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Albemarle's Future?

Btango - The same billionaire if you are referring to David Murdock that owned Cannon Mills at one point in Kannapolis, also owned Wiscassett at one time, so why didn't Albemarle get in on that?

Anson maybe smaller now, but in the not so distance future, they were a 4A school, so why were they not the crown jewel then along with Richmond? Just to say 1 or 2 high schools in the county is going to fix any issue, is just being naive - So can you tell me a county with 1 or 2 schools in the county, that the 1 or 2 schools are ranked highly?

We keep hearing, they want to prepare the kids more for college. How many of you have been on a college campus in the last 5 years? Online classes in colleges are becoming the norm now so why dont we have more online AP classes in the small schools we have now to prepare them for college. 1 teacher could be teaching students at all 4 schools at the same time.

Charter schools have to accept anyone whose name they pull from a lottery, so to say all the kids are on the same level is just not true - It is a law, they must accept anyone who applies and whose name is drawn in the lottery. So why do they not have 1000-1200 kid charter schools??

New Dawg - Please read - I did not say the current board lied - I said the board that was in, when the elementary schools, were converted to middle schools, when middle schools had been rejected. But when one board, lies, the next several are guilty by association. County Commissioners are hesitant and so is the community that the board will do the right thing with their money.

I still ask, why when they closed the other 3 schools, test scores did not go up with the re-investment of that money, if that is what they are saying will happen when we close these 3?

The issue I have with some is that just because someone opposes plan A or plan B, then they are labeled anti-change. I have not heard anyone come on here or any of the board meetings and say, we do not want anything to change - We are 100% happy with everything going on here in our schools. But when you approach board members with ideas, and they are not considered at all, and dismissed as soon as it is spoken, then yes, people are going to be upset.
 
I give the current school board immense credit for not kicking the proverbial can down the road. The school board has been scrutinized and vilified for trying to improve the educational structure of the county. They have been under the gun by the powers from the western side of the county along with Justin Burr, who should be devoting his time in the state legislature.

Some say that the county has a spending problem, and that I do agree with. However, the spending problem comes from operating way too many schools with not enough students. The other side of the equation is revenue, and we all know that Stanly County is not the mecca for employment. Some will say "Hobby Lobby is here!", but these jobs are not high paying jobs. In fact, these wages are not nearly up to the level as the textile jobs and the jobs from Alcoa.

Each school board member knows that their political fate is not that enticing, either. These school board members know that the electorate is not happy with the change, although change is desperately needed.

What happened to Albemarle High School disturbs me. Albemarle High School was at one time a very good school to attend. However, over the years, the school's enrollment has dwindled almost in half. I encourage all of you to find a viable solution to this problem and not throw bricks at the school board for doing their job. Too many former school boards have ignored this issue, and its reached the level of needing drastic action.
 
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Earnhardt, you are giving the school board too much credit, I promise you. Multiple suggestions have been given to them, without consideration being given to the suggestions - Please tell me member by member of the school board, what makes you think each of them is highly qualified and more intelligent, then other members of the community that have offered other suggestions and solutions? How many BOE meetings have you been at, when members of the board have spoken and given their opinions of the Plans? Since you say you do not live in Stanly, I am going to guess you have not been to 1 meeting so hard for you to say the board has done a good job. Every study that has been asked and paid for by the SCBOE has supposedly been posted online for all members of community to see - So highly intelligent people have read these studies and offered suggestions themselves, but have not been acknowledged by the board.

Again look up the definition of the word scrutinize since you say the board has been scrutinized. Any plan should be scrutinized before it is implemented especially one of this magnitude. One of the main reasons, the economy tanked was because home owners did not scrutinize the loan applications they were signing before buying a house. Most had small payments the first 2-3 years, before it ballooned in years 4 and 5 and many lost their house, because they did not scrutinize. One of the best pieces of advice you will ever get, is to read everything before you sign it. That is what the community has done here, they have asked to see everything before they sign off on anything.

As for Justin Burr, he was voted in by the people in Stanly and Montgomery Counties, so that is the people he is supposed to serve and spend his time representing, and that is what he has done with the school system debate. I am not saying that everything he does is right, but he is doing his job as a representative, in that he is representing the majority of the people that voted him in.

I am still waiting for someone to tell me, why the grades did not go up when we closed the last 3 schools, but they will when we close these 3??
 
