News-Record.com

This coming Saturday, April Fools Day would be appropriate.

The majority of the Guilford County School Board has once again been "bamboozled" by Terry Grier!

Everyone knows CMS will NOT HIRE Grier the parents in Meck County will not have it. The Guilford County “tax paying” citizens are victims of a corrupt system…with a liberal school board at the head of the class!

I for one am sick of working, paying taxes and not having representation!

If the registered voters of Guilford County do not get out THIS ELECTION YEAR they deserve every questionable political coup their representatives’ vote in.

oops I forgot noone is running against the current liberals

we all need to get OUTTA HERE and quick!!!!!

They did not vote to give him a raise, what they did do was give him a letter of recommendation that they endorsed him. There was no firm commitment to raise his salary. This letter of recommendation (verbal) gave him clean credentials for his move. They know his time is up and it is the expedient thing to help him move on. This is being done very smoothly, unfortunately for our neighbors to the south.

Unfortunately it signals backroom deals on his successor as well. This appears to be a well thought out plan and Charlotte an excellent patsy for Alan’s play. This is too good for even Grier to have planned. Becoats may come in at $210,000 and he is a supporter of Duncan's agenda so will already have majority support from board. If you want real change, start researching Becoats as this could go down in weeks, not months.

Here we go again....

Saving Charlotte from TG may save us from these backroom deals. Becoats will already have been coached and prepped but if there were a way to keep TG here (UGH, no raises required please) it might be better as I do not believe he has very broad support and is much weaker. A Becoats move would provide a “Holiday” period where Board Member’s personal agendas that would never have flown before could quickly move forward. Oh what a treacherous web we weave…

Garth,

Here is another take that I posted on another strand on this subject. It's another scenario that could be going down.

As I recall from last year, the school board decided to give Terry Grier performance goals that he could work to achieve, but nothing seems to have been publicly discussed as to what those were determined to be. Further, if Terry Grier fully met those goals, he would be eligible for a 2.24% increase or about $7,000, which would be an equivalent incease to what teachers would receive.

Now, the board is in a quandry how they can provide Grier with additional "incentives" to remain in Greensboro when they have boxed themselves in publicly with this salary policy. Would tehy be so bold now so as to violate that policy to give him money as an incentive to stay and further alienate the teachers here? Their answer seems to be to solicit "incentives" from local businesses for Grier to be paid to him off the books. This seems to be the only public way for them to go. This logic seems to validate the information that a school official has been quietly soliciting local businesses. The big question is how successful they were in this endeavor. We may never know, if he stays.

Would any local businesses be willing to step up and inform the public what is going on? This would not be illegal for the the board to do, but would be unethical as they made a covenant with the teachers last year to keep Grier's salary increases in line with theirs, percentage-wise. Of course, concern for ethics hasn't been a stumbling block with this administration and board in the past.

Interesting take, I believe it is based upon just a bit too much implicit intelligence in the Board though. Judging from comments from Board members, I doubt that they would ever worry about saying no raises and changing their mind would be like changing clothes. ie "hey, these clothes stink, I guess I'll change" Never mind the odor from the rotting … wearing the clothes.

Assuming they would hesitate to give Grier a raise because it might bother a few teachers or even irritate a public that keeps them in office in spite of all they have done just hits me as ascribing too much character upon their morally bankrupt coalition. If the majority thought for a second they wanted to keep him, he would have rec’d raise last night, or some other incentive. If Charlotte really wants him, I can tell you as a former Charlotte insider, there is nothing in Greensboro to keep him over what they can do off the books.

Grier’s compensation package here is almost $250,000 a year with perks and benefits, Charlotte offers $270,000 with perks (see Jennifer’s article) – they have twice the headaches, twice the students and twice the money, and far more problems, by my count he is paid way too much here compared to Charlotte already. Apples to Apples, life is already better here for him and politics here are easier. Charlotte would be a stepping stone for his career, but money and lifestyle wise he is already better off here.

Most of my clients make what Grier makes and I can tell you $20k to 50K a year will not outweigh lifestyle and headaches a bit.

