News-Record.com

Morgan,

You asked us "What should GCS focus on?" How about integrity to start.

Can you post today's article about the sale of the Oakwood Homes building to GCS. Everyone should be aware that GCS bought the building from a Realty Company for $2.35M just 3 months after the realty company bought the same building for $1.15M.

Also, I'm thinking of buying a piece of property for about $500K and would like to know who in GCS would be interested in buying it from me for $1M?

I'd like to add to that, Quest.

I find it hard to beleive that there were many other "suitors" inquiring about this building. How stupid is Guilford County to fall for the ol' "get it today or it'll be gone" scam. That building sat there for YEARS, and Guilford officials thought they had to make a decision so quickly?

Charter school my A--!! No one was looking at the building, and even if they were, didn't Guilford schools look into what the realtor BOUGHT it for? No one buys a property without going to county records and investigating what the selling price was previously??--do they?

I'm embarrassed but mostly saddened that these idiots are running a school system. I wouldn't trust them to run an amimal shelter much less a system that is supposed to look out for the best interest of our children!

This whole thing is ridiculous!!! Isn't the school board accountable to anyone? How can they keep making these poor decisions and no on is there to call them on it? We are in a dempcracy aren't we? They are not dictators or are they?

I for one am sick and tired of all this nonsense. You can't even open up the newspaper without another scandal. What has happened to educating our children? I never hear anything referring to education except when test scores come out.

Enough of this!! It is time for change and accountability.

Just think of what GCS would have been willing to pay if the HVAC was up to code, etc.

Did this terrible deal happen because of GCS's incompetence or something else? Is there a possibility that this was an inside deal? The facts of this case just don't wash clean. Someone buys this property and then sells it to the schools on a rush basis for double? Any time someone doubles their investment in three months time, something is foul. It seems to me that this is a deal that needs some investigation. Do the people who made a kiling here have influence within the system? This is something that the News-Record needs to investigate. GCS administration may be incompetent, but are they truly this stupid? If they are, how can the school board tolerate it wihtout someone paying with their jobs?

Oh come on Stormy, this happens all the time...

Don't you watch "Flip This House" on A&E or HGTV?

Did Guilford Co. do due diligence? They should have known about the previous sale and made a bid accordingly. In the Bond discussions, they are estimating $50k per acre for land in the Airport area and $40k per for land in the Southeast area. $50k may be ok in the Airport area but $40k is way too much in the Southeast area. I know on a piece that just sold for 15k per acrea for 60 acres. Another piece of about 150 acres went for about $17k per acre. The BOE seems determined to pay high dollar. Can you imagine, when they come to buy your land and you know they have 40k per acrea, what will your price be? Its like taking candy from a baby.

I find Stormy's questions quite fascinating. Who is profiting from this sale? You always check the date and price of the previous sale.

DottieTheR

Is that something like "Pimp my ride" show?

Speaking of surveys and "working conditions" at schools. I heard these comments about South Middle at a school event today.

Supposedly students that are bused in are not arriving at school some days until 10:00 a.m. How does this help the struggling students that could have received tutoring at Welborn? They are missing valuable class time.

Many days these same students are getting home very late from school because of the bus situation and the distance.

ISS is so overcrowded that they may need to add another room. The ISS teacher can't control it.

Students just leave a classroom during the day, go to the front office and use the phone to call without asking, call their parents or complain about a teacher.

A student with an injured arm the other day had to wait at school all day. Reportedly the nurse had to go to his house to find someone to get him. They finally found his cousin to help.

Students continually say "they hate it" and want to go back to Welborn.

These are the "stories" that are floating out there.

Some students off of Guilford College did not arrive home on the bus last week until 5:20 p.m. They were pulled off the bus and put on another due to overcrowding. Parents could not get in touch with anyone at the school or transportation.

Have any of you heard similar tales? What is happening at the middle school???

I heard that there are parents attending class with their kids. As soon as the Parkview kids start disrupting the class, the parents are taking their kids to the office to check out for the day.

Thanks, SW, for actually addressin at least something approxiamting the concerns listed and surveyed extensively on the report. The previous blog responses don't seem to care what the teachers have been saying: which is part of the very problem. While we may well all agree the BOE wastes money on boondoggle purchases and poor planning, the issue at hand, I thought, was the current working conditions of teachers. By ignoring these specific complaints, one only perpetuates the frustrations that lead so many to leave their posts in GCS.

The very first slide of the PowerPoint had a glaring contrast: those teaching at low-poverty schools felt very underpaid; those at high-poverty schools did not as much. Those at high-poverty schools felt greater stress from classroom intrusions and lack of disciplinary support. All seemed deeply disappointed with lack of planning time and input allowed from teachers into instructional materials (GCS is infamous for choosing new textbooks every year, imposed from above and probably in cahoots with suppliers and publishers, a typical academic scam).

I also note the particular distaste for lunch duties and other distractions from planning periods. Are we paying these highly qualified eduactors to make sure little Johnny isn't throwing his food around? Give me a break.