News-Record.com

The incompetence has to end. They (School Board and Grier) skirt the blame for school failings and now they will try to skirt the blame for schools falling in.

The blame game is OVER. If they don't want the finger pointed at them, they should RESIGN!!!!

WHO can parents and students rely on if they take the blame for NOTHING??????? What good are they if NOTHING is their fault? Why do we need a Board and Super if EVERY single issue that arises seems to be out of their control?

In fact N&R, if it weren't for your astute readers, this topic would not even be concerning YOU!!!!

JANE, STOP THIS CRAZY THING I WANT OFFF!!!!!!!!!!

"Alan Duncan, whose district includes Hairston, said he believes the school sytem has done a good job given the "size of the staff" and number of school projects."

What was Duncan going to say if the cafeteria roof had collapsed on kids and teachers during school? "They did a good job given the size of the staff"? I hope that the schools and the board have their general liability insurance premiums paid and current, because they may really need it. As a matter of fact, I think that I hear their broker calling to say that their policy has been cancelled.

GEORGE!!!!!

What an excellent quote!

"Why do we need a board and super if EVERY single issue that arises seems to be out of their control?"

Can anybody get signs made for the next BOE meeting? T-shirts? Coffee mugs?

This week's Rhino with John Hammer's first hand account of his trip to Eastern Middle School is a MUST READ!!

It is all too easy to blame the school board. The real question that we need answered is, "Did the city inspectors make sure that the building was up to code at each phase of the construction of these schools?" There are standards for things such as materials, roof bracing, and wall support when you are talking about structural support for a commercial building. So was the problem that the city inspectors just signed off without doing a thorough inspection? Where there known engineering flaws that were purposely overlooked? I believe it is not reasonable that building inspectors would not have the knowledge that the materials used were not sufficient to support the structure. There is something missing here.

I doubt that the BOE members were intimately involved in the construction process. Do we really expect BOE members to be out on all the job sites with their hard hats, watching every move? Especially if they have a JOB and no real background in construction?

I do think, since we pay big salaries to those responsible for the construction process, there needs to be accountability.

We need to get to the bottom of this. It seems likely that the liability will not lie with the BOE. If so, then the taxpayers who have already paid for the construction in good faith expecting a competent job, deserve to recover the expense of repairing what should have been built right in the first place.

I know it is sort-of a sport around here to throw stones at the BOE, but I think it is too soon to make that move.

I think the stones are being thrown at the whole gang and mostly because of Grier's actions in the past. Like George said, nothing is ever their fault.

They are trying very hard to cover this up. It's not because Grier is protecting inspectors.

Terrina,

"Success on any major scale requires you to accept responsibility . . . . In the final analysis, the one quality that all successful people have is the ability to take on responsibility."
— Michael Korda
Editor-in-Cheif, Simon & Schuster

If our BOE and Terry Grier are to be successful, then they have to take on reponibility for what happens under their leadership.

It seems the BOE uses Jill Wilson, and she enjoys being used to cover up the facts by citing attorney/client privilege or some other legal jumbo. Her responsibility is to the citizens of Guilford County. This comes before the BOE, Dr. Grier, County employees and school contractors.

Morgan and Jennifer thank you for the information.

However, I'm confused. Were the gymnasiums at Eastern Guilford, Hairston, and Kernodle closed
the entire year due to safety or for construction.

Are they back peddling now saying it was not a safety issue, but just an enhancement? I have never seen the Guilford County School system work so quickly on a school "enhancement".

Quote from principal of Eastern Guilford High School "structural enhancements are being made to our school", " while it is certainly an inconvenience the building is currently safe for occupancy while these enhancements are being made"

For one thing, a structural enhancement should have bids made to it and the cost should be known upfront. How in the world did they even begin work on this building without a building permit? This was not new consturction, it was major renovation.
Installation of a center steel frame beam in the
cafeteria is a major support issue!!

I'm glad they are fixing this, but I have absolutely no trust in the new construction department, maintenance department, administration,
and media contact concerning the safety of my child.

My son has had sick migraine headaches since he began Eastern Guilford. This year it was much worse.

He said the school had a bad odor which seemed to trigger his headaches. I reported this to the administration in the fall. I talked with several teachers that said the school has smelled on and off since the school opened. After several months and phone calls, sometime after the beginning of the year a specialist was finally hired to come in and check out the school.

A sewer pipe had never been capped and was pouring
sewer gas directly into a small maintenance room where one of the building air handlers was located.

Methane gas was being spread throughout the building since the school was built.

How was this missed during the school inspections?
Why was not discovered during routine safety inspections?

Everyone knows that a GOOD Captain goes down WITH THE SHIP!

