tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1819850637666173640.post5998099940993653526..comments2024-01-03T19:50:33.344-05:00Comments on Paper Trail: Disappearing teachers: View from Myers Park HighUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1819850637666173640.post-33008156370441327712010-05-28T11:13:50.328-04:002010-05-28T11:13:50.328-04:00Actually check your facts Pete has added administr...Actually check your facts Pete has added administrative jobs,look it up. The week he announced teacher layoffs he was adding $90,000.00 a year jobs on his Careers with CMS webpage.Yes we need some administrators but any business and CMS is a business trims fat from the budget. The sole job of CMS is to educate kids not have Area superintindents and Executive Directors running our schools. Principals and parents and PSTA's should run our schools not over-paid educrats who fled the classrooms because teaching was too difficult.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1819850637666173640.post-60308762512135990762010-05-28T11:12:42.294-04:002010-05-28T11:12:42.294-04:00Actually check your facts Pete has added administr...Actually check your facts Pete has added administrative jobs,look it up. The week he announced teacher layoffs he was adding $90,000.00 a year jobs on his Careers with CMS webpage.Yes we need some administrators but any business and CMS is a business trims fat from the budget. The sole job of CMS is to educate kids not have Area superintindents and Executive Directors running our schools. Principals and parents and PSTA's should run our schools not over-paid educrats who fled the classrooms because teaching was too difficult.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1819850637666173640.post-59779746309563964142010-05-28T10:07:33.006-04:002010-05-28T10:07:33.006-04:00Have you not noticed that many non-teaching jobs h...Have you not noticed that many non-teaching jobs have gone away too. For years CMS has been trimming at the top level. Some administrators are necessary at the school level and above. Schools without support personnel suffer.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1819850637666173640.post-55786769212170155202010-05-28T09:24:35.082-04:002010-05-28T09:24:35.082-04:00How many teachers at MP could be saved if Dr. Gorm...How many teachers at MP could be saved if Dr. Gorman and the BOE had spent money wisely over the years? Remember the $100,000.00 he spent investigating Independence Football? They found nothing and if they had did it take 100k to do it? Next I hear he is looking into recruiting violations with the Butler Football team. 100k later maybe he can find something this time.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1819850637666173640.post-8431560394245086822010-05-28T09:13:51.011-04:002010-05-28T09:13:51.011-04:00would it not be interesting to see how many non-te...would it not be interesting to see how many non-teaching administrators there are today in CMS compared to just 5 years ago? While the teacher/student ratio has stayed the same the administrator/ non teacher/ not ever seeing a student employee has risen. Gorman is a politician padding the roles with non essential people. No doubt a liberal!! Lets not give him a extra dime..In fact lets cut some more from CMS.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1819850637666173640.post-7706557677654962102010-05-28T07:38:49.306-04:002010-05-28T07:38:49.306-04:00Personally I've been blessed to have 3 MP stud...Personally I've been blessed to have 3 MP students; all with different learning curves.<br /><br />What about this lottery for education? No one is saying a peep about this and it should be front page news! And giving city employees a raise? The only raises that would be necessary are the garbage facilitators, if you ask me. Our city employees should have the same standards as loosing teachers and closing schools, not rewards.<br /><br />Margaret, your article was very well written. It would be impossible to put into words the devastation that, not just MP, but how other schools are going to function with lame school decisions across the board. This should cause an up rise like this city has never seen before.<br /><br />I do believe that our legislators are listening and reading each email sent to them, but scheduling meetings with them is much more efficient for monitoring what they can do for this mess. Hold them accountable for visiting each school in their districts, regularly. We voted them in and they represent us.<br /><br />Finally, no matter what school you attend, it will be more important than ever to have parent participation and accountability; schools will be less tolerant this year to handle students that don't get attention at home, and rely on teachers to fill their void. Rich or poor students are all part of this. This will call for zero tolerance for disruptions and lazy students who are not taking advantage of their education. Being a parent of 4 teens is unmeasurable on a scale, and more effort is needed to use resources that you haven't used. Hold your children accountable for actions; good and bad and be a parent; not a friend. "You play; you pay" rule works well. In other words, Parents will be held accountable for their children now more than ever; get used to it!Sharon Bennetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14055615911560895900noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1819850637666173640.post-47425519026178414972010-05-28T05:46:10.223-04:002010-05-28T05:46:10.223-04:00Thank goodness my youngest graduates from MPHS in ...Thank goodness my youngest graduates from MPHS in a few weeks - 45 kids in his AP Stat class....39 in his AP English class...he was hardly challenged because the teachers do not have the time to assign/grade assignments that would require the students to think and write. It is a shame what has happened to MP and I'm sure all the other schools as well.<br /><br />I am looking foward to not dealing with the lame school board/city/county officials. House will be on the market soon - good bye Charlotte!