Btango - The same billionaire if you are referring to David Murdock that owned Cannon Mills at one point in Kannapolis, also owned Wiscassett at one time, so why didn't Albemarle get in on that?

No idea but I expect there could be several reasons and many conspiracy theories as to why Albemarle was not included io the Murdock plan. I expect a few reasons played into it. One, the Cannon Mills footprint in Kannapolis is huge compared to the Wiscassett sites in Albemarle and the closing of Cannon crushed Kannapolis while Wiscassett was a large employer it was one of many in Albemarle and was not dominate in town like Cannon. The location of Albemarle to Charlotte and I-85 would also be a factor in which location to select or whether to include Albemarle. Also, is the Wiscassett site on Depot and Salisbury Avenue an optimal site with the creek there? Not sure but engineers can make things work. Another reason is location and work force availability. Kannapolis is located on a major interstate and that is important to some companies. Also it is much closer commute to a very large university and a large city than Albemarle. I feel confident that geography and logistics played a big part in the decision.


Anson maybe smaller now, but in the not so distance future, they were a 4A school, so why were they not the crown jewel then along with Richmond? Just to say 1 or 2 high schools in the county is going to fix any issue, is just being naive - So can you tell me a county with 1 or 2 schools in the county, that the 1 or 2 schools are ranked highly?

We keep hearing, they want to prepare the kids more for college. How many of you have been on a college campus in the last 5 years? Online classes in colleges are becoming the norm now so why dont we have more online AP classes in the small schools we have now to prepare them for college. 1 teacher could be teaching students at all 4 schools at the same time.

Yes, Anson has been a 4A school but was always one of the smallest and has not had an enrollment over 1,300 in the last twenty years and was usually in the 1100's. It is expected to drop below 1,000 students soon. Albemarle had over 800 students in grades 10-12 at one time with a smaller geogrpahical district than the school currently has.

You have to look at the history of Anson County and their schools. The current campus was Anson High School where the non Wadesboro students went to school, it was the "county" school. Students from the far east side of the county drove through Wadesboro to the west side to attend Anson HS. Wadesboro HS was on the southern edge of the downtown area. A new high school was built on Highway 52 off 74 heading toward Norwood. It eventually became Bowman HS and contiued as the city school until the early 1970's when the systems merged resulting in just the one school, Bowman, on the Highway 52 campus. The school would eventually move back to the Anson HS campus.

You, I, and everyone reading this knows success is more than one school or two schools or twenty schools in a county. You ask about the one and two schools counties but also seem to favor smaller schools. Based on your statement should South Stanly or Albemarle be the most successful schools in the county due to being the smallest? One or two schools is not the answer. Some of the top schools in the state academically are much larger schools than are in Stanly County. You could have two schools in the same county and one could be a top performing school in the state and one near the bottom. Myers Park HS and West Charlotte HS districts border one another and they are at far ends of the spectrum.
 
Earnhardt, you are giving the school board too much credit, I promise you. Multiple suggestions have been given to them, without consideration being given to the suggestions - Please tell me member by member of the school board, what makes you think each of them is highly qualified and more intelligent, then other members of the community that have offered other suggestions and solutions? How many BOE meetings have you been at, when members of the board have spoken and given their opinions of the Plans? Since you say you do not live in Stanly, I am going to guess you have not been to 1 meeting so hard for you to say the board has done a good job. Every study that has been asked and paid for by the SCBOE has supposedly been posted online for all members of community to see - So highly intelligent people have read these studies and offered suggestions themselves, but have not been acknowledged by the board.

Again look up the definition of the word scrutinize since you say the board has been scrutinized. Any plan should be scrutinized before it is implemented especially one of this magnitude. One of the main reasons, the economy tanked was because home owners did not scrutinize the loan applications they were signing before buying a house. Most had small payments the first 2-3 years, before it ballooned in years 4 and 5 and many lost their house, because they did not scrutinize. One of the best pieces of advice you will ever get, is to read everything before you sign it. That is what the community has done here, they have asked to see everything before they sign off on anything.

As for Justin Burr, he was voted in by the people in Stanly and Montgomery Counties, so that is the people he is supposed to serve and spend his time representing, and that is what he has done with the school system debate. I am not saying that everything he does is right, but he is doing his job as a representative, in that he is representing the majority of the people that voted him in.

I am still waiting for someone to tell me, why the grades did not go up when we closed the last 3 schools, but they will when we close these 3??

