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Vote out all incumbent school board members that are running at the next election. It's the only way there is going to be a change from incompetance to competance.

What? Our School board do what the citizens want? That's never going to happen and they have made that obvious. Just like Hugh said vote them out. Get informed and be ready. When you step up to that voting machine be informed and don't just hit the button for the familiar name. That's what i'll be doing.

I agree. The board is the problem. Grier or any superintendent does NOTHING without the approval of a majority of the board. If Grier leaves, this board will hire a similar person at an even higher salary. His proposal to CUT teacher supplements to pay bonuses to teachers for combat pay is beyond belief. Does anyone wonder why there is a teacher shortage.

When I wake up each morning, the first thing I do is say thanks that I woke up then thanks that I don't have to teach school anymore.

Please contact the board as many times as possible to stop the busing in High Point and to refuse to cut teacher supplements. That is one of the reasons GC has some teachers now.

I still say we need Super who will make the School Administration move into trailers and stay there unitl all classroom trailers have been replaced with real classrooms.

why don't you both come to a community meetign at the SportCenter of the Triad - in high point - april 18 at 7 pm. maybe you can help come up with some solutions to the obvious problems. hope to see you there.

Carol,

I'm always impressed with your knowledge and thoughts on our schools, but I have to disagree with you on your comment that Grier does nothing without the approval of the school board. Indeed, Terry Grier is a skilled maninipulator of the board. He skillfully directs and controls this board in many ways. Just observe him in school board meetings, sitting in a centered, controlled position. He allows board members to do only what he wants them to do. If the board had a weaker chairman, he'd control everything that the board does.

You will note that his standard line when he gets criticized is "I only did what the board asked me to do". That is the perfect buckpassing technique that is right out of the Association of School Administrators handbook, which Terry Grier helped write. If something goes wrong, just blame it on the board. Never take blame for anything.

Sure, the current school board is much of the problem as most of them have personal political agendas that have nothing to do with childrens' educations (Deena Hayes as an example). Grier allows them to exercise themselves in those agendas, but make no mistake, he is in charge. Surely, there are some honest superintendents out there that realy care about childrens' educations, and not their own selfish agendas and building their national prestige and credentials for their next step up the ladder.

I am too ill-informed about the problems people have with Terry Grier or the school board to offer any opinion that could be even remotely valid.

But I must say that I can't recall having read any positive LTE or blog comments about him or the board. It certainly seems like a dislike of his policies has near universal support of those who do keep up with this issue.

My question then, is why the heck a universally disliked school board who hires/keeps a universally disliked Superintendant, has not been voted out of there?

When are the elections? Do the members run opposed? Who represents their base? Do all those who vocalize opposition get out and back it up with their vote? What's the deal?

swanks, I asked the same thing in 2004. Why were the incumbents not ousted? I did not vote for them, yet they were re-elected!

Shalom

meemecat, I would love to be there but have a meeting that night. Please keep me posted as to what I can do.

ORR, good points. I get so frustrated with the whole mess.

swanks, certain board members have some big money keeping them on the board. Hard to fight that when most voters aren't aware of what is going on and others can be bought. Depressing, isn't it?

swanks,

Simple - voter apathy. Most people don't have children in the schools, so they don't think that it applies to them. They would be wrong thinking that; their property taxes go up every year that the county commisioners give them more funds and bond referendumns are passed. The county commissioners don;t hear but from a vocal few, so they give early and often to the schools as they request. Terry Grier is already talking about a 14% increase need for next year over the $500,000,000 that they got this year to run the schools.

Hugh,
I loved your first post, and I agree.

What I really want to know is, would you give the same advice about competence vs. incompetence on the Bush Administration? If not, why not?

Another group that needs to be turned out, starting with Howard Coble. Here is a post from Dan Abrams, which shows there are a lot of "Grier types" out there...in Congress! Can't wait to see Dan defend his Republican congress!!
DAN ABRAMS:
How would you feel if I told you that your tax dollars were paying $162,500 per year to federal employees who only report to the office one out of every four days?
And these men and women "of the people" are not toiling away at some obscure federal agency. I'm talking about the U.S. Congress, which is on track to set a modern record for working the fewest days.