Pansy Grier and MOST of his worthless Board would push aside passengers to take the first rescue boats and abandon ship at the first sign of trouble!

They have just proven this. They are a disgrace to our students.

Correction

Quote from principal of Eastern Guilford "Middle" school "structural enhancemente are being made to our
school"

Like Terrina said, throwing stones at the BOE and Grier is a popular sport on here. But there's plenty of blame to go around on this one:

1. The contractors and architect. They designed and built shoddy buildings using taxpaper money. They shouldn't be let off the hook.

2. The school administration/BOE. It's worth noting that both Eastern and Kernodle were built before Grier arrived in Guilford County. Hairston was built on his watch, though. Leadership deserves some blame, although not all of it.

It does seem like the BOE and the administration are more interested in making excuses and covering this up than in solving the problem, though.

3. The GCS facilities staff. The school system employs a staff of people who are supposed to be knowledgable about construction. From here, it appears they fell down on the job, although many of those folks aren't still with the system (Eastern was built 7 or 8 years ago and Kernodle was built in 2000, I think). According to this article, the current facilities director has been on the job less than a year, so it's not fair to blame him for mistakes that happened before him.

In any case, this is a big mess, all paid for by you and me, the taxpayers. It certainly doesn't inspire much confidence in future GCS construction endeavors, which is sad, because we certainly need more classrooms.

All we want is the truth. What is so hard about that. This is taxpayer's money. Dr. Grier and Alan Duncan should be calling for the people connected with the fiasco to speak out. Instead, everyone is under lock-down with Jill Wilson serving as the tool to make it happen.

Remember when we had the bus fiasco? Alan Duncan held a special meeting over at the Courthouse to get to the very bottom of the problem. They gave John Wright and Jim Moen a real horse-whipping. It was not nice to see.

The facts in the problem should not be concealed from the public. The idea that School Employees must stay silent because someday there may be a legal action is crazy. The duty to serve the public is not something that is optional.

just saying,

There is plenty of blame to go around for the contruction of these buildings and we can blame architects and construction workers for that. Or we could go over the workers' heads to blame the owners of the companies involved because that is usually where the responsibility lies--with the head honcho.

However, who is responsible for allowing kids to attend school in a building that was obviously unsafe while saying that only the gyms were off-limits? That tracks all the way back to Grier!

GRIER is the one responsible for knowingly putting our children in an unsafe building!!

He doesn't need anyone on the Chalkboard to make excuses for him. He will have plenty of hired flunkies to do that for him.

Mad Mom, no one is making excuses for Grier - he certainly deserves some responsibility, particularly for the way this mess has been handled in the past week or so.

If the Grier and the school board knew these buildings were unsafe during last school year, then, yes, I agree they should be run out of town on a rail. So far, there's been no evidence that is the case - just speculation. Like Terrina said, I think we need more information before we can draw any definitive conclusions.

As far as the original construction problems go, the school facilities department, construction companies and architects should be held accountable for their actions. These companies and architects were paid millions of dollars by you and me to do a job and they didn't deliver. I know Grier and the BOE are unpopular for a lot of reasons totally unrelated to construction, but that shouldn't be an excuse to let these contractors and/or architects get away with ripping us off.

Likewise, there needs to be a long, hard look given to the school system's facilities department. They are directly responsible for this sort of stuff and they completely missed a serious problem.

Joe Stafford is absolutely right - we need a top-to-bottom investigation of this fiasco, conducted in public. Both the N&R and Rhino have done an admirable job in digging up this story, despite a full-blown cover-up from GCS.

just saying,

True leadership requires that if you are the leader, you have the ultimate responsibility for the actions of your subordinates, hired or contracted. Terry Grier and the school board represent the leadership of the schools in this case. They may have delegated authority to the facilities department, architects, contractors, etc. to build the buildings, but bottom line, they can never delegate the responsiblity for it. This is the essence of leadership. The leader that shuns responsibility and accountability to subordinates is no leader. A true leader rides in the front of the troops, not in the rear.

In this case, Terry Grier is the leader with the most responsibility. The school board is his boss, and as such, they are not showing that they are holding him or anyone else responsible. They are not fulfilling the trust that citizens of the county have placed in them (how new is that?). They are our representatives and should be concerned about our best interests, not Terry Grier's or anyone in the school system. Joe is right, letting Jill Wilson put a muzzle on this is not acting in good faith with the citizens of the county. At least Amos Quick and Deena Hayes are asking questions, while Alan and Walter are saying that staff does a good job even though they have a small staff and a lot of projects. Now, that'll make you feel secure and safe in a school building. The expectation should be that EVERY building is safe and secure. As Ford once advertised "Quality is Job One".

