No Consoidation.......

[imported_JLR]

WISE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
628 Lake Street

Wise, VA 24293

Phone (276) 328-8017

Fax (276) 328-3350




Press Release

Contact: Michael Basham, Ed.D. Superintendent

Phone: (276) 328-8017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

12:00 NOON EDT

March 11, 2005




SUPERINTENDENT'S OFFICE

WISE, VA, MARCH 11, 2005 :

Given the current mood of the communities we serve and the resolution adopted by the Wise County Board of Supervisors, I hereby withdraw my recommendation to close three high schools and will not initiate any future proposals to close schools. While I strongly believe that the tenets of the recommendation provided the correct path for the future of Wise County Schools, I recognize the need to promote healing within our school communities, and to allow time to find opportunities to open a reasonable discussion to address needed educational enhancements, equity issues, as well as a plan to improve facilities for all secondary students.

-End-

Healing in the schools? He caused the whole turmoil. I say it's time to get rid of Basham, or our school board with whom he is suspose to work for.
Now he wants to promote healing, while doing stupid political acts, because of his own arrogancy and pride?
I want to attend this meeting Monday. I want to look at Mr. Basham and ask him to resign, he has killed this county. And i want to look at some on our board and ask where is your backbone. Or has it been lost riding around in the Ford Excursion, or the new vehicle, just purchased, that the citizens paid for.
What about it Wendell, Mrs. Craft, and Mr. Franks and others.
You talk a good game. Yet you court this man who has done what.
Nothing but create jobs for his friends and keep this county in turmoil.
To me it's time he goes or you all go.
Don't blame the citizens as Basham has done, saying communities, he lost the BOS with is own arrogancy and pride.
Now your his bosses let's see how you handle, a disruptive and rude and arrogant and insubordiant employee.

[TheBeast]

Bashams statement is just a bunch of political rhetoric that was meant to appease people and keep the meeting monday civil. As I said consolidation will happen and everyone will live with it just like they did in Lee County, and are going to do in Dickenson in the near future

As soon as you find that new school, send us the map. [img]/LDPforum/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] And Monday's meeting isn't over yet, he still has the payroll screwed up. [img]/LDPforum/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[Merlin]

(Repeated from a post on the Sports Forum)

Even though Basham withdrew his proposal, I'm still not sure that the entire idea is dead, just yet. And, I maintain that it should not be simply allowed to die either. His plan was ill-conceived and obviously distasteful to most, myself included. I definitely feel that further discussion and more study with all parties involved should continue forward. Just because THIS proposal was discarded doesn't mean that the issues and problems that prompted it have disappeared. The problems of educational inequity, crumbling facilities & infrastructure, and diminishing enrollments all remain. The unity that was mustered to defeat the previous proposal should now be nurtured and promoted so that we all can work together to find the best solution for Wise County schools as a whole. This process should be a slow, methodical, thorough, and all-inclusive effort to find a complete, sensible and economically feasible solution that we can all embrace and be proud of. We have the opportunity to effectively re-invent the entire secondary school system in Wise County and we should not allow one bad proposal to totally derail that dream. It is a necessary and, I believe, an inevitable outcome that can position this county to be the education, economic and policy leader of the Southwest Virginia region. I challenge everyone to embrace this dream with me and work together to make it a reality for the benefit of all our children and those that will come after them. As Ms. Gregory so eloquently stated, "Education is an investment" and it is definitely past time for us to make that commitment to the future of all Wise Countians.

[Unchained]

Obviously we are all aware that something is going to have to be done, but Basham's proposal just wasn't the way to go. If the renovation idea is dead, hooray for us all-we won this battle. We all know that consolidation is still on the way, and most of us can deal with it if new schools are built, a one time 50 year investment.

Yeah, what Merlin said- I knew a magician would be handy. Fixed it all with a wave of his wand. [img]/LDPforum/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Unchained is right, won the battle, but now we need to figure a way for everyone to have the best education we can afford in Wise County, I guess this is the war..

[Merlin]

Good analogy their guys. One down and much more to be done.

[imported_UKCats1]

Very Good post Merlin. I think that we now need to direct our efforts at finding a solution to the situation concerning infrastructure. What do we do? Do we consolidate or renovate? Do we build new schools for all communities or 1 to 3 schools for the county. Decisions still have to be made and that meeting monday should be the start of a united effort of all the communities to determine what is the best avenue to take.