Somehow sensing that diverting education- designated dollars to a country club during a recession was a guaranteed ticket to taxpayer outrage, Superintendent White tried to rectify the situation… by doing it in secret.
“District leaders still act as if there was nothing wrong with their decision earlier this year to give $325,000 of taxpayers’ money to a private country club to which three board members and the superintendent belong. They act as if there was no problem in discussing this plan behind closed doors, adding it to their agenda at the last minute, and basically doing what they could to keep the deal hidden… It wants its constituents to believe that there was nothing wrong with the deal or the secrecy in which it was made, that only a few troublesome individuals questioned it.
It’s nonsense, and the people know it. District leaders continue to erode public trust and confidence as they try to twist the perception of this issue.”
The Spartanburg based Herald Journal has a poor editorial and reporting track record on School Choice.
While parents from their readership area have written to the SHJ arguing for Choice, and driven to Columbia to personally pressure lawmakers for Choice, the paper continues to mis-repesent the details of Choice legislation, and the strength of its support.
Interestingly, the SHJ writers do recognize the existence of deep systemic flaws in Spartanburg public school governance.
Across South Carolina the message of empowered parents and student-specific instruction is spreading.
Hundreds recently packed three separate rooms at a Senate hearing in Columbia, demanding that lawmakers move beyond political rhetoric and adopt real policies of School Choice. Policy experts, private school educators, and parents have come together to rally for a system of educational tax credits that fosters parental engagement, reduces student achievement disparities and saves money.
In addition to the grass roots advocacy and personal testimonies, many dedicated to School Choice are now making the case on opinion pages of newspapers across the state of South Carolina. Here are a four recent examples…
On Sunday April 26th, the Charleston Post and Couriereditorialized “Give school tax credits a try:”
Expanding school choice expands educational opportunities. So why limit school choice to the public education system?
The obvious answer: politics. The education establishment remains a powerful force influencing state legislatures — and Congress. It also remains steadfastly opposed to helping even small numbers of poor children transfer to private schools from public schools that are shortchanging them.
Against that familiar backdrop, an S.C. Senate education subcommittee held a hearing at the Statehouse Thursday to consider arguments for and against proposed legislation that would provide tax credits and scholarships for low-income and special-needs children to transfer from struggling public schools to private schools [more].
What do all these things have in common? They are all myths.
Tax credits won’t help families. Scholarships won’t help families. Public schools will be cast aside and underfunded. Private schools will quickly become quasi-government institutions.
This is what TheSpartanburg Herald Journal predicts will happen if South Carolina lawmakers adopt the SC Education Opportunity Act. The only disasters left out of the Spartanburg paper’s apocalyptic, post-school choice scenario are outright Communist invasion and the Thunderdome.
A quick glance at the thriving school choice programs in other states show these panicked speculations to be just as ludicrous as they sound.
Let’s consider a few of the Herald-Journal’s claims: (more…)
South Carolina’s favorite anti-School Choice zealot, Superintendent Thomas White of Spartanburg District 7, is back with more of his “zany” taxpayer-funded antics.
Among other recent White highlights endured by the scandal-weary parents and taxpayers in Spartanburg:
Superintendent White publicly argued for “honkering down and protecting the classroom” and “accepting responsibility” as parents demanded his “immediate resignation” for White’s allocation of $200,000 in school money to a private golf club he is a member of.
Superintendent White and his lawyers defended themselves against accusations that the golf course payout was illegal by insisting parent and taxpayers’ opinionsdo not make his decisions“right, wrong or indifferent.”
Superintendent responded to concerns about the three persistently failing schools in his district by insisting that choices about the education ought to be in the hands of education bureaucrats rather than parents.
Superintendent White used his new high-dollar district logo to advertise grassrootsAstroturf meetings about public school choice limited public school transfers.
Thomas White, Superintendent of Spartanburg School District 7 is a self-described ambassador of South Carolina’s public school system.
As an outspoken member of the Association of School Administrators (SCASA), Thomas White has used public money to fight against efforts to reform public schools in South Carolina. (more…)
Parents in Spartanburg School District 7- and around the state- have been shocked and outraged by a recent decision by District 7’s leaders to pay out $200,000+ ( plus $5,000 annually) to the exclusive Spartanburg Country Club so the Spartanburg High School golf team can have access to the club’s facilities.
Superintendent Thomas White, whose condescending attitude toward real education options for parents has been covered on The Voice before, has come under heavy fire for his attempts to justify such a massive expense in a time of economic uncertainty.
White is himself a member of the country club, and stated in a Herald Journal article that the large expense was worth it because, ” There isn’t anything else in District 7 that can touch the Country Club of Spartanburg in terms of training facilities and the course.” (more…)
“This boat may not be ideal right now, but she’ll be seaworthy once we put on this high quality patch!”
A recent editorial from The Spartanburg Herald Journal cautions lawmakers who would support an amendment to the state constitution mandating a “high quality” education. Creating a mandate for “high quality education” may sound like a worthy goal on the surface; but parents, lawmakers, and educators need to be aware of the widespread problems that would most likely be the result of such legislation.
According to the editorial-
“This language would result in a never-ending stream of lawsuits, wasting money that could otherwise be put into education. This bill is not really an education measure. It is a jobs-for-lawyers bill.
Every school district that doesn’t think it gets enough money from the state would sue, claiming it can’t provide a high-quality education.
Every parent whose child couldn’t study the language he or she wanted to study would sue, claiming that this child wasn’t getting an education allowing him “to reach his highest potential.”
Every family with a special needs child would demand specific educational opportunities tailored to that child’s specific needs regardless of the cost because, after all, it is his constitutional right to have an education that allows that child to reach not just an acceptable potential but his highest potential.” (more…)
2 in 3 public school 8th graders students can’t read or write at grade level, but the Herald Journal doesn’t seem to mind!
(maybe they are switching to a cartoon only format)
Despite all the taxpayer financed spin, the scores from this year’s PACT test were awful.
Students in South Carolina’s public schools are actually doing worse now than just a few years ago.
In fact, since 2005, scores are down in 3 of the 4 tested subjects.
Percentage of 8th grade students scoring at or above grade level:
That’s right, 4 in 5 public school 8th grade students are “non-proficent” in math! And more than 2 in 3 are “non-proficent” in reading and writing! (more…)
At issue is equality of opportunity. There is immense evidence that government monopoly schools perpetuate inequality of opportunity for the poor and marginalized. -Joseph Klesney, Education Policy Analyst
