The results are in and the ideas for cutting costs are great! Twenty four replies have been received, evaluated, researched, and validated. The ideas have shown a tremendous amount of creativity and logical thinking, unlike anything the school board could ever design in their meager minds.
Before I get to the proposals I could not believe some of the policies the school board is considering. Besides the fact the board is “policy happy” with some of the most ridiculous and unnecessary policies, the members step on personal liberties with wreckless abandon. Not withstanding the fact that the policies could never stand a court test, they are just plain paranoid.
Consider this “new” policy that a Roanoke civil rights attorney stated was not only illegal but “….shows a severe case of paranoia that begs to ask what are they hiding?” Here is the policy:
“The Board prohibits employee use of cameras, camera phones, tape recorders, or other recording (audio or video) devices in the workplace.
Accordingly, employees are prohibited from using such devices in the workplace, unless specific advanced written authorization has been obtained from their immediate supervisor. This includes a prohibition on using the audio and video features commonly found on cellular phones.”
Paging Dr. Paranoid ! So now they not only won’t give you anything in writing but you’re not allowed to record their comments either. So what lie was one of them caught in that prompted this policy?
Meanwhile back to the submitted cost cutting ideas. After a careful review I am posting the ones that received the most votes from the responding individuals. And the winners are………….(Someone has to do it since the district has been silent about any ideas about cutting costs even though surrounding districts and cities have been discussing their proposals for weeks.)
Reduce Central Office Garbage Without a doubt this was mentioned most often as a way to cut costs. Some were specific (seven people in human resources?) and some were general ( get rid of anyone retired from North Carolina). Basically the cuts were:
-get rid of all curriculum planners (Comment: “Teachers don’t need to be e-mailed to death about useless information.)
-cut positions from human resources (Comment: “All those people and they still can’t get my icense straight.”
-cut IT/Curriculum people (Comment: “Never around, never do anything, ship them out….”)
-reduce secretarial positions (Comment: “Even secretaries have secretaries.”)
-cut the Asst Superintendent for Administrative Services (Comment: Mentioned on 85% of all responses.)
Close a School With the population steadily declining in the schools it makes sense to close another school. Votes were running about even with Glenwood and Woodrow being the most mentioned. This would result in significant savings in personnel, maintenance, transportation, etc.
Reduce Unnecessary Copying Several people mentioned the waste by teachers and administrators of paper for “personal” use. Seems like every church bulletin in Danville is printed on a school machine! Many questioned the need of so many color printers.
Stop Ridiculous Wasteful Spending Wow was this mentioned over and over! Examples given were i-phones for central office people, a $3,000 TV for the superintendents office, ridiculous work orders, and a decorator budget that would make Oprah blush!
Reduce Salaries by 3% Though this one was the most unpopular it was mentioned as a viable alternative ONLY if the central office did their share of cutting (like that’s going to happen…..)
Reduce and Control Energy Costs Many people mentioned HVAC systems running into the late evenings, after school use of facilities, and generally no policy to control energy costs. (Central office wired for individual desk heating units?)
So there it is school board members. Since you can’t seem to do the job yourself the employees have done it for you. So put those thinking caps on those very small brains and come up with some ideas. Its time to wake up and go to work! Oh but that’s right you’re too busy writing another policy….. As my granddaughter said, “Don’t those people know how to do anything?” No hunny, they don’t.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Saturday, February 7, 2009
The Race Is On
Well the responses to the blog concerning budget cuts for next year has been great. So far 16 replies with suggestions for reductions. Not bad. Some suggestions were very thought out and some were of the "I hate that person or program so cut it " variety. I will wait one more week then put the ideas together and post them. Maybe the school board will read it and actually do their job but I doubt it. They seem to be infactuated with their policy revisions and don't see anything else around them. They keep nodding their heads at the Queen from the Concrete Palace and waiting like lightening to strike. Or they may even wake up at a meeting.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Herked un Fonics Werks Fer Me
Well, well, well I have certainly struck a nerve! The GW/Central office gremlins have had their feathers ruffled. It seems like a lot of closet English teachers or frustrated proofreaders have decided to attack the blog. Well go ahead and attack the messenger but believe the message. I will be the last person to claim to be an English expert. I bow to the mensa scholars. I will be more careful in the future. So pull back your swords all you William of Malmesbury scholars, I will check my English Grammar for Dummies book more frequently. By the way if you want to read something that totally slaughters the English language try reading some memos from the GW administration. A valid question can be directed to the DPS central office. What exactly is an “Overachieving School District” ? Does that phrase even make sense?
