None of the candidates denied the fact, but most had different ideas on how to reverse the trend.
“The bottom line is that they go to those schools because of athletics, not academics,” said District 1 candidate Rob Cleveland, who is running against incumbent Bernice Brooks and challenger Terry Turner in the nonpartisan election. “They’ll tell you they go because of academics because it sounds more credible. But they want to play at Carrollton.”
Cleveland said parents choose to send their children to Bremen City Schools because of the probability their children will play in sports.
“They think they will have a better chance to play at Bremen,” he said. “Bremen does not have a lot of athletes. They have good kids who play hard, but parents want their kids on the field or the court.”
Though Cleveland stressed that athletics is the driving force behind the exodus, District 3 candidate Robert Pinckney was adamant that academics is the primary reason.
“You cannot tell me that every child who’s left Carroll County Schools to go to Bremen or Carrollton is because of athletics,” said Pinckney, a former Long Island, N.Y., superintendent who challenging incumbent Chris Gammon. “They left because they felt, rightly or wrongly, that their children were not receiving the level of quality of education that they could get in other institutions.”
Pinckney said he would suggest to the superintendent a “come-to-Jesus” meeting between the BOE and community parents, in which the board would examine why students are leaving the system.
“We have to engage the entire community to find a reason why,” Pinckney said. “Let’s engage them on what we can do to improve the educational product we put out.
“Education is not a game,” Pinckney said.
Turner, the District 1 candidate, agreed with Pinckney, saying athletics are part of parents’ decisions, but it is not the main reason.
“When I was running for mayor, I talked to a lot of people about their kids’ education, and they said their kids go to Carrollton,” he said. “They told me it was to give them a better education, and, yes, sports.”
Turner said it is “common sense” that if the system will “become the best,” they will “be the best.”
“We have to start in the classroom,” he said. “You educate these kids and make them smarter, you will see a change. If we build our education system, people will come back in.”
Turner quoted the 1989 film “Field of Dreams,” saying, “Like the movie says, ‘If you build it, they will come.’”
Brooks said students’ reasons for migrating to city schools are more practical.
“I understand that a majority of these students have parents who work in the Carrollton area,” Brooks said. “So they enroll them there so they can reach them if there’s a problem. Some just want to be home-schooled.”
County schools are not able to provide the extracurricular activities the city schools can offer, as well as aesthetically pleasing facilities, Brooks said.
“What we’re planning to do is provide as many extracurriculars as Carrollton so we can draw these students back into our system,” she said. “Also, I’ve heard that people pass right by Sand Hill Elementary because it’s not aesthetically beautiful, so that’s another thing we’re working on.”
Gammon said he appreciates the competitive environment the county school system is in — that it helps the system improve.
“If we don’t improve in this competitive area, we fall flat,” Gammon said. “Competition is part of society, and it helps us grow by pushing others up.”
Gammon cited the county system’s perception and how that has influenced attendance.
“If you look at the high-performing students, they’re right there with the city schools,” he said. “We have to make sure perception and reality is the same. We have to grow and give students adequate resources to compete in every way.”
“The ones that go to Carrollton are going for the facilities and the tradition,” Cleveland said. “The ones who go to Bremen are going because they can play there.”
In a June 21 county Board of Education meeting of the BOE, Chairman Dr. Jon Anderson gave a few central office employees the task of creating a survey to find out why students leave the school system.
Anderson asked Superintendent Scott Cowart, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Stan Davis and Assistant Superintendent of Administrative and Student Services Dr. Christie Johnson to collaborate and formulate the survey.
“We’ve got between 1,500 and 1,600 students who have left our schools for whatever reason last year,” Anderson said. “That’s 10 percent of our system population. That’s a statement on our quality perception.”
In the District 1 election, voters will decide among incumbent Brooks, Cleveland and Turner. Vying in the District 3 election are incumbent Gammon and Pinckney.
Voting starts at 7 a.m. July 31.
I say start with the board first. Without eliminating the bad decision makers it makes no difference. The biggest problem I see is the board members enabling the Scott "Jethro" Cowart and his good'ole boy system. I think we have good "school" staff. Minus the "special" hires. The administrative staff needs to be gutted. From Jethro Cowart,David Golberg down to the Director of Special Education Christie Teal. The reason I say that is simply because if you look at Open.Georgia.gov you'd see where the budget needs cutting. All these postions, including their "assistants" make a "Six figure" salary or right at it. So I say gut the whole BOE and their administrators.
