At the Buist policy hearing this morning--Gregg Meyers finds his cell phone more interesting than the proceedings; 
Nancy "listens" to Marvin Stewart of the District 20 Constituent board.Viewing local TV news broadcasts suggests the meeting was a farce, the CCSD board's simply going through the motions in response to a policy passed by the District 20 Board several months ago.
So what did happen? Nothing as usual--except eloquent defense of the right of District 20 schoolchildren to better opportunities. Why would Nancy and Gregg want to pay attention to that?
Posts
81 comments:
I love you. Will you marry me?
Thank you, Nancy and Gregg. We're grateful for what you're doing for our schools in spite of all those distractions, like the pleadings of those people from downtown.
Oh, but Gregg and Nancy feel our pain. Oh, but they are working so hard to improve our downtown schools. Oh, but only if more parents would just get involved (and support CCSD...not complain). Oh, and after the county board has done so much, how District 20 schools continue to fail. Oh, the games people play to get into Buist and keep others out.
Yea, right, they feel our pain! They invented it.
I don't get it. Why the picture of the bag?
To anonymous at 8:50--sorry, I'm already taken.
To anonymous at 9:54--a slip, not Freudian--check it now!
Looks like Ms. Toya Hampton Green is sleeping in both pictures. I'm glad she is cares so much about the children of District 20! Gregg Meyers is always on some sort of blackberry device during all meetings. Very rude.
Gregg never pays attention. You know he is already the smartest man on the board. Brian plays with his email the entire time also. Ray Toler voted with these clowns? What's that all about? Toya, hopefully has enjoyed her first year because after next year she won't see anymore. She and Hillery are both Uncle Toms. Looks like she could have spent some of her money and gotten braces for those buck teeth..They are quite distracting!
No, no, no! NO attacks on people's appearances. Don't stoop to the level of Butzon's School Movement blog. She is a terrible representative but actually a great looking young lady.
I'll agree that personal attacks or comments on fashion are not what this is about. But what some of these board members don't seem to understand is they are highly visible symbols of proper behavior for the community, teachers, staff and students. Perceptions of conflicts of interest or just plain disinterest in subjects that stir the passions of others should be on board members minds at all times. If Toya, Nancy or Gregg find this requirement too burdensome then maybe they should rethink the reasons for taking their seats to begin with. Like Caesar’s wife, their actions and appearances need to be above reproach. The amount of money they receive for serving on this board (something like $25 per meeting) should also have no correlation to the value of the trust that the people have placed in them.
Cook and Green feigning ignorance to conflicts of interest, giving the impression they are bored with a hearing they have in effect staged or Meyers constantly playing with his Game Boy doesn't change the damage they are doing to their credibility as objective public officials. Though not all that productive, the personal comments directed toward certain board members can at least provide some comic relief to those who have been abusively turned away too many times by CCSD. It helps to laugh at the foibles of those who see themselves as “perfect” people. These particular board members have knowingly allowed CCSD’s abuse because it suits them. Examples of their rude disinterest and impertinent distractions therefore become understandable targets.
For those of you cowardly anonymous bloggers who have asserted racist and defamatory comments about Ms. Green, Mr. Meyers and Ms. Ballard, to name a few, you will best serve yourselves, your community, and your children by directing your energy and anger towards something constructive. Your nonsubstantive whining only undermines your credibility and keeps you further down in the gutter, and you're the only one to blame. As for Ms. Green, it seems that you assume that any educated black woman actually investing her own time and commitment to try to do the best for her community and her family somehow betrays your community. If you disagree with policy or what they're doing, which as a taxpayer you certainly have a right to do, maybe you should think about spending the time and energy that she and others do to try to make things better rather than hiding behind some website hurling insults. Only good things can come from that.
Shameful.
As citizens, you all have the right, and perhaps duty, to express your concerns about our government, schools, public institutions and the public officials who run them. Your collective concerns about Buist's policies, the efficacy of Board members, and even whether a conspiracy surrounding Buist Academy exists is all fair game. What is particularly shameful, however, is your abject racism, prejudice and ignorance, which pervades this forum. If this isn't enough, you have the audacity to express it with such pride, while cowardly hiding behind the veil of anonymity.
For the civility of our community and the benefit of our children, I implore you to keep your comments and concerns focused on the issues and facts. Your comments outside of these sacred boundaries serve to expose your stupidity, mean spirit, and your fear.
Come on folks, you can express your opinions and aggressively move for change while at the same time being honorable people and good citizens.
- Rick Brisbin
I never saw one racist thing on this blog. I do think it is wrong to say anything about Ms. Green's appearance but it was not racist. In fact I happen to know that some of her harshest critics on this blog are in fact downtown African American parents.
Those of you who talk about someone's looks lose all credibility. Those of you that cry racism when it isn't there also lose all credibility.
To Mr. Anonymous 1:06 pm:
"She's not black. She's a token."
... Uncle Tom."
... Buck teeth ...."
Note that this is quite mild compared to the content of Buist Under the Radar on this same blog.
The bottom line is what does skin color or physical appearance have to do with this...?
Whatever you wish to call it and the choice you make to defend it - as I have said - is shameful and smacks of fear.
R. Brisbin
I agree that comments on Ms. Green's physical appearance are inappropriate. However, Mr.and Mrs. Brinson need only read the postings of the anonymous blogger who keeps threatening to publish Babbie's Social Security Number to understand the dangers associated with publicly challenging those in power.
As far as Ms. Brinson's challenge that "you should think about spending the time and energy that [Ms. Green] and others do to try to make things better," it could be that many people think that Ms. Green is part of the problem and that staying on her will motivate her to rethink her position.
Because you have a great deal of influence in the Charleston area, I challenge Mr. Brinson to expend some of his energies assisting the residents of CCSD, particularly District 20, in leveling the playing field at Buist. You and everyone else in Charleston County with any sense knows that Geoge Kefalos and many others lied about their residences in order to take slots that should have gone to District 20 residents. Until you help this fraud to be rectified, you lack the moral imperative to lecture anyone on the issue of civility.
I have supported Jerry Brown, Jesse Jackson and Ralph Nader in their races for president. I am not conservative in any way. Toya Green is the worst sort of politician. Before you defend her (I don't care about her looks) look into what she has done and not done for the black children downtown.
Perhaps, the Brinson's should familiarize themselves with the School Movement Blog; then, they might understand the conservative response.
The school board members who have served the longest - Myers, Moody and Douglas, must take some responsibility for the incredibly poor graduation rates in our public schools.
And Mayor Riley, more than any other figure, has "figured" into this abysmal equation, since he has done everything to play pattycake with the NAACP and the so-called ministerial alliance. Hampton-Green is part and parcel to that unholy alliance as well.
