How long does it take? | Eastern NC Now

How long does it take?

BY:  BUZZ CAYTON

The Beaufort County School Board was confronted by speakers against the very liberal SAVVAS social studies curriculum for grades six through 12 at its February 21, 2023 meeting.

Parents, ministers, concerned citizens and local government officials were on hand to witness how this superintendent and the local board would decide on a very liberal curriculum.

There was not adequate seating for the public and no attempt was made to bring in chairs.  As a result, many stood around the back of the room and others sat on the floor along the side.

Our Superintendent had selected seven of his finest to review a group of programs the State DPI had suggested.  The line up dressed like going to the beach or Saturday-at-home.  Some with flip flops.  One with a flimsy attire exposing multiple tattoos.  Another with shorts, flip flops and skull and cross bones belt.  (These were teachers to be examples for our students.)  

They had selected SAVVAS with one opening cover showing a balloon with Rainbow colors.

The Second Choice was a Social Program that had a slide on “How to Confront the Church”.  

These were the choices.  Thankfully, with about one hundred public onlookers and Public Comment speakers opposing these choices, the weak board voted it down.

Since February of 2023, we understand, the social studies program has been sort of put together by the teachers.

At the next meeting, the board voted for a math program that included the “New Math” and a little “CRT” and “DEI”.  (Not sure if this skirts around President Trumps Executive Order but we will soon find out.)

Fast Forward to February 2025 and the Conservative Club and the Community has elected what we thought would be a conservative and practical school board with common sense.

Some of them are.

Still, we have no real Social Studies Program and no real, strong Civics or American History program.

We find the Superintendent and his secretary sitting next to the Chairman of the School board at the front of the group and running the meeting.  The Board has not yet learned that he is hired help.

At the last meeting the suggestion was made to explore the free, no-cost “Hillsdale history and social studies curriculum.”  It received push-back immediately by Carolyn Walker.  She stated that it was not approved by the state and could not be considered.  This is continued Gas-lighting about who sets the curriculum.  

The Curriculum is set by the local school board: NCGS 115C-98 (a) (b).  The State sets the standards and end of grade testing.  How you get there is left to the local school board curriculum selection.

NCGS 115C-98 reads as follows: excerpts

Local boards of education to provide for local operation of the textbook program, the selection and procurement of other instructional materials, and the use of nonadopted textbooks.

(a) Local boards of education shall adopt rules not inconsistent with the policies of the State Board of Education concerning the local operation of the textbook program.

(b) Local boards of education shall adopt written policies concerning the procedures to be followed in their local school administrative units for the selection and procurement of supplementary textbooks, library books, periodicals, audiovisual materials, and other supplementary instructional materials needed for instructional purposes in the public schools of their units.

Local boards of education shall have sole authority to select and procure supplementary instructional materials, whether or not the materials contain commercial advertising, to determine if the materials are related to and within the limits of the prescribed curriculum, and to determine when the materials may be presented to students during the school day.

Supplementary materials and contracts for supplementary materials are not subject to approval by the State Board of Education.

Dr. Norris Parker advised the Board that it would take two years to develop and implement a new science curriculum and he did not think he could develop a new Social Studies curriculum at the same time.  He believed at best that it would take three years.  Can you imagine what would happen if this answer was given in a business board meeting?

When Donald Shreve made a very direct but polite request to explore the “Hillsdale” curriculum there was immediate over talking by one of the Board Members and a lot of CMA rhetoric from some of the others.  (See the video posted on the BCS website).

Now we are dancing around closing the Aurora School because of poor management.

Some of our students are now four years behind, after Covid.

Only thirty percent of our students are at grade level for reading and math.

Seven of our thirteen schools are now rated “D” or some barely above by the DPI.  A “D” is now a numerical grade of 40, not 69 as it was a few years ago.

The Washington Daily News just published an article outlining the loss of students from Public Schools to Private and Charter and Home schooling.  Meanwhile, our Superintendent is spear-heading a program to build a “One Thousand Student” consolidated school for K-3 students on the wrong side of town at one of the busiest traffic intersections in Washington, NC.  If adopted and built it will continue the monstrous cross-town busing imposed by a Federal judge to force desegregation.  This student assignment plan buses our youngest children from one side of town to the other, and for what reason?  Not one single board member, as best I can determine raised the question of “why don’t we use neighborhood schools rather than cross-town busing?”

Rather than use these funds for strategically located K-5 or K-8 schools where they are needed, we are going to close two schools and build a monument for Cheeseman.  This is the same superintendent who failed to have an objective outside study determine the alternatives for the Board to consider and as best I can determine, not one board member insisted on having a comprehensive student assignment and facilities study done before spending Fifty-Million-Dollars!  Unbelievable!

How long will it take for Beaufort County to get on board with common sense and clean up this mess?  It all boils down to management and board members who are not afraid to challenge warped thinking.

How long does it take?