To the people of Bartow County:

I believe that I have a duty to explain in the most sincere way possible my belief that a majority of this board has made a critical mistake in choosing where to locate Cass High School.  As a board we have been presented with demographic, planning commission, and growth projection data that all lead to the conclusion that this school should be located on the West side of I-75 in the neighborhood of Hwy. 411. As a result of this process dragging on for months, we have been left with doing what is expedient instead of doing what is right. We have come to the point in this choice where counting to three becomes the most important factor while we try and play nice for the benefit of the public and maintain our 2010 completion timeline. 

With tonight’s vote to place Cass High school behind White Elementary, the majority of this board have completely ignored all of this information and made a choice that clearly goes against the facts as they were presented to us.  Of the final sites that were examined, the one they approved is the most expensive in terms of actual acquisition and development costs.  This action will also make it more difficult to plan for and manage the growth that we are experiencing in Bartow County, as we look towards the need for a fourth high school.  This decision will also create a ripple of change that will lead to the most extensive redistricting in this county in years, as we get closer to the opening of this school.  All of these things could have been mitigated by placing this high school in the area were the majority of the students reside.  Instead, politics prevailed and we will have to settle for a great high school built in absolutely the wrong location.  This decision is going to place our driving high school students at risk as the have to travel one of the worst roads in this county.

 I will not dwell on this poor decision, and as always, I will to continue to fight for what I know to be in the best interest of the school system.  I will now focus on making sure that the school we build is one that we can all be proud of and that it meets the needs of our students for many years to come.  

 As always, I ask for your continued prayers and support as I move forward in service to the students of Bartow County!

In the most recent board agenda that has been released to the public Superintendent Abbe Boring has proposed a policy that would prohibit all school system facilities from being used for multi-day or long term use. 

Here is a link to the board agenda and the policy can be read on pages 19-23.

In this policy the Superintendent actually strikes out the language that the board encourages public use of the facilities.  The real question that needs to be answered is who owns  these buildings?  In drafting this policy Dr. Boring has subscribed to the liberal view that these buildings are owned by the “board” and that they should be for the exclusive use of students or student related groups.  I believe that these buildings are “owned” by the people of this community and that it is the job of the board to manage these assets for our citizens.

This proposal is a direct attack on the community, civic, educational and religious groups who use these facilities for the enrichment of our students, employees, and citizens.  This policy is clearly out of touch with both the values and the will of the people of Bartow County.  We cannot ask our citizens to  support us with their tax dollars only to tell them that they have no access to these facilities after the final school bell rings. 

A careful review of the history of this country will show that schools have always served as mixed use facilities.  From the inception of public education school buildings served as churches, city halls, community gathering spots, and of course institutions of learning.  It is only recently that revisionist judges have interpreted the Constitution to mean that outside groups should have limited access to school facilities. 

We as a community cannot allow the values and traditions of this county to be attacked by those who fear lawsuits or complications that may never arise. Real leadership means never allowing the potential exception to drive the entire decision making process.  Those in favor  of this policy will try and take cover under the umbrella of the law.  The truth is that the courts are all over the spectrum on this issue.  School systems all around Bartow County allow these types of use as a matter of routine course.  It is these types of bureaucratic fear-mongering decisions that have devastated the reputation of public education in this country. This policy is wrong for our children, employees, citizens and moves past protecting our facilities and towards hurting the people of this community. 

I encourage the citizens of Bartow County to contact the other members of the school board and the superintendent and ask them to reject this policy.  I will fight as hard as a I can to preserve our schools as community buildings that serve as educational tools to both children and adults.  I need your help! Here is a link to the email addresses of the other board members.