Well it does seem that certain schools numbers of those students have increased a lot since SOLS (Quite an easy way to circumvent the system), but again, if you start focusing on the top 2% only or the bottom 2% of the total number of students, you're doing more harm to the greater good. Simply put the school system should allow the same quality of education to a student in any school, or schools of similar type (high schools compared to high schools). Just because there is advanced calculus available to those who want to have a leg up when they prepare to go to college doesn't mean you can't still have your 099 level math classes or your Special Ed classes as well. There is a huge advantage to AP classes when you apply to an average college. That is why all your colleges always talk about having the highest academic ranked class they have ever had, every year. When I graduated, many many moons ago *lol*, you had very few AP classes and the highest GPA anybody could have was slightly over a 4, because in a regular class, if you make an A, you get 4.0. With more AP classes, an A is equivalent to a 5.0 on the scale, which is why you have students applying to colleges now with GPA's that are near 4.5 or more.
Now we can sit and say how wonderful education is at any particular school but when you apply to a college, they don't often know all the hidden reasons why a students GPA is only 3.8. They look, they have so many spots and so many applications. Who do you take if you have 1 spot left and 2 students, the kid with the 3.8 or the kid with the 4.3? Truthfully, the kid with the 3.8 has probably done better than the other, but the other had more opportunity and very few people involved in accepting kids to college have the time to dig deeper.
What we've got here is failure to communicate. Some men you just can't reach, so you get what we had here last week which is the way he wants it. Well, he gets it.
Good points Rock, and I agree, I had a 4.1 in High School, and I went to Pound...have a Math Major from UVAW, and would put my intelligence up against anyone from a bigger school, my point is this I think that consolidation could be alright, if done the right way and if EVERY SINGLE child will benefit from it......if that happens Ill be happy.
The county needs to show Mr. Basham the door as Scott Co. did a few years ago. Force feeding tax payers is no way to run a school system.
There was a good idea and i think many here give input on what everyone thought and concluded.
Im just gonna say it how it is. It's time the SB tells Mr. Basham straight out to quit his arrogancy and work with others or they will replace him.
And if they cannot do that, then we need to replace them. It's time this BS is stopped.
This man has kept Wise County Schools in an uproar for the past few years, because of his agenda. Yet he has a chance to do something good, and blows it.
It's time he is told straight out. Or if our school board his bosses won't. It time they be replaced with people who will.
Enough is enough.
And now it is evident this man is playing dirty politics. So he can be told to straighten and do so, or be gone. Or the board who he answers to, can be replaced with not butt kissers to him.
But one's who will say, you work for us. You make it work. Then bring it to us for consideration.
I myself am now tired of seeing our kids worried and torn apart to find out, yet again the ball was dropped.
It's time to end that with Mr. Basham gone, or with a new board who will make him earn his $90,000 salary.
Not gonna argue about showing him the door but he can't "force" it as much as he may want to try. He's attempts either to go for broke with his ideas, and without support from people who would have backed consolidation done right should be the end of his time.
What we've got here is failure to communicate. Some men you just can't reach, so you get what we had here last week which is the way he wants it. Well, he gets it.
Dr. Basham just released a statement saying that he is withdrawing his recommendation for consolidation.
[url="http://i.a.cnn.net/si/2007/scorecard/02/01/sterger.roadtrip/p1_sterger.jpg"]http://i.a.cnn.net/si/2007/scorecard/02/01/sterger.roadtrip/p1_sterger.jpg[/url]
I don't think he can undo his damage. I think he has lost support of those he had supporting him by going around them and not working with them.
If someone is against consolidation, they should buy the man a drink because he and he alone single handedly destroyed the support there was for it by, for lack of a better phrase, being 'better or above' everyone.
What we've got here is failure to communicate. Some men you just can't reach, so you get what we had here last week which is the way he wants it. Well, he gets it.
I hope he turns in his resignation at the same time or with this UKCATS1
I do not want to see anyone lose their job over this and feel that he did feel like he had the best interest of the county in mind. I am happy that he has withdrawn the plan because I am a non-tenured teacher but I do recognize that eventually consolidation may be needed but it must be done in a way that gets everyones opinion and feelings and then make the decisions that need to be made. I personally like the small school situation but we need to make sure that whatever we do will benefit the kids.
[url="http://i.a.cnn.net/si/2007/scorecard/02/01/sterger.roadtrip/p1_sterger.jpg"]http://i.a.cnn.net/si/2007/scorecard/02/01/sterger.roadtrip/p1_sterger.jpg[/url]
The small school benefit is a nice benefit, no doubt. However, if the consolidation was done right, and with planning and actually in a way that would benefit the students more, the schools wouldn't be any or very much bigger than than were 15-20 years ago or at least than some were. A consolidated school near Appy/BSG area would have similar numbers to what PV had at times since Powell Valley school was built, a school located in between Pound/Wise would have similar numbers to what Wise had 15+ years ago, etc. So the small school environment wouldn't be gone, yes they would be bigger but they would be far from being a large school.
I mean with the numbers that Basham gave as totals, what was it, 2 of the 3 were still smaller than Gate City or very close? I mean they would be bigger schools than now, no doubt, but not huge and not to the point where kids would be a number instead of a name, at least in my opinion.
What we've got here is failure to communicate. Some men you just can't reach, so you get what we had here last week which is the way he wants it. Well, he gets it.
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