32 years in power. 32 years keeping schools segregated.
Additionally, never look at school board pay as the bottom line for school board members. There's their non-profits, legal firms, developers, banks, and family and friends, all feeding at the hog trough that is the Charleston County School District.
Follow the money. It's all there. I know of only three board members who aren't "on the take" in some way. It isn't the direct benefit, but rather the indirect benefit you have to look for.
The Brinson's need to look at the old Schoolmovement blog to see that this blog is quite courteous. Mr. Meyers and Mr. Butzon went for the jugular on their personal assaults against Ms. Engelman even to the extent of saying they "wanted to grease her up and have sex with her."
If the Brinson's can't take hearing the truth as conservatives see it, they may want to log off and try the liberal garbage. What I see on this site are folks who are truly interested in improving education, not running education. Most of these folks have rolled up their sleeves and worked hard this past year to develop a great way to help District 20 parents and students to have the opportunity for a good education and not by telling the students how oppressed they are. Most of these kids are good, caring kids and they don't need more "district folks" telling them that they are poor. They know that. Tell them how they can get an education and not at the expense of more possible failure. They need hope and dreams not more of the administrative thoughts of pouring more money in it and implementing silly Tech programs. Bring on a real vocational school. The entire Charleston county needs a good vocational program
What galls me is the sanctimonious, self righteousness of limousine liberals who look down their noses at those who are actually in the trenches fighting the good fight for equality and fairness. Toya Green is a disgraceful example of someone who is enjoying the benefits of the hard work of others without appreciating the price that others paid (and are still paying) so that she can play the socially acceptable token. Yes, she's a willing token because she wants her turn at the trough, as if to say "To hell with the rest of you. I've got mine now." Yes, race is an issue and she's showing us that she's in this battle for herself and the people who pushed her to the front...not the people who elected her or those she supposedly represents.
Hey, I mean real liberals (and conservatives, too) who are in the trenches by choice working sincerely for change. Political flags mean little on this level. Unfortunately those on the county board and in the top CCSD administrative offices have never understood this.
It's easy for Mr. & Mrs. Brinbin to sit comfortably behind their gates on Headquarters Island and pass judgement. Along with the Brandenburg and Hill families (the latter is one of the 2006 Buist admission cheats) they can act like they are taking the high road. The reality is that Ms. Green talks to other Buist parents like the Brandenburg's and the Hill's but she won't respond at all to her constituents. She's forgotten (and so have her uninformed defenders) that she's charged with representing all of District 20, not just Buist. As far as I'm concerned, until she gets it, she deserves what's been said about her.
This is about political favors to cronies not race. Toya Green didn't stand up for us when it came to the Fraser/Sanders Clyde issue and she is no where to be found on the Charleston Progressive issues. Why wasn't she at Burke a few weeks ago? Even Ravenel was there!
And what gives Mr. & Mrs. Brisbin such a clear perspective about what qualifies as racism concerning District 20 or Charleston's public schools beyond the gates of Headquarters Island or Buist Academy? Does knowingly placing someone like Toya Green on the in crowd's cocktail party "A" List or using the same secret Buist directory to schedule play dates with the "right" people’s children somehow make racial inequities in other downtown schools a non-issue or at least invisible?
District 20's kids shouldn't have been allowed to become invisible. Residents are fighting to change that but they've discovered that Toya is part of the problem. So are those who go out of their way to excuse someone for not performing their job to the highest standards...because of their race. Now that's racism!
Toya's not doing her job...and she's used her race to get a pass for sticking it to "her people" (meaning her neighbors, regardless of their color, and her fellow African Americans). The people who pushed her for the position were counting on using her race as leverage and downtown residents see her for what she is. She played the race card all by herself...and now her hand has been called.
When was the last time certain grandstanding county school board members or the Superintendent described downtown students and downtown schools in terms of the highest expectations? Why aren't the expectations for other schools the same as at Buist or Academic Magnet HS? Is it because CCSD is making excuses for race based data or is the race/low income excuse an easy out for CCSD itself? School administrators and school board members have undersold these people and their schools for decades. It's been a self fulfilling prophecy. Low expectations beget low performance. Even the kids know that and they see it with things like shorting them on text books. CCSD needs to recognize that downtown parents are leading a fundamental change in how we look at public schools on the peninsula. They are developing expectations based on quality programs and choices not race and resignation. CCSD needs to recalibrate its plans with similar high expectations. Downtown kids and their schools are more than capable of reaching much higher goals if CCSD would stop looking at this challenge as if downtown has always been a failure. Only on CCSD's watch has this been true.
This blog would be funny if it weren’t so pathetic. Can’t you people read? The husband and wife who weighed in at 12:57 are the Brisbins, not the “Brinsons” or the “Brinbins.” Their names are right there in front of you, yet at best, you misspell them. No wonder you prefer to post anonymously; it prevents you from being called ignorant by name.
Babbie, or Clelia, or whatever your real name is: You should be ashamed of yourself. Your serial “anonymous” poster took the discourse on this blog to new depths at 6:31 on Friday morning. Sadly, that’s saying something. A casual perusal of previous posts on this site reveals an all-too cavalier attitude by too many, including you. As the sponsor, or moderator, or whatever you call yourself, you should have immediately condemned that coward. The Brisbins put it very well in their responses to 6:31’s repugnant drivel. Not surprisingly, the replies to their statements have been (1) weak, anonymous attempts to say that 6:31 “wasn’t racist,” or (2) to defend the ignominious and cowardly practice of anonymous posting, or (3) to somehow equate support of the D20 attempt to take over Buist, as well as attacks on the CCSD Board, as conservatism. Again, if it all weren’t so pathetic, it would be funny.
As President Theodore Roosevelt said in his “man in the arena” speech in 1910, “there is but a small field of usefulness open for the men of cloistered life who shrink from contact with their fellows. Still less room is there for those who deride of slight what is done by those who actually bear the brunt of the day.” Nancy Cook, Toya Green, Gregg Meyers, Ray Toler, and Arthur Ravenel (the five CCSD Board members who unanimously rejected D20’s argument at the hearing on Thursday), the others who serve on the CCSD Board, and also all those who serve on the eight constituent boards, have far more class and courage than any of you who lob these anonymous grenades. Those elected officials, like all elected officials, don’t always get it right, and too many get it wrong much more often than they get it right, but at least they have the courage to stand up and make difficult choices. If you think you can do it better, put your name on the ballot and run for office. At the least, take off your mask and stand up for what you say you believe.
