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I am sympathetic to everyone in this. My issue is with the woman who spoke saying that everyone is willing to pay more taxes to avoid redistricting. She didn't speak for my household. I'm sure she didn't speak for others as well. I will always support UCPS, but as a whole. If my taxes increase, I want it to fix the schools in need, and for overall improvements in the county as a whole. I'm not willing to subsidize those who want to stay in a more desirable school with a tax increase for that sole reason.
She didn't speak for me either. I'm more than willing to pay more in taxes to keep TAs, make needed upgrades to infrastructure for safety, technology and curriculum. But I am not willing to pay more for people to stay where they feel entitled when there is capacity in the system. I moved OUT of NY to get away from the entitlement attitude.
I can't help but chuckle wondering what the OP, NJ Person is thinking right about now? Think there's a chance in hades she'll move to UC?
Hahahahahaha. That's so funny you brought that up b/c I was thinking the very same thing a few hours ago. Where did NJ Person go?! Probably moved way the hell away from Union County, lol!!!
May I suggest that spending $40,000 on a track for a school that you assumed was "yours" to keep is YOUR fault? Because it is. I don't feel sorry for you one bit. It is your fault for ignoring the growth. Your fault for assuming that because a school was close by that you would never be redistricting elsewhere. There were very clear warnings that this could happen at anytime.
You are so right... lesson learned by me and countless others during this redistricting fiasco. I along with thousands of other families across this county commute long hours and stretch our time and financial budgets to accomodate as much as we can for our kids. I believe most have in their hearts to do the right thing but most of us will be greatly challenged by the time, distance and gas money. My story is no different than those parents and children that spoke last night about after school events including team/band participation, plays and clubs that will be in jeopardy or non-existent due to all the factors I mentioned above.
As far as our children are concerned your tone is as insensitive as UCPS. A school system that has no problem having young children wake up at 5:30-6:00am in the morning to attend school. All based on ridiculous studies- how about common sense?!?? Many adults have issues getting up at 5:30am no less a young 6-7 year old child. A school system that thinks redistricting costs us nothing as they displayed back in January at Monroe HS. They play us as fools. No more.
The older schools are the ones that need donations and fundraisers and love. So for all of those folks who enjoy pouring their love and time (and dollars) into their child's school, why not make a REAL difference?
Let's put aside parent involvement here for the moment. You seem to be a BOE sympathizer so where has that board and UCPS been over the last 20 years as they watched a good number of their elementary, middle and high schools fall into disrepair? It seems like you are sickened by the attitudes (whining) of parent's concerned about the welfare of their children (sincerely expressed by a good percentage of folks at last night's public session.) I judge people by their actions, not their words. I see the action of caring members of a school community coming together to facilitate the overall learning environment day after day and night after night.
I read and listen to the words of the board and the overall school system and then I see their actions. How can you or anyone else defend a school system that resorts to the same strategy for overcrowding every 3-5 years. Few corporations/organizations would survive with such a "low batting average/winning percentage" when it comes to redistricting. Mr. Stewart talks about MCR safety issues when UCPS school buses are involved in numerous accidents throughout the year and now we'll subject those children and bus drivers to greater miles/hours. This stuff can't be made up. The BOE is ramming this down our throats with few asking the questions and doing their due dilligence. Sure attack Ms. Hodges and Ms. Savage at least they are doing the people's work- how can you defend Ms. Helms? Mr. Pigg? Mr. Guzman? No words or actions from these characters.
Redistricting resolves nothing and only creates division amongst families, neighbors and neighborhoods. So let's continue to carry the water for the BOE and UCPS and attack those that are fighting the changes forced upon them and their children.
Let's put aside parent involvement here for the moment. You seem to be a BOE sympathizer so where has that board and UCPS been over the last 20 years as they watched a good number of their elementary, middle and high schools fall into disrepair? It seems like you are sickened by the attitudes (whining) of parent's concerned about the welfare of their children (sincerely expressed by a good percentage of folks at last night's public session.) I judge people by their actions, not their words. I see the action of caring members of a school community coming together to facilitate the overall learning environment day after day and night after night.