Whoa! Just because I don't live in Stanly County does not mean that I can't voice an opinion. I have never hid the fact that I don't attend school board meetings. The father of my godchildren does attend these meetings and, in fact, he's probably more in line with your thoughts than he is with mine. However, we both want what is best for all children of Stanly County (and I know you do to), so we can discuss these issues without trying to discredit each other. We believe in using logic, and both of us agree that the status quo is not working in Stanly County. Change is inevitable.

I do know personally several of the school board members. I have spoken to two of these school board members about this topic, and they have both explained to me their position. I respect the members for taking their time and effort to share with me their thoughts regarding this situation.

It's interesting that you mentioned Justin Burr. He was elected to serve in the North Carolina legislature. He was not elected to serve as a Stanly County Commissioner nor was he elected to serve as a school board member. The only thing Justin Burr has done in his capacity as a state legislator is to submit two self-serving pieces of legislation that is to intimidate the school board members. The school board members were elected by the fine folks of Stanly County. Previous school boards did not do what was needed to ensure that the schools were operating fairly.

I'll get back with you about the three schools that have closed in Stanly County. I for one do not have an answer on how it impacted the school system. If I get a viable answer, I'll be glad to share it with you.
 
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Charter schools have to accept anyone whose name they pull from a lottery, so to say all the kids are on the same level is just not true - It is a law, they must accept anyone who applies and whose name is drawn in the lottery. So why do they not have 1000-1200 kid charter schools??

I still ask, why when they closed the other 3 schools, test scores did not go up with the re-investment of that money, if that is what they are saying will happen when we close these 3?

The issue I have with some is that just because someone opposes plan A or plan B, then they are labeled anti-change. I have not heard anyone come on here or any of the board meetings and say, we do not want anything to change - We are 100% happy with everything going on here in our schools. But when you approach board members with ideas, and they are not considered at all, and dismissed as soon as it is spoken, then yes, people are going to be upset.

Take a closer look at the charter schools. Many point the finger that they are a form of the "new" segregation. The different schools draw from a fairly general segment of the population. Students that are not strong academically do not make it at Gray Stone, Lake Norman Charter, Pine Lake Prep, Thomas Jefferson, or Community School of Davidson. Students that do not readily have transportation do not apply at Gray Stone. Gray Stone has a lottery and takes the student that is selected but the students putting their name in the drawing are not that diverse, both socially and academically.

When the three schools were closed I am not sure if academic achievement was as much a factor as it is being portrayed to be this time. I always thought those closures were strictly financial and the lack of needing the seats at those schools due to dwindling enrollment.

I personally think they need to look at keeping the elementaries open. I do believe that Oakboro's available capacity will be needed in the next five years. The issue seems to be that East Albemarle and Norwood will need a new building or extensive renovations. That may be incorrect but is the information that seems to be available. I do not want another elementary school built as I would prefer to see them look at working from the top (high schools) down.

I think the school system (main and school administrators) and board should have went to the communities from the beginning and provided indepth and informative information of what the problems are currently and for the future with a list of what was direction they wanted to go in. Start with the government elected officials (county commissioners and city councils) and then with them put it out to the communities. Some of the goals seem to be good but the plan appears to be flawed and the delivery was not very good.
 
Take a closer look at the charter schools. Many point the finger that they are a form of the "new" segregation. The different schools draw from a fairly general segment of the population. Students that are not strong academically do not make it at Gray Stone, Lake Norman Charter, Pine Lake Prep, Thomas Jefferson, or Community School of Davidson. Students that do not readily have transportation do not apply at Gray Stone. Gray Stone has a lottery and takes the student that is selected but the students putting their name in the drawing are not that diverse, both socially and academically.

When the three schools were closed I am not sure if academic achievement was as much a factor as it is being portrayed to be this time. I always thought those closures were strictly financial and the lack of needing the seats at those schools due to dwindling enrollment.

I personally think they need to look at keeping the elementaries open. I do believe that Oakboro's available capacity will be needed in the next five years. The issue seems to be that East Albemarle and Norwood will need a new building or extensive renovations. That may be incorrect but is the information that seems to be available. I do not want another elementary school built as I would prefer to see them look at working from the top (high schools) down.

I think the school system (main and school administrators) and board should have went to the communities from the beginning and provided indepth and informative information of what the problems are currently and for the future with a list of what was direction they wanted to go in. Start with the government elected officials (county commissioners and city councils) and then with them put it out to the communities. Some of the goals seem to be good but the plan appears to be flawed and the delivery was not very good.