The second comment was very defensive about GW. I have never said that GW did not have fine teachers, wonderful athletic teams, and some smart kids. My comments have always been directed at the administration of the school and at the central office level. These are the people that make life so difficult for the fine teachers, wonderful athletic teams and the smart kids. Their failure to plan, evaluate, and carry out any administrative task is what is so frustrating. I would never attack any of the teachers who must put up with the incompetent behavior on a daily basis. They are the only ones holding the place together. And please, do not throw the Wachovia cup up as a defense. Look at the criteria for that award. Mostly fluff, no stuff.
One comment addressed the issue of senior and juniors leaving the campus for lunch. I still feel, as many others do, that this is an extremely dangerous policy. I have checked with state level personnel and to their knowledge no other district in Virginia permits such a practice. One particular state education official commented as to why anyone would want to allow such a practice that opens the district to liability issues! Why not just send students off on field trips by themselves? No, teachers SUPERVISE students when they leave campus and never leave them out of their direct control. This is pure common sense. To allow a student to leave campus during the school day unsupervised is asking for an incident. To extend this bad practice to juniors is ludicrous. As is always the case in DPS decisions nothing will change until a tragedy occurs.
The commenter also needs a little history lesson. The practice of allowing seniors to leave campus did originate years ago because of the lack of sufficient lunch facilities. However this was when GW had a population of almost 2,400 students. With GW now at about 1,100 students the scheduled lunch periods could indeed be handled by the current facilities. Hey, I was asked for a suggestion so there it is. If the brain trust in the GW office can’t figure out a schedule then they need to go back to Administration 101.
No one disputes the fact that GW is a great asset for Danville however the facts indicate that the district lacks firm leadership both on the school level and the central office level. The “brain drain” from DPS over the last four years is astonishing. More talented and smart administrators have left in the last four years then the other ten years combined. Doesn’t that raise a red flag to the school board or are they still all hiding under a rock. The average years of administrative experience in the DPS system is in the single digits.
This trend is to blame for the flurry of ill conceived, ridiculous, dimwitted, and generally illogical decisions by school administrators that have been palmed off as “school based decisions”. Yeah they may be school based but when will a superintendent or school board step up to the plate and say just say NO! I really thought that was their job but I may be wrong.
As the debate heats up about state money the important question comes to mind. Has Danville been spending their money wisely? In this blog numerous costly blunders have already been discussed. They range from the foolish to the down right ridiculous. Lets then look at an independent examination of cost efficiency. Is DPS using the funds allotted wisely?
To explore this questions, the Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute evaluated Virginia Department of Education data using a cost-efficiency assessment methodology developed by Connecticut’s Yankee Institute for Public Policy Studies. First, the percentage of a district’s students who attained the state’s Standard of Learning goals in English and mathematics was averaged to determine a school district’s Goal Attainment
Average. Each district’s per-pupil spending was then divided by its Goal Attainment Average to determine its Cost Benefit Value.
In this study Danville fell into the Poor Achievement Category with a Goal Attainment Average between seventy four and eighty percent. Danville was identified as a Poor Price Group (higher costs) with a Cost Benefit Value of $109.90. This is the unit cost to produce a single average percentage point of student English and mathematics achievement. To put it in perspective Pittsylvania County falls into Good Achievement Category with a Goal Attainment Average between eighty point five to eighty seven percent. Pittsylvania was identified as a Best Price Group (lowest cost) with a Cost Benefit Value of $90.87. Add to these figures the fact that Danville spends $8,678 per student compared to the Pittsylvania County cost of $7,527 per student and you can see what district uses its money more wisely.
Now here is the big issue. Where does DPS cut six to seven million dollars from their budget? Let’s try something radical. Let’s ask the teachers, parents, and the public where they feel the cuts should come from. What programs, personnel, or policies could be eliminated without drastically affecting the students in the schools? Send your replies to savetheschools2@aol.com and I will discuss the best ones. Also knowing the vindictive nature of DPS so called leaders I will not reveal your name or school. Again, forget the messenger but listen to the message.
The second comment was very defensive about GW. I have never said that GW did not have fine teachers, wonderful athletic teams, and some smart kids. My comments have always been directed at the administration of the school and at the central office level. These are the people that make life so difficult for the fine teachers, wonderful athletic teams and the smart kids. Their failure to plan, evaluate, and carry out any administrative task is what is so frustrating. I would never attack any of the teachers who must put up with the incompetent behavior on a daily basis. They are the only ones holding the place together. And please, do not throw the Wachovia cup up as a defense. Look at the criteria for that award. Mostly fluff, no stuff.