I think you were just not sure where I was coming from in my earlier post. It was not against the true teachers and thankfully we have had many for our younger children. So I actually think we are on the same page here now.
The only person that is really concerned with student migration is Scott 'Jethro" Cowart. And the only ones he worries about is the ATHLETE migrations. That's all he ever worries about. He's rather keep a coach that can't teach than an outstanding math teacher. They should have cut his job and kept three to five teaching positions. He couldn't coach and now he can't lead.
I never said they have a say in the meetings that was aimed that the admin of the system. Their personal agendas was aimed at just that "their personal lives" and how they live them outside school. I don't need my children knowing all about that. They need to teach and not try to be the children's friends and talk about what they do outside the classroom. So get your facts straight! And I didn't say every school or every teacher. I can just go by what I see at the school mine attend. We have had some very good teachers. If you had actually read what was written, you would have seen that we have been happy with the elementary school.
Not that my job has anything to do with the subject at hand, but since you brought it up and "attacked" me then let me clarify. I am in that very situation. I work daily with unappreciative people and try to make their day and even lives better. It has been years since I have gotten a raise and I have lost benefits since I began my employment over 16 years ago. So now who is talking flowergirl1969? And while we are on your attacks: I have been at the school as a volunteer on several occasions. My spouse is often there as well. The other parents I mentioned are there too.
A little friendly advice "flower" next time just post your opinion on the article and subject at hand. You don't have to put words in others' mouths. You don't have to tear anyone's opinion up by calling them out to state your own. We can read it and even respect it as your opinion. As my mom says: "Opinions or like arse holes, everyone has one." Most on here probably know by now that you like drama and try to start it on here all the time.
This article was about why people are leaving the system and I stated the reasons that I am aware. I did not mean it as an attack on the great teachers. To "hopefully" end on a positive note, I do agree that there are still some good teachers because they are real teachers. They should be taken care of and rewarded for their hard work.
Most of those teachers are good as gold. Some are not. I know teachers that get there early and leave late every day. Then take work home with them and work at night. And on the weekends. All because they care about those kids.
Some teach when the need to be out for medical reasons. I know of a teacher at Sharp Creeke that stayed til the end of the year. In the classroom. Would not take off. Beacuse of a Doctor ordered diagnosis that could cost her the use of her legs. She is a very well respected. And sought after teacher. She came from Carrollton. She has been teaching for 26 years. She has been requested by parents, teachers, and so on. To teach their children. So don't tell me they have their own agenda. Get your facts straight. Before you start criticizing the TEACHERS. They do the best they can what they have yo work with. How long would you LENT work at your job in order to make unappreciative people happy? If your pay kept being cut. And your bebefits decreased. And all the evenings and weekend work they carry home. All for less and less money. HOW LONG WOULD YOU WORK FOR SOMEONE LIKE THAT? Under those conditions. And BTW, how many times have you as a parent ever went to one of the schools and volunteered to help even for one day???? EVER?????
To say it is only athletics is simply not the case. Carroll County schools has a bad reputation. From the constantly bickering getting nothing done board, to the greedy, hire all his friends and focus on ONE school Superintendent, this is one dysfunctional county and everybody knows it.
They all state that they have no confidence in the middle and high schools. We are all concerned about academics, not athletics as none of us are "sports" people. We see the problems with a lot of the teachers in that they push their own agendas on the students rather than just teach. I don't need the teachers to be my children's friends, I need them to teach. My children don't need to know anything about the teacher and his/her personal life outside school. Teach, Teach, Teach is all they need to do. The teachers are always out of class, attending "meetings", shopping, fieldtrips with other schools or classes, etc. Two years ago one teacher missed 6 instruction days, another missed 8 all in the first six weeks of school. If attendance is important for the students, then why not the teachers? The other parents I have talked with are tired of the above reasons and all the waste that the Carroll System has. I think if you clean up the waste, the "bad" attitudes, attendance, and personal agendas/lives on display of the teachers then you might see people stay or even come back. Until then you will continue to see an exodus. Like I said I know of 5 maybe more planning to leave next year and that is just in one grade and among a small group of parents I know.
Or, maybe the board and especially this superintendent should concentrate on academics and let each school worry about their athletic programs.