The Future Of Sussex Central High School
May 20th, 2008 by Joe CiccantiHere is a recap of the concerns that several of the parents and teachers expressed to the Indian River School Board at Sussex Central High School during last night’s meeting:
1. The stigma of the school—One parent said ideas should be generated in terms of doing something rewarding for the graduates so that they walk out of graduation with a smile.
2. Prayer— Another spoke and said how prayer should be brought back to the schools. I agree. He said, “If prayer is not brought back, the devil will have his way.” People forget, or just ignore the fact that there is a spiritual realm (demons, angels, etc…) I guess just because they are invisible, demons must not exist. (Well, don’t they have people fooled)? You can see the effects of their work like you can see the effects of wind. Of course the devil is not a cartoon character with a red hood and a pitched fork as he is often portrayed.
3. Open communication —-One suggested open communication between the school board and the administrators of the school on a regular basis.
4. Aggressive action—–A teacher was disgusted with the lack of action taken even though Board members were aware of what was happening. The Board should take action quickly and aggressively if something like this happens again. It was mentioned how this has been “a learning experience” for the School Board.
5. Too much media attention—-One of the parents mentioned that she was not happy with the large media presence and the extensive coverage of the stories surrounding the school, saying that this is threatening and hurting the reputation of Sussex Central High School. She emphasized how one person’s actions should not reflect the integrity of the school as a whole. She went on to praise the staff, students, teachers and other leaders for the hard work that they do.
6. Accountability—”We the community are going to hold you accountable.” That was one statement made to the board.
Indian River School Board president Charles Bireley reassures parents that aggressive action would be taken next time. Bireley stated, “If anyone in the community has a complaint– if they’ll come in and give us facts that we can act on, then we will do it.”
Bireley further adds:
“We are going to do our very best to get a very good leader in this building. We have two acting right now. We couldn’t ask for any better in Sussex County.”
The Board just listened, and for the most part made no comments in return.
More on what was mentioned at last night’s meeting can be found on the WGMD News section of the website.
http://wgmd.com/newspost/fullnews.php?id=8537
May 20th, 2008 at 9:05 pm
QUOTE: “The Board just listened, and for the most part made no comments in return.”
This is classic for the IRSD school board. They are in CYA mode and just want to hold on long enough to get the referendum passed.
If parents want to “hold the board accountable” then don’t give them anymore money. They are indeed a bunch of crooks and will convince you it will be used “to meet the needs of the students.”
That is a joke.
Don’t trust any of them for a second.
May 24th, 2008 at 9:08 pm
Congratulations Sussex County taxpayers! You are on the right track now by voting NO to the referendum. Now, get involved in your local schools, ask questions, and hold these people accountable.
You can do it!
May 26th, 2008 at 6:44 am
The only people affected by voting no to the referendum are the students! You should have shown your disapproval in a more informed way. I will go and teach with my outdated textbooks and large class size. Even so, the children will be successful because the GOOD teachers in the Indian River School District will make sure that happens! Even with REDUCED budgets and no raise.
May 27th, 2008 at 4:38 am
Good, go and teach. That is your job regardless of what “textbooks” you have access to.
Good teachers use the materials they have to make good things happen in the classroom. They don’t blame the budget or the referendum on why their kids aren’t reading and writing. Or make excuses for doing a poor job because “they haven’t gotten a raise.” Long before there were referendums (and unions to protect incompetent teachers) kids were learning to read, write and communicate all over the world.
Wake up and stop making excuses.
The referendum not being passed is a message sent by the taxpayers of Sussex County who hopefully are awake now and will begin to ask questions, demand answers and ensure accountability from our teachers.
In the real world, there are no raises unless there is progress and improvement shown. You don’t get to make excuses for not getting it done; you actually have to EARN your raise rather than call your union rep and get if for free.
Welcome to the real world … at least for now. We’ll see how long it lasts.
May 27th, 2008 at 5:28 pm
For Boo….
You missed the whole point of my response.
May 27th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
I missed nothing … and got it all. YOU are in denial.
Peace.