I just could not resist posting the quote from Hillery Douglas that appeared in today's P & C article exploring the disparities in resources at Buist and Charleston Progressive (an article that readers can thank the Office of Civil Rights for, I might add):
"... If we are to a point where if the folks who have kids (in the school [Charleston Progressive]) would like the board to take a look at it to see how we should treat it, I think that's a fair request. ... I don't think it's a matter of discrimination."
Translation: "Why, I'm running for mayor of North Charleston, and, furthermore, butter wouldn't melt in my mouth. I had NO IDEA that anyone was unhappy, but now that I do, I'll mention it to the board."
Reminds me of last summer's national coverage of Buist admissions policies and remarks made then by its principal, Sallie Ballard.
He should have quoted one of my favorite movie lines: "What! There's gambling in this establishment!"
What hypocrites!
Sunday, May 27, 2007
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13 comments:
Let's see how fast they all back track to fund the sudden emphasis on improvements at Burke, Memminger and Charleston Progressive. Then watch to see if they do more than just rearrange the budget to make it look like help is on the way. I'm still facinated by all of these new initiatives that 75 Calhoun is announcing yet not a single school community, parent group or the Dist. 20 has been briefed before these announcements are made. Is this just smoke and mirrors or will there be substance now that the charter school seems to be building momentum?
By the way, the percentage that Hillery Douglas looses the mayor's race in mid June in North Charleston will also show just how vulnerable he is if CCSD ever goes to single member districts. I hope we get the CCSD funding for these Dist. 20 schools approved before that election. He will not be in any mood to be generous with his power to benefit downtown after that. If only North Charleston's Dist. 4 Board would look at how much he and Nancy Cook have hurt them.
Can't we get back to Ms. Courage? Although she doesn't seem to handle this blog she did a good job on the Charleston Progressive article today! Way to go!
I have a question about just how deep did the P&C reporter go into the information about both schools. She mentioned that CCSD officials said that the two schools were set up differently, yet we hear only references to these original organizing documents. Where are they and what do these documents say? Isn't it true that Chas. Progressive's administration, school improvement council (SIC) and parent organization make a formal request in 2005 to add foreign language and implement very basic minimum entry requirements including testing and academic performance? Wasn't this turned down by CCSD administrators and the county board? So why suddenly all the claims of "We didn't know they wanted more?" They did know. They are just claiming ignorance, which isn't very hard for the county board members to do. So again I ask why didn't the P&C reporter dig deeper and speak to those elusive and supposedly conflicting organizational documents? These documents, if they exist, supposedly justifies each school being funded and staffed so differently and obviously inequitably? In actuality there is no established "magnet school policy" and the county board supports these different "magnet" school programs strictly "at will". This is the basis for the myth that Buist Academy is in danger of being closed, not by Dist. 20, but only if the county board ever changed its will to support Buist with the blank check it has given it for more than a decade. This haphazard method of administering our schools so inconsistently is what will ultimately get CCSD into deep trouble with the Office of Civil Rights. As it should. This is what the P&C should be looking to uncover.
As Buist parent from way back I can tell you that Buist wasn't started with all that it now has. Diette Courrege easily could have found out that Buist is a very different school than it was even ten years ago. She just didn't do a thorough job in her reporting.
The parents, faculty, and students of Charleston Progressive have spoken before the board regarding the lack of programs at their school. Does Hillery have a hearing problem or is he just an ass 24-7?
The reporter could easily get a copy of the plan advanced by the Chas. Progressive group in early 2005. Goodloe recommended the plan be turned down and the county board did just that. It was known that Goodloe preferred to limit the expansion of any magnet school and definately didn't want to create any more magnets. Likewise she opposed charter schools for all the same reasons and more. It was the county board that made Chas. Progressive a magnet school in the first place without fully discussing it with the school supporters. The county board also renamed it to include the word "academy" without consulting the CPA group. Hillery should have a better idea of how the school got to this point than even the CPA parents. He's just ducking the questions and the issue he helped to create. The reporter needs to finish the job.
You've made some interesting points...maybe there'll be a part III...
I think I also remember someone telling me Hillery said, "Buist was suppose to go away..."
What happened to that philosophy?
Back in the days when Sanders-Clyde was listed as one of the state's worst failing schools, and a bunch of innovative programs were being tried out on that school, such as breakfast at 7am to after school tutoring and even supper at 6pm, the only thing Hillery Douglas could say was sarcastic. "All those people want down there is free day care." Well, Hillery, if that's what it takes then do it. At least some parents at Sanders-Clyde appear to appreciate all the extra attention, not to mention the benefits to the kids and their improved recent test scores. Why is it that people on the county board like Hillery Douglas don't seem to understand that it takes many different approaches to meet the many different needs of our kids. One size measured by CCSD doesn't fit all. If Hillery's own kids had been sentenced to be trapped in the schools he's running downtown, perhaps they wouldn't have gone nearly as far as they did. At least they didn't have to suffer the "bigotry of low expectations" that Hillery is dishing out to Dist. 20 kids. Power is a very seductive drug, isn't it Mr. Vice-Chairman.
The problem with downtown schools and the influential people like Scott and Douglas is the rarely mentioned "internal racism" we still live with in modern times. Sometimes it involves the "brown bag test" mentality and sometimes it's about being a downtown person of color rather than a suburban person of color. Scott and Douglas feel superior to us. Our children are deemed unworthy. Douglas should be ashamed for letting Buist get so out of control and corrupt. We are one people. Don't you remember that Buist was a school for black children downtown not so long ago? I live downtown and I don't know of any black kids getting in there from downtown in a very long time. I do know that Darius Rucker's kid is there but he doesn't live in the city.
When was the last time county school board members and senior school district administrators allowed individual members of the public to ask them direct questions? Do they ever participate in open question and answer opportunities at public meetings? What about neighborhood meetings, civic clubs or even constituent board meetings? Campaign speeches don't count. With all due respect to the League of Women Voters, their candidate forums were staged, too stiff and failed to allow any direct questioning, and definitely no dialogue, between the public and the candidates.
In response to the anonymous post at 10:00 pm., you raised a very valid question about "internal racism". I'm not qualified to comment on this, but there appears to have been a remarkable amount of discrimination practiced against all downtown residents by CCSD administrators over the years. This appears to have been based on perceptions of race, class or economics. All combined, it has hurt everyone who might be involved with downtown schools. It is very disturbing to listen to Hillery Douglas and to read his comments in the press. He obviously holds much contempt (possibly envy and hatred, too) for both blacks and whites who live downtown. This man should not be in charge of a public school system.
Hummm Hillery so when I asked you a few months ago about getting a Spanish teacher at Charleston Progressive and you told me to try to get the votes and you would vote yes for that....that was to keep me happy. God help North Charleston, Hillery never takes action like all other people with political ambition just say what you want to hear.
The school board has kept these schools separate and unequal. What do they have to gain?
Think hard, we all know but nobody will say.y
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