But let’s take a brief look at that: One (or more) of you believe Toya Green should have voted in favor of D20’s position because she’s black, and because doing so would ostensibly help other black families. In other words, you want her to take a position _solely_ because of her race. That is an incredibly pernicious form of racism, and indeed, is no different than the complaint that white officials vote against certain measures because they would harm, or at least not help, black citizens. Neither decision is principled, and they certainly are not conservative; both are utterly racist.
The principled position, by contrast, is to consider the effect a decision has on all who will be affected by it. What Toya realized, and what too many on this blog refuse to accept, was that voting in favor of D20’s proposal would have helped her daughter, and the other students in D20, at the expense of students in at least four other constituent districts: 1, 4, 9, and 23. Like District 20, none of those districts has an elementary school rated “Excellent,” or that offers the advanced curriculum that Buist offers. Changing the admissions policy at Buist to give even more preference to District 20 students would, of necessity, eliminate the lone, slim opportunity students in those districts have.
Make no mistake, though, the D20 supporters make plenty of trenchant points. The practice of lying to gain admission into Buist is despicable, but the people in the best position to end that practice work at 75 Calhoun Street. They include the members of the County Board, and those individuals’ failure to do so deserves criticism. The County’s insistence that Sallie Ballard verify residency puts her in a much greater conflict of interest than the one D20 claimed Toya faced on Thursday. As principal, Sallie’s job is to build cohesiveness within the school; she is unequipped and unqualified to verify residency of incoming students, and forcing her to attempt that is absolutely antithetical to her mission as the leader of Buist.
The failure of the County Board to provide more alternatives in District 20 is an equal abject abdication of responsibility. The D20 Board shares in that abdication, though. Over the past twenty years, the D20 Board has spent its time and energy trying to take over Buist. The Constituent Boards in Districts 4 and 10, meanwhile, long ago recognized the reasons behind the success Buist has enjoyed, and attempted to replicate them. The District 10 Board created St. Andrews School for Math and Science and Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary, and both are now rated Excellent, like Buist. District 10 has created magnet middle and high schools, and they are showing gains. In that regard, though, D9 has similarly abdicated its responsibility, as there are no magnet schools here. There aren’t even any schools rated “Good” in District 9, in fact, as there is in D20. At least D1 has the excuse that there is only one elementary school in that district, such that there is no way to create a magnet school there.
Undoubtedly, someone will criticize me as hypocritical, and say I’m advocating a position which benefits my children. “Anonymous400” might challenge me, as he or she did Rick _Brisbin¬_, to expend my “energies assisting the residents of CCSD, particularly District 20, in leveling the playing field at Buist.” As I’ve said before, though, I think there’s a way to help everyone, equally: apply the model of the Academic Magnet School to Buist by admitting students regardless of residence, regardless of race, and solely on academic ability. As the accolades Academic Magnet regularly and repeatedly receives amply demonstrate, that model succeeds wildly. It also has the beneficent effect of eliminating Janet Rose’s “Byzantine lists” (as someone on this blog accurately described them). If there are more qualified applicants than spaces in a given year, CCSD could pull ping pong balls out of a hat. That process has proven effective at awarding millions of dollars in lotteries, and selecting juries in court, for years. The County’s rejection of that process is yet another of its dismal, indefensible, decisions.
In short, rather than giving preference to any particular student because of an unquestionably immutable characteristic, such as race, or because of any other, arguably unfixed characteristic, such as residence, why not accept students based solely on merit? That would be, in a word, a “principled” method of selection; “egalitarian” would also be an apt description. My preference, though, would be “conservative.”
/s/ Mark C. Brandenburg
And I mean I'm a true liberal Democrat from the South. CCSD is seriously broken, folks. I say single member districts, deconsolidation or vouchers! Better yet, all three! Party labels no longer apply. Take your pick Chas. County legislative delegation. Nothing less will fix what's broken.
Mr. Brandenburg, Your fancy footwork is impressive and for a Princeton Law School graduate the fantacy you describe is interesting but far from factual. The universe that is CCSD don't function at all as you described it. I would suspect that from your position as a Buist insider, your vision is blurred. I have a single question. If the solution is so simple, why then doesn't our elected representative, Toya Green, do us all the courtesy and explain it to us instead of you?
So many downtown tax payers would be thrilled to see Buist move to North Charleston. Perhaps then we would have a few less SUV driving suburban types on our streets.
Before Mr. Brandenburg (or our English teacher moderator) finds fault with an honest typo, let me correct my last statement to say, "CCSD doesn't function" not "CCSD don't function".
What Mark Brandenburg chooses to conveniently leave out of his story is that the D20 Board asked only that Buist follow the same admissions requirements set for the other county magnet schools which have locked out D20 applicants based on residency priorities that hurt otherwise qualified D20 students. The CCSD board could have easily made the entire issue moot by ending all residency requirements for all magnet schools. They chose not to. That's a fairly important detail for a lawyer to leave out of his brief.
We don't need magnet elementary schools anyway. The Magnet High School is a different story. By high school you can tell who is qualified for that sort of program. I'm sorry Buist parents. Passing the YCAT doesn't mean that your children fall into the gifted and talented catagory.
Sallie Ballard should hold up some sort of ethical example for the children. If parents are allowed to cheat why not the students?
By the way, Buist is going downhill fast anyway. Look into it. Buist is no longer the favored "feeder" school for the Magnet High School and there is a good reason for that.
From the information provided here I think that it can be safely assumed that many of the comments posted here are not from mere members of the peanut gallery or just brickbats thrown by uninformed back benchers. By CCSD's own choice the channels of communication available for most citizens have been reduced to blogs.
AWG: You're absolutely correct. I believe all of the magnet high schools draw from all across the county, regardless of residency. The elementary schools could certainly do so as well. An excellent idea.
Alex: I wish Toya would answer as well, but I know she attends, or at least has attended in the past, D20 Constitutent Board meetings. Perhaps you could talk to her there? I have time tonight, because I'm home watching movies and football with my children on a Saturday night.
/s/ Mark
PS: Duke Law, not Princeton.
Mark-
I am surprised that you have the amount of time that you do to spend on these blogs being a Princeton, I mean Duke lawyer.
Facts are that the District 20 board has the right to make changes under the act of consolidation.
Also District 20 faces the same issues that you face in your home on Johns Island considering schools. What you fail to understand is that all kids are allowed an equal education including the ones downtown. While your children fall under this category it does not allow people to cheat the system no matter how the corrupt school board goes along with the plan.
As for Toya Green, she votes not for the kids in District 20-as she has said-she was elected by the county. She votes for the county only.
It is not by chance that she ran for school board the same year that her child is to enter school. She. as an elected official, should be held accountable.