I read and listen to the words of the board and the overall school system and then I see their actions. How can you or anyone else defend a school system that resorts to the same strategy for overcrowding every 3-5 years. Few corporations/organizations would survive with such a "low batting average/winning percentage" when it comes to redistricting. Mr. Stewart talks about MCR safety issues when UCPS school buses are involved in numerous accidents throughout the year and now we'll subject those children and bus drivers to greater miles/hours. This stuff can't be made up. The BOE is ramming this down our throats with few asking the questions and doing their due dilligence. Sure attack Ms. Hodges and Ms. Savage at least they are doing the people's work- how can you defend Ms. Helms? Mr. Pigg? Mr. Guzman? No words or actions from these characters.
Redistricting resolves nothing and only creates division amongst families, neighbors and neighborhoods. So let's continue to carry the water for the BOE and UCPS and attack those that are fighting the changes forced upon them and their children.
I've yet to work for a corp that hasn't restructured every 3 years. And that's in over 25 years of employment. That's where I've learned to "embrace change". And few corps are ever going to take "radical" action due to the cost associate with unknown results.
I've spoken and corresponded with Helms, Guzman and Pigg. They are all level-headed, intelligent servants of the district. They want what's best for all the kids in the county. Why don't they speak up in meetings. I don't know but it's probably the same reason no one ( including myself) didn't speak up last night. We don't want our families harassed. We don't want to be followed home and intimidated. You know as well as I do there are some scary words floating out there. I have gotten HORRIBLE messages. Others have been threatened anonymously. Why put yourself thru that? I've said from the outset..you will sway more opinion with facts delivered with a smile than with venom. Look at Milbridge last night...kept on point, we're respectful and very cohesive. As emotional as it may be, emotion has no place in the dialogue and they have heard it before. Even Joe Lucas from Cutty says that as booster president he has to take emotion out and make the best decision that will impact the most athletes. The BOE does the same thing.
Lastly, this is still the South. Manners and respect are still very important to a lot of people. More should remember that. Do people think that the BOE members don't look at FB and other social media ( whether some think its "private" or not) . I can assure you they do.
What would you do if you saw your name constantly getting dragged thru the mud in social media?
Let's put aside parent involvement here for the moment. You seem to be a BOE sympathizer so where has that board and UCPS been over the last 20 years as they watched a good number of their elementary, middle and high schools fall into disrepair? It seems like you are sickened by the attitudes (whining) of parent's concerned about the welfare of their children (sincerely expressed by a good percentage of folks at last night's public session.) I judge people by their actions, not their words. I see the action of caring members of a school community coming together to facilitate the overall learning environment day after day and night after night.
I read and listen to the words of the board and the overall school system and then I see their actions. How can you or anyone else defend a school system that resorts to the same strategy for overcrowding every 3-5 years. Few corporations/organizations would survive with such a "low batting average/winning percentage" when it comes to redistricting. Mr. Stewart talks about MCR safety issues when UCPS school buses are involved in numerous accidents throughout the year and now we'll subject those children and bus drivers to greater miles/hours. This stuff can't be made up. The BOE is ramming this down our throats with few asking the questions and doing their due dilligence. Sure attack Ms. Hodges and Ms. Savage at least they are doing the people's work- how can you defend Ms. Helms? Mr. Pigg? Mr. Guzman? No words or actions from these characters.
Redistricting resolves nothing and only creates division amongst families, neighbors and neighborhoods. So let's continue to carry the water for the BOE and UCPS and attack those that are fighting the changes forced upon them and their children.
I work for a Fortune 100 company and we restructure on an annual basis. It is called adjusting to the current market and economic conditions and attempting to plan for the future. I say "attempting" because I have yet to run across someone or something that could predict the future, and you know what? Things change. Almost everything changes, the economy, the weather, the opinions, my hairline. One of the few things that doesn't seem to change, peoples ignorance of the fact that there is always going to be change and people aren't perfect.