One comment addressed the issue of senior and juniors leaving the campus for lunch. I still feel, as many others do, that this is an extremely dangerous policy. I have checked with state level personnel and to their knowledge no other district in Virginia permits such a practice. One particular state education official commented as to why anyone would want to allow such a practice that opens the district to liability issues! Why not just send students off on field trips by themselves? No, teachers SUPERVISE students when they leave campus and never leave them out of their direct control. This is pure common sense. To allow a student to leave campus during the school day unsupervised is asking for an incident. To extend this bad practice to juniors is ludicrous. As is always the case in DPS decisions nothing will change until a tragedy occurs.
The commenter also needs a little history lesson. The practice of allowing seniors to leave campus did originate years ago because of the lack of sufficient lunch facilities. However this was when GW had a population of almost 2,400 students. With GW now at about 1,100 students the scheduled lunch periods could indeed be handled by the current facilities. Hey, I was asked for a suggestion so there it is. If the brain trust in the GW office can’t figure out a schedule then they need to go back to Administration 101.
No one disputes the fact that GW is a great asset for Danville however the facts indicate that the district lacks firm leadership both on the school level and the central office level. The “brain drain” from DPS over the last four years is astonishing. More talented and smart administrators have left in the last four years then the other ten years combined. Doesn’t that raise a red flag to the school board or are they still all hiding under a rock. The average years of administrative experience in the DPS system is in the single digits.
This trend is to blame for the flurry of ill conceived, ridiculous, dimwitted, and generally illogical decisions by school administrators that have been palmed off as “school based decisions”. Yeah they may be school based but when will a superintendent or school board step up to the plate and say just say NO! I really thought that was their job but I may be wrong.
As the debate heats up about state money the important question comes to mind. Has Danville been spending their money wisely? In this blog numerous costly blunders have already been discussed. They range from the foolish to the down right ridiculous. Lets then look at an independent examination of cost efficiency. Is DPS using the funds allotted wisely?
To explore this questions, the Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute evaluated Virginia Department of Education data using a cost-efficiency assessment methodology developed by Connecticut’s Yankee Institute for Public Policy Studies. First, the percentage of a district’s students who attained the state’s Standard of Learning goals in English and mathematics was averaged to determine a school district’s Goal Attainment
Average. Each district’s per-pupil spending was then divided by its Goal Attainment Average to determine its Cost Benefit Value.
In this study Danville fell into the Poor Achievement Category with a Goal Attainment Average between seventy four and eighty percent. Danville was identified as a Poor Price Group (higher costs) with a Cost Benefit Value of $109.90. This is the unit cost to produce a single average percentage point of student English and mathematics achievement. To put it in perspective Pittsylvania County falls into Good Achievement Category with a Goal Attainment Average between eighty point five to eighty seven percent. Pittsylvania was identified as a Best Price Group (lowest cost) with a Cost Benefit Value of $90.87. Add to these figures the fact that Danville spends $8,678 per student compared to the Pittsylvania County cost of $7,527 per student and you can see what district uses its money more wisely.
Now here is the big issue. Where does DPS cut six to seven million dollars from their budget? Let’s try something radical. Let’s ask the teachers, parents, and the public where they feel the cuts should come from. What programs, personnel, or policies could be eliminated without drastically affecting the students in the schools? Send your replies to savetheschools2@aol.com and I will discuss the best ones. Also knowing the vindictive nature of DPS so called leaders I will not reveal your name or school. Again, forget the messenger but listen to the message.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
GWHS Twisting in the Wind
Just when you think it can’t get any worse, it does. So goes the continuing saga of Danville Public Schools. The lions are at the door in regards to the principal of GWHS. Someone is finally waking up and looking at the travesty that is taking place there.
In a set of recent posts on a national website the public has begun to express their concerns about how things are going at GWHS. One post from a parent:
“GW is a school that has past its prime. The administration is weak and the superintendent even weaker. Security is the only thing good about the school. The once great GW is but a tarnished has been as it slowly sinks deeper. Only an overhaul of the administration and school board could save this school.” Submitted by a parent
And another one:
“This school has good teachers, but a terrible environment for a child to work in. The school is full of dangerous people and becomes more and more like a penitentiary every day. The school has cameras and tall fences(Which have done no good), but ten year old books.”
