News-Record.com

I actually read where Grier was touting himself as a specialist at turning around troubled high schools down in Charlotte. I had to do a double take. Assuming I'm a total neutral observer in this( and have not been turned into a raving lunatic because we just got done filling out a form so my kid can stay at his school down the street next year), where is there any evidence at all that this is true? In fact, there is reams of evidence that troubled schools are performing worse than they did six years ago.
this man has lost total contact with reality.

I think we need to start a GORMAN FOR GUILFORD campaign!

Imagine!

Turned buses around, YES.

Turned troubled high schools around. I dont think so!

***********************
GORMAN FOR GUILFORD!!!
GORMAN FOR GUILFORD!!!

Dr. Grief looked really inferior when compared to two qualified candidates.

Hey don't blame the name Dr. Grief on me, the lady from Akron, OH on Fox8 used that as his name based on his performance in Ohio.

No way, no how should the School Board offer him any kind of a raise. His true colors were really flapping in the breeze yesterday.

One question I have is how was the picture of Dr. Grief with kids staged yesterday that is on the front of the N&R? He never steps foot in any of the schools in Guilford County unless a photo-op is available.

It looks like the good Dr., in trying to sell himself down south, may have exceeded his own exceedingly high b.s. threshold. I almost felt sorry for the man last night to see him sweating on the TV news. (good Nixon by the way). The feeling however quickly passed, after remembering he'll be motoring back north.

Was more or less expected for Grier last p.m. on TV to blame the schoolboard for the re-districting controversy, (even though all of us at the meeting heard Grier say that "Staff reccomends Map C"-we've come to realize in GCS Land what you hear and see don't mean JacK.) but the ultimate was in this morning's N&R where it seemed like he was even trying to blame his mom ("she just had to go and take my college application out of the trashcan".) Terry, rest assured, you're not the only one who regrets it.

Read again, Savage. It was Tyrone McDonald whose mother fished his application out of the trash.

My profound apologies, to Dr. Grier. I'm going to have to wait until after my second cup of coffee to open the paper. Was Tyrone McDonald even in the same article or should I go to the three cup rule? Oh, who is Tyrone McDonald?

Savage, are you working nights?

Too much blog.

Doug, simple question, yes or no, I read closer your lead-post above. Do you think Grier threw in the towel this morning because he got a flash "what am I doing here, I'm happy in Guilford Co." ?

No ...

... but I think he went down there figuring he was in a no-lose situation.

A no-lose situation? It's hard to imagine somebody who has legions of dissatisfied people and a very tenuous popularity in his current district, putting it in everyone's face that he rather be somewhere else, whether it's for money as stated by Alan Duncan, or for whatever reason. It either projects promiscuity or else indecision or confusion of some kind, neither of which is going to be helpful in his future efforts. Imagine a CEO of a company doing such a thing. I'm sure the board of directors would love it. Even with a schoolboard far- removed from any conventional reality, it's hard to imagine things staying the same after this.

Just a guess but "throwing in the towel" must mean that he got more money to stay in Guilford Co.

Savage,

You may be proven right. We'll see.

But Grier made the top three in the state's largest system -- even with the Charlotte board fully aware of the complaints against him here. That raised his profile and might make him more marketable elsewhere if he's interested. Gorman lost the Las Vegas job but being a finalist there no doubt helped him in Charlotte.

What did Grier really have to lose here, anyway? His contract runs three more years. At that time, he can retire. If the board decides to sack him before then, he gets a payoff.

So what if he looked for a bigger job? Do organizations only want top executives who lack ambition? And was he really sticking it in everyone's face that he was looking around? He didn't announce that he was a candidate there. The Charlotte board announced it when it released its three finalists. Face it. You're just disappointed he didn't get the job.

Nah, not disappointed he's staying, we still have all those new magnets to use after the supply of Susan Mendenhall magnets is depleted.

You're right, Doug. I think most real leaders would probably be concerned when they lose the confidence of their charges. Terry? Like you say, he gets paid either way.

Doug,

Grier was never a serious candidate for the job. The search firm had to present three candidates for the job; it's standard procedure. And, the board was split going in with some for Haithcock, their internal candidate, and the rest for Gorman. Grier was no one's favorite. He was just along for the ride.

Reading comments of people from Charlotte, it was clear that Gorman was far and away the best candidate. The people of Charlotte were not fooled by Grier's soft shoe, flim flam man routine. An email from a freind of mine there before his visit said "Down here, I’ve heard nothing but bad things about him. Too slick… very political. I’d be shocked if he were hired." I guess that bad news travels well.

It's truly sad that Charlotte got such a prize of a superintendent, and all we got was Terry Grier back. It seems that the people of Charlotte aren't easily bamboozled, in the manner that Guilford has been. When, oh when, will the city leaders business leaders admit that Grier is holding us back? Then, and only then, will Grier ever really be outta here. If they think that Grier is helping polish Greensboro's economic development image, they had better take a closer look. Greensboro is becoming the joke of North Carolina.

I hate to break it to you and the other Grier supporters, but everyone knows about Grier, and they are laughing at us.

Honey, say, I just got the brush off down the street from Sally Mae. She decided to marry some chump. Anyway you know I've loved you the whole time, right babe? So whataya say, Melvina, marry me.

From today's Charlotte Observer story:

Grier said he told a district spokeswoman about 9 a.m. he was withdrawing.

But CMS board members Kit Cramer, Molly Griffin and Tom Tate were waiting at 11:30 to interview him. They left only after a member of CMS's search firm read a story of Grier's decision posted on a Greensboro newspaper's Web site.