You may or may not have been here back in 2008, but there was a whole grand plan that included new schools, including a Cuthbertson elementary that would have at least minimized, if not, eliminated the cap situation at Kensington. Guess what? The economy tanked and the housing market imploded. How many people predicted that? What do you think would have happened (if it was even possible) if that plan was executed and new schools were still built? People would have screamed until the ends of the earth about their tax money being wasted, the elected boards are incompetent, blah, blah, blah. Sound familiar? If you are such an expert, you should run for one of the boards and experience first hand when you have to try to make decisions based on more than just the couple main factors YOU care about. The same thing as 2008 has happened in reverse now. Union county growth has exploded. Again, the magnitude is something no one could have predicted. Plans have to change again. One additional factor this time (and it is not a small one) is the deep level of acrimony between the BOE and BOCC. This is definitely not helping the situation, but it is something that will have to be fought through to try an deal with the very real problems at hand (see any of previous 2000 posts in this discussion).
You can rail against those trying to make these decisions, that is your right. But please don't hold up Hodges and Savage like they are saviors to all. They are politicians who are hitching their wagon to a very vocal minority for the political theater and political gain. They love reading about themselves on Facebook being hailed as "patriots" and "the only ones that care". To give you how much of a minority some of these groups are, the "Union County Residents (United) for Protection of Our Schools" Facebook group numbers a whopping 515 members. They can scream, yell, cry, intimidate and protest all they want, but at the end of the day they represent nothing more than 515 people out of 210,000+ who live in this county. In case you're wondering, that is 0.25%. It is these people who are trying to hijack the process, a process that has occurred many times all over this county and country and will continue to do so. The other 99.75% of us are trying to understand as many facts as we can and work with those that are trying to make the very difficult decisions on behalf of ALL of us, not just their Facebook friends.
May I suggest that spending $40,000 on a track for a school that you assumed was "yours" to keep is YOUR fault? Because it is. I don't feel sorry for you one bit. It is your fault for ignoring the growth. Your fault for assuming that because a school was close by that you would never be redistricting elsewhere. There were very clear warnings that this could happen at anytime. And it has happened many times before this!! You obviously didn't do ALL of your homework. And your blood, sweat, and tears being poured into a school? Why would you regret that? Why would you regret any action that helped other kids succeed? Can you not carry on this same wonderful intention at another school? Maybe that $40,000 should have been poured into good old Western Union instead of a brand-spanking new facility. Now THAT would have been a beautiful gesture.
Why didn't the parents at good old Western Union pony up the dough for "their school" like others did at some of the other schools? If you're staying at Weddington, are you going to donate money to Sun Valley or Parkwood as a beautiful gesture ?
I work for a Fortune 100 company and we restructure on an annual basis. It is called adjusting to the current market and economic conditions and attempting to plan for the future. I say "attempting" because I have yet to run across someone or something that could predict the future, and you know what? Things change. Almost everything changes, the economy, the weather, the opinions, my hairline. One of the few things that doesn't seem to change, peoples ignorance of the fact that there is always going to be change and people aren't perfect.
You may or may not have been here back in 2008, but there was a whole grand plan that included new schools, including a Cuthbertson elementary that would have at least minimized, if not, eliminated the cap situation at Kensington. Guess what? The economy tanked and the housing market imploded. How many people predicted that? What do you think would have happened (if it was even possible) if that plan was executed and new schools were still built? People would have screamed until the ends of the earth about their tax money being wasted, the elected boards are incompetent, blah, blah, blah. Sound familiar? If you are such an expert, you should run for one of the boards and experience first hand when you have to try to make decisions based on more than just the couple main factors YOU care about. The same thing as 2008 has happened in reverse now. Union county growth has exploded. Again, the magnitude is something no one could have predicted. Plans have to change again. One additional factor this time (and it is not a small one) is the deep level of acrimony between the BOE and BOCC. This is definitely not helping the situation, but it is something that will have to be fought through to try an deal with the very real problems at hand (see any of previous 2000 posts in this discussion).