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1819850637666173640.post-38209369593682526402010-05-28T02:31:35.583-04:002010-05-28T02:31:35.583-04:00CMS created its problems years ago when the desegr...CMS created its problems years ago when the desegrated and drew district lines to favor certain areas. White flight moved to Southeast Charlotte, eventually to the county line. And then moved over in to Union Co and created one of the best school districts in the state. This is still about power, who has it, who doesn't, and who is going to loose power if things change. I've been in several individual schools over the years, and workers/teachers want to do a good job and be proud of what they do. But we don't give them a flexible environment to do what they feel needs to be done.(Don't look past the success of charter schools and CMS schools that are academic focused.)<br />We need to decentralize power and break this up into smaller school districts that focus on academics. We'll be the envy of the nation. As to where to start, model several different scenarios, and see which lowers long term fixed and variable costs. Then move aggressively. <br />I wonder what the cost of transportation is and if it could reduced? And PAY THE TEACHERS MORE MONEY! And change their work rules. Have aides get the classrooms ready, and wind up the end of the day. Let our teachers teach like college professors. Create a good job and pay people well, and firing the bad ones becomes very easy.bubba2barbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10253320739921400310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1819850637666173640.post-2372940809203365582010-05-28T01:28:21.756-04:002010-05-28T01:28:21.756-04:00Margaret, thank you for a good email thoroughly de...Margaret, thank you for a good email thoroughly describing the situation at Myers Park and so many other schools. To those demanding brevity, these problems are so large and complex that brevity is not always a virtue when describing them. I am truly amazed at the vitriol in some of the preceding comments. I am a retired teacher and the parent of a 2001 Myers Park grad. This community has long failed to realize how diverse Myers Park is and that it has large numbers of poor and disadvantaged students. The idea that it is a school for rich kids is absurd. It is however a fine school struggling to maintain its standards of excellence; as are schools all over this county. We slash school funding at our peril and will pay for this for years to come!Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09133346705801898332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1819850637666173640.post-78696156743763381092010-05-27T23:45:13.211-04:002010-05-27T23:45:13.211-04:00I am so tired of the shallow political crap in the...I am so tired of the shallow political crap in these columns and the idiots who read a long message like this and notice nothing except a perceived insult to older teachers - which insult nobody else would perceive.<br /><br />The fact is that Myers Park, a fine school that, contrary to image, has relatively few rich kids and a lot of poor ones, but which has been doing a good job has been slammed with the loss of 49 teachers. That is FORTY-NINE TEACHERS! The school will actually be buying (used) little kid school furniture so they can pack more into rooms.<br /><br />Do we care about education? (Not in the ways that count.) Do you think that a teacher can do just as well teaching 40+ kids and grading 40+ essays and having 40+ doing chemistry and biology experiments -- and then have 40+ in each of five more periods? People on this board: Gorman and Eric Davis aren't trying to starve achieving kids of education. You are.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1819850637666173640.post-20094498825703616742010-05-27T20:43:51.983-04:002010-05-27T20:43:51.983-04:00To the comment about where the lottery money went....To the comment about where the lottery money went...well, it is restricted to certain things only (buildings, etc.)for one. Moreover, for every dollar the lottery has brought in, the legislature has deducted a dollar for schools from the general fund, thus making it a zero sum gain. Pete Gorman stated as much on Fox News Rising a few days ago. The lottery in NC, like it is in all states, is a shell game for schools. No "additional" dollars are ever generated, only "more" dollars so the government can use the general funds for other uses.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1819850637666173640.post-80345456772738912742010-05-27T19:00:09.900-04:002010-05-27T19:00:09.900-04:00The one remark from your e-mail that rings so holl...The one remark from your e-mail that rings so hollow is the attack on "older teachers." If MP has so many duds why don't you ring up Pete and make MPHS a TFA job site. Enthusiasm? yes. Longevity, no. It's always refreshing to realize the esteem that MP parents hold for the long term faculty. I wish you success in your quest but realize who you're dealing with and who you represent and the perception of MP despite the reality of what's going on there. The demise of CMS is real, and the lack of leadership over the last four years is painfully apparent.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1819850637666173640.post-27153852445753201282010-05-27T18:24:29.190-04:002010-05-27T18:24:29.190-04:00A great letter and case made for the Myers Park &q...A great letter and case made for the Myers Park "community". Where are the letters from other schools PTA Presidents?