It also is not by chance that Buist is full of doctors and lawyers kids. I am sure it is not by chance that the African American population of Buist decreases every year.
Did you know that SAIL is a federally funded program that kids must qualify for. Yet all kids at Buist recieve it despite not meeting the qualifications. So federal money is being miss spent.
Who says that your kids are gifted and talented and not the kids at Charleston Progressive?
Also Mark what happened to the FOIA that I filed for your financial info on the Buist Foundation that is housed with a public school address yet you say is private? How do you explain that violation of FOIA?
We all want what is best for our kids but by saying that one child deserves more than another --This includes your children as well as mine-- is unacceptable.
All kids need the same chance, ALL KIDS! NOT JUST YOURS AND YOUR FRIENDS!
The "idea" regarding doing away with magnet school residency rules is not new. District 20's board framed it within their argument from the beginning. It's been on the table all along.
Mark: As for Ms. Green being available at District 20 meetings...not true. The 2 times she's been present since her election, she spoke but let it be known that she doesn't take questions nor does she engage in dialogue. She’s made it clear she is non-communicative with the public. As an Air Force brat unfamiliar with local institutions or the penchant of natives for passionate debates about civil rights, she's probably very confused about how to handle elective office, even in the land of Pluff Mud. She seems unaware that civil rules governing constituent communication aren't a subset of military rules relating to a chain of command.
Since you both are attorneys and both "won the lottery" with children in kindergarten at Buist this year you might be able to persuade her to change her abrasive ways with her constituents. District 20 residents have all but given up hope that she will ever lend them her ear, much less understand their concerns.
We all know Ms. Green won the seat on the board because she was black. We also know Dr. Goodloe and Mayor Riley got her to run as the only black candidate. Now what is YOUR definition of a token?
To the Brisbins:
I'm assuming you're the same Brisbins that live at 1400 Headquarters, according to public tax records. Evidently you know your neighbors who live at 1386 Headquarters. Have you asked them what address they used to enter their child in the Buist Academy lottery last year? It was in public session and their child's number was called under the District 20 list. Now how can that be? Does this not concern you? Or are you more concerned with pretending you know how black people feel about comments made on this blog. Have you asked us?
Why doesn’t Mark Brandenburg place his name on the ballot for the St. John’s constituent board? All he has to do is sign up when candidate registration opens next summer. He might then come to appreciate first hand the sting of disappointment that follows the condescension and ignorance of county school leaders when they bungle their attempts to administer so many different and uncoordinated CCSD departments and subdivisions.
It might be a priceless education in bureaucratic malfeasance and ethical contortions that even a Duke Basketball fan would no longer find humorous. Anyway, I don’t think county school board members would take kindly to its critics flying paper airplanes at them during their meetings, not even if the gliders were fashioned from copies of the US Constitution.
That’s pretty much how District 20 sees CCSD’s handling of most schools in Charleston County. According to CCSD and a majority on the county school board: “We do as we please, the Public and the Law be damned!”
People like them and Mr. Brandenburg probably don't think black people downtown (who also have our children in our Dist. 20 schools, yet would rather our children receive a Buist education) have computers, much less internet access. Shall we just call that "improper stereotyping?"
Babbie: I was told Diette Courrege was limited by her boss to 600 words in her coverage of the Buist hearing last week. People should understand that many public education issues intersect with the controversies at Buist Academy. As much as some might lament this reality, Buist can't stand alone & be isolated from this debate. Looks like 1,000 words isn't enough either.
Mr. and Mrs. Brisbin:
I apologize for misspelling your name.
Mark C. Brandenburg, Esquire--I do not apologize for posting anonymously. However, I do take issue with the proposition that Buist Academy--and by extension, CCSD--does not have the time or resources to verify addresses.
Let me make it simple for you--a Duke lawyer.
If a family owns two homes in Charleston County and claims the 4% assessment on the Folly Beach house and the 6% assessment on the District 20 house, then, for purposes of the Buist lottery, that family lives on Folly Beach.
If the family of a child owns two or three homes in Charleston County, but that child wakes in her bedroom on James Island every morning, then for purposes of the Buist lottery, that child's family lives on James Island.
Until you help hold the cheaters to account for their cheating, you too lack the moral authority to criticize anyone. Remember, Luke 12:48. Use your talents, Duke Law degree, and God's gifts to advance equity and justice rather than to defend those who do not deserve to be defended.
To the poster above: Well said! Why aren't you helping, Mr. Brandenburg? Instead you rally and lead a group that is filled with known cheaters.
Aren't you a Citadel graduate? Shame on YOU, Mr. Grandenburg. And as long as we have sue-happy attorneys in this town, I won't apologize for posting anonymously either. The people who have been wronged should sue CCSD and the people who used false addresses. Why don't you help THEM?
Mark: I'm curious what your opinion is of the 15 or more vacant seats at Buist. Keep in mind that some highly qualified Dist. 20 students are waiting to get in and have already been denied NCLB transfers to other county schools by CCSD. Despite what Sallie Ballard may say, there are qualified Dist. 20 residents waiting for opening at every grade level. Considering all the cheating so far, what do you say about giving all of these available seats to real Dist. 20 residents until this mess is straightened out? While you're at it, what about St. Andrews Math & Science being forced to exceed its maximum capasity to accept otherwise qualified students CCSD has turned away from Buist? At the same time their lottery and waiting list has been superceded. Is that appropriate? Sounds like law suit material to me.
You probably won't hear from Mr. Brandenburg again. He's weird once you start posting true information about false address use at Buist. I never heard from him again on my blog. I have to say, I kind of miss him, though.
Perhaps a list should be posted of all the names of parents that used false downtown addresses over the years. Their real addresses can be easily found. Those with tight connections to Joe Riley and other political figures should be noted. This is interesting stuff you bloggers seem to know. I came across the blog by using google for other local issues. Keep up the good work bloggers. This could be a story like the one where bloggers outed Mark Foley. The Post and Courier will have to pay attention eventually.
Any responsible principal would make it their business to see to it that admission cheats were turned away. Mark Brandenburg saying Sallie Ballard would be put in an awkward position if she had to vet applications is missing the point. A principal’s integrity is dependent upon the entire system being seen as having integrity. Ballard's failure to ensure that the system is fair and not over run with cheaters only serves to make her look like she's culpable.
Anonymous 400 is right and Mark C. Brandenburg misses the point.
It is not up to Sallie Ballard to verify addresses. It is up to CCSD.
There is no need to change the admissions policy at Buist just yet. There is a need to enforce the existing policy and not pretend that all the cheaters moved out of District 20 after being accepted to Buist.
