Subject: Reception Honoring Dr. Terry Holliday
The board of education and the administration of Iredell-Statesville Schools will be hosting a drop-in reception honoring Dr. Terry Holliday on Monday, August 3 from 4:00 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. in ADR's staff development room #2. Please join us as we thank Dr. Holliday for his service to I-SS and wish him well as he begins this next chapter of his career. Kindly click either 'accept' or 'decline' above so that we might have an accurate head count.
Dawn Creason is the I-SS Director of Public Relations. I assume that all I-SS employees have been invited to the reception. My wife respectfully declined the invitation. I checked the I-SS web site and saw no mention of the reception so it looks like the general public is not invited.
One interesting note is that the I-SS Committee of the Whole meeting is scheduled to start at 5:00 p.m. on the same evening and Dr. Holliday has said that he will be at that meeting. I wonder what they plan to do about the half-hour overlap. The Committee of the Whole meeting is also in the ADR Education Center.
I do encourage all concerned citizens to attend the Committee of the Whole Meeting. This will probably be the last chance to see Dr. Holliday carry out the duties of superintendent. Then we can all go out and celebrate. But, seriously, I do think that we need a good turn out at this meeting and at the regular Board meeting. Remember that much of the real work of the Board is done at the Committee of the Whole meeting. If we want the Board members to consider our suggestions we have to show them that we are sincere in our convictions.
Amen to that. All those parents who have posted on this blog need to make public their interest by attending these meetings. I know that 5:00 is difficult for working folks but come when work is done. Coming late is a better statement than not coming at all. Hopefully, soon staff will not feel frightened by giving their opinions. I am not a big believer in unions, but they do give a voice to the members.
ReplyDelete"Then we can all go out and celebrate."??! You really are like the bullies from fourth grade. So much for a blog that represents the voice of Iredell's citizens. I know that very few are as vindictive and hateful as you are.
ReplyDeleteTo the above blogger: This blog is for all people who are interested to comment on the school system. Mr. Klaene states in the left-hand sidebar that anyone is welcome to voice an opinion about the quality of education in this county. You are free to have your say, just like anyone else. But I think you cross the line when you start calling Mr. Klaene names and acting like the bully you accuse Mr. Klaene of being.
ReplyDeleteJust so you know, many teachers in the district have been celebrating since we heard the news about Holliday leaving, 11:54. So, really, you need to get in touch with how people are feeling because it sounds like you are really isolated.
ReplyDeleteHello 11:54 I am happy that you are expressing your opininon. For it is simply your opinion and I believe that is welcome and valued on this site. It is unfortunate that the opinions of Holliday and Baldrige dissenters are not welcome or valued by the SR&L. Therefore, Mr. Klaene does provide a forum for those who are denied their say. I think it would be very interesting to take a vote and compare our two bullies (Klaene or Holliday). I wonder who would win the vote for top bully? As a teacher and parent, my vote for top bully is Dr. Holliday. I wish we could journalize all the stories throughout this system that would justify that belief. I would welcome Mr. Klaene to my bully any day.
ReplyDeleteInteresting how posters on here are willing to personally attack the Holliday family (I assume a lot of people calling for Mrs. Holliday's head probably haven't even met her, I guess guilt by association) and bringing up things like his x-wife and children.....but this comment was "crossing the line". Sounds like a double standard to me.
ReplyDelete7-31 4:41 I think we have different interpretations of "crossing the line" and double standard. Let us give the Hollidays the benefit of the doubt and say they are the most wonderful people outside their work setting. Although I have never met Mrs. Holliday, I have met the Mr. (enough said). Though, I would think the issue is the Hollidays within the work place (not their social setting among friends and work associates) and also their motivation and desire to force their educational and organizational methods upon the masses. I believe this is where the associations begin regarding the posts and comments that are read on this blog. I think you should understand that the topic of Baldrige is extremely and overwhelmingly controversial. There are supporters and nonsupporters. And to be honest, many of the nonsupporters have been treated horribly by their leadership.