Not since 1948, what became known as the "do-nothing" congress, have the members worked so little. Back then, they only worked 108 days. And yet it seems the current Congress is on track to do less than that.

At its current pace, they will only have been in session 97 days this year. In fact, House members worked only 87 hours during the month of March, less than many people work in a week. That, of course, included time off for the St. Patrick's Day recess.
Think about that. St. Patrick's Day recess? Since when do any of us get to take off work for St. Patrick's Day? And they are taking the next two weeks off for Easter and Passover. And then another week in May for Memorial Day and the entire month of August.

A Dartmouth College government professor explained it this way, "The members may in the long run decide it's better to do nothing than cast votes that may make them look bad. So being unproductive isn't always bad."

And yet they still get a raise this year! An additional $3100!

Yesterday, I was watching the disturbing testimony of 19-year-old Justin Berry talking about how he was lured into internet porn as a child and highlighting how almost none of the men who violated him had been prosecuted. When the camera panned around to show the Subcommittee on Oversights and Investigations, it became clear very few members were there.

Now, it’s true members pop in and out of hearings. But for this type of high-profile and important event, you would think they would at least try to make it look like they are all paying close attention. We have been hearing a lot of members do a lot of complaining as of late about political witch hunts and accusations that the other party is stalling on legislation. Well, I would think that stalling would at least mean working. It's time for them to get to work.

THROW THEM ALL OUT---STARTING WITH HOWARD COBLE!

The Dan I referred to, in defending his Republican Congress would be OUR Dan, not Dan Abrams!

If my recollection of history is correct, the "do nothing" congress referred to above was also a Republican Congress. Not that it is required, but from the article above, it seems consistent.

Moot point about voting out incumbents in the Bush Administration, DD. He and Cheney are not running again.

Hugh,
Yes, but the rubber stamps can be turned out! Coble road herd on Clinton Impeachment, but is silent on corruption in Bush administration. Where is the statesman like behavior now?
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From MSNBC:

WASHINGTON - Vice President Dick Cheney’s former top aide told prosecutors that President Bush authorized the leak of sensitive intelligence information about Iraq, according to court papers filed by prosecutors in the CIA leak case.

Before his indictment, I. Lewis Libby testified to the grand jury investigating the CIA leak that Cheney told him to pass on information and that it was Bush who authorized the disclosure of information to reporters about prewar intelligence on Iraq.

The authorization came as the Bush administration faced mounting criticism about its failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, the main reason the president and his aides had given for going to war.
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Where are the Republicans who are in the "safe" seats now? Why can't they find their voice?

DD, those in the "safe seats have found a voice...did you not hear them? Their voices were crying, "No comment!"

Shalom

Since we are totally off the LTE subject let me interject that the congresswoman from Atlanta has apoligized for her behavior. Was glad she did that. I think most folks in the USA are very forgiving when mistakes are made and admitted. Bush has NEVER waivered from "we were right to invade Iraq". Amazing. His arrogance is very hard for me to take.

Carol,
You are so right. George Wallace apologized for his racist past and in his last successful election, won over 90% of the black vote. Strom Thurmond apologized for his racist past. He even went so far as to court the black vote, as a Republican. Jesse Helms NEVER apologized for his racist comments and yet right wing Christians held him up as a man to be respected.

If Clinton was "slick Willie" what must Bush be? He ain't slick, and he sure ain't smart. He lies and the right defends his every move. He tears down our borders, he goes to war by choice, and he forces our grandchildren to pay for his tax cuts. A wartime tax cut --- What happened to sacrifice? Like the bumper sticker said, "If you voted for Bush, a yellow ribbon isn't enough".
Sorry for the rant, but I just watched the Scooter Libby story on television. Before it's over, FOXNews will be presenting Libby as a modern day patriot and the Boy Scouts will have him speaking!