Mr. Brandenberg, if you know that fellow attorneys are conducting themselves in a manner that brings disrepute to the profession you have an ethical duty to report them. Certainly, Ms. Paylor's comments about the Burke teacher and her contortions about who she represents bring disrepute to the profession. And, if Geoge Kefalos has lied on his child's application, then that merits a report.
So what do you say--does "wearing the ring" mean anything, or is it just a case of "screw you Jack, I got mine?"
According to Mr. Choice, the District 20 Superintendent, Mrs. Ballard IS responsible for verifying addresses. Evidently she even has admitted so under oath several times.
Now, Gregg, when are YOU going to realize these people are NOT going away?
Here's the plain truth. Sallie Ballard falsified official records. She made false statements under oath. She has manipulated an official waiting list to favor some over others. She has pressured some students to withdraw without informing them of their appeal rights while making exceptions for others.
She's maintained vacancies even though she knows qualified students are being kept out. She has covered up serious discipline issues which involve criminal behavior (or at the very least, behavior which warranted professional counseling that was not forthcoming).
She should be fired. Her continued presence at Buist is harmful to the school and to other District 20 schools. It's obvious that many of Buist's current problems can be traced directly to Sallie Ballard. This is about as plain as it gets. She needs to go.
Gone, gone, gone, been gone so long,...well I wonder if we're ever gonna hear from Mark Brandenburg...gone, gone, gone, been gone so long...
Sorry, that use to be one of my favorite songs "back in the day"-
I can't remember who sang it. Was it Toto? I'll try to figure that out and get back to you. Where are you,Mark?
We know you're watching...C'mon, post...we won't tell the General.
Yes, I agree Sallie needs to go. Maybe the Asst. Principal will be our knight and shining armour. Surely, HE'S not interested in playing these games.
This is what the parents were told about address verification and also what I am assuming that the CCSD told the US Department of Education concerning their current investigation of the CCSD....
IF a false address exists then it is given to Earl Choice to varify and then deal with the false address ie..ask the false address to leave. Goodloe told us that then she would investigate the issues of each false address.
When the CCSD was given the past set of false addresses they said that these parents were going through rough times etc.
I personally handed false address in public session to the county school board as well as did Pam Kusmider.
What does this mean?
They know and will do nothing. Why, one may ask.
I think that the board members are all friends with the fake addresses.
What does this mean?
Nothing will change unless they are forced to change through the court system.
It is clear that many board members and higher ups at CCSD handed out Buist slots as political favors for years. Sometimes it might be showing off in front of friends but maybe sometimes it actually involves cash payment. It is so corrupt. Meanwhile, really bright children are stuck in failing schools downtown because they help the overall PACT scores a little. It's about all kinds of numbers.
It looks like the Brisbins and Mark C. Brandenburg are the cowards.
Until the Buist Lottery is applied fairly, everything else is just a distraction. And those who are not working towards solving this problem are the problem.
"What's done is done" is an excuse, not a justification.
Kick out the cheaters, fire those who allowed/facilliated the cheating, shun those who abettted the cheaters, and move on to the next problems (plural).
I completely agree. Too bad, we don't have people like you running our schools.
To Anonymous(es) and other pseudonums (we have no choice but to lump you all together because we don't know who any of you are except for Mr. Peronneau and Ms. Lowry),
Our comments clearly brought (most of) the dialogue back to the merits of the debate and D20's concerns, and if we served that purpose, then it's worth having to read your nonsensical judgments about who we are because of where we live. Especially where (at least on paper, which is what I understand is your beef) our children have less opportunity than those in D20 to attend an excellent rated public school. The point, of course, is how can anyone take your allegations seriously when you cloud them with hateful personal comments, racial slurs like Aunt Jemima and Uncle Tom (I don't care what color you are, they are offensive)? What credibility do you have when you spout off about how Ms. Green has access to a "secret" Buist directory to schedule play dates with the "right people," but you have no problem obtaining people's addresses from tax records within a matter of hours? And for people who claim to be making these objections in the name of valuing and promoting their children's education, this blog evidences a common thread of disdain and resentment towards lawyers, doctors, and other professionals who went through many years of education to get where they are (if you know any lawyers or doctors who are jerks, you can be sure that they were jerks long before they went to law or medical school).
We're not privy to any of the facts that you allege about fraud, and if you have evidence to back them up, you should have no problem putting your real name on the allegations. You can think anything you want of us, but it's only honest to admit that if you stick to the facts and avoid the garbage, the people you need to listen (or listen better) probably will.
Ms. Brisban:
Here's a suggestion: If you want to know the names of the cheaters, ask Alice Paylor for them--she has repeatedly been provided with the names and supporting cumentation.
Here's another suggestion: If you value civility, ask your allies to engage in civility.(For example Mark C. Brandenburg wrote "This blog would be funny if it weren’t so pathetic.")
Here's still another suggestion: Don't lump everyone together. The posters to this Blog cover the whole socio-economic, ethnic, racial, political, gender, and (did I leave out anyone?)spectrum.
Here's still another suggestion: Don't lecture us on how to win friends and influence people. The CCSD Borad of Trustees is arrogant and out-of-control. Playing nice with its members has accomplished nothing positive. Holding its feet to the fire and filing lawsuits will result in positive change.
Here's my last suggestion: Don't kid yourself. It was not "[your] comments" that "clearly brought (most of) the dialogue back to the merits of the debate" for the simple reason that most of the comments posted on this Blog have always been merit based rather than "nonsensical judgments."
Ms. Brisban:
I meant "documentation" not "cumentation."
Ms. Brisbin: A complete response would be too long, so I’ll give my response to you one posting at a time. I do find your naivety about the plight of downtown public schools incredulous, but you have been decent enough to lay out your skepticism. I don't mean to be sarcastic, but you're also sharing your ignorance. It is important for downtown schoo advocates to know just how deep the lack of knowledge of the situation is. It seems only fair that we should try to give you the chance to see what others see, and in the process educate others, too. Buist is broken and the people who did it are still in charge of all of our public schools. If Charleston's public school system is going to ever be fixed, then it will depend on how many intelligent people we can rally and to what level we can raise them to knowing the facts.
Ms. Brisbin: Forgive some of us for being blunt, but you're either too new to this discussion or you're living in la-la-land. You say to the readers here, "you allege ... fraud, and if you have evidence to back them up, you should have no problem putting your real name on the allegations." And then you say, "if you stick to the facts and avoid the garbage, the people you need to listen (or listen better) probably will."
The evidence you speak of has been given to every appropriate official and still it's stonewalled. Frustration is the source of what you call "garbage". People like Janet Rose, Sallie Ballard, MGJ and Gregg Meyers have never intended to listen. They only want to look like they have. (The jury's still out on McGinley.)