ReplyDelete7-31 4:41 I don't know Mrs. Holliday, but I do know that in 2007 she was promoted to the position of a central office administrator as K-5 Instructional Facilitator Coordinator. The job description for that position clearly states that a Master's Degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education is required. Mrs. Holliday does not have a Master's Degree. Why was Mrs. Holliday promoted to this position when she did not meet the requirements for the position? I guess the rules do not apply to the wife of the superintendent.
ReplyDeleteYou raising your concern over that is fine with me (although I don't agree with it being an issue). The problem I have is the blind hatred blasted by other posters on this site towards her without any real reasoning.
ReplyDeleteHere is an example:
Who is the boss? We all want to know. Denise just leave with your husband. You are the perfect pair. Adios.
7-31 9:07 So you have a problem. Who doesn't? So you don't agree with some of the comments to what some people consider issues. Many people do. If you want to call it hatred than that is your prerogative. Some people may call it dislike or disagreement because they consider Mrs. Holliday to be in close association with their concerns.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a problem with you defending Mrs.Holliday. But you should understand that while some may possibly be misguided with their comments regarding Mrs. Holliday, she is an associate of Baldrige. She does have an interesting position within the system. And she does have a connection to the Super.
Paul, thanks for posting the info on the drop-in reception for Holliday. I probably would have received it via email had I not been one of 70 TA's that lost their job. I would like to be in line to say "thank you for telling us all year that no one would lose their job". I would also like to tell him "thank you for waiting until you received your pinnicle job before you let the pink slips go out certified mail" (coincidence?) I would also like to say thank you for protecting your cronies and their salaries and the IF positions, who have no impact on the students, to cut the very front line who had the most impact. Most of all I would like to wish him and his wife the very success that he afforded most of us.
ReplyDeleteTo 7/31 9:07: "You raising your concern over that is fine with me (although I don't agree with it being an issue)". I assume you are talking about the issue of Mrs. Holliday's job requiring a master's degree to which she does not hold? I think for most that puts everything into perspective. You don't have a problem with a super giving his wife a high level position even though she does not have the qualifications?
ReplyDeleteWow! I guess you are one of the people that have no problems with the way our country is being run either. Lies, cover-ups, people bought out, taxpayer dollars wasted, fraud etc. I guess it is all status quo for you. Fortunately, there are people out there who are willing to stand up for what is right. Keep plugging away, if anything perhaps we can finally obtain some transparency that we were promised long ago.
What I find interesting is the other person who holds the secondary IF coach position doesn't meet the stated qualifications either....haven't heard anyone complaining about that. There are also several AP's that hold their position without a completed degree, no complaints about that either. Fact is, no one with an administration degee would even want that job, it would be a step down. Yes, they shouldn't have listed an admin degree as required, but that is all I agree with.
ReplyDelete3:16 - Forward those "thank-you's" to your state officals, they cut the TA allotment not Dr. Holliday.
ReplyDeleteto 4:10pm I suppose as super he had no power to shift employees in order to minimize the impact on the classrooms. I see you also did not address what the blogger points out in reference to the high salaries and IF positions. It figures and the naysayers of this blog question who is thinking about the students?
ReplyDeletehey 4:10pm Perhaps you haven't seen or just didn't want to acknowledge the 35 CO staff positions and their salaries. I believe it totalled over $2 million? TA's make about $18,000/yearly and play a very important role in the classroom. Just ask a child about their teacher assistant and you will quickly learn the amount of work and support they provide. Your comment was arrogant to say the least.
ReplyDelete4:12 - It is true that the State officials have cut the TA allotment. However, at the last Committee of the Whole meeting Dr. Holliday said that the State allotment for the Central Office was 1.3 million dollars. He then went on to relate just how important the work of the Central Office employees was to the operation of the school system. I mention this because the total pay for all the Central Office Administrators is around 2.5 million dollars and that does not include the pay of the Central Office support staff. Perhaps if Dr. Holliday didn't have to find an extra 1.2+ million dollars to cover the salaries of the Central Office administrators he would have been able to find enough money to fund most of those TA positions. I guess that in Dr. Holliday's mind, those TA positions are just not that important.
ReplyDeletePaul, thank you thank you for the above post. You explain it very clearly. I just love the way people want to give Dr. Holliday all of the credit for ISS's successes but no accountability for any of the shortcomings. Bravo!!