I 100% agree with you about charter schools. The concept of Charter Schools was initially to help the socioeconomically disadvantaged students and families, but that's not how it is being used today. Across the state you will see very few Hispanic children attending the charter schools, most likely due to a lack of information regarding how charter schools work. You also will see more Caucasian students as a percentage in charter schools than you do in public schools.

As btango stated, transportation to the charter schools is the key. Sure, anyone can apply, but if you can't get your kid to the charter school, then it's really a moot point.

As far as closing elementary schools, I also believe that Oakboro should stay open if the population projection in the western part of the county shows more and more people moving into that area.
 
Earnhardt - I never said you could not voice an opinion, as that would be wrong of me, since I am voicing mine - I just said how can you state that school board members are doing their best and are taking into consideration what other community members offer, if you are not at the meetings listening and watching their reactions when suggestions are given to them?

You are the one that mentioned, Justin Burr, not I to start. He was elected to the state legislation but by the people in Stanly and Montgomery county, not by the rest of the state - His job as a state legislature is to bring things to light from the people in the 2 counties he represents. That is what he did here. The people of Stanly County came to him with concerns and asked what could be done, and that was an option he offered them. Is that not what you want a local representative to do? Look after the people who voted them in?

Btango - Interesting that you bring up interstates now, when talking about why Kannapolis was able to get the research facility there - But yet, the school board thinks that if they have a magnet school it is going to bring jobs to the county - Lets be honest here, it is not going to happen without an interstate. A major job producer, which usually involves some type of manufacturing, has to have a way to transport their product and without an interstate, it makes it very difficult.
 
Btango - I really think you will see Charter Schools decrease in the not so far future - Because they will get sued. These charter schools try to scare parents and sometimes the students, who they think may not be on the academic level of others, into not coming to the school. That is against the law because they have to accept kids whose name is drawn. Since siblings of students already in the school are automatically accepted, all it will take is a brother or a sister of a student already in the school, who has a learning disability, not be allowed in, or "strongly advised" not to come, before a parent will bring down a charter school, and a domino effect will happen.
 
Outlaw, I explained to you my situation. Yes, I do talk to the school board members, and no, I don't attend school board meetings. So far, the school board members that I have talked to have done everything they have told me that they would do. You don't have to attend school board meetings to be informed. Again, the father of my godchildren attend these meetings when he can. While he doesn't want Plan B to be implemented, he does appreciate the school board's predicament. He's also admitted, albeit grudgingly, that the board members do listen as long as minimum respect is shown.

Yes, Burr is the state legislator, and yes, the people can come to him with their problems. Instead of opening up the channels of communication, he shut the door by proposing to laws that does nothing whatsoever to improve education in Stanly County. Had Burr listened to everyone, conferred with the school board members with open dialogue and discussion, I'd have a better opinion about him. Instead, he comes off as carrying Melvin Poole's water.
 
His legislation was not intended to improve education, it was to stop a group from possibly making it worse. Not every change is good.

Much like the situation Mecklenburg County is in now with the toll roads - Some think toll roads will be great - Some groups and lawmakers are trying to stop them, but know that 77 needs additional lanes. Just because they are trying to stop the toll lanes, does not mean they are trying to stop traffic. There are other ways to move traffic without toll lanes

There are other ways to improve education, then closing 3 schools
 
I agree that his legislation was not intended to improve education. However, his legislation hurt the paths of communication. In essence, his legislation was simply nothing more than a power move, and the move failed.

As far as "not every change is good", I also agree with that. However, change is necessary at this juncture for Stanly County. The question is really what is the best solution for both the short-term and long-term. Ideally, opening two modern high schools is what I'd prefer. Unfortunately, I don't see the bond referendum passing in this political climate. With limited funds and a budget which cash outlay shows more and more deficits, something has to budge.
 
Btango - I really think you will see Charter Schools decrease in the not so far future - Because they will get sued. These charter schools try to scare parents and sometimes the students, who they think may not be on the academic level of others, into not coming to the school. That is against the law because they have to accept kids whose name is drawn. Since siblings of students already in the school are automatically accepted, all it will take is a brother or a sister of a student already in the school, who has a learning disability, not be allowed in, or "strongly advised" not to come, before a parent will bring down a charter school, and a domino effect will happen.

I am not a big fan of the charter schools but I understand the reasoning for them although I think it was flawed. Gray Stone was started by people from family money that wanted to improve the college preparedness of local students.

