School Board Meeting

The regular Board of Education meeting will be held on Monday, August 10^th, at 6:00 p.m. in the Iredell County Government Center on Center Street. Click on the link below to access the agenda for the meeting.

Board Agenda & Minutes

Although there have been a number of positive steps taken since Dr. Holliday resigned, we must continue to be vigilant. We must make sure that the focus of the school system remains on the students and that the teachers are given the tools and the proper support needed to ensure the success of all students. Also, the Board will soon begin the process of selecting a new superintendent. The citizens of Iredell County need to send a clear message to the entire Board that it is essential that all stakeholders be allowed to fully participate in the selection of the new superintendent. Therefore, I am asking everyone to attend the Board meeting on Monday. And when I say everyone, I mean everyone. It does not matter if you agree with me or not, now is the time to come together for the sake of our children and grandchildren.

Record and Landmark Editorial

The following is taken from the editorial titled I-SS Making Strides that was printed in Thursday's edition of the Statesville Record & Landmark. Unfortunately it is not available on the paper's web site.

The article starts with the statements:

Iredell-Statesville Schools officials aren't completely satisfied with the district's showing in the Adequate Yearly Progress report for 2008-09.

That's the right and politically correct thing to say, but the results - combined with rising SAT scores and graduation rates - provide another sign that I-SS is moving in the right direction.

The article then ends with the following statement:

Parents, teachers, and taxpayers should expect Mr. Johnson and other top administrators to continue on the course set by Dr. Holliday until the school board advises otherwise.

Yes, I-SS has had a number of successes over the last few years, but as has been pointed out in this blog, many of those successes have been in spite of Dr. Holliday's initiatives rather than because of them. As the records have shown, Dr. Holliday has spent hundreds of thousands of taxpayer's dollars to implement his version of the Baldrige plan. A plan that has alienated many students, parents, teachers, teacher assistants, and other Iredell Citizens.

As many people have commented on this blog, Mr. Johnson is known to be an honest and professional man who has the student's best interests at heart. I personally hope that Mr. Johnson is given the freedom to change the focus of the administration away from the superintendent and toward the students.

I suggest that we thank Mr. Johnson for agreeing to take the interim position and offer him our support.

My e-mail to the Board Members

I-SS Board Members

I know that the task ahead of you to find an interim superintendent and a permanent superintendent will not be an easy one. I am asking that you approach this as you have with other tasks, and that is with the best interest of the students in mind. In addition, I am asking you to make this process as open as possible. Students, parents, I-SS employees, and the citizens of Iredell County should all be allowed to participate in the selection of the interim superintendent as well as the permanent superintendent.

All I-SS students and employees have to be given the opportunities and the support needed to achieve true success. This can only be done in an atmosphere of encouragement, transparency and accountability. We must find a superintendent who not only brings a different approach to education but who is also open to the suggestions of others.

The Baldrige approach has brought some success to the school system but it also had a number of disadvantages. First, it forced teachers to instruct all students with the same methodology. Students are not cogs on an assembly line. Teachers have to be free to find an approach that works for the students in their classes. Second, there was no openness to other ideas. Teachers were discouraged from trying different approaches. Teachers were discouraged from going to conferences and meetings in their subject areas. This led to frustration for the teachers and for the students. Lastly, there were thousands of I-SS dollars spent to implement and maintain the Baldrige plan. This money was taken from other programs and initiatives that could have benefitted the students. Thousands of other schools have achieved great successes without using the Baldrige plan and I-SS can do so as well.

Paul E. Klaene

Meeting Announcement

There will be a public meeting in the Iredell County Library in meeting room B; Thursday, June 18th from 7:00 to 8:45. The purpose of this meeting is to form an organized group to address issues in the Iredell County School system.

This meeting is being organized by citizens, NOT the school system.

Most of us have tried to talk to school personnel about concerns we have for our children's treatment and education setting. Most of us have experienced a negative response and little or no change. Individually we can't make a difference.

An organized group composed of people with similar complaints and concerns CAN BE HEARD.

This group is open to parents, grandparents, and teachers. ANYONE with an interest in the treatment and education of our children is welcome. The system is currently controlled by a handful of people who use intimidation and stall tactics to maintain their position.

It is time for that control to be taken away and returned to us who entrust the future of our children to the school system that is funded by taxes that we pay.

We want to hear any problems that you have had and the concerns that you have tried to address. We have discussed a format and a way of combining everyone's experiences into a combined force that will necessitate change. There is no shortage of people who are overwhelmingly frustrated with the school system and some of its employees. This is your chance to make a difference.

Please pass this around as much as possible since the first meeting date is only a week away!

This post was written by Larry Coover.