ReplyDeleteI have done my share of blasting on here while addressing issues; however I am not doing so gleefully as some have done. It is with limitations that I support this BLOG and the ISS Citizens Group.
ReplyDeleteOne of the problems I have with the discussions is that they are extreme on the part of both sides. There are Holliday haters and Holliday lovers. As with the Republicans and Democrats there is no search for compromise or resolve.
The comment in the above main post was not in line with progressive dialect. "Then we can all go out and celebrate." This was nothing but a childish stab at an individual. There is nothing to celebrate until the school system has occurred major changes that will better our children's education. Terry Holliday was a major contributor to the current condition of ISS. However, he was and is not the only problem.
Holliday is gone but all of the issues still remain. We need our focus to be on the problems. Celebrating because Holliday is gone is like Bush standing on the aircraft carrier with his "mission accomplished" sign.
Our first meeting with the original 4 of us was a disappointment. I came with a notebook to outline goals, purpose and structure for the meetings. Instead I ended up looking at a bunch of financial reports as everyone gleefully shared what they had found.
Then I tried going along with the ISS Citizens Meetings. Again, no structure or purpose. I was in disagreement with the amount of paperwork that was handed out to people as I thought people wanted to see formation of action, not given a pile of forms.
Paul, the final disappointment was when you had a stroke when I wanted to say the Pledge of Allegiance and a quick prayer before each meeting. You were concerned that we might offend someone. At that point I said to count me out as I would not be a part of any group in which the leaders considered it potentially offensive to say the Pledge of Allegiance and a quick prayer. I realize that not everyone is Christian but the last time I checked this is still America.
I find it very distasteful and spineless to gleefully attack people, but yet not have the stones to pay tribute to the country that gives us all the wonderful privilege of freedom of speech. There are countries where I would have gotten tossed in prison for even suggesting the formation of the group.
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ReplyDeleteI am very un-politically correct. Political correctness is just a stifling of the truth put in place to protect those who want to continue to do wrong without being chastised. I don’t hesitate to say what needs to be said, as I am doing now. However, I try not to be an antagonistic irritant when doing so. You can be forward and make people mad while still retaining their respect.
Over the years, I have had numerous conflicts with ISS and have yet to be thrown out of a building or told to go through an attorney. The last letter I received about an issue I am addressing concluded with an invitation to contact them if I had any more questions or input. This was about a month ago.
Paul, I commend you and others for diligently uncovering financial information that does not seem to add up. I also commend you for taking the time to run this BLOG. You have been more than fair in allowing all posts, even those with extreme opposing views. I am certain that you will allow this post to remain as that is the spirit in which you have been moderator.
My reason for being here is concern for my children and everyone else’s children. I think the ideal purpose of the Blog’s existence has been somewhat lost and the focus distorted. It appears it is a place for whistleblowers to proudly show their latest find.
The meetings for certain lack motivation for return. The issues that we are addressing here are a small part of a larger problem that is plaguing America; government without representation of the people and apathy of the people who should be represented.
I will continue to support this Blog and the efforts to bring change to our school system. However I did feel the need to separate myself from some of the activity and possibly lend a hand in changing the direction of the energy being expended.
For those of you who are Klaene haters, don't use my post as a footstool to kick Paul in the behind. Paul has been bold enought to put himself in the public spotlight. Have a purpose for your criticizm. If you want to attack him just to support your Holliday infatuation, use your name. Get on track with what we are all supposed to be on here for, our children.
Larry, thank you for your comments and for your input. But, I would like to respond to some of your comments. You say there was no structure or purpose to the first Citizen's meeting. As you stated you were at the organizational meeting with Janee, Renee, and me. You helped organize and plan the meeting. You helped develop are stated goals and purposes of the group. At that first meeting, everyone, including you, was given a chance for input. As far as your comments about saying the Pledge of Allegiance and a quick prayer before each meeting, here is the text of the e-mail I sent to you after your suggestion.
ReplyDeleteLarry,
The Pledge of Allegiance would be fine but someone would need to bring a flag. As for the prayer, I think a moment of silence would be better. I would not want to offend anyone's religious beliefs. Perhaps we should ask the members of the group before we do either.
