Caldwell County
Full VOTER GUIDE v7
Presidential voter guide: Voter Guide – presidential version 4 But now only three (R)’s are left in the race and King Obama. This is our latest 2012 Presidential Voter Guide.
LINK v2 This Voter Guide is NOT complete yet, but keep checking back here. We will keep adding to it until it’s all filled in. We want everyone to make an informed decision.
===================== O L D ====================
===============================================
==============================================
================================================= ============= 2 0 1 0 Voter Guide info ============= =================================================
Printer friendly version VOTER GUIDEUpdated last 3pm, 10/18, 2
This Voter Guide is not an endorsement of any candidate, only informational.
Please share it with your friends, print it, pass it around, and send it out to your email contacts in Caldwell County.
Notes about this guide:
Whether all of these answers are truthful or not, I will hold each candidate accountable to their responses. I hope you will join me in reminding them of their campaign promises.
Regarding school funding, graduation rates are the same as 1970’s, but funding has increased over 10-times (more than 3-times in dollars adjusted for inflation). Performance doesn’t seem to be tied to spending.
My advice to voters – don’t vote until that last day. Who knows what news will come to light and may change your opinion about a candidate.
WE NEED CHANGE ON OUR SCHOOLS, NOT MORE OF THE SAME….
WAITING FOR SUPERMAN – On Oct 11th, Dottie Darsie was giving a report to the Caldwell County School Board members about the CUBE Conference she attended in Baltimore, MA, the previous week. One seminar she attended was based on the outcomes from the important school reform movie “Waiting for Superman”, she called the seminar and movie “charter school brainwashing.” 
Ms. Darsie had not seen the movie and asked all of school board members if they had seen it. None of these people who claim to love children and revere education so much had seen this movie. I was terribly surprised. One woman in the front (who works at the education department) said she heard it’s “not any good.” I have plans to see this movie before it leaves the theaters and want to see what is working for this one school. I’m open to new ideas especially if they work! Why is our current school board condescending, uninterested and disengaged in new ideas in education that work? The movie “Waiting for Superman” is playing in Charlotte http://www.fandango.com/regalmanortwin_aafzu/theaterpage video trailer and Question & Answer parts 1 thru 3, http://film.waitingforsuperman.com/videos
Setting the Bar Lower? – The current school board keeps campaigning on continuing the past excellence in our schools. Who thinks we really have “excellence” throughout our schools? As an example non-excellence, in an Oct 4th County Commission meeting, Clay Bollinger asked Dr. Stone about how the graduation rate changed from 68 to 75% in one year? (See 20:20 in the video link below.) Dr. Stone said that last year they implemented a new program for an alternative graduation requirement in which struggling students were allowed to graduate with as few as 22 credits instead of 29 credits. The school board has set the bar lower for SOME STUDENTS. Effectively, this increased graduation rates 7% without anyone lifting a finger. I had a child in the local school system. The problem, as I saw it, is that the so-called “guidance” counselors just aren’t doing any “guidance” towards graduation. It’s simple math, with 32 possible classes in four-years, a student only gets 3 TOTAL non-academic classes. Do the math and plan for the future! Another example, remediation is the norm in Math and English for a students coming out of high school and attending 4-year universities, even for those going to the local community college 65% take at least one remedial class. That’s is not “excellence” in our schools! Watch the Oct 4th meeting for yourself. http://www.caldwellcountync.org/wp-content/uploads/commissionoct042010.asx
While I understand and agree with some of your points (like opposing fudging the graduation percentages), I do not want to see Caldwell County Schools slammed publically for political reasons. I know that our teachers do provide excellent educational opportunities to those students willing to accept them. I present as evidence the excellent educational preparation provided for my daughters who were well prepared for post secondary education ,They each usually made dean’s list grades. One is an engineering manager , one is a master teacher with national board certification and one is a social worker. I commend Caldwell County Schools and our teachers for their efforts on behalf of our children.
I know there is room for improvement. When the election is over, I will work with and support those elected to achieve that improvement.
As a parent, I have seen too much non-excellence in our school system. I know many other parents who also don’t see excellence in the system. When the current board sets arbitrary graduation requirements, I call it an injustice to all students and is absolutely news worthy. Did you watch the video? I’m not slamming classroom teachers. I am, however, taking issue with the current board’s claim of continuing “excellence” – their word, not mine.
I can not believe a person of your so called “interest” has not seen this movie “Waiting for Superman”. It is just astonishing to me you call yourself interested and wanting change. You do have kids in the Caldwell County Schools and you have not seen this movie………..Superman! Does not feel that good being put into a group and chastised for something like this does it, of course, you won’t or will chose not to agree no matter what I say! The reason we have not seen the movie is just this, it is not available in our area yet. The closest it has been to us is Atlanta, no thanks on that drive. Please keep your nose to the grindstone in politics, there is no place for that in “OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM”
Okay, Chris Becker, why are you making ME the issue here? I stand firmly by the question I asked above – “Why is our current school board condescending, uninterested and disengaged in new ideas in education that work?” I am only asking that question after hearing the Caldwell County Board of Education’s CUBE report, comments regarding the movie, and lack of interest in this movie at a public meeting. As a member of the public, I saw Mrs. Darsie’s comments, and the board’s reaction to her comments, as “condescending, uninterested and disengaged in new ideas in education that work?” I’m not just using random words, I chose them purposefully.
The movie “Waiting for Superman” is playing in Charlotte
http://www.fandango.com/regalmanortwin_aafzu/theaterpage
Video trailer and Question & Answer parts 1 thru 3 are excellent comments and analysis, where the producer, director, Michelle Rhee, etc… tell why they made the film and how they hoped to advance education reform.
http://film.waitingforsuperman.com/videos
I am Jim Harney, Republican Candidate for Governor, I noticed you do not have my information.
http://www.facebook.com/HARNEYFORGOVERNOR