Alan is too kind...

It is because of the attitude that say's we are doing the best with what we have that we are failing. With better management and greater accountability we could be getting far more. With real Board oversight and real questions things could be much better.

I do not blame staff for this screw up, Grier and others are not engineers. That there is what the public perceives as a cover up, well this is their fault! Had they requested permits they risked more inspections and more revelations, but by not having inspectors present they were allowed to hide problems. Whether intentional or not, inspectors should be combing the buildings to protect our kids and inform the public!

Proper legal counsel should be sought ASAP on the engineering and architectural issues. Most city inspectors are not qualified to make calls on these issues. Who is risking our kid’s lives for their careers? Hopefully no one. People go to jail when these things fail and it could have been prevented and none of these people should want that.

If I were Anita, I would keep my mouth shut and carry a big stick and have lot’s of emails documenting my disapproval and serious questions. Amos should require board to go public! Find out who is hiding what and are we taking proper steps! I sure will be in January.

Addendum:

Simple solution

1. Public inquiry by School Board into what is really wrong and full disclosure. Include 3 parents in any private meetings who sign confidentiality agreement so that legal issues that might lead to litigation are protected for the taxpayers benefit, yet they can still indicate whether public disclosures are complete and accurate.
2. Building Inspectors immediately determine safety of buildings for fall.
3. Second, independent engineering firm review new structural plans and determine adequacy and if there was any form of malpractice.
4. Full disclosure of all expenses relating to this and how it will affect budget.
5. Full disclosure to News and Record and Rhino by School Board of results of inquiries with 3 parents endorsement.

Then Board should make a public information policy requiring openness.

Good points as usual, Stormy. Every school in the county (heck, in the U.S.) should be safe. Anything less is completely unacceptable.

Garth is right - Grier and the BOE need to be held accountable for their lack of public response to this mess. Saying, "The staff is doing a great job," throwing people off campus, etc. isn't the way to handle this. Certainly, the response from Grier and the board (with a few notable exceptions like Amos) isn't inspiring much confidence in Guilford County Schools.

But I do think we need to separate the facts of this situation from the emotions surrounding Grier and the BOE. Getting rid of one person, no matter how unpopular, isn't going to fix this.

As I see it, there are a number of important questions that need answering: Why did these structual problems happen? Who is responsible (I suspect there is more than one culprit)? When did GCS know about these problems and were students allowed to attend classes in unsafe buildings? Who should be financially responsible for the $1.7 million price tag, as Morgan reported yesterday? Why was much of this information kept secret? And perhaps most importantly, what can be done to keep this from happening in future construction projects?

Both the GCS staff and BOE have too much at stake in this to be objective. I would like to see them bring in an independent investigator to sort this mess out.

Everyone need to read the accounting by John Hammer and Jana Benscoter of the Rhino's attempted visit to Kernodle, along with a parent and Mike Winsted, a GC Commissioner. Their accounting of that visit will astound anyone regarding the secrecy with which these "safety enchancements" are being conducted.

As regards the question about when did school staff know about the unsafe conditions, it should be noted that construction work was begun without a permit, apparentely so as to slip by public notice. And, John Hammer makes note that school staff had to know last fall that reinforcement work was needed in the school, along with the gym. In essence, the school staff allowed children to attend school last year there knowing that there was a potentially unsafe condition of collapse while children were present. They were "betting" that wouldn't happen. And, who represented their chips in that bet? Yep, the children and school staff at the school. Was it really a risk? Well, I guess it was enough of a risk that they began adding significant amounts of steel support at the school immediately as soon as school was out this summer.

So, given that information, whom do we hold responsible for making the "bet" with children? I can not be convinced that Terry Grier did not know and approve that plan of action. The school board probably did not know, but now that they do, any hesitancy in action is unacceptable. Their role as school leaders is at risk here. Saying that school staff is small and overworked is unacceptable when school childrens' safety is at risk.

just saying, yes, if Terry Grier knew about this and allowed it, then he should be held responsible and sent packing. This has nothing to do with "fixing" the problem. It has to do with the abandonment of his role as a responsible leader, allowing children in his charge to be allowed to be placed at risk. And, to try to "fix" the problem in secrecy with a cover-up is also unacceptable.

yall think theyll pull up some dublewids whiles this mess gits figered out?

Man I luv dublewids.

Gifford Grad, if they run out of trailers they can always use my cousin Eddie's RV.

Read the article in Rhino. The ending was the best part. What is tough to swallow is the fact that according to the article, GCS knew that additional reinforcement work would have to be done since Oct. when they closed the gyms for the work. You can't blame the administration and SB for the architectural design. But the cover-up is another story.

