Why would Superintendent McGinley and a representative of the charter high school committee meet in the office of the mayor of Charleston four days before McGinley announced her commitment to charging a high rent on the Rivers building that insisted on an illegal quota system and sharing of the building with a phantom "Lowcountry High Tech" school?According to a well-placed source,
" Mayor Riley and Dr. McGinley called a meeting in the mayor's office with a representative of the charter school group in order to dictate terms for the occupancy of the Rivers building. The lone charter school representative who was allowed to attend the meeting was essentially ambushed. This meeting was four days before the county school board's vote (last Monday) and several days after Mayor Riley had assured representatives of the NAACP and the Ministerial Alliance that he would 'take care of the matter.' Mayor Riley and Dr. McGinley agreed in advance that they would make the environment so objectionable at Rivers that the Charter School would be unable to attract the numbers that it would need. The rent discussion was just a distraction for what would really KILL the charter school outright which is what both officials appear to want."
The only person with the authority to "call a meeting in the mayor's office" IS the mayor. The last time I looked, Mayor Riley had no legal standing in CCSD. In fact, although once the Charleston city schools functioned under the aegis of the mayor and council, as a result of the Act of Consolidation that is no longer true. Not "legally." That never stopped Joe Riley apparently. It's unlikely that he called this meeting in his role as a board member of the Charleston Education Network.
It's not difficult to understand that, although McGinley gives lip service to the concept of charter schools, she really hates them. After all, public charter schools COMPETE with the other public schools run by the district and its school board. As with James Island Charter High School, the probability exists that sooner or later authorities in charge of the other public schools will look like bad managers (for obvious reasons). What is not so clear is why Mayor Joe Riley wants to kill the downtown charter high school.
What do the NAACP and Ministerial Alliance hold against integrated high schools? Does Joe Riley really believe that his opposition to the charter high school will guarantee the support of African-American voters? Why? How can he even look them in the eye after what has happened to downtown schools on his 32-year watch?
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38 comments:
Finally, someone has the nerve to speak the unspeakable. Thank you.
First it’s a behind closed doors mugging of the charter school just to keep some black straw bosses in his pocket. Now we learn that Mayor Riley has been directing public safety money into a tourist attraction. What’s next?
According to the web-site of a group based in Charleston and known as Historic Registration Services, “The restoration of the Dock Street Theater in Charleson [sic] South Carolina is being funded in part by both a Save America's Treasures Grant and a Homeland Security Grant.” They go on to say in their November 19, 2006 News Alert that “…one may also argue that Homeland Security Funds should not be used to restore a historic theater. But, these arguments would be too no avail because creative thinkers are obtaining the grants.” The HRS group’s web address for this article is: http://histreg.com/hrsnews/2006_11_19_hrsnewbak.php
If Mayor Riley is one of the “creative thinkers” who used Homeland Security Funds on the renovation of a public theater then I think a lot of people may want an explanation as to why? I thought the Accommodations Tax was to be used for this tourist attraction and cultural facility, not Homeland Security Funds.
So what’s going on Joe? You’re going to loose your core supporters with these kinds of shenanigans. I don’t think I’ll be the only one to bail on your reelection over this either.
Registered Democrat for more on the Dock Street Theater, see http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=6709160&postID=115824377383509411 also.
You may want to take a spin through the archives of the News Alerts section of Notes rwww.histreg.com for other information on historic preservation in Charleston and other places. As was stated in another post, most of what Mayor Riley does is public knowledge and done in the open. This site, which is apparently intened to assist property owners in taking advantage of tax incentives, provides shortcuts to finding information.
The correct link to the post on the Dock Street Theater is http://histreg.com/hrsnews/2006_07_16_hrsnewbak.php.
Why does anyone object to Mayor Riley pursuing these funds? Senators Graham and DeMint and ConGressman Brown thought it was OK.
I think most people would find using Homeland Security Funds for the restoration of a theater instead of the restoration of a Fire Department or Port Facility to be a little misguided. How can a person who finds no problem with this find it appropriate to charge a public school rent for using a public school building. If Mayor Riley is in the forefront of creative financing for tourism, then why isn't he equally creative about public education? If nothing else, the Dock Street renovation's method of financing looks bad and the absence of city leadership in our downtown schools looks even worse.
I used to really believe in Joe Riley and his vision for Charleston. This is all so sad.
Me, too. Unfortunately I'm just beginning to realize that Joe has never had a plan that included public education for all in downtown. How can you talk about quality of life and livable cities without good (no excellent) public schools being central to the plan? You can't. The vision was short sighted and I'm not buying that it will take more time. We've wasted too much time already. Riley's failure to support the Charter School effort downtown shows he has a different vision and it's not quality education for all.