I guess the next new position at DPS will be a full time press agent to twist around the words like the Register & Rag does. Wonder why you never read anything negative about DPS? This is because the local newspaper has been bought and sold by the politicians in Danville. Can’t sell the mythical new companies on Danville if anything “negative” is in the paper. What a poor excuse for a newspaper. Bring back the old weekly paper in Danville. How much worse could it be?
Back to GWHS the administration is now allowing juniors to go off campus on Friday for lunch. Please, have the administrators lost their mind? Does anyone know of any other school in Virginia that allows the students to leave the campus in the middle of the day for lunch? The practice dates from years ago when GW had over 2,400 students. The cafeteria could not accommodate the students so seniors were allowed to leave. With the population at GW down to under 1,700 a schedule could be designed to keep the students on campus. Teachers and security report that more problems with drugs and drinking occur when students return from off campus lunch. But the brainless school board allows the practice to continue. As is always the case it will take a serious event to occur before they will suddenly wake up. Every bit of data for schools tells you that controlled supervision is the safest way to run a school. When a student is killed or seriously injured, god forbid, I hope the families sues the pants off the school district for gross negligence. GW, oh GW what have you become?
UPDATE: After a previous blog pointed out the huge number of discipline cases in DPS the edict has come down from the concrete castle that referrals will be curtailed. Now teachers report the discipine referrals are not being acted on and in fact are being trashed. So much for working together with the teachers.
In a set of recent posts on a national website the public has begun to express their concerns about how things are going at GWHS. One post from a parent:
“GW is a school that has past its prime. The administration is weak and the superintendent even weaker. Security is the only thing good about the school. The once great GW is but a tarnished has been as it slowly sinks deeper. Only an overhaul of the administration and school board could save this school.” Submitted by a parent
And another one:
“This school has good teachers, but a terrible environment for a child to work in. The school is full of dangerous people and becomes more and more like a penitentiary every day. The school has cameras and tall fences(Which have done no good), but ten year old books.”
I guess the next new position at DPS will be a full time press agent to twist around the words like the Register & Rag does. Wonder why you never read anything negative about DPS? This is because the local newspaper has been bought and sold by the politicians in Danville. Can’t sell the mythical new companies on Danville if anything “negative” is in the paper. What a poor excuse for a newspaper. Bring back the old weekly paper in Danville. How much worse could it be?
Back to GWHS the administration is now allowing juniors to go off campus on Friday for lunch. Please, have the administrators lost their mind? Does anyone know of any other school in Virginia that allows the students to leave the campus in the middle of the day for lunch? The practice dates from years ago when GW had over 2,400 students. The cafeteria could not accommodate the students so seniors were allowed to leave. With the population at GW down to under 1,700 a schedule could be designed to keep the students on campus. Teachers and security report that more problems with drugs and drinking occur when students return from off campus lunch. But the brainless school board allows the practice to continue. As is always the case it will take a serious event to occur before they will suddenly wake up. Every bit of data for schools tells you that controlled supervision is the safest way to run a school. When a student is killed or seriously injured, god forbid, I hope the families sues the pants off the school district for gross negligence. GW, oh GW what have you become?
UPDATE: After a previous blog pointed out the huge number of discipline cases in DPS the edict has come down from the concrete castle that referrals will be curtailed. Now teachers report the discipine referrals are not being acted on and in fact are being trashed. So much for working together with the teachers.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Business Bits
Back Yard Burger closes for good, rumor is that several other restaurants will follow in Danville………..Home Depot parking lot looks like a ghost town but word is contract sales are keeping their bottom line in the black……Sam’s Club had good Christmas……Pier 1 is on the ropes……….Two new computer sweepstakes stores opened in Danville, may be the wave of the future but who is behind these stores? None other then cash lending companies…….Rumor abounds that K-Mart, Hobby Lobby, and Ashley Furniture will close but no confirmations…..Liquor Stores did fine the holiday!....New barbecue restaurant searching hard for location in Danville……Danville needs a full service computer store……..1,700 acres bought on SR 863 at state line can only mean a BIG plant, keep your fingers crossed, rumor has it to be a Volkswagon or Toyota hybrid plant…….New brick company set to come to Pittsylvania area……Employment office and WIA office set to merge in a new location…..First Citizens has plans to move bank to Piney Forest and NorDan…..big plans for the Davis headquarters building on Bridge St, said to be a hotel and high end coffee shop….. Danville needs a good coffee shop on Riverside Drive…….Sheetz poking around 58 East area for location……Rumor of US Government data processing center on Memorial Drive…..another one planned for the old Value City site………New trendy fashion store to come to Riverside Drive area……Norris Funeral home building new facility on 58 West next to cemetery at Church Ave……..DanView Restaurant smoke free after January 1, expect to see more eating places to follow…..Oyster house restaurant set to open on Westover Drive……Electronics store downtown closes…..Bogies Burgers opens in old McDonalds restaurant in Ballou Park….Flurry of activity in old Rax’s Restaurant on Riverside, any ideas?.....Kohls rumored for old Boscov’s space……..Can’t we get a good bookstore besides one in mall?.........What kind of store would you like to see in Danville. Respond to savetheschools2@aol.com by January 20 and the ideas will be printed! Till next time…………
Sunday, December 21, 2008
A Sad Christmas Story
“T’was the night before Christmas and all through the schools,
Not a creature was stirring, not even the head fool.