You're right about one thing, lawyers, doctors and Indian chiefs who are jerks were that way long before they became players in a corrupt and inequitable school like Buist. Buist has been mismanaged and has been corrupted by dishonest people within CCSD. The facts are there. That’s why there is an OCR investigation going on right now. The Office of Civil Rights has seen it all and they are about ending all descrimination against children in public education. Racism isn't just about whites holding down blacks.
Ms. Brisbin,
Since you would like us to stick to the facts. Let's stick to the fact your neighbors claimed they lived downtown to enter their child in Buist. Why haven't you addressed that? This is a serious problem that you are obviously ignoring.
People on this blog have a right to be angry. Come visit the 34 kids in the 6th grade class at Mitchell and you may better understand our frustration. You were offended by previous comments made. You've stated that repeatedly. Now, let's move on. We could begin to do that by having you explain your neighbor's situation. True District 20 residents who are in our schools because of the actions of parents last year have a right to know. If you don't agree with that, that we may have nothing left to discuss.
This is great. Just as Janet Rose is suggesting that AMHS use a Buist like lottery.
As flies are attracted to rotting garbage, dishonest parents have taken advantage of the convoluted policies and suspect lottery that CCSD has stacked up at Buist. So when stone faced Sallie or obfuscating Gregg strike a pose that says, “all is well, except for those downtown crazies”, it’s just a cover. Those whose kids continue to be cheated outright downtown can always be count on the elbow in your eye YUPPIES from the 'burbs to give us the evidence...one ugly cheater at a time. For your information, the 2006 Buist kindergarten admissions list was release as part of a legal action. That’s why the annual Buist student/parent directory was put off last year. Those cheated against began to compare notes about those who were cheating. In the process a lot of other facts about how downtown schools were being stiffed came to the surface.
Any experienced educator knows that eventually cheaters will be ratted out by those who know them best. And anyone who’s ever been a student knows that “teacher’s favorites” are resented.
Correction: It should read "Those whose kids continue to be cheated outright downtown can always count on the elbow-in-your-eye YUPPIES from the 'burbs to give them the evidence...one ugly cheater at a time."
Memminger1945:
I always enjoy your posts.
Usually I agree with you.
But you are dead wrong in referring to what has been used at Buist as a "suspect lottery."
Clearly, it is a "FAKE LOTTERY."
OK, I'll agree, "babbie for mayor". It's a fake lottery. I was just trying to be nice with my choice of words. Back to my original mission here.
Ms. Brisbin: You don't seem to understand what downtown families are facing. Dist. 20 parents have no chance, let me repeat that… NO CHANCE…for attending alternative excellent rated public schools downtown. Buist Academy is all there is. And when rude and aggressive YUPPIES use false addresses, even the pretense that seats have been set aside for downtown kids becomes a cruel joke.
You’re probably unaware of the choices you have that downtown parents don't because of your address. All of this involves assumptions that CCSD staffers make based on what would otherwise be laughingly superficial.
What school choices under NCLB were you given? What choices under the NCLB law did you really have that CCSD didn't bother to tell you? Downtown parents are sharing this information among themselves and others. That's why they appear to be dangerous to those who rule over CCSD.
Ms. Brisbin:
What "racist and defamatory comments" have been posted about Mr. Meyers and Ms. Ballard? How do you think accusing folks" nonsubstantive whining" contributes to the dialogue?
Ms. Brisbin, have you done anything like what District 20 parents are doing with your neighbors in the St. Johns Constituent District? The Ansonborough neighborhood, Buist Academy and Burke HS are all in their school neighborhood. Kiawah Island, St. Johns HS, Haut Gap MS and Sea Island Youthbuild charter school are in yours.
I'll bet you also didn't know that you could get your child into Harborview or Stiles Point on James Island while most downtown parents can't. Oh, but then you probably don't have a need to know that. Unbeknownst to you, there are serious inequities in how the system is being manipulated by those in charge. The system looks fair to you from your vantage point on Headquarters Island. From behind your community’s locked gates references to race seem grossly uncivilized. I would like to agree with you but reality has rudely butted in on us downtown in Dist. 20.
MGJ said publicly more than once (and with no data to support it), that the vast majority of whites living downtown have ALWAYS gone to private schools and have NEVER supported public education, let alone consider sending their children to public schools.
Now McGinley takes it further by saying recently that downtown demographics will only support programs that address minority students who (as she frames it) are uniformly poor and almost always academically disadvantaged. McGinley's data tells her that ALL minorities downtown are poor and academically disadvantaged. Who’s over generalizing, now? And you say the people communicating on this blog are racists!?
Ms. Brisbin: Is Dr. McGinley aware that CCSD shipped in nearly a third of Dist. 20’s enrollment last year from other parts of the county, and more than half of these were failing students? What about an even larger number of downtown residents (mostly whites with a significant number of blacks and very few who are failing) that CCSD is trying to hide elsewhere in the county? Placing downtown kids off the peninsula and dumping others onto stressed out and under resourced schools downtown is like the Sorcerer’s Apprentice, except it’s not funny. There should be very little tolerance for failure when people start mucking with the education of children. We’ve allowed CCSD and its questionable experts to do this for nearly 40 years without holding anyone accountable.
Ms. Brisbin: Why should downtown parents have to resort to groveling (or worse, cheating) to get their child into successful schools or magnets that already give priority (understandably) to families living in those neighborhoods? Jennie Moore is closed to out of district students which places downtown kids at the end of a very long line. CCSD will make exceptions, but not for the average non-politically connected downtown family…and with declining voter numbers on the peninsula…that now includes even South of Broad residents…those with kids that are left.
Dist. 20 parents just want the same rules to apply (and be honestly enforced) downtown. The fact is CCSD isn't using the same rules for downtown...and the evidence is being laid out for all to see. I'll skip your issue with Toya Green being called out by her constituents for poorly representing them AFTER she had no problem using her race to get elected. She freely gave everyone the impression that she would effectively represent the interests of the majority. That would include a majority of those who already attend Dist. 20 schools which is African-Americans 99% if you exclude Buist. Toya now claims to represent ALL of Charleston County, not just District 20, with the high minded caveat that she balances her opinions without regard to race or geography. She wants it both ways and she’s being nailed for her hypocrisy.
Ms. Brisbin: What should be obvious by now is CCSD's backward, racially discriminatory, elitist, redlining, wasteful and just plain dumb approach to public education for all of District 20. When peninsula school supporters have tried to address these issues and offered positive suggestions they have been rebuffed with racist, elitist and even personally defamatory accusations by members of a county school administration that has been in siege mode way too long.