A poster in another link on this site addressed the question of how Homeland Security funds may have bee better utilized. So I will not rehash that issue. But, why blame Democratic Mayor Je Riley for the Dock Street Theater funding? Look at what Lindsey Graham had to say on the subject by going to http://lgraham.senate.gov/index.cfm?mode=presspage&id=261470.
When it comes to responsibility for the quality of local public schools, labels like Red State, Blue State, Republican, Democrat, Green, Libertarian, even Black and White no longer have any meaning. Those who really support equitable access to quality public schools and those who are playing games with our schools defy all political or racial labels.
If the conversations were limited to what makes for a good school or how important are good schools in support of good neighborhoods, I think we would all be surprised to find just who our allies are and who are the real villains. There's too much money out there for this to only be about altruism. Modern education, with all the money and power that go with it, makes even stranger bedfellows than politics ever did.
I still want to know why Mayor Riley was involved as Dr. McGinley dictated some very questionable terms on how the Rivers school building would be made available to the charter school for math and science. To the best of anyone's knowledge, Mayor Riley hasn't been involved in negotiations for any other charter school, not even James Island or Orange Grove. Until now, he certainly hasn't tried to make it more difficult to move a charter school forward. Why does it seem he's less than enthusiastic in his support for one forming in his own backyard?
The trouble with FEMA being part of Homeland Security is that no one knows what money is going for what purpose. So the Dock Street Theatre (a 1930's New Deal project) is being shorn up as a pre-disaster measure with FEMA funds rather than as a defense against terrorists. OK, I'll accept that. Since CCSD is claiming another New Deal landmark (Rivers) needs similar shoring up, Hizzoner should be sharing his creative financing knowledge with CCSD instead of helping to leverage rent against a public school as a tenant.
uzARegistered Democrat:
Apparently you had had some impact. The www.histreg.com link has been modified someehat to perhaps be less offensive, if it was in the first place. Also, I took a spin through the archives and found some pretty good reasons ($$$) for Toya Green and her husband to be beholden to Hizzoner. So Ms. Green probably will march wherever Mayor Riley wants her to go.
If we are going to talk about how Mayor Riley has used his power to help his friends, don't leave out David Agnew and the sweetheart deal he got on the Morris Street property.
I want to remind everyone that we don't have any decent schools in North Charleston either. And our mayor is trying to give everything away to Noisette.
Maybe we should join with District 20 and try to take over Burke for a charter school.
Keith Summey during his recent campaign came out in favor of charter schools. He even said he wants North Charleston city to sponsor one if CCSD can't get its act together on Dist. 4 schools. That's far more than Joe Riley has ever said about CCSD's record of school failures downtown.
As for Burke going charter, some of its teachers and a few parents tried to bring that up a year ago...you should have seen how cowed they were after Goodloe-Johnson got fininshed whipping them back into submission. Burke needs to go charter, but it will have to be from within and when they can find enough political cover to prevent retalliation from the power brokers that ride roughshod over them.
It's already rumored that Riley wants an excuse to close Burke so he can move AMHS into its shuttered remains. Maybe that's why he doesn't want the charter school at Rivers. He and McGinley may be planning to use it as a dumping ground for those still remaining at Burke once they've finished wringing out what's left of its student body.
Hey, Babbie, you must have a real following out there. Someone really did clean up that other web site today. (www.histreg.com) The reference to the DST funding sure looks a lot different than it did this morning.
To P & C lines my bird cage:
I would not read too much into the change in the www.histreg.com post. Most of the posts on that site are informational and neutral in tone. http://histreg.com/hrsnews/2005_11_13_hrsnewbak.php is about as controversial as it gets.
I know this discussion isn't about the Dock Street Theater, but since it came up I'll say this. The city will soon gut the building. Before they trash the Green Room, I thought someone should say something about it. This mini theater, located right on the corner of Church and Queen within the larger Dock Street complex, was seldom seen by people in recent years. It had been subdivided into work areas and its architectural details covered, mostly after Spoleto took hold. Its original used as a practice stage has mostly been hidden for decades. As the plywood is being removed, some would say it is grand room equally as beautiful as the well known main theater. You see, the Green Room was finished in the elegant Adamesque woodwork, cornices, mantles, doors and windows salvaged from the Radcliffe-King Mansion when it was torn down in the 1930's. These features also graced the classrooms of Charleton High for the two generations that the Radcliffe-King Mansion was home to the city's grand public high school. I hope this gem of a public space isn't lost in the shuffle. It would be a shame if it was.
