Wise Co Schools

**Counts** · January 26th, 2010, 03:21 PM

Originally Posted by Rich_Kotite

Just got word, all schools will stay open for 2010-2011, per Jeff Perry.

Very few faculty members will be displaced thanks to the older teachers who are accepting the buyout/retirement plan. The ones that become displaced will have opportunities to keep their health care and be paid full time as long term subs as they become available.

The budget should be finalized by March 8th.

I thought it would be VERY TOUGH to do a quicky consoladation.......Any idea how long this "Patch" will be good for (I assume that closeing schools is still in the long term plan)

**imported_elp6n** · January 26th, 2010, 03:29 PM

The plans for that particular brand of consolidation are already in place, so they had little work left to do to implement it if they had too.

here's the current article on the budget issues:
Wise schools eye 47 staff cuts to balance budget - Kingsport Times-News Online

**sup-rbeast** · January 26th, 2010, 03:39 PM

While consolidation is better for the bottom line of the county, it's not good as far as loss of jobs, and opportunity for more kids to participate in sports and other extracirricular activities. Folks get on here all the time and go on and on about having a bigger gym, or more class offerings (which isn't gonna happen), and nicer classrooms...but, IMO, that view of things is somewhat short sighted. What they fail to realize is that regardless of the building, the cirriculum isn't going to get any better..the teachers are still gonna have to teach to the test, there will be a substantial loss of jobs, and more kids will have less opportunity to learn life lessons through sports. I look at it this way, on any given day in the fall, you have around 245 kids off the streets after school practicing football. After consolidation, you'll be looking at half of that...and in other activities you'll have less participating as well. I used to be all for consolidation, but once I sat and really thought about it, I don't think that's the best way to go for the communities and kids of this area. You folks can bash me all you want, but success in HS boils down to effort and ability. If a kid is short on either it doesn't matter if their classes are held in a high tech classroom or an outhouse, their success will be limited. Anybody that thinks consolidation is the magic bullet that will fix all of the problems they think it will fix will soon realize that it wasn't what they thought. The only thing it accomplishes is saving money...but you really have to stop and think what saving that money is going to cost the kids, the area and its economy in the long haul. IMO the cons outweigh the pros.