If they knew this work had to be done why didn't they come clean and ask for the money in the budget then. I guess because it would look bad to admit that children had been in these buildings all along with roofs that might cave in.

If an enterprising researcher were to obtain public information, like the plans that must be on file with the county on the up fitting of the middle schools, even a modest engineer could impute the seriousness of the retrofitting and the danger that our children were in, if any. Plans had to be submitted for permits...that's probably why no permits were desired.

Also, for these plans to be drawn up and the time required for the reviews and planning implementation and materials ordering, some might be tempted to question the veracity of Mr. Grier’s professed timeline. Anyone who has tried to do these modifications and get engineers to perform such work so quickly knows that “rush job” is an oxymoron of the first order.

They are so used to toying with the facts that they believe the public and the news-media will buy anything. Sadly, they have good reason to believe this.

I wonder if there is a journalist at News-Record with the same moxy as the ones at Rhino, who could actually do some basic investigative journalism instead of regurgative quoting of those who have the most to gain by media manipulation?

But then again Mr. Duncan’s firm represents News-Record and anything School Board portrays as truth must be, right?

Thanks Rhino for giving it a shot.

Another serious question that must be asked is about the permits. The engineers now being used are first class and would know and advise on permitting, I have trouble believing there is not a document covering their backside telling school admin that permit is a must. They would have expected discourse with county engineers as part of process. Who shut it up?

Contractors of this size also know the necessity of a permit, are they so incompetent that they wouldn’t get one? If so how good are they at retrofitting? Perhaps in exchange for no-bid contract it was suggested that they keep mouth shut about extensiveness of retrofitting and lack of permits? The legality of such a sham might come under purview of State Bureau of Investigation. Regardless of what might have happened public deserves answers and no one cares to investigate!

It might appear that everyone involved is ignorant and incompetent, or someone is playing fast and furious at cover-up. I would like to know, how about the rest of you?

Also, engineers would have warned schools of the seriousness of the design flaws, a freedom of information act request that would include communications and recommendations of engineers to school admin would clear up a lot of things. If the investigative reporter were to extend this to the permitting issue…

As I understand it, the BOE has more knowledge than the public has. The problems at these schools including permiting was evidently discusssed in secret session. They used lawyers that advise secret session to keep the public from getting information that should have been discussed in public

N & R August 13 on Middle School Roofs

Newspaper mentions that schools only knew about the entire buildings the end of the school year.

Picarello states "If that's the way it went, I'm find with that". She would have appreciated a letter from central office notifying parents of specific flaws and a plan to evacuate students in case of any severe weather."

"Grier responded that school officials had discussed dismissing children early from school if needed. 'Had we had severe weather ..we would have done that,', he said."

QUESTION: If they didn't know about the roof problems in the entire buildings until end of school year (spring/summer) why would they be concerned about severe weather if they didn't know of a problem with the rest of the building?

or did GCS mean severe weather (wind/rain)the end of the school year when they found out?

Does anyone know if the same construction crews are being used for the Southwest project?? Should we be worried if this structure also could be unsafe??

Joe:
Sutton-Kennerly (engineers) would have sent a C.Y.A. letter to school admin advising them as to safety and seriousness of problem. At the very least this letter should be made public! It would have little to no value in court for litigation against prior contractor or engineer unless is showed serious deficiencies. If these deficiencies were serious, then someone made a decision to risk the safety of children over politics or money. There should be public outrage at the withholding of this information.

Why aren't any of our elected board members trying to get this information?

Garth, does Grier make them promises so they will stay off his butt? I just don't understand!! Please tell me you will do things differently and not make deals with the devil.

I'm surprised that a man with so much lying experience would make a slip like that.

The best idea I read recently was to let private businesses that know what they are doing build schools and lease the buildings back long-term to the schools. That way the liability falls on them. Schools could be built faster, cheaper and more efficiently. You wouldn't need all the overpriced jobs where certain jobs are not bid out. Long term offices leases are used in private industry all the time. So are land leases.

We know that will never happen in Guilford County because too much control would have to be forfeited by the administration and the school board. Better yet have private entities build the schools and make them charter schools.

Regardless the building of safe, efficient educational facilities should be TOTALLY separate from the education of our children.

It's always interesting that anything that appears to go wrong with respect to our school system, the Good Doctor gets the blame for it. In the eyes of most of the whiners that post on the CB the Good Doctor must have the characteristics of a super being. They feel that not only must he be the visionary for the education of our youth, but be familiar with architectural and engineering standards peculiar to the building industry in order that he can identify structural problems and immediately rectify and if he falls short, fire him.

You expect too much out of the Good Doctor.

Others might be in error in this matter, but the Good Doctor is unimpeachable in this instance and without reproach.