To the post by "Babbie for Mayor": I read the information at that address which identifies the law firm of Hampton Green (Toya and Dwayne) as one of the local developers using a tax incentive real estate program that was limited to 40 cities. The report said the program's results here were "disappointing" largely because it has been under used. It would be interesting to know just how many unemployed people Hampton-Green employed and for how long in exchange for what kind of tax break. The "disappointing" number of local participants and the lack of supervision by a city official (the position was left vacant) makes Charleston's allocation of $12 million look like a personal slush fund for the FOJ (Friends of Joe). Since it runs out in 2009, it would be nice if Joe shared this information with CCSD. Maybe they could renovate Rivers at no cost to local taxpayers and with rent to the charter school.
correction: "...and with NO rent to the charter school."
Babbie,
Riley actually supports the Charter school, the group creating the charter school knows it, and Riley has mentioned his support in public comments. I don't know who you're "inside source" is, but they don't know what they're talking about. Makes me wonder about all of the rest of the posts I've seen on this site.
Sure, he supports it--just like all the other lip service given by members at the last CCSD school board meeting. Let's see him "walk the walk." My information is accurate.
Babbie,
Why don't you ask Gregg to go back to the SchoolMovement site. He had plenty to say about everyone on that site but doesn't want to read the truth on this site. No one is falling for his accidental misspelling of his name. I tis him. All I can say is Thank God for you Babbie, because we finally have somewhere writing the truth as it really is not as the Riley fans want it. You, Babbie need to run for the downtown school board seat if you live downtown next year. It won't take much to beat Toya with her hands off approach in her district. I will help you get the necessary signatures.
Has anyone heard about McGinley's plan to move the discipline school overflow at Murray Hill into the High Tech program at Rivers, including drop outs, overage students and DJJ returnees? McGinley even calls half of these students Level B - Low Achievers. Dot Scott also painted a picture last month in a TV sound bite that appealed to a racist stereotype, but she did it to mock what she described as white parents’ fears about enrolling their children at Burke. Talk about someone who’s bad mouthed Burke without mercy. McGinley’s proposal to put discipline school assignees onto the same campus as the charter school is just reading from the book Dot Scott wrote…and Joe Riley published.
What McGinley is proposing ought to be a nice mix to liven things up at the charter school. It’s potentially explosive but it’s all hypothetical because no Lowcountry High Tech parents or students exist. This is a propaganda campaign against the charter school’s use of Rivers. Like the local NAACP branch’s big mouth, Dot Scott, McGinley wants potential charter school parents to withdraw before the school even starts. Gregg Meyers knows quite well that two schools on one campus won't work. He's the one who extricated AMHS from Burke in the early 1990's, but he's pushing this anyway. All of these people need to be pressed for the truth.
PS: Why didn't someone take Dot to task for trashing Burke in her TV interview in July? What gives her the authority to say what’s best for Burke anyway? She didn’t go there, she didn’t send her kids there and she doesn’t even live in Dist. 20. Tell McGinley and Riley to quit giving the microphone to these grandstanding jerks that have no real stake in bettering our schools.
The Save America's Treasures Grant being used to renovate the Dock Street Theater was not avaiable for renovation to Rivers Middle School. However, if the city had placed Morris Street park up for bid rather than practically giving it away to Mayor Riley's former assistant, it would have sold for considerably more.
Incidentally, there are many underused/underutilized city and county properties that could either be sold for a tidy sum or traded for properties the city and county wants. The City of Charleston does not publicize this fact because Hizzoner likes the concept of sweetheart deal for his friends. And though City, State, and County Surplus Property Lists are available, it is very expensive to obtain them and more expensive to keep them updated..
How do I know this? Because I tried to buy the property Agnew bought. Am I mad about this development? You bet I am. I was willing to make less profit and give far more back to the City of Charleston. The extra money the City would have received could have been used for any number of things, such as helping renovate Rivers, forming non-profits to support the inner city schools, buying new school buses, or buying a firetruck or two.
McGinley knows that she'll have to bus in hundreds of the county's lowest performing students to fill whatever form a Lowcountry High Tech school might take at Rivers. Dist. 20 and neighborhoods near Rivers don't have that many failing high school students. CCSD could only pull this off by dumping more marginal students into Dist. 20 from other parts of the county. Unless she’s deaf, she’s ignoring the Burke parents and alumni who have lobbied for years to get a decent high tech vocational program restored at Burke for the hundred or so students downtown who need and want it. McGinley has some dings in her board that she needs to address before she goes off on another CCSD boondoggle.
I know this may be somewhat off topic and if so, I apologize. But, I want to clarify something.
The Neighborhood Renewal Program discussed at www.histreg.com provides $12 Million per year to upper peninsula Charleston in tax credits. Mikey Bennett is seeking $5 Million of those tax credits to use on his proposed Marion Square Hotel. The Mayor both supports this project and controls who will receive the federal funds. Every reputable historic preservation group in the City opposes this project on its current scale.