You can rail against those trying to make these decisions, that is your right. But please don't hold up Hodges and Savage like they are saviors to all. They are politicians who are hitching their wagon to a very vocal minority for the political theater and political gain. They love reading about themselves on Facebook being hailed as "patriots" and "the only ones that care". To give you how much of a minority some of these groups are, the "Union County Residents (United) for Protection of Our Schools" Facebook group numbers a whopping 515 members. They can scream, yell, cry, intimidate and protest all they want, but at the end of the day they represent nothing more than 515 people out of 210,000+ who live in this county. In case you're wondering, that is 0.25%. It is these people who are trying to hijack the process, a process that has occurred many times all over this county and country and will continue to do so. The other 99.75% of us are trying to understand as many facts as we can and work with those that are trying to make the very difficult decisions on behalf of ALL of us, not just their Facebook friends.
Let's put aside parent involvement here for the moment. You seem to be a BOE sympathizer so where has that board and UCPS been over the last 20 years as they watched a good number of their elementary, middle and high schools fall into disrepair? It seems like you are sickened by the attitudes (whining) of parent's concerned about the welfare of their children (sincerely expressed by a good percentage of folks at last night's public session.) I judge people by their actions, not their words. I see the action of caring members of a school community coming together to facilitate the overall learning environment day after day and night after night.
I read and listen to the words of the board and the overall school system and then I see their actions. How can you or anyone else defend a school system that resorts to the same strategy for overcrowding every 3-5 years. Few corporations/organizations would survive with such a "low batting average/winning percentage" when it comes to redistricting. Mr. Stewart talks about MCR safety issues when UCPS school buses are involved in numerous accidents throughout the year and now we'll subject those children and bus drivers to greater miles/hours. This stuff can't be made up. The BOE is ramming this down our throats with few asking the questions and doing their due dilligence. Sure attack Ms. Hodges and Ms. Savage at least they are doing the people's work- how can you defend Ms. Helms? Mr. Pigg? Mr. Guzman? No words or actions from these characters.
Redistricting resolves nothing and only creates division amongst families, neighbors and neighborhoods. So let's continue to carry the water for the BOE and UCPS and attack those that are fighting the changes forced upon them and their children.
I think raithfan and RDB have responded eloquently already. Savage and Hodges are saying what you want to hear, but what are they really DOING behind the scenes to contribute to solving problems. I think, yet again, the larger issues are being overlooked by many of your statements. Overcrowding. Schools stretched at the seams. Extreme past and future growth in UC. A budget (yes, being fiscally responsible really IS important despite the popular opinion to spend, spend, spend). Dirty BOCC members. Common sense.
Regarding the "welfare" of your children, I respect any parent looking out for their own. I get that, I really do. But the BOE has a HUGE job. They are the metaphorical parents for an entire county of children and they are forced to look at the big picture. There are logical reasons for redistricting at this point in time, despite what many think. Regarding you statement that "redistricting resolves nothing and only creates division amongst families, neighbors and neighborhoods": I beg to differ. It DOES resolve some of the immediate issues (perhaps not in the way you see fit, but it serves a purpose). And the ones who are creating the biggest "division" are the very people who are at the root of the protesting. You are the ones dividing the county, dividing the haves vs the have nots, dividing the reasonable vs the extreme. I keep seeing "we are in this together" plastered all over social media. But the tone has been set and says otherwise.
Why didn't the parents at good old Western Union pony up the dough for "their school" like others did at some of the other schools? If you're staying at Weddington, are you going to donate money to Sun Valley or Parkwood as a beautiful gesture ?
Hmm, I don't know - perhaps they are using their paychecks to feed their kids? To keep the house warm? To put gas in their cars so that they may go to work? To survive? To make ends meet? Not everyone has extra money sitting around to pour into a track for an already well-attended school. "Beautiful gestures" don't have to come in the form of money. I personally would choose to volunteer my time tutoring kids struggling to pass their tests over dumping money into a track any day. One is needed much more than the other and requires nothing more than a little time and compassion. So to answer your question - I don't donate a whole lot of extra money because I don't HAVE a whole lot of extra money. I give what I can. And I give where it is needed most. Perhaps those cheering for 3 million dollars to be spent on MCRs to prevent any personal upset in their own lives should open their eyes. That money is needed elsewhere. End of story.
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