From the Charlotte Observer: The task force has a 202 pagre report: Here is some quotes:

Student Assignment
The task force hadn't planned to tackle this topic, but found so much "public anger and mistrust" that it's urging changes:

• In grades K-8, send students to schools closest to home. Drop diversity as a goal.

• Stop opening these schools to other students.

• Eliminate "partial magnets" that mix neighborhood and magnet students.

• For families who want diversity, offer specialized "choice schools" around the county, including current and new magnets. Cap poverty at 40 percent.

• High school students should have a choice of small, specialized schools in their area.

• Underfilled center-city elementary schools should convert to combined elementary/middle schools.

Debora,

I think some of what you just indicated is being done in Forsyth Schools now. They just opened the new Atkins School which is a magnet only school housing three separate specialties. And, a nice touch is that the school experience for students is the same as a tradional school with a full-fledged sports lineup, competing with other area high schools and a band. This school was tactically placed in one of the poorer sections of Winston Salem so as to serve that area well, and it was built for 1/2 of the new Northern High to serve the same number of students; 1,200. This seems rather well-planned and executed and should be an attractive addition to their program. This is the same thing that Guilford should be trying to do.

At the same time they built the new Reagan High in Pffaftown, and it is a tradional neighborhood school to serve that growing area of the county. this school will also serve 1,200 students and was built for the same 1/2 of Northern's cost. So, Forsyth got two very nice high schools that will serve 2,400 students at the same price that Northern will cost us, and they got it built on time and on-budget.

And, there is no hassle there about neighborhood schools. At the high school level, students have a choice between attending their neighborhood school, a magnet school, or any other high school in the county. Now, that's a choice plan.

Garth,

As I recall last year, the school board made a solumn promise to the public and teachers that Terry Grier wouldn't receive better salary treatment than they would, that his future raises would be in line with theirs, about 2.24% this year. If we can't believe and trust them on this, can we ever trust them come bond time? No, I feel that even they are not so bold as to do that. I feel that they will go under the table to get "incentives" from business to supplement his compensation. You're right that he his total compensation, including salary and benefits, is closer to $250,000, and that doesn't start to account for his outside compensation through his consulting clause. That could be as much as another $50,000 per year or more. It is reported that the salary in Charlotte would be $300,000, not $270,000.

Here is what the board said today after their meeting. They suggest that they will "do more" for Grier when the time comes, and I'm betting it is incentives off the books, much like his consulting income. We could very well be looking at a total compensation package for Grier here in Greensboro at the same level as what Charlotte is proposing. And, we aren't even sure that he will be their first choice. A source tells me that some of the board members want the internal candidate, Haithcock, even though she has no superintendent experience.

"Grier's annual review, where the board sets his salary and can extend his contract, is due this fall.

"We wanted to send Terry a clear message that we would like for him to stay here," board member Anita Sharpe said after the meeting.

She also noted that the board "can always do more" when it comes time for Grier's evaluation and raise, which is tied to what teachers receive from the state. Typically, teacher raises are about 2 percent."

Stormy:
I have less faith in their supposed integrity than you and wish that I could still find belief where you do. They have broke promise after promise with the public. Six years ago they promised no more of these wierd attendance zones..., Ragsdale was promised enlargement from Bonds, Jamestown was promised new middle school.

Now, they apparently do not care about what public says. They cannot point to any success he has had that isn't outweighed by the failures. He asked them not to give him a raise, then a couple months later, under cover of quiet meeting, they give him a large raise and significant incentives just in case he thought about leaving.

Since then scores have been dropping, more schools failing and they want to offer more incentives. I find myself trying to make sense of it and instead question how on earth the public can ignore the pitiful job our School Board has done.

I still believe that if they had majority, which was probably 1 vote shy, they would have offered it then. What backroom promises have been made we can only imagine.

Garth,

The essence of my posts is not to declare faith in the school board's integrity, but rather the opposite. I am suggesting that they will give Grier the extra money he wants, but it will be off the books and under the table, thus, secretly viloating their covenant with the teachers. I think that shows less integrity than violating their promises openly. "She also noted that the board "can always do more" when it comes time for Grier's evaluation and raise". This says it all. They will find a way to get him more money to stay.