I will not go into too much detail, because the information is readily available on the internet and at www.histreg.com. But, if Mikey Bennett gets the $5 Million then this will seal the deal. Also, if he sells in twenty years, he pays no capital gains. Sweet! What do you think his chances are having things go his way? Here's a clue--Mikey hired long-time City attorney Bill Regan to talk to the Mayor. The opposition is represented by some of the bozos who cannot get Noisette off the ground and who could not figure out how to incorporate James Island the first couple of times.
I almost forgot--the Greens got about $500,000 in federal tax credits to renovate their building. When they sell it they will not pay capital gains. Sweet!
This program ends in 2009, so if you are friends with Joe, you need to get in on it soon.
I think this is what is meant by saying advocates for downtown schools can come together on one issue but may be waving some very different political flags on other issues.
I think the 1:45 & 1:48 poster answered their own question. The opposition to the Marion Square Hotel proposal is represented by “bozos”…that’s not my term but it was the one used by the poster I’m quoting. I take issue with the statement "Every reputable historic preservation group in the City opposes this project on its current scale." I believe that the Committee to Save the City group has earned the title of respectable and at least two adjacent neighborhood associations have gained similar respect by not simply opposing everything. These groups are out front in support of this hotel because they don’t want a Motel 6 on the city’s most important urban plaza. Too often the more “entrenched” (probably a more appropriate description than “reputable”) preservation establishments have lost sight of their original mission.
I fully understand how such federal funds can be used to develop a real job stimulator like this hotel. A store front law office is not so clear, though it’s nice to know the windfall for Hampton-Green is reported to be a half million dollars.
As for the "reputable historic preservation group(s)", where have they been on the issue of good schools in our neighborhoods? I've heard some of them recite their concerns for maintaining "the feel and fabric of our streets" often, but when asked to be specific about the need for improved public schools and public transportation, they claim no interest.
Without family friendly infrastructure (like excellent neighborhood public schools in addition to other choices) I can't see how the mayor or the Historic Charleston Foundation can be taken seriously as they qualify their concerns for downtown Charleston's cultural stability and preservation.
These complex and seemingly different issues are related. The disappointing truth is that our Mayor has not led the way in explaining these complexities to his constituents. Of course there will be loud opponents (the NAACP and Ansonborough both come to mind…now there’s a strange couple). It appears the mayor is too tired to take the time to explain his agenda to us any more. Joe Riley should be reminded that we are the ordinary folk who initially supported him. Thirty-two years later some of us, now joined by some newer Charlestonians, still struggle to live, work and go to school downtown. We supported the mayor’s vision all these years but we should wonder if he can see ours.
All politics is local. You can’t get much more local than public schools. Preservation groups and candidates for mayor would be wise to recognize this.
Memminger1945
I think you comments are thoughtful and thought-provoking. And I hope whoever is restoring the Dock Street Theater will heed your advice.However, I stand by my description of Andy Gowder and Company as a bunch of Bozos.
And I take issue with whether the Committee to Save Charleston has sufficiently studied the issue of Mikey's hotel to be informed about the overall ramifications. I will grant that this group is reputable, however.
I share some of your frustrations with the Historic Charleston Foundation. But, if you take a minute to review its Board membership list, you will see that many local non-profits share many of the Board members with Histroic Charleston Foundation. Look at the posts on this site about CEN and you will gain some idea of how much control the Mayor exercises over non-governmental aspects of our daily lives through these non-profits. For example, look how often Wilbur Johnson's name keeps cropping up.
My point is that one can usually expect interlocking Boards to act consistently. When they do not, as in the case of Historic Charleston Foundation opposing the
Mayor, we should pay attention.
Charleston OKs rezoning of Hilton site on Marion Square http://www.charleston.net/news/2007/aug/22/charleston_oks_rezoning_hilton_site_on_m13672/
This just shows that "what the mayor wants, the mayor gets."
If he wanted a Math & Science Charter School he would find a "creative way" to get it, just as he helped find a "creative way" for the Charleston School of Law to purshse city-property at a discount.
There’s a lot of good information in these posts. The more people compare notes, the easier it is to sort out and find the good stuff CCSD is withholding. As it appears in the concrete graffiti found on a certain downtown street, "Knowledge is Power". Thanks.
Divided Council OKs theater contract
"A $14.8 million construction contract for renovations to the city-owned Dock Street Theatre was approved Tuesday in a vote that uncharacteristically divided Charleston City Council along racial lines because of concerns over whether minority subcontractors are getting enough of the work."
http://www.charleston.net/news/2007/aug/23/divided_council_oks_theater_contract13736/
Whoops! Here is the correct link:
http://www.charleston.net/news/2007/aug/23/divided_council_oks_theater_contract13736/
babbie for mayor:
You seem to be having a little trouble cutting and pasting. Anyone who wants to read this article should just log on to www.charleston.net.
This project has apparently soared in cost. Seems pricey for a 400 seat theater. But, again, we are getting Homeland Security/FEMA money.
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