I am not sure that would be a winning lawsuit or if one will come from that. If the student cannot keep up with the curriculum and is failing the school can recommend the student return to the home district school. The student has a school available to them which would alleviate the charter schools liability for instruction.

I do expect charters to have a harder time opening up in the future although I do not expect another cap but more rigid requirements to open and remain open. Currently Oakboro and Norwood want a charter elementary school if their schools are closed. Have also heard talk of a charter high school. A charter school should not be opened just because the distance to school went from one mile to six miles which is basically what that is based on.
 
Btango - Interesting that you bring up interstates now, when talking about why Kannapolis was able to get the research facility there - But yet, the school board thinks that if they have a magnet school it is going to bring jobs to the county - Lets be honest here, it is not going to happen without an interstate. A major job producer, which usually involves some type of manufacturing, has to have a way to transport their product and without an interstate, it makes it very difficult.

I do not think a magnet school is the answer and did not think it was a very good idea. Very limited to who it would help and not fair to the students it would displace. Stanly County is not going to have a huge warehoue or industrial facility although near Richfield may be a possibility and the far western end of the county. Limited possibilty I would guess.

I do think more emphasis on job related skill academic curriculum should be a major part of any plan and I thought the two high schools would offer much more to the students looking for that option. I also think it would help offer more classroom options for a much more wide range of classes.
 
outlaw, once again much appreciate your posting here! Not in the area and like to hear what local people are hearing, saying, and thinking.

My personal opinion is that redistricting can work to some degree but I do not see the county surviving with four high schools even though West may add a few hundred over the next five to ten years. South is the issue for AHS surviving. AHS could get enough students from the West district to do well I think but there are not enough students on the borders of the South district lines to boost their enrollment. This is why I would support two new high schools with the master plan directed toward a third school in the far western and northwestern section in the future.
 
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btango, I'm glad you reached out the olive branch to Outlaw. I'm glad you are educating folks like Outlaw (who I do believe wants what is best for the county) about the predicament of the schools.
 
btango, I'm glad you reached out the olive branch to Outlaw. I'm glad you are educating folks like Outlaw (who I do believe wants what is best for the county) about the predicament of the schools.

Setting in an airport watching the cancellations come up. Makes you appreciate the back n forth even more.
 
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Glad to know I was being educated - I did not realize opinions now count as educating. Also did not know we were fighting, in order for an olive branch needed to be extended. Trust me, when I say I have read every single study that has been placed on the SCBOE website, and have done 100's of hours of research on both sides. The reason why I have so much interest will stay unspoken for certain reasons, but trust me when I say, I do not need to be educated on Stanly County Schools but will gladly and I mean that genuinely gladly listen to opinions of others.

I have said in some post back, that the guys the board used to do the feasibility study, said that 3 high schools were needed not 2. I said if that is the case, and they close Albemarle, they should rebrand north and south, so that the albemarle kids do not feel like outsiders in the school, though, I am sure most still will.

As for the curriculum at a charter school, if they have a disadvantaged or disabled student, they have to offer services to help that kid - So yes, if they do not, a lawsuit would easily win. It is widely known that charter schools strongly suggest to the kid or the parent, that they cannot make it there and they are not going to slow down for that kid, in the hopes they will go back to their home school, and not take up resources for other kids
 
Glad to know I was being educated - I did not realize opinions now count as educating. Also did not know we were fighting, in order for an olive branch needed to be extended. Trust me, when I say I have read every single study that has been placed on the SCBOE website, and have done 100's of hours of research on both sides. The reason why I have so much interest will stay unspoken for certain reasons, but trust me when I say, I do not need to be educated on Stanly County Schools but will gladly and I mean that genuinely gladly listen to opinions of others.

So you believe that the opposition has been acting with tact and professionalism towards the school board? Do you really believe that? I don't believe that for a second.
 
Do you believe the school board has acted with tact and professionalism towards the people? When they have been caught having meetings outside of the public forum, which is against the law. One member met with one group of people, but would not meet unless certain individuals were not allowed to attend and certain questions could not be asked or answered. So now elected officials can say, we can met, but so and so cannot attend because they feel different then I do?
 
Do you believe the school board has acted with tact and professionalism towards the people? When they have been caught having meetings outside of the public forum, which is against the law. One member met with one group of people, but would not meet unless certain individuals were not allowed to attend and certain questions could not be asked or answered. So now elected officials can say, we can met, but so and so cannot attend because they feel different then I do?