Lord Hear Our Prayers.

Oh yes, and BuckMtn, it does Take A Village and the election results in 2008 will further solidify our nation's commitment to that principle.

Something School Admin did right:

Someone decided to spend a few more of our tax dollars and have Suttton-Kennerly review the rest of the projects that these engineers and architects approved. They discovered a serious problem and made recommendations that the administration acted upon. This is the way it should be! Life deals you screw ups from time to time, it can't be blamed on the administration or school board. At this point their hands are clean.

That having been said, the cover-up is serious and is 100% their responsibility and someone should hold their feet to the flames!!!!

WE DESERVE THE TRUTH, WE THE TAXPAYERS SHOULD NOT BE DECEIVED!!!

Morgan and Jennifer,,,,Where are you????????

Helloooooooooo,,,is anybody there????????

They must be hiding underneath the same couch that dr. grief resides under....

Come out you Cowards,, and admit that dr. grief knowingly put the School Children in DANGER by not closing the Structurally UNSAFE SCHOOLS in Guilford County....

Dot Kearns,,,Big Advocate for Children,,,Where is your voice over this Matter??????????

GCS,,,led by dr. grief,,,,is in TOTAL DISARRAY....

LORD,,,Walk with our Children as they venture into the DANGERS of attending Guilford County Schools,,,,,

AMEN

Response to "Wheres the Outrage":

I have made deals with "devils" many times. How else do you learn? I help clients buy and sell businesses all the time, it's my job. I can say that I now make fewer deals with devils as I have learned how to spot a devil. My brief top 10 devil spotting tips...

10. I make six figures, I must be honest…
9. It's much, much better than it appears..
8. Give you a queasy feeling in gut
7. Don’t answer questions completely when asked or offer to get you the specifics quickly and never do
6. Reputation isn’t snow white (RED FLAG 3)
5. They say everything will turn out great given time so just give it more time
4. Not enough money to do it right or I didn't get enough support
3. It’s the other guy’s fault
2. “Trust me” I know… (RED FLAG 1)
1. Facts don’t add up - 2+2 still equals 4 (RED FLAG 2)

If you hit the 3 red flags, don't worry about the rest, you are about to converse with a real hot one.

Did Garth say that we can expect him to make deals with Grier? If so, that's all I needed to hear. I'm gonna write in Susan Mendenhall!

Bubba,
You must enjoy a life of mediocrity. You accept it and even glorify it. Some of us expect more.

A school superintendent that after seven years here states that he wants all children to read by third grade is not a visionary. Its basics buddy.

What a sad place we live in that we have people like you that glorify mediocrity.

Bubba,
Thank heavens for those that question and desire more and not settle for less.

If elected, and I as well as thousands of others do so agree that it's his to lose, I predict Garth Hebert (now that's a movie star's name if there ever was one) will develop an amicable working relationship with Dr. Grier and will help the Good Doctor to facilitate a better education system for our youths.

Though,I fear that the characteristics of the accountant numbers type (meek, introverted, mostly incommunicato), which Garth hails from, just might be cowed by the "take no prisoners" personality of the Good Doctor.

Bubba,
its confirmed. You have lost your mind!

Thats probably the funiest would be serious post I have EVER seen on this blog.

I think what Garth is saying is that Dr. Grief's horns are pretty hard for him to hide, let alone the long pointy tail.

I refer to his red flags differently as the "3 - legged stool of integrity", you fail on any of the 3 and you fall off the stool.

Dr. Grief's stool has no legs, it just rests on the floor.

Moooooorgan,,,,,,Jeeeeeeennifer,,,,,,are you out there???????????

Please do an Investigative Report on griers' latest Scandal concerning his lack of Concern for the SAFETY of the Children of Guilford County.

One Question Girls,,,Who calls the Shots at the N&R???????????

The Old Greensboro Cronies still seem to run the N&R,,,Thank God for the RHINO.....

Dont underestimate Debbie Maines. She has a lot of support. I personally will vote for her as I think Garth is a little too brash for my liking.

Some people work a little quieter. There are things going on the scenes. Dot and Susan are a powerful bunch to outwit at election time and Debbie has them behind her.

Debbiefan,

Your post just solidified support for Garth in the election when you said that Dot and Susan are using their power to back her. Debbie Maines is a good and caring person that deserves better, but when people understand that Dot and Susan control her, they'll run away from her...fast and hard.

Why is there no investigation of Kernodlegate? When did Grier know about the structural problems? Why does no one in power care to find out? Why does Bubba say that Grier is unimpeachable in this matter? Grier is the operations officer of the schools, and how could he have possibly not known about the problems last year? These are troubling questions about the safety of the schools, and I predict that it will be allowed to blow over and be stonewalled by those in power. Your children are not safe in schools that allow these things to happen and not be resolved. Someone tell Grier that the Captain of the ship always is responsible for what happens on his watch.

