News-Record.com

Morgan,

You need to extend your research to surrounding
counties. I know Alamance has lost some of their
high quality math and science teachers to Guilford County because of Mission Possible.

That means we finally have the high quality math and science teachers we have so desperately needed. That's certainly better than having a teacher who just came from the private sector and had never previously taught. I'm sure Alamance just like surrounding counties has received some of our teachers who have become disenchanted with Guilford County Schools. Just like any other business, it's the law of supply and demand and free enterprise. If we are gaining math and science teachers, that's one factor of MP that's working.

Morgan,

I find this very interesting. I dont think we have ever had a reporter at the N+R that wants to look at numbers. Its obvious to me that the turn over rate seems to have improved.

I hope it works.

Better yet if we are gaining math and science teachers from outside of Guilford County. What we need to worry about is if we have too many good teachers transfer from schools in Guilford County to Mission Possible schools what happens to the quality of education in the schools that teachers transferred from? Do these schools then become less adequate?

YEs, Its a fact. It happenned last year at our school. A really good math teacher transferred to Central and we got an overseas very inexperienced teacher.

We need good math and science teachers in all our schools. Another problem is the math and science teachers are being recruited for the new high schools so we lose them in that way. My daughter had a biology teacher at SW who had never taught before. Hopefully, she has improved. One of the AP science teachers was being recruited for the new Northern HS. Luckily, he didn't leave.

There were situations in the past at the Early College where students didn't have a math teacher for several weeks.

Did I read somewhere that GCS is paying more for math and science teachers? JENNIFER or MORGAN do you know this or can you find out?

They should be paid more if that's what it takes to get them in ours schools. It's a problem across the country, not just GCS.

I saw your story today about Grier's plan to cut school social workers as part of their attempt to respond to budget cuts. I guess that I was not aware that we had all these many people paid by our schools whose job it is to perform social work.

My question is why is social work a responsibility of the public schools? This shows that our schools are spending huge amounts of money each year in areas that are not directly related to the classroom. If we need social workers, this should be a province of the county, whose responsibility is social work. It's time for our public schools to get back to their primary mission, education. Anything that isn't directly related to education shouldn't be funded. Our schools' mission is to educate, not social work. I hope that the county commissioners take note that Grier's budget contains huge amounts of money for social work, not education. If this work needs to be done, the county should retain the funds and deliver the services themselves.

As far as funds for suspensions programs, board members should stop the threats of increased violence, if we don't have their suspension programs. Let's just let the school leaders and SRO's deal with them as they should, and we will not need expensive programs that do nothing.

Thank you Dr Grier for Mission Possible! Its a Great initiative. We need to keep it.. expand it. Our most struggling schools wouldn't have math & reading teachers without it. In spite of what the teachers union says, they all migrate to middle class schools until you waive more money at them.

Wally World,

Clearly there is a lot you don't know about our public schools, scociety and their needs. Is your real name George Bush? Educating children, especially poor children takes more than just teachers. Many of these children come to school with other needs that need to be addressed in order for the child to be healthy both physically and mentally so they can learn. Maybe you should drive further than Skeet Club Road and see reality. There is a great big world out ther that isn't all white and middle class. Oh I forget you are afraid.

The Real Truth

RT, what is wrong now? I think the last week has been great as far as turning the tide in local politics in Guilford County. What more could anyone want? You had both sides of the aisle come together to craft a highly responsible budget.

I have to tell you I have been sleeping fine ever since Skip Alston declared that Billy Yow is running the County. Well OK, actually I didn't sleep much last Thursday night because I was laughing too hard.

Gosh, that was a great meeting to see Dr. Grief stomp out of there, take his marbles and go home. My only disappointment is that it looks like I'll have to wait an extra 6 months to cast my NO vote for these school bonds.

Plain and simple the School Administration just needs to learn and make do with what they have, just like the taxpayers of the County have to do. And the last few days have been a reminder for the voters and taxpayers of Guilford County to never permit the School Board to have taxing authority. I've seen ole Aunt Dottie babble on in the HPE the last week; no way she legally gets her hands on my checkbook.

Real Truth,

Social Workers have nothing to do with education. Nothing. If county social services wants to provide these services, fine, but it isn't what schools should be doing. The needs of society are not the focus of public schools, instruction is.

school - noun 1.an institution where instruction is given, esp. to persons under college age.

Instruction, got it? It says nothing about social needs.

Oh, I don't live anywhere near Skeet Club Road. As a matter of fact, I don't live in High Point. I do live in reality, buddy.

RT,

We thought you were on vacation while your son was in Europe with People to People. Sure was nice break from the white, racial comments.

To all good things much come an end.

Hey Buckmtn,

If I were you I wouldn't worry about your check book as much as I would about the baloney they are teaching your children at High Point Christian Academy. Didn't you see where the Southern Baptist Assembly voted and made a policy statement stating that man has no impact on global warming. Thats not science thats stupidity. Even GW now admits Man impacts global warming. But the Southern Baptists that are teaching your children are making up there own science science. You should be so proud!

The Real Truth

RT, since I'm not Southern Baptist, I don't follow any Southern Baptist Assembly statements.

However, I do follow things such as declining school performance scores and the police blotter, so you know where I am going with this comment now don't you.

I'm not sure who GW is that are referencing above so I am unable to help you there.

As far as global warming goes I don't worry about it much ever since I watched the show claiming that it occurs naturally every few hundred years or so. Kind of like that asteroid that is going to get us all one day like what happened with the dinosaurs.

Unless you really believe that Bruce Willis is going to fly a spaceship to the asteroid and blow himself up.

And by the way I am "proud, proud, proud"; just like how Andy Griffin used to say. No doubt you'll find a way to complain about that as well, in your mind Mayberry was offensive since it was a bunch of white people in their own little world.

Gotta go now so I can get up and laugh at Dot on the tube tonight.

Buckmtn,

I love the way you put things so clearly. The taxpayers of Guilford County are the ones footing the bills. Afterall these are PUBLIC schools, not private. The peoples' votes are what counts.

The budget could be such a simple process. The county commissioners simply tell the school board how much money they can have each year, upfront, based on the tax base and the state of the county's purse and what the county can afford that year. Then the school board takes that amount of money and makes a real budget instead of an endless wish list.

This could be so simple just like giving an allowance to a child. When the money is gone, it's gone. The child has to decide what priorities to spend his money on.

RT, who the heck worries about global warming accept maybe the Al Gore groupies. As Buck said, scientists say this is a natural process. Then again, looking at Al's and John Edward's houses, considering their electric bills, I don't think these losers are truly worried about global warming. The certainly don't practice what they preach.

Buck, I think RT means GW, the one who won the election that really counted.