The begging buckets were hung on the chimney with a sash,
Hoping that council would fill them with cash……”
Not a very amusing Christmas story if you are a taxpayer in Danville. But as the new year approaches you can be sure the school board members are gearing up for an assault on the treasury of the city. Right now they are busy assembling sob stories to tug at the heart of the council members. The wringing of hands will begin as they prepare the speeches about how this and that program will have to be cut if the city does not cough up more money. And in their back pocket they will hold their doomsday weapon. If all else fails and the council doesn’t start vomiting cash at them they will whip out this ultimate weapon. “If we don’t get more money we will have to cut out sports and band.” Not that they ever would but it is a rallying point that has been used successfully in the past. Oh no! Band? Football? We cannot allow this to happen! Quick open up the vaults! Allow the money to flow!
Though it would never happen it is a good weapon that council has even fallen for on past occasions. Dare we look at their budget and see the money they have pissed away already? Oh no, that would make too much sense. Even though the school district already gets over twice the minimum the council is required by the state to pay them. Several councilmen have already stated they will increase the city contribution without any facts or figures to back it up.
Meanwhile back at the ice palace on main street the Scrooges of the district will sit down by the midnight oil and prepare their post-Christmas wish list for the city to fund. I have a Christmas list for them:
For the Superintendent:
A coat totally made of Teflon so anything that comes her way will immediately be deflected to some other poor soul. Lord help if she ever had to make a real decision herself.
For The Asst Superintendent for Business:
A color chart and an eye appointment so she can paint schools and offices only ONCE to prevent the illogical waste of money over the years repainting schools one shade different. Also her stocking should be filled with….what else….rubber mulch.
For the Asst Superintendent for Instruction:
An aerial spray of Midol for his office
For the Asst Superintendent for Human Resources:
A chair, a whip, a gun, and a large sack. The tools she will need to get anyone to work in the Danville district.
And finally for the school board:
A free operation to have a backbone installed……………
So there it is citizens of Danville. Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on council. Don’t let this Christmas story turn into a Christmas horror tale. Stand up and d what’s right for the citizens of Danville. Stem the tide of red ink from the school district. At least put some coal in their stockings.
Not a creature was stirring, not even the head fool.
The begging buckets were hung on the chimney with a sash,
Hoping that council would fill them with cash……”
Not a very amusing Christmas story if you are a taxpayer in Danville. But as the new year approaches you can be sure the school board members are gearing up for an assault on the treasury of the city. Right now they are busy assembling sob stories to tug at the heart of the council members. The wringing of hands will begin as they prepare the speeches about how this and that program will have to be cut if the city does not cough up more money. And in their back pocket they will hold their doomsday weapon. If all else fails and the council doesn’t start vomiting cash at them they will whip out this ultimate weapon. “If we don’t get more money we will have to cut out sports and band.” Not that they ever would but it is a rallying point that has been used successfully in the past. Oh no! Band? Football? We cannot allow this to happen! Quick open up the vaults! Allow the money to flow!
Though it would never happen it is a good weapon that council has even fallen for on past occasions. Dare we look at their budget and see the money they have pissed away already? Oh no, that would make too much sense. Even though the school district already gets over twice the minimum the council is required by the state to pay them. Several councilmen have already stated they will increase the city contribution without any facts or figures to back it up.
Meanwhile back at the ice palace on main street the Scrooges of the district will sit down by the midnight oil and prepare their post-Christmas wish list for the city to fund. I have a Christmas list for them:
For the Superintendent:
A coat totally made of Teflon so anything that comes her way will immediately be deflected to some other poor soul. Lord help if she ever had to make a real decision herself.