The public records section of the News & Record shows the Guilford County Board of Education being issued building permits for the school on Naco Road in the amounts of $350,000 and $500,000, while the school on Drawbridge Parkway also had two permits issued in the same amounts.

Today's edition of the News-Record just answered my questions from my previous post with its article on Action Greensboro's marketing efforts to highlight the school system's success. As we have known for some time, Action Greensboro has seen the need to promote the public schools and "have an image boost" to "spur the economic development in the county".

Yes, folks, this cover-up is all about putting a smiley face on the schools so that the economic powers of the county can better market Greensboro to potential businesses for relocation. This is why a cover-up on the safety of schools has been allowed and why the true low quality of our schools has been prevented from being revealed. After all, the bad publicity that would be caused by school roofs collapsing on children surely wouldn't do much to help the school's "image". The News-Record can't investigate and report on the true state of this matter, ot they would be harming Greensboro's "image".

Your children are merely economic development cannon fodder. But, the question remains as to whether county citizens care enough to do anything about it and demand that things change, even if the price of safe and effective schools leads to the endangerment of economic development of this county. An interesting conundrum is it not?

Stormy,

Great Observation !!!!!!

It amazes me that every time Grier backs himself into a corner,,,,,ACTION GREENSBORO swoops down and rescues the good Doctor.....

....and now I read in the N&R that Action Greensboro will pay 500 Grand to SUGAR COAT the Pathetic State in which our School System exist....

Somewhere in Downtown Greensboro today,,,Melvin, Grier and the Devil Himself will meet for drinks and celebrate the latest STUNT that they pulled over on the local Taxpayers...

Just an aside, 42 just celebrated his 60th and reflected on his upbringing, "...But I know I was not born in a log cabin I BUILT MYSELF (my bold)...I had teachers, a COHERENT COMMUNITY, a decent health care system...."

It Takes A Village.

Garth must understand in order to be a productive and effective member of the Board if elected, he will need to make policy compromises with the members of the Board including Ms. Deena. Unilateralism will not work in a setting of this kind. He will be just one voice among many other experienced and very politically savvy ones. And I forecast, that when he sits on that side of the table he'll see issues in a different light and will empathize with the current administration and the challenges it faces.

Lord Hear Our Prayers.

Debbiefan:
You are absolutely right, I am not going to be quiet. I have serious doubts about my abilities to negotiate with Kearns. (see my top ten list posted above). All our schools deserve better and while my kids are at Southwest, I have many more kids that attend Andrews, and Central as well. ( I teach 16-17 year old Sunday School and these kids are very, very important to me!)

FYI, I am also a Debbie fan and cannot say anything bad about her. She, like few others, has done great things for our children and community. I wouldn't run against her if more than half the school board were as honest and caring as she is. I would not be needed. I am a pruner, a fixer, a mender. Like I said, I have made deals with devils and realize that I will unwittingly make more as I am not perfect. I will make mistakes, I will own up to my mistakes and will help others own up to theirs.

Darlene, Anita, Nancy, and Amos all stand for something. Alan actually is quite good and while he has a personal agenda I agree with, I am in direct opposition to his implementation of it. He is, in my opinion, the most influential Board Member, and the most dangerous person to our schools future. While my top ten list resonates when I apply it to him, and the 3 legged stool is pretty wobbly (great analogy Buck), I still believe I can work with him.

Please get one thing straight, I do not believe in making deals with employees. I compensate them, I praise them, I correct them and I respect them. I feel responsible for them and their actions and believe others judge me by my employees. Same standard goes for school superintendent, school board is his boss and employer and I WILL NOT MAKE DEALS as some have done. There has been too much of that and it all must be open and exposed ASAP! This is the public's schools not a private business and I DO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE!

Stormy:
Great questions, can I add my 2 cents worth. When Darlene Garrett was turned away, I would have had my attorney there 20 minutes later and a news crew and then would have let them try to arrest me for trespassing! Then maybe someone would pay attention. I do not believe that leaders should engage in public disobedience, but when they can be held legally liable for something as a Board Member for something someone was trying to cover up under my watch, I would make sure my voice was heard LOUDLY! I would make sure the public saw what was being done under the covers of darkness. Any employee causing this to happen would be let go and the message would get out, we have an open, honest and above board administration.

Way to go Darlene!!! Thanks for all you do.

Yes Bubba, it takes a village to raise a child but when the superintendent is the VILLAGE IDIOT it will take a lot more!!