Frankly, it's not healthy for their collective sanity or mental stability to be so reactionary, paranoid and isolated from real human contact at the same time. Now these school officials and county board members all seem to be trapped behind the stucco-over-Styrofoam walls and battlements of Fort 75 Calhoun. CCSD’s leaders didn't start with enemies...but they have definitely cultivated an army of them over time.
Ms. Brisbin: So you ask why so many anonymous postings? You try being where downtown parents have been with no progress for over twenty years. Do you really want to know what Nancy Cook says about her critics behind closed doors including official executive sessions? What about the threats made by Hillery Douglas against those in the black business community who don't toe the line? "Anonymous" isn't protection enough against CCSD's long arm and the vicious nature of those who run it. And every day we trust over 41,000 kids with these jerks (that was your word) in the hope that it will properly set the moral compass for Charleston's next generation?
If you live in an area or district which does not offer children in your area the opportunity to attend an excellent rated public school, what are you doing about it? Do not complain when citizens of one area are working to improve the opportunities for children in their neighborhoods while you do nothing to improve the chances for an excellent rated school in your neighborhoods. Instead of whining that your district has no excellent rated schools either, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. At least people in District 20 have banded together to come up with solutions and to work towards improving education for District 20. Those in Johns Island, North Charleston, etc should be doing the same and asking their representatives what they are doing to improve their schools. Arguing that your situation is even more dire than District 20's for a measly few spots at Buist is not really helping the children in your district. It is just helping a lucky few.
It looks like the discourse has risen considerably since I last looked at this blog several days ago. If the discussion had been this civil then, I wouldn’t have said it was pathetic or funny. Cheap, anonymous shots don’t accomplish anything but raise blood pressure. The discussion has certainly been better since then. Indeed, much of it has been constructive. Since I’ve been called out by quite a few, or at least on quite a few posts, I’ll respond.
As I said above, elected officials, certainly including those at CCSD, don’t always get it right, and too many get it wrong much more often than they get it right. If the elected officials at CCSD have ignored demonstrable evidence of cheating by parents whose children are, or were, at Buist, then those CCSD officials have been woefully wrong, and richly deserve D20’s (and others’) anger, animosity, and contempt. But therein lies the problem. I pointed out the following on Underdog’s blog some time ago, but I’ll repeat it here.
CCSD's eligibility rules for Buist make reliance on the public tax records, or the Buist Foundation directories, more problematic than the posters herein envision. According to the Buist Academy Admissions Procedures, "Students who were accepted from the District 20 list and who move outside District 20 are allowed to remain at Buist." These procedures are available from CCSD, pursuant to FOIA, as that is the public body which promulgates them; Buist does not develop these rules.
Granted, many, if not all, D20 families believe this policy to conflict with other constituent districts' policies: if a student moves away from the Ashley River Creative Arts district, in other words, that student loses his or her seat. However, the policy is consistent with the other policies for attendance at Buist: when an 8th grade student graduates, his or her 2nd grade sibling remains at Buist. Likewise, if a school rises from below average to average, students from that school who attend Buist are not forced to leave.
All of these policies are a recognition that Buist was a unique creation twenty years ago, specifically designed with a different admissions process than any other elementary and middle school at the time. The D20 Board recognized and specifically approved that difference then, though it has spent many of the last twenty years trying to force changes to give more preference to D20 students. In that regard, it has been successful: D20 students are guaranteed 10 of the 40 seats in every incoming kindergarten class. None of the other seven constituent districts has a similar preference at Buist.
The result of the admissions policy quoted above is this: many students who lived in D20 _at the time of their admission_ have long since moved elsewhere. Other circumstances can yield similar apparent inconsistencies. Divorced parents who share custody of their child, for example, can present the same apparent disqualification, especially when neither parent now lives in D20. In short, without knowing where a child lived _at the time he or she gained admission to Buist_, mere reference to tax records, or to the Buist Foundation directory, is reckless, at best. At worst, it can be defamatory.
Last spring, CCSD finally took some steps to correct this. The new proof of residency requirements are much more stringent than they were. Personally, I think these requirements are a good start, but I share the readers of this blog’s clear lack of confidence in them. While the new requirements should make it considerably more difficult for entering students to fraudulently gain admission to Buist, they do little to investigate past conduct. Pessimists on this blog would say, in other words, “too little, too late.” And in many respects, those pessimists would be correct.
And that brings me to Anonymous400, AWG, and Sallie Ballard. As I said on Saturday, I think CCSD should be responsible for verifying addresses, and for taking action in response: that responsibility could be delegated to Associate Superintendents, to other employees in those offices, or to employees at 75 Calhoun. Here’s a suggestion on a method: when I was in school, there were truancy officers who were responsible for traveling to students’ homes during the school day, and bringing them to school. If those officers exist today, they could wait at a child’s supposed residence at the end of a school day, to verify that the child lived there. There are infinite other ways that other school district officials could verify residence as well. My point on Saturday was simply this: since Sallie Ballard’s job is to run a 400 student school, she should be at the school, rather than trying to verify residences.
AWG’s comments at 7:45 several days ago demonstrate the problems with putting this responsibility on Sallie, as well the irresponsibility of anonymous posts. AWG: if you believe Sallie has been derelict in her duty, stand up and say that, but sign your name. Underdog said on his blog that I should give anonymous posters “a break and just let them talk,” since “dealing with people like” some other lawyers in town can be “intimidating.” Others in the last couple of days have expressed similar sentiments. If you are correct, though, about Sallie’s statements to the CCSD Board, or about where anyone you believes is cheating lives (or, more accurately, lived at the time they gained admission to Buist), you should have nothing to fear from either of them; in defamation cases, truth is always a valid defense. And, by being willing to name names while revealing yours, you stand a much better chance of accomplishing change. When you hide behind anonymity, in other words, it allows Sallie, and all of those you think “lied” to get into Buist, to ignore your allegations, and to continue their actions, even if they are wrongful. And no, as to Sallie, I don’t believe she has been derelict. As to the others you name, for the reasons in the paragraphs above, I really don’t know.
Of course, my main suggestion for solving all of these problems is to abolish all of the lists, and draw forty names from a hat filled with the names of children who pass the screening test. That gives everyone an equal chance of getting in. I recognize that doing so eliminates the ten guaranteed seats that D20 has each year at Buist right now. But, I believe that changing the admissions policy to give even more preference to D20 students, at the expense of those of us in other Districts who similarly have no excellent schools from which to choose, is even more myopic and unfair than so many here allege so many CCSD officials to be now.
