- G-J doesn't "have any failures"--she has "lessons."
- And she believes that her "media treatment" has "been good. And at times when they stepped out of line, I just let them know and dealt with it and it was done. So that was good."
Stepping out of line? "It" was done? Who called the shots at the P & C anyway?
One "lesson" perhaps could be to learn to admit her mistakes. She'll need to work on that one in Seattle.
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We have to admit this is an improvement from Dr. G-J's previous q & a interview a year or two ago, when she stated she has "no regrets."
At least she admits she could have done things differently with the move of the Rivers' kids. Didn't Marvin Stewart ask her what the rush was back then?
So, Ms. Maria, are you saying, Marvin was rrrrr---righhtt????
Oh, no that can't be right. Constituent Boards and their Chairmen are always 'uninformed' according to G-J. And her 'data' supports that. She came to the conclusion that the Rivers move was a 'lesson' all by herself. She says the 'critics' of the Rivers move were just against change. How could THEY make informed suggestions. THEY (parents, Dist. 20, the local community) are just uninformed critics and SHE'S THE DECIDER.
Hillery Douglas pulled only 33% of the vote with a fairly good voter turnout in the North Charleston mayor's race yesterday. Mayor Summey was wise to put improving public education squarely on the table as an import issue for city government and not just because his opponent has been so closely associated with current school problems throughout the county. Until now N.Charleston’s city government has been a side line spectator to the management of the more than 25 public schools located in N.Chas.
It will be interesting to see if failing public schools will also emerge as an issue during the City of Charleston mayor's race which heats up later this year. That election will be held in November. Mayor Riley has been much more involved in behind the scenes negotiations and deal making involving public school management and property transactions than any has any other local mayor. Joe Riley has been in office longer and has more access to CCSD’s leadership than any other non-school related public official in Charleston County. This influence has steadily grown ever since Joe was first elected to lead Charleston as its mayor way back in 1975. Yet the record shows that downtown public schools have all but fallen apart since Mayor Riley took office.
Voters in cities like N.Chas. are making the connection that really successful cities have to also have good schools. “Quality of life” successes rooted in the local economy and supported by local government are seldom sustainable without good schools. In some cases in communities where public schools have failed on a wide scale, city governments have decided to become actively involved in school management. Mayor Summey has opened the door for his city to look in this direction, if only so far as to sponsor a charter school start-up.
Thanks should go to Mayor Summey for confronting this problem at least within N.Chas. There was no way either of the candidates could play 'duck and cover' and avoid discussing the impact of poor schools on crime, economic growth and all the other things that should bring “quality to life” in N.Chas. The city’s voters appear to have rejected the idea that candidates for a major city’s top position can continue to say that public schools are beyond legal authority of most municipal leaders. Voters see the success of one depends upon the success of the other. A connection between public schools and city government exists anyway. This is reality even if the law draws a line between public schools and municipal governments in SC. Mayor Summey sees the same reality his neighbors and the voters of N.Chas. have seen. Bad schools make a city’s success more difficult. It is unfortunate that Mayor Riley still publicly avoids discussions in downtown Charleston that would attempt to link public school performance and success to good city government and leadership.
Hillery's poor showing in the N.Chas. mayor's race is an indication that most of his neighbors, and very likely a majority of the African-Americans which comprise close to half of that city’s population, are not pleased with the poor state of their public schools under Hillery Douglas's leadership on the county school board. I hope Mayor Summey makes good on his call for city government to take direct action to improve all schools within N.Chas. Some who read this may wish Mayor Riley would begin to do the same.
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