News-Record.com

Update: Find here a GCS update on the 2008 bond.

The Guilford County Board of Education has a pretty busy agenda for Tuesday's meeting. On the list is an update from the architectural selection committee that met last week to discuss what construction methods to use for the 2008 bond. Tomorrow, the board could decide whether to follow the committee's recommendation on using "construction management at risk" for fewer than half the 27 projects.

I attended the committee meeting last week and wrote about it, but it was not published (it's kind of inside baseball, if you know what I mean). Below, what I wrote:

This is my first time covering a school bond as it happens (I arrived at the N&R in 2006), so I will try to keep the updates coming on how the projects proceed. I checked in with Chief Operations Officer Leo Bobadilla about a week ago to get a timeline. What he gave me was not enough for a story, but fortunately for you, it's enough for a Chalkboard post!

Expect the next updates/stories around May 28 and June 3 when the construction advisory and architectural selection committees meet.

Following, my Q and A with Bobadilla:

What will voters remember most when they go to the polls on Tuesday: Former Gov. Jim Hunt vocalizing his support for the $457 million school bond package last week or a Monday press conference where black school board members essentially told Guilford County Schools show us the results before we show you the money.

Deena Hayes, Amos Quick and Walter Childs, as well as concerned citizens, are frustrated at the ongoing achievement gaps between black and white students as well as the low percentage of black contractor participation in school construction (however, Quick has said previously he was more concerned about the costs of the bond and the lack of work being proposed in urban areas). Find details of the rationale listed here. None of this is news as you can hear the board members complain about this frequently at board meetings.

As a matter of fact, the board is expecting a report soon from Gongshu Zhang, chief accountability officer, on the performance of minority students.

To the district's credit, it has tried to address the concerns stated above. Find here a presentation of what Guilford County Schools is doing to work with the minority contractors community. If you run a query at the Department of Public Instruction's Web site, you can see that the performance of black students on state exams has gone up some, but there is still clearly an achievement gap.

Kris Cooke, a school board member who supports the bonds, had a lot to say about the issue.

"I think they know that we're trying to address (the concerns)," Cooke said. "The minority contractors for sure aren't going to have any business if we don't have any construction going on."

Cooke said that frustrated board members and citizens should target the inadequate county, state and federal funds the district receives, not construction dollars, which don't cover curriculum and instruction.

"The gap was made over a long period of time and it's going to take time to close it," Cooke said.

What do you think? Are the aforementioned concerns reason enough to oppose the bonds?

Just got word by way of the Bonds for Schools Committee that former Gov. Jim Hunt will try to rally support for both school bonds at on Wednesday at Allen Middle School. Government officials and the media have been invited.

Actually, there is a bit more. I tried to in today's story explain the reasons voters have for supporting or opposing the $457 million school bond package. But I was sick this week and had to quickly prioritize story details. What I couldn't fit in the story: Answers to various questions from Joe Hill, facilities consultant; estimates of operating costs for the bond projects (not including personnel); and answers to busing questions from transportation Director Jeff Harris.

Thanks to Jeff Mills and Jennifer Fernandez for graciously filling in on those board meetings. Wish I could say I missed covering them. ;-)

A local grassroots group has launched its Bonds for Schools Campaign to build support for the two school board referenda totaling $457.3 million on the ballot May 6. The group has been meeting since early January to write and refine its campaign message and recruit volunteers.

Read the entire press release here.

Campaign co-chairs are Melvin Swann, a former school administrator and community volunteer, Craven Williams, president of Greensboro College, and Chris Greene of High Point, a community leader and education advocate.

Anita Bachmann is the campaign coordinator.

(Sorry it took me so long to post this; I was out sick last week. Unfortunately, I also missed the first meeting of the educational specifications process. That is why you did not see a story Wednesday.)