For The Asst Superintendent for Business:
A color chart and an eye appointment so she can paint schools and offices only ONCE to prevent the illogical waste of money over the years repainting schools one shade different. Also her stocking should be filled with….what else….rubber mulch.
For the Asst Superintendent for Instruction:
An aerial spray of Midol for his office
For the Asst Superintendent for Human Resources:
A chair, a whip, a gun, and a large sack. The tools she will need to get anyone to work in the Danville district.
And finally for the school board:
A free operation to have a backbone installed……………
So there it is citizens of Danville. Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on council. Don’t let this Christmas story turn into a Christmas horror tale. Stand up and d what’s right for the citizens of Danville. Stem the tide of red ink from the school district. At least put some coal in their stockings.
Monday, November 17, 2008
The Vanishing Principal
It doesn’t take a genius to know that a leadership position at the city school’s can only be successful when the person is present! Well at least one city school doesn’t believe this theory. GWHS has been run by a phantom for over a year.
Yes our tax money has been going to an individual who believes a principalship is a part-time job. According to some well placed sources the principal of GWHS has yet to put in a full week of work this year. And even when he’s there he isn’t there! Since when do principals leave school grounds for lunch? You would think he worked at Home Depot. Hey, news flash, a principal’s job is full-time! Geez……….
Well I guess since the school is running so smoothly you can afford to sit back and bask in your glory. If only this was true. With a drop out rate increasing every year and a total enrollment slipping by an average of over 50 students a year you would think the principal might have something to do. Lets look at some other statistics: Alcohol and drug offenses from 7 to 25, Offenses Against Persons from 54 to 115, Technology Offenses from 0 to 205, and the grand Kahuna, Disruptive Behavior Offenses 8 to a whopping 3,410! Now I know why he doesn’t want to be there. (See School Report Card)
And all this goes on under the watchful eyes of the exalted Danville City School Board and Reject Committee. But listen to the school board meetings. The picture is painted of la-la-land where all is good and the butterflies are beautiful. At their meetings they collectively pat each other on the back and smile while the grand diva spouts off about her latest achievement in mediocrity. An “Overachieving School District”? What the hell does that even mean ? More like an “Overembellishing School District”. How long will the citizens of Danville stand for this?
And the wheel continues to grind on chewing up the children of Danville. And in the mean time the principal of GWHS rears back in his chair and contemplates where he will go today. If you don’t have to be there you certainly don’t have to deal with it. The crown gem of Danville is tarnished indeed. The school board croons about how all is well and continues their real task, rewriting those important school board policies. This is what a district is really about. But travel down the corriders of GW and look at all the principal photos in the main hall. The many fine leaers that graced this institution. The years of academic excellence represented by those picture. But look closely, you can almost see a tear in the eye of each photograph.
Yes our tax money has been going to an individual who believes a principalship is a part-time job. According to some well placed sources the principal of GWHS has yet to put in a full week of work this year. And even when he’s there he isn’t there! Since when do principals leave school grounds for lunch? You would think he worked at Home Depot. Hey, news flash, a principal’s job is full-time! Geez……….
Well I guess since the school is running so smoothly you can afford to sit back and bask in your glory. If only this was true. With a drop out rate increasing every year and a total enrollment slipping by an average of over 50 students a year you would think the principal might have something to do. Lets look at some other statistics: Alcohol and drug offenses from 7 to 25, Offenses Against Persons from 54 to 115, Technology Offenses from 0 to 205, and the grand Kahuna, Disruptive Behavior Offenses 8 to a whopping 3,410! Now I know why he doesn’t want to be there. (See School Report Card)
And all this goes on under the watchful eyes of the exalted Danville City School Board and Reject Committee. But listen to the school board meetings. The picture is painted of la-la-land where all is good and the butterflies are beautiful. At their meetings they collectively pat each other on the back and smile while the grand diva spouts off about her latest achievement in mediocrity. An “Overachieving School District”? What the hell does that even mean ? More like an “Overembellishing School District”. How long will the citizens of Danville stand for this?
And the wheel continues to grind on chewing up the children of Danville. And in the mean time the principal of GWHS rears back in his chair and contemplates where he will go today. If you don’t have to be there you certainly don’t have to deal with it. The crown gem of Danville is tarnished indeed. The school board croons about how all is well and continues their real task, rewriting those important school board policies. This is what a district is really about. But travel down the corriders of GW and look at all the principal photos in the main hall. The many fine leaers that graced this institution. The years of academic excellence represented by those picture. But look closely, you can almost see a tear in the eye of each photograph.
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