Chatham County School Daze

Post 24 gives a report of my activities for the week primarily concerning events and time spent on school matters. This post will have some of the meat of what took place in those events.

The high school tour on Thursday was designed to inform the Board of Commissioners of the condition of the schools and why our submitted budget request contained funds for repair and upkeep. The commissioners had their eyes opened as to the disrepair and condition our high schools have become. I had already been to Northwood and did not accompany the tour over there.

A number of posts on the Chatham Journal’s Bulletin Board chide Board of Education members for sitting on their posteriors and not doing anything about the schools. The following is just my events as a board member beginning 14 May and ending at 6 p.m. yesterday.

Last night’s meeting was largely taken up with the first reading of new and revised personnel policies. The length of time taken to discuss the policies may have caused some visitors to leave but those revisions and confirmations were way overdue and long awaited for clarification purposes. This series was probably the largest segment we will have to discuss so those of you who became bored and left, please come back!

After excellent presentations by the contracted architects and the soil and wetlands survey professionals, the Board of Education voted unanimously to procede with the next step in developing the Jack Bennett Road property for a new high school. Several questions remain such as a wider entrance into the property, a professional survey and siting of the various school components and an agreement by Aqua American that they will eliminate their opportunity to return sewage effluent to the site.

What a pleasure to attend a Parent-Teacher-Student Association meeting last night with every chair filled! I didn’t count the attendees but the multi-purpose room was packed, a fact I’d like to see at every PTSA meeting I attend. Only through such well-conducted meetings and participation by the members and guests can sincere, effective dialog be had. Thanks to everyone who made that meeting last night.

We then were entertained by an exuberant chorus of youngsters with lively songs. The group was well-trained in that there were many hand signals to accompany the singing and every child was synchronized like a Marine Corps drill team. A pleasant addition to the program indeed.