Action Greensboro's first billboard:

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COME TO GUILFORD COUNTY FOR EXCELLENT SCHOOLS.

THE NUMBER OF PRINCIPALS SENT TO THE HOSPITAL BY UNRULY
STUDENTS WAS REDUCED BY TWO-THIRDS IN 2005/2006!
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You like dublewids? We luv 'em.

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Time will tell.

Bubba,

Will you answer my questions since you are a Grier defender? How do you seehim as not responsible for the school's safety problem? How do you explain that he had to know and approve of not reporting the true state of the roof at Kernodle? How could he not know? If he did not know, who knew and kept it secret and why isn't that person being terminated? It's true that Grier likely was not aware of the constuction faults, but as we have found before, it's the cover-up that always beings down people from power.

Does anyone want to try 6 months of School Board adds in the Rhino? Like:

Welcome to High Point, though your High Schooler lives 2 miles from neighberhood Andrews High School we will pick them up at 6:29 AM and return them promptly(?) at 5:06 PM. Please arrange child care for your 6 year old arriving home at 3:00. We know both parents have to work as it is a poor part of town, but we can't provide a quality academic program at your local school without bussing in more affluent kids from another part of town. To help accomplish this you must grin and bare it or leave your 6 year old unattended for a couple of hours.

OOPS we screwed up, the more affluent decided to skip town, but we still haven't fixed the problem so take heart, think of all you can do on a bus for almost 4 hours a day. Hey, great idea, go out for after school sports, I am sure we can get you a bus ride home before you get picked up again at 6:29 am. (pajamas are not allowed)

Debbiefan,

So, you feel that having Dot and Susan at Debbie's back is a positive, huh? She would be better served to let me people know that she is not controlled by them. If she is controlled by them, then things are not going to change. We'll have the same old same ole. Debbie is a stand-up person, but she needs to shed her old Central baggage to be seen as a viable alternative in NHP.

Stormy,

What coverup? This ain't no Nixonian tragedy.

Reading all that I have read related to this structural issue, the problem was identified prior to anything seriously happening and steps are being taken to remedy.

Your response to all this is the typical knee-jerk reaction when it comes to the school system that most of the whiners like you employ when something happens. Point fingers, place the blame, must fire Dr. Grier, replace the cook, let no one leave alive.

Lord Hear Our Prayers.

Question for Alan Duncan,,,

If the Superintendent of a school System knowingly sent children into a structurally UNSAFE Building to attend class,,,,could he be Charged with a Crime ???????

Here's a billboard...

GUILFORD COUNTY SCHOOLS: celebrating because 50% of our high school students know one-third of what they should know!*

*based on 2006 AYP results

Bubba,

You are right, no building collapse yet, but what if????????

Did Grier know that these facilities were unsafe, and still decide to send school children into the possibility of Injury or Death?

Yes,,,,You may call me a WHINER,,,,,but I will continue to push for Dr. Griers' OUSTER as long as he continues to "Spit in the Face" of the Public which he is paid to serve.

Garth,

You're own children attend all of those schools?

Amazing.

Bubba:

The kids in the Sunday School class I teach attend all 3 schools. These kids and their futures are very near and dear to me! I also know many parents that volunteer and teach at these schools. They have not given up and deserve better than what the Admin is providing. Central and Andrews have good principals that with the right central office support could change many lives.

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COME TO GREENSBORO...
THE ONLY CITY IN GUILFORD COUNTY
THAT WON'T BUS YOUR KIDS FOR DIVERSITY

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Stormy, I think what Debbie fan is saying that Garth will probably be too pro Southwest for district 2. Almost the opposite of what Susan Mendenhall was. Debbie will be for all schools. She will have the support of Mrs Kearns and Mendenhall. She might not agree with their views but they are a VERY powerful force. I also dont think the North High Pointers will be out in force enough to beat the mass of voters that Susan and Dot can muster.

don't forget about the PAC headed by you know who. it is already strategerizing and will most assuredly impact the contest between garth and dm. the political machine is well oiled and the chips are being called in.

Garth is caring person that cares for all children. He will bring a breath of fresh air to the School Board.

Guilford Counties children need him.

Don't forget about the is it 20 Star General now and his troops? I heard they are meeting real soon for some very strategic planning.

Caringparent,

I agree Dot and Susan are a very powerful force, and that is exactly why I and others believe that any candidate that has to answer to them will not be a force for all children. Debbie is a good and caring person, but if she has to buck Dot and Susan, she doens't have a chance of being neutral. It might be good to have Garth representing NHP for a change. They haven't had anyone representing them for years. Central still would have Dotty to look out for their interests, so it would balance out.