Do you have any proof to substantiate these claims? If so, share it.
 
I do have proof and Mr Barbee on the school board made mention of it as well as for them meeting outside the public forum. And absolutely know for a fact about not inviting certain people in order to meet with another group of people

So you have no problem with board's that break the law? Good to know your standards.
 
I do have proof and Mr Barbee on the school board made mention of it as well as for them meeting outside the public forum. And absolutely know for a fact about not inviting certain people in order to meet with another group of people

So you have no problem with board's that break the law? Good to know your standards.

Go ahead and share your proof. If you can prove your allegations, then I'll lead the charge to take them out of office.

You are being very antagonistic towards me. I just have a different opinion than you do. There is absolutely no reason to attack me or my character.
 
Please tell me where I have attacked your character, other then when I said I am glad to know your standards, when you said that the board has acted with professionalism even though Mr Barbee has said that meetings were taking place outside of the public forum. Do you think he is lying?

Come to the next board meeting and I will introduce you to 2 couples that were told they could not come to a meeting, in order for a board member to come speak to a group. Will you believe me then, or is that not enough proof for you? And then you can take charge to get them out, as you said, if you are a man of your word.

It's funny that you said I was being educated by btango - Guess that was you being kind and considerate towards me.

But since you do not like my words to you, I will not respond to you in any other way. Have a nice evening and prepare for the blizzard of 2016.
 
Please tell me where I have attacked your character, other then when I said I am glad to know your standards, when you said that the board has acted with professionalism even though Mr Barbee has said that meetings were taking place outside of the public forum. Do you think he is lying?

Come to the next board meeting and I will introduce you to 2 couples that were told they could not come to a meeting, in order for a board member to come speak to a group. Will you believe me then, or is that not enough proof for you? And then you can take charge to get them out, as you said, if you are a man of your word.

It's funny that you said I was being educated by btango - Guess that was you being kind and considerate towards me.

But since you do not like my words to you, I will not respond to you in any other way. Have a nice evening and prepare for the blizzard of 2016.

When you stated "So you have no problem with board's that break the law? Good to know your standards." is a direct attack to my character. wouldn't discount what you stated beforehand. Check it out yourself.

So you have no problem with board's that break the law? Good to know your standards.

These character attacks are exactly what the school board has dealt with for months. You have provided no shred of evidence but merely hearsay. Unless you can provide substantial evidence, we have nothing further to discuss about these allegations.
 
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Simply put people that are for these plans are operating on "hope" and "assumptions". Once again there has been hundreds of studies submitted to this BOE in regards to the negative impacts of consolidation and shuttering schools academically, financially, and economically. These facts not opinions. Additionally you want to discuss the downfall of AHS let's discuss the resources removed from AHS. You want to point at the amount of students in the school I challenge you to look all across the country where smaller HS are schools of excellence.

When speaking of the district size of AHS and how it has dwindled let's also look at in the current district please point out the areas in which you could have new housing developments going up? That growth is all outside of ACS district DESPITE being less then 2mi from the ACS schools.

You want to talk about academic offerings that only target the top 20% students well what about the other 80%? Manufacturing companies look at different things when looking at adding locations or relocating a huge factor is work ready population, another is political climate, future expansion opportunities, and most importantly to them "what's in it for me?"

Here is honestly what we should do. Keep all schools open work together to get the tax ref passed, redistrict (something that needs to be done and should have been done 15yrs ago), add a vocational program to AHS open to All stanly county students and offer bus transportation from the kids homeschool to AHS so that all kids have the opportunity (the money you save from transportation with redistricting will more than cover this), work with Stanly Community College to strengthen the new program that offers college credits (also with this program you really don't need the early college which will also add more students to our HS population and save money.). Additionally adding a phonics reading and arithmetic program to all k-2 grades that will help in building a strong foundation of learning for our young kids to grow. With a plan like this you are targeting a 100% of your student population, keeping kids close to their homes, creating job ready kids that will attract new business, and strengthening your college ready kids. Seems like a win win to me.
 
nation I agree with most of that. I think the SCC Early College is budgeted by the state to the community colleges. I think that is a program that is much like a magnet and will remain where it is. I think once again it is a numbers thing for the high schools. If it were offered on campus I think the program would grow but I am not sure of the logistics of the program and how that would work.