Paul
Janee and I wanted the whole group to have an voice in the matter before we decided to do either.
As far as my comment in the above post that we could all go out and celebrate. That was simply a lighthearted comment. If you read the rest of the post you will see that I follow that comment with the words: "But, seriously, I do think that we need a good turn out at this meeting and at the regular Board meeting. Remember that much of the real work of the Board is done at the Committee of the Whole meeting. If we want the Board members to consider our suggestions we have to show them that we are sincere in our convictions." And that was the real intent of my message.
I agree with you that there are many issues that remain to be discussed and that we need to work together to improve the education of our children and our grandchildren.
Wow, I haven't read that much pomp since Dr. Holliday.
ReplyDeleteAs a side note, you said that you understand that everyone isn't Christian but it is America, so, therefore, you are allowed to force others into saying Christian prayers? (By the by, that was pretty petty to bring up if your only concern is your children's education.)
I believe that there are many varied issues within our school system today. The many different stakeholders (students, parents, teachers, and citizens) may have different perceptions of what they consider to be an issue.
ReplyDeleteI believe the problems that we have in our education system are many and varied and begin at the top. And at the top of the pyramind is our pharoah, Dr. Holliday. At the base of the pyramid is the cumulative BOE of the last seven years that has given Holliday the support and loyalty he has needed to create his structure. Dr. Holliday has been able to solidify his base for his pyramid and complete the structure with many people who may share his same educational philosopy. I hope you understand my analogy.
Within the structure of the pyramid, Holliday has been able to create many chambers of support. And that is where most of our problems lie. In order to be a chamber within the pyramid you must show your allegience to the pharoah. And if you do not, there may be consequences.
So with our scenario, who is served? The pharoah or the citizens.
Larry, I also have to take offense at what you said about the meetings of the Citizens Group. We were pleased to have you join with us in our fight to bring change to I-SS. As to having too much paperwork, I believe that one of the forms that were passed out was one that you brought yourself. We met to give people a change to express their grievences with the system. Nothing can be changed over night. Only by working together can things happen. As to saying the pledge and praying, I told you and Paul that I was fine with it but maybe we should ask the group how they felt about it. You stated that as leaders we should make the decisions. I don't think of myself as a leader but as a organizer. We need to pull together regardless of our concerns. Many voices speak louder than one.
ReplyDeleteJust as a fact clarification - the secondary IF coach has a master's degree, has an admin degree, and I think she is Nationally Board Certified. Do not make people guilty by association and stating opinions is fine on this blog - but get the facts correct.
ReplyDeleteLarry, I did not respond to your email about prayer or the Pledge because I was not going to be at the meeting because of family illnesses and felt like Janey and Paul that the group decides. I am not sure why if saying the Pledge or having a prayer were so important to you that you did not have a flag or say a prayer at the first meeting. As for cause for celebration, I don't believe you worked in the ISS system under Dr. Holliday's regime.
ReplyDeleteMr. Coover - I am a parent and teacher and I look at our situation from several perspectives.
ReplyDeleteI think we simply have to take things one step at a time. And I think we were blessed that Holliday received and accepted a position that takes him away from I-SS. I also think we have been blessed that Brady Johnson is the interim super. and has a contract that extends through 2012. I believe his personality, character, and integrity is the polar opposite of Holliday. I am a little concerned that the BOE wants to hire from within however. My reason is that many of those extended contracts belong to people who were brought in by Holliday and support his philosophy and at this time I do not have confidence in the BOE.
I spoke to a former employee (teacher and principal) in the I-SS system today. He asked me with his smiling face how I felt about the exit of Holliday. And my reply was that I am estremely happy that he is leaving. He replied that everyone he had spoken to that he knows that may still be in CO or teaching also shared the same sentiment.
Let us hope for a selected leader that will take us away from the current standard and policies set by Holliday. And if that occurs I believe you will see a great chance for the changes that you would like to see occur. I do hope that you understand that the majority of I-SS employees do have a great concern regarding the best interest of our children and their future. I am one of those.