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1819850637666173640.post-10515049384997005482010-05-27T17:55:02.710-04:002010-05-27T17:55:02.710-04:00Margaret, I think it took a lot of guts to send yo...Margaret, I think it took a lot of guts to send your email. Hope it does some good for our kids! <br /><br />I have kids at McClintock and East Meck. My husband and I both attended those same schools years ago. <br /><br />We see first-hand how bad things are getting for our students. So much has already been cut, and now they want to cut even more. <br /><br />What happened to the "World Class Schools" that Mr Gorman promised us when he took the job here? <br /><br />What happened to the lottery dollars that are supposed to be put towards education? Seems to me right now our schools sure do need that money.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1819850637666173640.post-26929545925386163122010-05-27T17:17:54.906-04:002010-05-27T17:17:54.906-04:00Much said in the letter and the comments to agree ...Much said in the letter and the comments to agree with, but nothing more than the message is lost in the long, long, long email, and that is too bad. In all school systems, local leaders need the flexibility required to make ever-tougher decisions. This is risky, but less risky than trying to drive the bus from Raleigh. Reduce the state-driven bureaucracy, which causes some of the poor allocation of resources, so the checkers can checn the checkers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1819850637666173640.post-64951888950468748232010-05-27T16:31:16.633-04:002010-05-27T16:31:16.633-04:00So what is happening with all the money from the s...So what is happening with all the money from the so-called "Education Lottery". After all it is really a voluntary tax on the poor. They are the ones who spend a good portion of the little money they have hoping to get rich. Oh that's right! The "Education Lottery" money is lining someone's pockets. It's certainly not being used for what it was supposed to be used for.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1819850637666173640.post-32157137944851965982010-05-27T16:16:14.567-04:002010-05-27T16:16:14.567-04:00Maybe if they were so worried about thier school b...Maybe if they were so worried about thier school being so over crowded, they should have let sections of the zone be rezoned to nearby schools that are under populated. But no, "OUR" students HAVE to go to Myers Park! And "we're" going to complain when the school is treated the same as other school. Oh, my God, Myers Park kids being treated the same way as other kids!? What is the world coming too!? Get over yourself, you had the chance to allow some students to be moved, which would have benifited Myers Park and other schools, and Myer Park fought it and of course, won. I'm sick of hearing about them complain.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1819850637666173640.post-62180654410678455122010-05-27T16:06:30.502-04:002010-05-27T16:06:30.502-04:00Great effort, Margaret. Your most important point...Great effort, Margaret. Your most important point is one that should be repeated by everyone: Raleigh should give the local districts FLEXIBILITY to solve this problem. It is amazing how much we suffer through central planning in this state in nearly all forms of government and how it hurts everyone. Gorman and the local School Board should have full autonomy on these matters and not some bureaucrat who doesn't understand living 150 miles away.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1819850637666173640.post-29449194475619219802010-05-27T15:19:20.545-04:002010-05-27T15:19:20.545-04:00No, the length of the letter is not the issue. The...No, the length of the letter is not the issue. The fact that the list is so long, however, is.<br /><br />And if they won't read it, they'd better not ever complain about any staff members not doing their duties.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1819850637666173640.post-10278678627443762452010-05-27T15:08:31.808-04:002010-05-27T15:08:31.808-04:00Things aren't just tough at the schools. Mayb...Things aren't just tough at the schools. Maybe the schools can do what the banks and other businesses have done and outsource to India and Mexico for cheaper labor.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1819850637666173640.post-58412425602219223702010-05-27T14:49:37.574-04:002010-05-27T14:49:37.574-04:00The future's so bright.
I've got to wear ...The future's so bright.<br /><br />I've got to wear night vision goggles...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1819850637666173640.post-47458454523277139352010-05-27T14:44:49.685-04:002010-05-27T14:44:49.685-04:00Fortunately, many of us can still choose the "...Fortunately, many of us can still choose the "community" we help.<br /><br />I chose a "community" outside CMS. <br /><br />For good reason and with few regrets.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1819850637666173640.post-66116456978479802582010-05-27T14:42:11.690-04:002010-05-27T14:42:11.690-04:00The grandmas (and grandpas) have learned to fight ...The grandmas (and grandpas) have learned to fight back.<br /><br />That's about the only reason they aren't getting shot...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1819850637666173640.post-52777888573855106532010-05-27T14:36:14.673-04:002010-05-27T14:36:14.673-04:00Apparently Margaret never heard of brevity. Those ...Apparently Margaret never heard of brevity. Those politicians aren't going to read all of that. Too bad, but she fails in her mission to communicate (and doesn't know the proper use of "less" and "fewer'). <br /><br />Try to keep it to 100 words next time, lady.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1819850637666173640.post-34049871865986838132010-05-27T14:07:26.930-04:002010-05-27T14:07:26.930-04:00I understand your concern for the situation at MP....I understand your concern for the situation at MP. The situation is, as you say, even more difficult at other schools. <br /><br />Has anyone looked into the idea of setting up a strong fundraising campaign to get parents/community members/businesses to donate to the schools. With the number of students in the schools, the donations would not need to be excessive on an individual basis. It would certainly be cheaper than private school.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com