Chatham County School Daze

The following posts are extracted from the Chatham County Online Bulletin Board:

Are our kids safe in Chatham County schools?

By Gerald Totten
Posted Saturday, August 11, 2007

chathamjournal.com/weekly

This article is also in the current print issue of the Chatham Journal newspaper

Chatham County, NC - Much has been said about one of the Chatham County School’s strategic plan goals, “Healthy Students in Safe, Orderly and Caring Schools.” Every school has made a presentation of its School Improvement Plan designed to convey its interpretation of how it can best meet that goal.

On 3 April Northwood High School’s Site Based Committee held a meeting to discuss concerns of teachers, students and parents about the environment there. Invited were members of the Board of Education (BOEd) and three of us were able to attend.

The major concerns were safety, class size and space. Nothing new to some readers but growing concerns now shared by certain members of the BOEd.

Pittsboro, NC - Facility concerns of Northwood High School as reported in last week’s edition of the Chatham News and Record were fairly reported last week. What is somewhat ludicrous was the spin doctor’s comments attributed to the spokesperson for the school’s central office.

That POD (a unit comprised of several trailers joined to provide classroom spaces) was approved for purchase by the Board of Education last summer. It was supposed to have been occupied by the start of the school year in August but, because of one excuse after another, wasn’t until January of this year.

Very full meeting but disappointing as to attendance. I certainly thought the agenda would have filled the room with interested parents but there were less than a dozen. If discussing how and where we need to build schools, potential redistricting issues and how taxpayers’ money is to be spent has little interest, what would motivate folks to come see the workings of their Board of Educaton?

The public hearing for the proposed budget had only one speaker and her concern was a welcome one. She is a teacher and pointed out a program being administered locally which, in turn, should be kept local. The proposed budget had a $50,000 staff proposal to hire an outside team which her school was running for much less.

Interesting to read the two reporters’ take on the meeting last night when the Jack Bennett Road site was discussed! I saw it as a very positive sign because agreement as to how to proceed on that site was pretty thoroughly discussed with comments from a number of citizens too.

Commissioner Patrick Barnes correctly pointed out that it is indeed rare when a site cannot be built upon. His experience as a contractor over the years saw him in some pretty tough sites where he brought order out of chaos at the hands of skilled equipment operation of dirt moving equipment. Other commissioners raised points they had observed about the ravines, wetlands and limited building areas. Three of the five commissioners have now toured the site and all of the current Board of Education members have as well.

During the past month I have been able to personally visit five of our schools. The teachers and staff continue to be impressive because of their dedication and hard work but certain conditions in two of them are less than impressive. More about that later.