In sum, I think CCSD officials should be the individuals responsible for investigating those allegations, and should be much more willing to do so if you sign your name. It should also make it more difficult for elected officials, who many on this blog blame, to ignore you if you stand up and show them you are calling them out. So, rather than continuing the anonymous debate, why not at least sign your name? I’ll always sign mine, as I won't make statements about what I _think_ someone did some unknown years ago. And to prove my point about doing so: Alex: I’m very surprised Toya hasn’t attended more meetings than she has. She should, and I wish she did. If she doesn’t, I certainly think that’s fair criticism of her. Tara: FOIA applies to “public bodies.” The statutory definition of that term does not include private, non-profit organizations such as the Buist Foundation, even if they receive mail at a public school.
/s/ Mark
This is why people hate lawyers.
I agree...I don't have the time to read that. It must be nice to have the time to write that.
Mark C. Brandenburg:
You are still missing the point.
The names, addresses, and documentation of the cheaters have been presented to CCSD by any number of people who have provided their names. And those on the "cheater list" did not move after being accepted, but, in point of fact, never lived in District 20.
Until this problem is recognized and remedial action is taken, no one in District 20 should be expected to trust anyone at CCSD or connected with Buist.
On a related issue, your historical account of preferences given to District 20 parents and the reasons for that is just inaccurate. Additionally, your solution to the problem of cheating is just ridiculous--you are saying, "People lied on their residency because they felt that they would have a better chance of getting in to Buist because District 20 students were given more slots. So let's take away this advantage and people won't have to lie anymore, but can admit they really live on Folly Beach."
On a related issue, many people-- including me--are going to post anonymously because we do not want to suffer the nastiness of Alice Paylor as happened in the Brentwood Middle School case.
Last, you may be right about the reach of FOIA, but maybe not. I note that Sallie Ballard is a Director of the Buist Foundation. Presumably, she sometimes does work for the Foundation at the Foundation's office's (which is also her office) during times that she is receiving pay from the CCSD. It might be interesting to serve a FOIA on CCSD requesting to see Ms. Ballard's Daytimer. Also, it may be interesting to serve a FOIA in the Citadel to see if you are earning that six-figure instructor's salary or whether you are meeting with either Ms. Ballard or Mr. Butson on our dime.
Individually, none of us who post on this Blog may be as smart as you. But, collectively, we are neither as stupid nor as ignorant as your posts imply.
Mark: It's too easy to sit behind a computer screen and pontificate about the virtues of signing your name to what you write. You speak of the officials who are at the heart of these issues as being reasonable and fair minded. Well, brother, that just ain't true.
Let me tell you what real virtue and courage is. It's a willingness to sit down, face to face and look at the other person in the eye as they tell you what their experience has been and what they want to do to improve the desperate state of their child's education. It's having to listen to them ask you for help. A person would have to be totally insensitive and callus to get up and walk away from that sort of experience and not be moved at least a little.
The people you defend actively avoiding this experience. Here's a news flash: On more than one occasion you have tip toed away from these encounters yourself. Your "logic" about official reasonableness and concern isn't based on anything that has been experienced in District 20.
I'd suggest you get off your high horse and walk with the people for a while. Get your hands dirty and feel the heat. Don't just pontificate shielded by the comfort and safety of your laptop.
Most of the people on this blog have felt the heat. They've already made themselves available publicly, sometimes at great personal risk, giving their names and much more. They've often been publicly ridiculed and even been the targets of official retaliation.
Like county school board members and their two minute limit, you'd prefer to avoid direct communication. God forbid that you would have to step beyond the security of familiar gates. Why be subjected to having your views challenged, especially when the other side is armed with facts and data? You might be forced to listen as they eloquently support positions you might not like.
The reluctance to sincerely and honestly engage the people by those in a position to make a difference, like you, has gone beyond a point where it is damaging the public's faith in the entire public school system. Our elected leaders appear more concerned about their own short term interests than the future of quality public education in Charleston.
Only slightly better than Toya Green, you give us your name but not your time or your ear. Not much to put at risk on your part, eh, counselor?
/s/ Anonymous
There's one inescapable fact that is like the elephant in the living room. No one's talking about it. Buist Academy was started specifically to circumvent a civil rights complaint in 1985 that said CCSD had allowed (if not encouraged) District 20 schools to become racially segregated. Buist Academy was created to make that case "go away" and for a variety of reasons it did.
The policies (if some of them exist at all) relating to Buist admissions practices have always been about maintaining an image of equality and equal access when in fact they didn't exist. References to "official policies" and "original purposes" involving Buist are simply being made up along the way. These arguments have no basis in historical fact or existing records.
Buist Academy has become whatever current school officials want it to be. Buist also has become a metaphor for CCSD's continued neglect of downtown schools and the children who attend them.
How mighty white and arrogant of the Brisbins and Mr. Bradenburg to tell us how to fix our schools when their children attend magnet schools and most likely the only time they have seen a minority is when they washed their dishes. Their attitude reminds me of Susan Simons when she made the comment about the girls at Buist who had a hit list that " of course their children shouldn't be suspended when they have high powered attorneys for parents". This could easily be fixed, eliminate the magnet schools and put the extra money spent on the privledged few to good use for struggling minority districts.
Anonymous 2:06 PM:
In many ways I am probably more similiar to Mr. and Mrs. Brisbin than I am to some of the other posters on this Blog. However, even if I were not, I would not want to turn this thing into some sort of class warfare. (For that I would concentrate on complaining about blowing sand on the beach).
Thus far the "powers that be" have managed to stay in power because they have divided whites and blacks, white collar and blue collar, conservative and liberal...
We need to unite. The first "elephant in the room" to address is the cheaters. We must demand accountability. Let's keep demanding accountability until we accomplish our goal. Let's avoid side issues.
I don't take issue with you, "Babbie For Mayor". But, this became "class warfare" years ago. The magnet school process is segregation at its finest. It is the have against the have nots. Trust me I agree with the thoughts of putting your children in magnet schools. Any good parent would do that. It is the issue of putting yours there and then offering silly solutions as to how we can fix the other schools. Community meetings are great, but, yes there is a but, if the meeting is as veiled as the last District 20 meeting was then nothing has been accomplished except for more distrust. There has to be a solution to fixing things. I don't know what but someone has to have a good solution approach. The education system in Charleston is like the definition of insanity, doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. The children are the losers and this cycle keeps repeating itself.
Well said. In fact there are some great comments on this thread. Too bad Joe Darby isn't reading them. His commentary in The Chronicle today is nothing more than fanning more class warfare. I think the 7:50 PM post says it exactly. These people get what they want for themselves "and then offering silly solutions as to how we can fix the other schools." Until there's real leadership, everyone looses.
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