News-Record.com

The school discussed their gang policy last week. The policy is a work in progress with several board members opposing it. The complaint is most policies are too vague and end up targeting African-American boys.
A similar policy in Durham was deemed “unconstitutionally vague” by the state Court of Appeals.
If you’re from a big family and have friends from big families and you all hang out together and sometimes there are fights with other kids, does that make you a gang? If you are emulating the things you see in pop culture – throwing up gang signs and wearing certain clothes a certain way – does that make you a gang member?
So my question is what’s constitutes a gang?

Thoughts on school board elections?

Looks like GCS Chief of Staff Eric Becoats has found that superintendent job he was looking for, or at least a new position.
Listed in this month’s new hirings and resignations is the hiring of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools spokesperson Nora Carr as our systems new chief of staff.
No word yet as to where Becoats is going but I’ll find out this morning during the Eastern High School walkthrough and post it here asap. Becoats was past over for the St. Louis school system's top job a few months ago and is on the record as saying heading up a major metropolitian school system is a career goal.

Update 9:40 a.m. - GCS spokesman Lekan Oguntoyinbo said Becoats' new position is within GCS. More as this unfolds.

Update 1:17 p.m. - Carr declined to comment – via a GCS spokesperson - pending the board approval of her hiring. The item is on the board's consent agenda for their meeting Thursday night.

The school board will discuss pay incentives for teachers working at low performing schools on Wednesday during a special meeting. The project, titled Mission Possible, gives teachers in English and Math one time signing bonuses up to $10,000, with annual pay incentives between $2,500-5,000 for working at low performing schools.
The John Locke Foundation, a conservative think tank in Raleigh, praised the program in a recent report, citing a UNCG study showing some improvements at some of the schools.
There’s been discussion – board member Darlene Garrett is a proponent – of expanding the incentive to all teachers at the participating schools, rather than just those in select courses.
What do you think? Should the gym or history teacher at a low performing school get the same bonus as the English teacher? Should the program be expanded or pared back? Is it even appropriate to essentially pay one teacher more than another just because she/he works at a school where students have scored low on tests time and again?

CORRECTION: Teachers recieve a recruitment and retention bonus of up to $10,000 that is recurring on an annual basis. The other incentives are performance based.
To learn more check out the GCS website.

This is from an entry about a week ago in reference to an investigative piece on unreported crimes at county schools by WFMY.

Tax Paying Parent said:
Debora,
You can view the interview and report on
2Wants to KNOW at www.digtriad.com.
One of the unreportted rapes was at Eastern, but has never been confirmed or denied by school staff. No one knows if it was reportted during school hours or just on school property and whether there was an arrest of if the charges were dropped. However, Brian could look into this.

So I asked school officials about this and this is the response I got:

Brian,
The last rape that was reported to School Safety by Eastern Guilford High School occurred on December 10, 2003.

Haley H. Miller
Media Relations Manager
Guilford County Schools
Department of District Relations
712 N. Eugene Street
Greensboro, NC 27401
336-370-3200 phone
336-574-3863 fax
millerh3@gcsnc.com
www.gcsnc.com

Not real informative. I'll keep plugging away at it.

UPDATE: According to the sheriff’s office there has been one reported rape at Eastern Guilford High on Oct. 5, 2006 since the one Mrs. Miller notes. However, the 2006 report was deemed unfounded by investigators and was not included in the sheriff’s office data nor the school’s. The report was made by a student.

So I’m not sure what you all have heard but it sounds like this is a case of bad information, not a shortcoming of the school.

Here’s a release from Time Warner Cable, if you know a principal you think should win be sure to tell them about this.

“Time Warner Cable is seeking entries for its 2009 National Teacher Awards. The Carolina Region is distributing entry forms to encourage Triad area teachers to participate. The program, now in its 20th year, recognizes classroom projects that use the resources Time Warner Cable provides to schools at no charge as a way to enhance the learning experience for students and teachers.

Fifteen teachers or teacher teams will be chosen from entries submitted from areas served by Time Warner Cable divisions around the country. Winners receive a $2000 cash prize, $3000 cash for the advancement of classroom technology for their school and a Crystal Apple sculpture. They also win an all-expenses-paid trip for two to Washington, D.C., for a gala Awards celebration.

In 2007, Time Warner Cable initiated a new award to acknowledge the important role a principal plays in supporting a teacher’s use of technology as an effective learning tool. Nominations for the Champion Principal award only can be made online at www.timewarnercable.com/nationalteacherawards. The Champion Principal will be recognized at the Awards Gala in Washington and will receive $5000 for classroom technology enhancement in his/her school.

Last year, two teachers from the Carolina Region were winners of this prestigious award. To be eligible to enter projects for consideration in the National Teacher Awards, teachers must be in a state accredited public or private school (K-12) located within a Time Warner Cable service area. To be eligible classroom projects must fall within the 2008/2009 school year.”

A lot of you are calling into question the decision to move forward with the hiring of a new chief of staff during this financial crisis. I’ve asked the school PR folks if Superintendent Maurice “Mo” Green would be willing to explain his stance on the issue.

There have been comments made about the issue here.

Now to play devil’s advocate – the chief of staff position comes with a base salary of $150,000 plus benefits. That kind of money is nothing to sneeze at but isn’t turning back the tide on the $5 million school officials will need to cut.

Then again, when you consider you already have someone in that position and you’re just moving that person into a new position and that $150,000 can pay for a heck of a lot of crayons and paper, well it makes it a hard pill to swallow.

Then again, again, during times like these it pays to surround yourself with all the smart people you can so you can keep the impact to teachers and students to a minimum. And while Nora Carr doesn’t have an educator’s pedigree she’s held some pretty important roles including her time within the inner circle in Charlotte.

Let’s see if Green will help shed some light on this.

Mo Green weighs in on his hiring of Charlotte schools senior PR person Nora Carr as his new Chief of Staff two weeks ago. Many in the community have questioned this decision in light of the $5 million Guilford County Schools must cut from its budget to make up for a state budget shortfall and lower than anticipated enrollment in our schools.

Green addresses those concerns on his blog today.

“Some may question the value of adding Ms. Carr at this time. Simply put, I do not. Having worked with her for a number of years, I know how valuable she is as a school district administrator. As a result, I believe that Ms. Carr will be an asset to this school district.”

Among the assets he list is her ability to help roll out his strategic plan for the school system.

He also says he’ll cut back on the number of senior leadership positions by the next fiscal year. That decision, he says, is based on his survey of the system and his plan for it rather than the economics of the time.

Take time to read Green’s blog and come back here to let your voice be heard. You can’t reply to Green’s blog.