As I continue to write here, redistricting from West to AHS and AMS saves Albemarle but South is the school that redistricting cannot help unless students are traveling farther to South than they would to their current school. The closest area with a large enough population to help South is going to be South Albemarle and that would put us in the same situation as is currently being fought.

If there is not growth in the enrollments of AHS, SSHS, and NSHS I think that eventually the best option is going to be to expand AHS and that be the second of two high schools in the county. That would require a new elementary school for East or a new middle school and move East to AMS. Without growth in areas outside western Stanly there will continue to be issues regarding enrollment numbers and budget.
 
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I don't see how the tax referendum would pass under the current political climate. I also believe that the bond referendum for two new high schools would be dead on arrival. Too many people from Western Stanly will not support either referendums. The people living on a fixed income (Social Security) will most likely not support the referendums either. I imagine that polls have already been performed regarding the likelihood of passing both referendums. After getting the results and realizing that the Club for Growth will fight tooth and nail to defeat the referendums most likely showed that there is little chance of passing a referendum.
 
I don't see how the tax referendum would pass under the current political climate. I also believe that the bond referendum for two new high schools would be dead on arrival. Too many people from Western Stanly will not support either referendums. The people living on a fixed income (Social Security) will most likely not support the referendums either. I imagine that polls have already been performed regarding the likelihood of passing both referendums. After getting the results and realizing that the Club for Growth will fight tooth and nail to defeat the referendums most likely showed that there is little chance of passing a referendum.

There is no bond ref for two new high schools even being discussed. Additionally the commissioners offered extra funding if the BOE took these two plans off the table and the BOE walked away from it.

The early college is great and the only reason I mentioned it, which I am sure you see if you looked into the program at SCC is the only difference is at SCC you earn college credits. There really is no need for the early college with those programs being offered for free at SCC and is available to all stanly county residents. Additionally that program is in the beginning stages, it's a lot like the program they had where I moved from and you can actually graduate high school with a associates degree and HS diploma. With that being said the early college is not needed and those funds and students can return to the home schools.

One thing to take into consideration fellas is that if these plans go through we will lose about 200-300 kids out of our schools as there are two private charters ready to open in 2016-2017 if these plans in fact go through. Btango you know how devastating that would be to our schools.

As I have stated before there simply is no positive impacts coming from these plans. It's a negative impact across the board. So that along with the negative impacts they have already had on kids at AHS, east Alb and Especially those young kids at Oakboro isn't it time to pull these options off the table and look at options that will actually have a positive impact?

The option I just spoke about previously is a real option that will raise funding, save money, and be attractive to potential businesses. Most importantly it targets 100% of our student population. Additionally this will put us ahead of surrounding counties.
 
I don't see how the tax referendum would pass under the current political climate. I also believe that the bond referendum for two new high schools would be dead on arrival. Too many people from Western Stanly will not support either referendums. The people living on a fixed income (Social Security) will most likely not support the referendums either. I imagine that polls have already been performed regarding the likelihood of passing both referendums. After getting the results and realizing that the Club for Growth will fight tooth and nail to defeat the referendums most likely showed that there is little chance of passing a referendum.


Sorry in regards to the tax ref trust me they keep these schools open it will pass, but this BOE has to act and hear what the people are talking about. They keep their schools open this will pass everyone I have spoke to is all for it, if the schools stay open.

Additionally I don't know who it was you mentioned hobby lobby lol they start at $15 an hour. Not a bad paying job for retail. In fact most assembly line workers start at $8-$9 an hour.
 
nation I agree with most of that. I think the SCC Early College is budgeted by the state to the community colleges. I think that is a program that is much like a magnet and will remain where it is. I think once again it is a numbers thing for the high schools. If it were offered on campus I think the program would grow but I am not sure of the logistics of the program and how that would work.

As I continue to write here, redistricting from West to AHS and AMS saves Albemarle but South is the school that redistricting cannot help unless students are traveling farther to South than they would to their current school. The closest area with a large enough population to help South is going to be South Albemarle and that would put us in the same situation as is currently being fought.

If there is not growth in the enrollments of AHS, SSHS, and NSHS I think that eventually the best option is going to be to expand AHS and that be the second of two high schools in the county. That would require a new elementary school for East or a new middle school and move East to AMS. Without growth in areas outside western Stanly there will continue to be issues regarding enrollment numbers and budget.

Through redistricting you would add 100-150 kids to AHS and about 40-50 to SSHS most importantly you could get rid of all the mobile units.

