School Board Meets
Oct 15 2023
18 months ago
the big change came when voters removed from duty the long
standing, stick in the mud, School Board quorum. 3 absolute
newbees came to office with new ideas and a promise to bring
the Clayberry Sch Bd into doing things right.
4 months ago a new Superintendent was voted into the slot with a unanimous vote of the Board.
During the last many months, voters, parents and the brats have seen real change. Welcome change. Packed in fresh data made public by the parties, we now know, there's a real decline in school enrollment and an even greater problem with the financial posture of the system. The days of living off COVID funding, those times are all but gone. Couple that with the voters of Clayberry overwhelmingly shooting down the long standing excess levy tax, hello trouble.
Addressing the financial shortfall, on Sept 12th, a unanimous Board approved agenda item 12 which was to start the process of closing down two rural schools, Lizemores and H E White grade schools. That two page, five step, motion spelled out the public hearing process which begins in Nov 2023.
At one point there were over 50 tiny schools in County Clay. We've been around to see, witness, what happened when Dille, Ivydale, Brown, and two previous attempts to close H E White came and went. In each process, threatening parents got all torqued up with hard feelings which remain til this day. Getting support for that greedy excess levy did NOT, does not, come from neighborhoods that lost their community school.
Back 28 years ago then Superintendent Linkypoo got sloppy with the paperwork as he tried to walk over the rural community surrounding H E White school. That arrogant sloppiness resulted in a protracted Court case where Judge Charlie King ordered Link to get his arss in gear and see to it that H E White immediately reopened. He did as ordered and White has continued for another 28 years to this date.
Let's talk the truth. White grade school has been an under performing, failing, school for decades and minus any growth in student population. Truth is, it should have been shut down back in the day and would have been closed had it not been for inferior leadership at the Pentagon.
With the new Board and Superintendent in place, things are different now a days. Leadership is trying to cross every i and dot every t. Get this, I might have to wash out my mouth down the road but, it appears they are trying to follow the law of the land.
Wait here a second... wait..... nope, no bolt of lightening yet.
But, after that Sept 12th vote to close the two schools, Suits from Charleston got involved and made changes to the plan of attack. Those changes were voted on during a special 8 am Sept 26th meeting. Although the agenda called for a secret time, none was taken.
That original vote called for closing both schools. With changes made, there is are now three options: close both schools, close just Lizemores, or close H E White. Of course the long shot would be to leave the struggling Lizemores and White open.
But that ain't happening readers. With less than 40 actual rug rats enrolled at White and waaaay under 100 kids signed up for Lizemores, unless parents get busy in bed and produce new enrollees quickly, both have to close. No two ways about it folks.
Public meetings of the Bd are now held at Clay High in the bookless library. That makes for more space for public participation. For nearly forever, taxpayers were unable to hear what was discussed up at the Board's table. It was intentional as was the mumbling they did when something got sticky.
As of the last four weeks, there are now microphones in front of each Boardster and the Superintendent. Some, like Boardster Susan Bodkins think they don't need to use the rascals. We hope Susan and all of em learn quickly how important it is to hear their exact words.
Let's move up to Oct 10th, the most recent Board meeting. With public school closure hearings coming next month, Super Phil Dobbins provided the Board and the public with an indepth run down on the need to close school. To keep the Boards' attention, he augmented his statements with a colorful slide presentation.
We were unable to get an image of each fact sheet but do have most of em. Those are published below. Take a look, a close look. Noticed student enrollment is down 20%. With the local budget based on the number of snot lickers enrolled, the fewer dollars coming in. 20% is a huge number.
Take a look readers
4 months ago a new Superintendent was voted into the slot with a unanimous vote of the Board.
During the last many months, voters, parents and the brats have seen real change. Welcome change. Packed in fresh data made public by the parties, we now know, there's a real decline in school enrollment and an even greater problem with the financial posture of the system. The days of living off COVID funding, those times are all but gone. Couple that with the voters of Clayberry overwhelmingly shooting down the long standing excess levy tax, hello trouble.
Addressing the financial shortfall, on Sept 12th, a unanimous Board approved agenda item 12 which was to start the process of closing down two rural schools, Lizemores and H E White grade schools. That two page, five step, motion spelled out the public hearing process which begins in Nov 2023.
At one point there were over 50 tiny schools in County Clay. We've been around to see, witness, what happened when Dille, Ivydale, Brown, and two previous attempts to close H E White came and went. In each process, threatening parents got all torqued up with hard feelings which remain til this day. Getting support for that greedy excess levy did NOT, does not, come from neighborhoods that lost their community school.
