwhelming victory that should be considered, as it is, a mandate to clean house of the ”riff-raff” in the CCS administrations staff at the highest levels. Schweppe also takes up for the Tharrington and Smith big-shot Raleigh high priced lawyers who filed the frivolous and stupid lawsuit against Sheriff Alan Norman.
And then this Susan Bell, who claims to be this and that, says the New School Board should follow the recommendations of Science and Medical experts. I would agree with that except the new Cleveland County Health Department Director Tiffany Hansen refuses to provide the School Board, New and Old, with recommendations regarding starting CCS back up. I have complained to the Commissioners but they also refuse to do anything. Most of Susan Bell’s other statements are also either Hokum or N/A in my opinion.
I believe the new School Board criticism is overwhelmingly “sour grapes” from those who are sorry their candidates for School Board (Shearra Miller, Richard Hooker and Roger Harris) lost the 2020 election by very-very large majorities. I will predict that this is only the start of a “smear campaign” in an effort to influence the NEW School Board Majority to “lay low” and do nothing as John Schweppe recommends.
My recommendation to the NEW School Board Majority is to speed up the changes that are known to be needed and speed up the investigations of complaints and take the appropriate actions. And take them quickly!!!
New School Board Majority members; Robert Queen, Joel Shores, Ron Humphries, Rodney Fitch and Danny Blanton: the vast majority of citizens and especially the voters of Cleveland County are 1,000% behind you in starting up Cleveland County Schools, cutting wasteful spending, cutting the top heavy bureaucracy and teaching our students how to read, write and do arithmetic proficiently in order to succeed in our present society. (As well as getting rid of sexual offenders.) It is a heavy burden and you are way behind because of the systemic corruption of those that have gone before you. Now YOU have the mandate and you have the authority to do what is necessary. Your greatest mistake would be to follow those foolish nay-sayer recommendations and do nothing to solve the real problems that plague CCS.