The only long term solution is to work to target 100% of our kids, and to add a vocational program that will have job trained kids out of high school. That will be attractive to potential companies then our leaders must be aggressive. People have to get it out of their mind it's one or the other this all works together.

I am also going to put this out there. To close AHS or even to offer that is not smart. That school has state wide respect athletically you add a vocational program and redistrict and replace the resources that were ripped away you have a school once again that people move here to attend. Keep in mind we just played on TWC sports channel last night. I believe that was only 1 of 6 games statewide this season. It was a big deal and an awesome experience for these kids.
 
Sorry in regards to the tax ref trust me they keep these schools open it will pass, but this BOE has to act and hear what the people are talking about. They keep their schools open this will pass everyone I have spoke to is all for it, if the schools stay open.

Additionally I don't know who it was you mentioned hobby lobby lol they start at $15 an hour. Not a bad paying job for retail. In fact most assembly line workers start at $8-$9 an hour.

I don't think so about the tax referendum. The western side of the county does not want to be redistricted to Albemarle, and by keeping Albemarle open with dialogue about potential realignment will hurt the referendum's chances of getting passed.

Alcoa and the Textile mills had many more jobs than Hobby Lobby. Alcoa also paid much better than Hobby Lobby. I doubt if you have more than a handful of positions that pay as much as $40,000/year.
 
I don't think so about the tax referendum. The western side of the county does not want to be redistricted to Albemarle, and by keeping Albemarle open with dialogue about potential realignment will hurt the referendum's chances of getting passed.

Alcoa and the Textile mills had many more jobs than Hobby Lobby. Alcoa also paid much better than Hobby Lobby. I doubt if you have more than a handful of positions that pay as much as $40,000/year.

From everyone I have spoken to on all sides of the county the majority have spoken for the tax ref IF schools stay open.

I'm regards to what you just mentioned I understand BUT that is the past. I'm looking towards the future and what will help us grow academically financially and economically. Having been in the manufacturing industry the fact that we are not close to highways will have not a lot of impact. Albemarle is in a great location being within a reasonable distance to raleigh Charlotte Columbia Greenville etc. IMO the political climate is risky and the academics due to the fact we are not creating job ready kids. A plus are the smaller community schools.
 
From everyone I have spoken to on all sides of the county the majority have spoken for the tax ref IF schools stay open.

I'm regards to what you just mentioned I understand BUT that is the past. I'm looking towards the future and what will help us grow academically financially and economically. Having been in the manufacturing industry the fact that we are not close to highways will have not a lot of impact. Albemarle is in a great location being within a reasonable distance to raleigh Charlotte Columbia Greenville etc. IMO the political climate is risky and the academics due to the fact we are not creating job ready kids. A plus are the smaller community schools.

Have you seen any polling regarding the passage of the referendums? Word of mouth is not always accurate due to the fact that those who you have talked with may not be a fair, representative, and random selection of the county.
 
Have you seen any polling regarding the passage of the referendums? Word of mouth is not always accurate due to the fact that those who you have talked with may not be a fair, representative, and random selection of the county.


So what you are saying is that I should not base that off of hope or assumption? Basically what plan B is based off of right? :)

I have spoken to a good number of people along with others that have as well and around let's say 100-200 people have gave an opinion on it and around 98% were for. Your typical polls only include about 1% of your overall population. In fact polling even for president of the US only includes at was just poll maybe 10,000 with a 3% plus or minus. So I would say of the 150 let's say 98% or overwhelming majority have been for if schools stay open and most of those people are willing to hand out flyers and be active for it gives you a descent feel for the proposal. Wouldn't you say?

See you not being here you wouldn't see all the people for improvement they just want their community schools. People have been involved for over a year now and some have spoken multiple times. We have better options that the powers to be are not even considering or looking at. Which leads people to believe they have an agenda. Especially moving forward with a plan that is NOT finalized yet. Dr. Griffin has even stated multiple times the plan is not finalized its just a draft and more changes need to be made. Yet this BOE moves forward. Sounds like an agenda to me. How can you vote and move forward with something of this magnitude that is NOT finalized. Even the consultant has stated they are not close. Maybe 50% completed.
 
I do agree with you that Albemarle is a good location with decent access to large cities. That's the one aspect that is in Albemarle's favor. With the rolling hills, Badin Lake, Lake Tillery, and Morrow Mountain, you have some of the nicest scenery in the state.


Absolutely it's beautiful.
 
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