The three talked to Gorman and Haithcock earlier that morning. Only Gauvreau also held a second interview with any finalist, Gorman. The other board members either were out of town or chose not to participate.

"Maybe they think they have enough information," Grier told the Observer after his withdrawal, "and that's fine."

Grier seemed to generate the least enthusiasm from parents, teachers and community leaders who met him at a series of forums Wednesday. In an e-mail to the CMS board Thursday, he said it became "increasingly difficult" to explain why he would leave Greensboro.

Did anyone notice today's Terry Grier guest spot he stated his 'core goals". Not one of them was education. There was #1 diversity then equality and the usaul etc's- but no education. Is this just me? The N&R also trotted out the only two friends Grier has left among the private non-schoolboard citizenry- Dr. Cameron at GTCC, who at least had the grace to admit he has vested interest/ joint-project investment with Grier, and Jim Melvin. Let's just say, as seen with Dot Kearns, when one is in office forever, one tends to start beleiving in one's legend. It's an
inevitable human nature thing, that is to say you develop the "Butch Cassidy Syndrome"-you have vision, and the rest of the world is wearing bifocals.

Looking at the last few days, the pathetic sour grapes spin, how Terry looked alongside others and facing people who know b.s. when they hear it, plus the column today, tells anyone everything they will ever need to know about the man.

They say if b.s. was music, Terry Grier would have a brass band. Those people down there saw the second coming of John Phillip Sousa and he turned it right back around. Let's get on down to Eugene Street, here comes the parade.

How can Dr. Cameron tout Grier in today's publication and yet, on the other hand, provide evidence to the High Point Workforce Preparedness project that the majority of GCS graduates who come to GTCC require a minimum of 1 year of remedial coursework???

You can't have it both ways.

Numbers, you is the man!!!! BUT...since your assertion is based on logic and we are in Guilford Co., Good try.

Jennifer's story today about Grier is truly sad. A positive spin is being attempted to be put upon Grier's dismal performance in Charlotte. He truly embarrassed himself and Greensboro. As has been suggested before the business communiuty is being solicited for "incentives" to retain Grier here, and why? He isn't wanted anywhere else, anyway.

It is further obvious that Grier serves here at the pleasure, not of the board, but of Jim Melvin. Once Mr. Melvin and the business community realizes how much damage Grier is doing to Greensboro's business development image, he will be gone. They really should keep Grier under wraps. Performances like his in Charlotte do not encourage businesses to look to Greensboro; rather they will run in the opposite direction, if they think that he represents what is going on here.

A friend of mine from Charlotte just called to rib me a little for "their gain, our loss".

Her statement was that his resume of 12 previous positions spoke volumes to her. It was obvious to her (and others) that he is not well respected anywhere he's been - that is, except here in Hootersville with the GCS Board.

Exactly, Numbers. The guy's had 12 jobs. Who would ever hire him?

Doug,

Only Guilford County, it would appear would be that gullible.

Doug,

Oh, and take a look at his longevity in those 12 jobs. He's a shorter-timer everywhere as they soon catch on to his act quickly. Only in Guilford County do we allow him to stay six years, extend his contract, and find business incentives to keep him here, when no one else would hire him. Brillant!

I'm sure glad that the News-Record is willing to shill for the guy. His friends and supporters are beginning to decline. When will the editorial board of the News-Record ever realize and/or admit this guy is a loser?

Doug, surely you are not proposing high job turnover as an indicator of some kind of quality . I mean, hookers get hired by several customers a night. Although, I guess this would indicate a certain measure of success. In this case I think it reflects the market for school supers more than anything.

I was simply noting the irony of saying no one would hire this guy when seven school systems HAVE hired him as superintendent.

It reminds me of the man I know who said it was easy to quit smoking. He'd done it lots of times.

At least he recognized the humor.

You're absolutely right, Doug. I guess I'm getting a little fried after two years of seeing you as an apologist for the Grier follies, so I read into your post something that was not there.
Sorry.

Doug,

Yes, and school systems may be beginning to catch on to Grier. You can fool all people some of the time, and you can fool some of the people all of the time, but it is hard to fool all of the people all of the time. I think that Grier's fooling days are past him. The man talks a very good game, which gets him the jobs, but they soon find that he is short on actual performance once he gets there. Again, his longest tenure as a superintendent is, quess where? Guess what school district is the only one to renew or extend his contract as a superintendent? Yep, your right, good ole GCS. Hooray for our board and Jim Melvin.

Stormy, you guys just hate Grier so much because of the High Point choice plan that you can't comprehend the possibility that others see him differently. You're like the Bush-bashers who think he invented Saddam Hussein, created global warming and whipped up Hurricane Katrina.

Doug, you would have to be one of the parents of the displaced students. You would have to know what it's like to go and beg before a panel of three boardmembers and the school attorney for the right to go to the school down the street from a home that you mortgaged to the hilt, so your kid could go there. AND BE TURNED DOWN! You would have to sit through multiple sham public hearingS. You would have to sweat a lottery. You would have to be told that for the good of all High Point somebody's gonna have to get screwed, so it might as well be your kid. And the biggest thing NOBODY can get past...It's only in High Point!
We can't except that for nothing more than the fickle finger of fate planting us in High Point, in AD2004, this is our fate. ONLY THEN COULD YOU EVEN BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND.

Place: Naples, Italy 1938

Maria (reading newspaper): Mamma Mia, Il Duce gassed a' 20, 000 Ethiopians a' yesterday alone!

Douguido: But you a' gotta a' look on a' da bright side-he a maka the trains a run on a da time.

Maria: Somma time, Douguido, youa seem lika you gotta de rocks in a' your head.