Your implication that Dot and Susan will attempt to influence and bully the election against Garth is duly noted and comes as no surprise. I understand that there are powerful forces at work in Old High Point. We've seen them in action in past elections. NHP shouldn't take them lightly this year.

Bubba,

No, this isn't a Nixonian tragedy. It's reminiscent of a president shaking his finger at the public and saying that he didn't do something that he, in fact, did do. Terry Grier has made the same mistake. He has contradicted himself in several statements as has been pointed-out earlier here. It's all about the cover-up and lying, Bubba. It's very possible that schools were not built correctly, and thus, were a danger, but it was some of the school officials that knew of the condition, allowed children to attend an unsafe school, and then not inform parents of this fact. There needs to be an investigation of this incident. When and what did Grier know? The parents of this county deserve to know the truth!! School board members are not fulfiling their responsibilities by not learning and reporting the truth. Why aren't there open sessions on this? Why is everyone so wiling to stand behind Jill Wilson and say we can't talk? These are publicly elected officals. They have an obligation to the citizens of the county.

This is not knee jerk, Bubba. This is serious stuff, as in life or death matter. In this case, someone could have died.

Yes, yes. The summer is over and it is the first day of classes at HPCA.

The General did indeed summon me back from the mountains for tonight's preliminary session.

From the school WEB page http://www.gcsnc.com/leadership/about.htm
About Our Superintendent
Who wrote this? I'm serious. I'm paying for this propaganda. Who wrote it?
This is written with my money by people who work for Terry.
Enough is enough. Ms Conway did you write it? Did Terry approve it? I think I am going to throw up.

Ms Conway I'm serious( Freedom of information ) who wrote it and did Terry approve it. A reasonably question.
Has the man no shame.

For God sakes 57% of the AP kids failed. 94% at Dudley.
What academic improvement GTCC has 230 Remedial classes this semester.
30 percent of our students never graduate, but our drop out rate is 3% ( I think it's the new math )
The buildings are falling down ( unsafe ) .
Duncan was quoted in the paper as saying the FEDS don't trust our statistics. Sharon Johnson said Big brother is watching. I wonder why?
We have an Administrator Educator without a license ( Dr. Zhang)
Our Quality certification was removed.
A state judge is thinking about closing schools your holding up for examples ( Smith and Dudley Newsweek)
With all that this it sounds like we should nominate Terry for the Nobel Prize. At least Secretary of Education..

Mr. Quick get this crap stopped. When he is doing good the community will tell him. This takes " Chutzpah " the same time they won't let Media in the schools
Herman Goebels
would be proud of this WEB site.
News and record? What is your take on this. How about a oped page opinion.

This is absurd. Our community is torn apart over this guy ( right or wrong ) and we allow him with our resources to tell us how good he is.

I have said this before if we put up with this we desrve it. Our kids especially the poor ( fee lunch ) don't deserve to be illiterate but that's the price you pay.

From referenced web site:
He has published more than 50 articles in educational journals and is a frequent speaker at national and state educational conferences.
That sound good until you think of the state of national education. These are the people that got us there.

t

My, My, Children, As long as you have An Architect, and Engineer, a Contractor, and a host of sub contractors, and more suppliers, there will be a host of defficiencies. The Archetict wants to see a beautiful facility with grass, shrubs, and trees that and a picturesque setting, that he can claim as HIS. The engineer wants to see a stout building, that nothing can destroy, The Subs want to get paid, and make a profit. The Tax payer is making it all happen.

So, what's my point. My point is simple. With due respect to the Architectural/Engineering Community, I suggest that the State Of NC offer to the Arch/Eng entity, a challenge to come up with a design for a public school facility that would be PREFABRICATED, as in MODULAR CONSTRUCTION
. All facilities would be the same.
Classroom unit
Cafeteria Unit
Media center unit
Office Unit
Rest Room units (boys) and (Girls)

Regarding a Campus with the Modular Buildings
A tremendous savings for the taxpayer would be realized.
1 set of plans. 1 set of specifications
No more hanky panky with cutting corners
The structures could be inspected at the
factory where they are produced. and assembled
under the watchful eye of the local building
inspector. The only major consideration would
be grading and underground utilities. pat

What are we gonna do about the friction between black and white America ?. We've apologized for black slavery, circa 1700. 400 years ago. They should applaud us for getting them out of Africa to enjoy the culture that the Caucasian has developed since BC. Their culture was by the spear, only to hunt. We taught them to plant and reap a harvest. We bestowed a culture upon the Negro. They don't like to be called Negro. Why?. What are they ashamed of?. They have proved that they are mentally equal to Caucasians. America is becoming a nation of men, rather than a nation of laws. Think about it.