To the poster who wrote:
ReplyDeleteJust as a fact clarification - the secondary IF coach has a master's degree, has an admin degree, and I think she is Nationally Board Certified. Do not make people guilty by association and stating opinions is fine on this blog - but get the facts correct.
I'm sorry, I meant to say the original secondary coach.
I appreciate those of you who took time to respond to my post.
ReplyDeleteAugust 2, 2009 3:28 PM … I was trying to word some strong thoughts in a polite manner. Call it pomp if it makes you happy.
As for the structure and purpose of the meetings and my input...I attempted to bring out other interests, but the main focus remained on Holliday and financial records. As much as I hate to say it, it was like a vendetta on the part of some. Now that Holliday is gone, there is no need for stabs and jabs. Those of you who are teachers would chastise a student for such behavior. The group should be addressing problems, and Holliday is no longer a problem. Any continuance of Holliday bashing is of a personal matter and doesn't belong as part of this effort. That kind of conduct takes away from the validity of the group. Making a statement and then saying “But seriously” doesn’t erase the statement. Renee, you are correct, I did not work under Holliday’s regime. However, my children attended school while it was under his direction and I am more concerned with what happens to my kids then me. My three children being out from under him is more cause for celebration than an adult’s job worries. If I understand correctly, the concerns that you have are for the children which brings us back full circle.
There are some Holliday people remaining with Holliday ideas. A solid, reputable group can make sure that they change or leave with Holliday. If the group is professional it can have a heavy influence on all BOE decisions, including the selection of the new superintendant. By all means the group should be professional considering the backgrounds of the founding members.
Pledge of Allegiance and prayer… Call me a redneck, but the day we allowed prayer, paddling and patriotism to be removed from our schools we took a turn in the wrong direction. Very small minority groups banded together for different reasons and demanded change. They got it while the silent majority sat complacently by and allowed it to happen. Visible patriotism and simple public prayer represent the overwhelming majority of Americans and what America stands for. The re-introduction of these practices will have to start with small groups such as this one. And, August 2, 2009 3:28 PM; patriotism and prayer are practices that we need to be passing on to our children, so yes my children are still my only motivation. We can tell our children to believe in God and tell them to appreciate our country, but until they see us actively doing so it has no meaning.
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ReplyDeleteJanee, you said that you don't think of yourself as a leader but as an organizer. That would mean that this group is an organization. Every organization has leaders. Leaders lead and without leaders, there will be no direction and that has become the case here. I sat at the meetings and saw many people with the potential to make an impact with the community and ISS (absolutely including the three of you). I only attended two meetings before realizing that their potential was not being utilized. Also, there were hardly any repeat attendees. The observation that people didn’t come back is an indication to me that people were not impressed with the passive way in which the group functions.
Leadership is important. People are frustrated. They came looking to vent but also looking for answers and action. Without leadership the responsibility falls back to them. It takes someone to hear it all and then say; okay this is what we are going to do.
There have been posts on here by critics who claim that this is a handful of people voicing their complaints. The fact is they are correct. However, we represent the vast majority of the citizens in our complaints. If the group gets established and gains momentum, the others will jump in after the going gets easier.
As for the form I designed, it copied the ISS online complaint form. As I remember, there was another form handed out against my objection that was redundant of the one I made. And still another that that was redundant of the sign in sheet. I consider all of this to comparable to what you have to go through to get something addressed at ISS. Worse yet, it sounds similar to all of the Baldrige data gathering I have heard so much about.
I understand that there has to be a starting point but I think we have by-passed it. This group had the potential from the beginning to be a great thing. Now with the top administration change it has even more potential.
I invite you to once again attend the meetings.
ReplyDeleteLarry,
You are so correct in stating that now is the time to have change happen in the system. We all need to come together as one body if we want to have any real chance of being heard. I hope that I will be able to speak to you in person tonight at the COW meeting. Only by making our presence felt at these meetings can we have a opportunity to make real change.
Thanks for the invite Janey. I won't be able to attend as I have another commitment but probably wouldn't anyway. It is my understanding that we aren't allowed to speak so attending would only be similar to an antagonistic silent protest (In my opinion). I will assist when it is time to really jump in.
ReplyDelete