Back 28 years ago then Superintendent Linkypoo got sloppy with the paperwork as he tried to walk over the rural community surrounding H E White school. That arrogant sloppiness resulted in a protracted Court case where Judge Charlie King ordered Link to get his arss in gear and see to it that H E White immediately reopened. He did as ordered and White has continued for another 28 years to this date.
Let's talk the truth. White grade school has been an under performing, failing, school for decades and minus any growth in student population. Truth is, it should have been shut down back in the day and would have been closed had it not been for inferior leadership at the Pentagon.
With the new Board and Superintendent in place, things are different now a days. Leadership is trying to cross every i and dot every t. Get this, I might have to wash out my mouth down the road but, it appears they are trying to follow the law of the land.
Wait here a second... wait..... nope, no bolt of lightening yet.
But, after that Sept 12th vote to close the two schools, Suits from Charleston got involved and made changes to the plan of attack. Those changes were voted on during a special 8 am Sept 26th meeting. Although the agenda called for a secret time, none was taken.
That original vote called for closing both schools. With changes made, there is are now three options: close both schools, close just Lizemores, or close H E White. Of course the long shot would be to leave the struggling Lizemores and White open.
But that ain't happening readers. With less than 40 actual rug rats enrolled at White and waaaay under 100 kids signed up for Lizemores, unless parents get busy in bed and produce new enrollees quickly, both have to close. No two ways about it folks.
Public meetings of the Bd are now held at Clay High in the bookless library. That makes for more space for public participation. For nearly forever, taxpayers were unable to hear what was discussed up at the Board's table. It was intentional as was the mumbling they did when something got sticky.
As of the last four weeks, there are now microphones in front of each Boardster and the Superintendent. Some, like Boardster Susan Bodkins think they don't need to use the rascals. We hope Susan and all of em learn quickly how important it is to hear their exact words.
Let's move up to Oct 10th, the most recent Board meeting. With public school closure hearings coming next month, Super Phil Dobbins provided the Board and the public with an indepth run down on the need to close school. To keep the Boards' attention, he augmented his statements with a colorful slide presentation.
We were unable to get an image of each fact sheet but do have most of em. Those are published below. Take a look, a close look. Noticed student enrollment is down 20%. With the local budget based on the number of snot lickers enrolled, the fewer dollars coming in. 20% is a huge number.
Take a look readers
We're calling that "ARP" funding COVID dollars. Those COVID dollars were the School System slush fund that was used for all their perks during the last administration. Millions came our way since COVID.
We think there is another solution that could be added to the Superintendent list. Reduce the number of Pentagon workers by doubling up job duties as was the case in years gone by.
The new
kid on the block has his hands full and some more too. With
State Ed regulators still making demands of the local system,
these are the toughest of times.
The above pic reveals a need to get rid of over 20 jobs. Seems simple enough until you change "jobs" to people, families, county purchases and more.
We have a bunch of BS jobs, BS perks, and other unnecessary crapola going on... including therapy dogs, massage chairs, and a ton of people there just to hold the hands of the wittle darlings and get them thru another day. But but but, most of the BS jobs are paid from freebee grant funds. IE: those salaries are not coming from local taxpayer wallets.
We can sure think of another way to cut a few bucks. Ousted Clay High Principal Crystal Gibson is still drawing her salary while stationed at the Pentagon. Not sure what most important, valuable job she has to perform there but cleaning blackboards and emptying trash cans come to mind. Surely eliminating Ms Gibson would save the County of Little at least $100,000.
Altogether now folks, Gulp!
The above pic reveals a need to get rid of over 20 jobs. Seems simple enough until you change "jobs" to people, families, county purchases and more.
We have a bunch of BS jobs, BS perks, and other unnecessary crapola going on... including therapy dogs, massage chairs, and a ton of people there just to hold the hands of the wittle darlings and get them thru another day. But but but, most of the BS jobs are paid from freebee grant funds. IE: those salaries are not coming from local taxpayer wallets.
We can sure think of another way to cut a few bucks. Ousted Clay High Principal Crystal Gibson is still drawing her salary while stationed at the Pentagon. Not sure what most important, valuable job she has to perform there but cleaning blackboards and emptying trash cans come to mind. Surely eliminating Ms Gibson would save the County of Little at least $100,000.
Altogether now folks, Gulp!
Finally, during that Oct 10th meeting, Boardster Susan Bodkins went off on a confused 20 minute rant. That dribble continued even after the Super explained the issue at least twice to her. The topic, one of em anyway, was high schoolers getting graduated early. That happened earlier this year at Clay High and was kept quiet, at least away from the public's preview. With some calling such an inside job, the topic was important and even more important to get out in the open.
But, eyeballs rolled back in heads as the spiel went on and on. Others could be seen gnashing their teeth as they tried to wither thru whatever Bodkins was trying to accomplish.