News-Record.com

Dear Bruce,

Could you please write an article about the upcoming re-districting and begin to lay out for the community what is being considered and how this might affect neighborhoods? I have only lived in Guilford COunty for one year, but in that time I have consistently heard people say that whenever the Board of Education makes big decisions such as this, it is an ugly process, and the commmunity often feels they were not informed sufficiently in the matter of time and information.

So, in the vein of comuunity service, can News & Record step up to the plate and research, inform and prepare the community for such matters as the upcoming re-districting issues you mentioned here, and the ones that WILL BE COMING in the next few years?

Maps and information would be greatly appreciated by the community, as many interested parents do not have the luxury of attending board meetings and requesting maps and additional information that is not readily available.

I think this would go a long way to defer some of the mis-information and last minute meetings that tend to aggravate parents. I think this would help BOE members who also say they hate the way "these things" have been dealt with in the past.

For me, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. So how can this community do things differently, and how can the information be presented in a more timely, more comprehensive way? I think N&R can certainly help in this effort.

Thank you in advance for your consideration in this matter.

Terrina Picarello
Laughlin/Summerfield PTA

Terrina's ideas are well taken. Information is the key. Especially it seems when any major issues involve the Greensboro community, the GCS Board meeting is held in High Point. Go figure. Sometimes there is not enough room at the English Road location for all who want to attend. Also the acoustics are bad.

It is very important that dates, times and places and agendas of any community forums regarding redistricting be posted well in advance so many people can plan to attend.

We would all appreciate if the News & Record could make sure the public has this information in a timely manner.

Thank you for your help.

Barbara Ann

It is an ugly process and with all the information in the world, you will not change this school boards mind. The info will give you a heads up on where your son/daughter will be attending school after the re-districting is done.

All these so called county wide "proposed" changes are already set in stone so no amount of public meetings with public input will change their mind. The DON'T want to hear what you have to say and they WON'T listen to you. Why do you think the 1999 meetings were so rowdy? Have you seen the Aycock kids on TV that are being forced to move to Lincoln?

My son was part of the 1999 re-districting and they moved him against their "own staff's recommendations." If they won't listen to their own staff you think they will listen to the parents??

Thank God he graduates in May and will be OUT of the hell hole called Guilford County Schools.

I do feel sorry for you that are still there.

Terrina,

We absolutely will report extensively on the upcoming redistricting, both before it starts and while it's taking place.

And don't worry, Barbara Ann, the News & Record will do everything we can to let people know about any redistricting meetings. We'll continue to run things in the paper and this time, we'll also be able to use The Chalkboard as another tool to get the word out.

A lot of the reassignment will take place up in your neck of the woods, Terrina. The district is building three new schools near Summerfield, including Northern High School.

And maybe the board could do more to keep parents informed - I don't know. But this is going to be an ugly process, no matter how much information is out there. There are always going to be people who don't want to change schools, no matter how good the reason. And some of them are going to get upset.

Perhaps I am being somewhat naive (it wouldn't be the first time), but I have to disagree with Inkslinger. I think there can be a constructive dialogue on redistricting.

If you recall, district officials proposed a massive high school redistricting in High Point two years ago. The school board shot that down after a public outcry from Ragsdale and Southwest parents. Yeah, they replaced it with the equally unpopular reassignment plan, but it still shows that the public does have a voice in these debates.

However, redistricting will happen and some people are going to have to change schools. It's unavoidable.

The school district is building several new schools, thanks to the $300 million bond overwhelmingly approved by county voters. Those schools aren't going to be empty. Filling them is going to require moving students.

Bruce,

As usual, you have covered all bases and addressed our concerns. Still read my N & R and other newspapers every day.

Thanks for mentioning the Ragsdale and SW parents of two years ago. Best ride in the snowstorm 1000 parents ever had. It was well worth the research, time and effort. This goes to show that parents and citizens can make a difference but they must choose to be involved.

So many coincidences this year of most getting their "first choice" in the HP lottery. Wow what were the odds of that happening?

It certainly would be so much easier to just "throw in the towel" and put your kid in private school but that wouldn't be much of a challenge for us passionate folks, would it?

So much good has come out of this past year in waking up Guilford County and helping to get rid of complacency. So many new bonds of friendships have formed across geographic boundaries thanks to the newspapers and the magic of e-mail. People now know the names of the School Board members; the commissioners; city council members and who to call in the community to get information.

We have much to be proud of for all the work of so many great parents who made the choice to step up to the plate and give unselfishly of themselves.

The redistricting of students from Aycock to Mendenhall is a brilliant move and everyone wins. There will always be those who complain, but those who put their shoulders to the wheel and support public education even when it is hard to do so, will teach their children by example. There is one loser in the mix, and that is private schools---Canterbury, St.Pius, and Greensboro Day. Had the board not put the Irving Park group at Mendenhall, those children could have ended up at one of those private schools. Public education wins when parents of means support the school system. I do not agree with parents who would have sent their children to private schools rather than Aycock, but that is no longer an issue.

Yes - Kris Cooke certainly looked after her Irving Park parents. The same is not true for the people in High Point. Kris and company would not listen to them and as a result, Wesleyan's private school is enlarging their school facilities to take in the many disgruntled parents from High Point.

Yet another example of the double standards in Guilford County Schools.

I was at the board meeting when the vote took place, and yes Kris was the one to make a motion for both the Irving Park and General Greene redistricting. However it took Darlene Garrett to say that she would vote for this move, because people wanted to go to their neighborhood school and pointed out her concern that she couldn't understand the difference between these parents and those of High Point. Why should one area get neighborhood schools and not another? Double standards in my opinion.

Bruce, yes, you are naive if you really think that there can be a constructive discussion with this School Board on re-districting or any other subject. I have to acknowledge that you wrote that comment before the meeting in HP last night. If you still believe that there can be a truly constructive and productive dialogue with the School Board after what you heard in the spectacle last night, then you just don't really want to see it.

Everyone was disgusted and frustrated with the dialogue with the board last night that attended. Many valid concerns were presented, and for the most part, members of the Board just sat there in silence. There was no attempt to really hear what was being said, nor to respond honestly or sincerely. There was only one theme that ran through last night's meeting from Terry Grier and the Board; if we had more money, we could do a wonderful job of educating your children. How much is enough? It's always about more money with this group. Have they ever looked at providing an education to students in the same manner as tax-paying families look at their family economics? I think not. Most people consider their income and revenue, and then they decide what they can best afford to do. If they can't afford it, they don't do it. This Board wants to do everything that sparkles and shines, while disregarding the consequences of their decisions. Tim Mann put it well in answer to Terry Grier's statement that you can do more with less only so long. Tim said that they need to start doing less with more. What he meant was take a hard look at all the magnet programs and start providing the needed resources to the 88% of students who are not in magnet or specialized schools, so that they can deliver on their responsibility of providing a basic education to all students. Maybe then we will have schools who can pass competency tests, have enough qualified teachers, and not have two different classes taught by the same teacher in the same classroom at the same time!