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It seems the numers are just not there for Smith and Central. Why are we implementing yet another IB School at Page when the numbers are so low at these two? Shouldn't they just combine these some programs? I'm sure it's costly to have an IB program at 4 different High Schools. This seems to me to be another waste of money. At the very least they should combine Central and Smith programs. "0" received their diplomas at Smith? What a joke.

Another blatant waste of taxpayer dollars!

Another example of wasteful spending by our school board!

But, remember, Grier will tell you - the only important thing is how many kids took the tests!

Its quite clear that IB program at Smith needs to be closed. Send these kids over to Page or Grimsley.

The Central program also needs to be scrutinized. I would suugest moving it over to SW where there might be a student population ratio capable of taking the program!

iT STANDS TO REASON THAT THESE PROGRAMS WILL ALSO BE A WASTE OF MONEY. WHY DO THEY DO THIS?

Falkener Elementary and tentatively at Northwood Elementary, Ferndale Middle and Hairston Middle.

Morgan,

Were you listening to Deena Hayes and Walter Childs tonight? Are these the same people that voted to bus kids across town a couple of years ago?

What about you doing a article asking them why they are against bussing kids and pro educating kids in their own neighborhoods now?

Do they know what they are doing to the children they have jerked around with for the last few years? Who are these people?

These people are irresponsibe and should be impeached!

Walter and Deena need to be bussed right out of here! I heard them last night on their pedestals preaching how kids need to stay in their own neighborhoods. Are they talking about just "black" kids? Is this their racist message? I remember just a few years ago they (Walter was not there at the time) but Deena was all in favor of busing WHITE kids to Andrews and Central, what's the difference now? And when Walter become a member he agreed that this needed to happen for "all the good of High point. " Well they are the two biggest hypocrites that ever lived!!! People have moved and gone to private schools and are STILL there because of the decisions to bus and NOW they are changing their tunes? Do they see the hypocrisy or are they so blinded by race that they can only see what's good for "their folk"!

The funny thing is that the kids that Walter and Deena want "back" at their neighborhood elementary school are the very same kids they would not let go to their neighborhood middle school Welborn.
They voted for them to be redistricted away from Welborn with the Kearns/Mendenhall map E and then they voted against them having the choice to go there last year ( Garth's real choice plan). Thankfully for the kids Deena and Walter lost the last vote.

Wasn't Walter driving the bus in the 3D display near SW Elementary last election year? I saw kids on display saying "we want to go to that school?" Perhaps Deena and Walter don't want to be on display driving a school bus??? Not only did Walter vote for his folk to be sent away from Welborn but Andrews too.

Hypocrits indeed! I watched that school board meeting and my mouth dropped open when Walter and Deena were speaking. I guess it's okay for white families to be torn apart but not black families.

Wasn't it interesting to watch two hours of discussion spent on the Montessori program at Triangle Lake? Isn't this the same program that Susie and Dot just had to move out of Central High School Tomlinson building? Sounds like the program could have stayed in the Tomlinson building afterall. They just had to have more white and bright students for their alma mater.... similar to creating extra seats at Andrews when the need was not there for an area where no more new housing was being built. I'm very sorry to see Anita leaving the BOE - a school board member with lots of common sense, i.e. build where the growth is and not create seats that aren't needed.

It's sad that those who comment sometimes have so little knowledge, or digress away from the subject to rant. BTW, I make no apologies for Terry Grier or the School Board -- but: The Smith IB program is only a year or two old. So it should not be expected to have great performance. There is too much busing now, so combining these programs into one school would only make the problem worse. The teachers who teach IB classes also teach other kids -- it's not like they only teach the 34 kids! HP Central and Grimsley differ in one very important way. Grimsley has maintained the "good old" approach of full-year classes. Central made the (Grierist) mistake of going to half year, double length classes, both to provide more electives and in the hope that the slow learners would learn more taking fewer classes at one time, and with more concentrated time spent on each concept (I did not make this up -- it's from the principal and one of the teachers). But the problem for the IB courses (and the AP courses as well) is that the exams are only given once a year, in the spring, which works well for full-year classes, but very poorly for half year concentrated classes. Is it any wonder that even among the smartest kids, the performance at Central is lower than at Grimsley? Why are they implementing an IB program at Page? For the same reason that Anonymous suggests moving Central's program to Southwest. New Irving Park, with all sorts of smart, wealthy kids, feeds Page, and the School Board thinks it could get some kids out of GSO Country Day if they have IB at Page. How do I know all this? Because my child is in the pre-IB program at Central. Morgan, when you do the larger story on the IB program, please do thorough research. I'm sure you will. From the parental perspective, the program has been mis-marketed and over-marketed, and is definitely used by the School Board for demographic reasons, but the lack of knowledge and vicious racism in some of the posts by the readers is truly sad.