May 15, 2009
Ms. Ruth Ann Suttle
Chair, Burke County Commissioners
PO Box 219Morganton, NC 28680-0219
Via Facsimile to Ms. Vicki Craigo: 828-438-2782
RE: Burke County Board of Education Funding
Dear Madame Chair:
In this time of economic uncertainty and shortage of funds, I understand that sacrifices must be made by everyone. The company I work for, Environmental Inks and Coatings Corporation (“EIC”) has done its best to travel through these lean times by sharing sacrifice among all employees. Because it is important to the leadership of our company to preserve jobs here in Morganton, all of the employees at our local plant took a 5 to 10% pay cut for the second quarter – administration took 10% cuts, and some executives took pay cuts up to 50%. This way EIC was able to avoid extensive layoffs here in Morganton. Fortunately, our business is picking up and the need for continued sacrifice is lessening – we plan to restore everyone’s pay to prior levels on June 1.
I mention the above so as to contrast the efforts of the leadership at my company to the leadership of the Board of Education. Below is an email sent out to the schools in the Burke County System from the Central Office:
From: Thompson, JulieSent: Thu 5/14/2009 12:43 PMTo: All PrincipalsCc: Bagley, Winston B; Lawson, Keith; Burleson, DavidSubject: Substitute Teachers/Aesop
Good Afternoon … Mr. Lawson and Mr. Bagley have instructed me to remove all substitute teacher assignments from Aesop as absences are to be filled internally by the school effective 5/18/09. If your school does not use Aesop, it will be your responsibility to contact any subs you have scheduled for future absences and cancel with them. If you do not cancel with the sub and they show up, your school will be required to pay for the substitute. Substitutes for teachers on Leave of Absence will not be affected. If you have an emergency situation and cannot fill the absence internally, please contact Winston Bagley at 828-439-4301 or Julie Thompson at 828-439-4322 for approval to get a substitute. Teachers will still be required to enter their absences on Aesop; however Aesop will not post absences or call to find substitutes. This will allow us to continue to track absences through the end of the year. We apologize in advance for the inconvenience; however with the current budget issues we must do all that we can to reduce excess spending in any way possible.
Thank You ~
Julie Thompson
Burke County Public Schools
Pre-Employment Specialist
Substitute Administrator
After discussing the above with a teacher, it appears that in the inevitable circumstance that a substitute is needed, the class with the absent teacher will have to be “babysat” by another member of the school staff. Although that may not sound horrendous, depending on the situation that may mean that one teacher has to manage two classes together – thereby “killing two birds with one stone” as Aesop might say. (Except not in a good way – two classes will suffer instead of just one.)
So, given the fact that the Board leadership continues to spend funds on legal matters of their own creation, has refused to consider the reduction of their own monthly stipend and has flatly rejected the notion of dropping membership of the NCSBA, please know that those of us who understand “shared sacrifice” are relying on our County Commissioners to redirect the self-serving financial decisions of the Board if possible.
In this time when our school personnel must do “all that we can to reduce excess spending in any way possible,” it seems to me that the Board majority would be wise and considerate enough to do the same.
Sincerely,
Catherine Thomas
1660 Plantation Court
Morganton, NC 28655
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Monday, May 4, 2009
Letter to Governor and State Superintendents
Governor Bev Perdue
Dear Madam Governor:
I am sure the situation regarding the Burke County Board of Education has come to your attention. I have written about the Board’s exploits on my blog, www.barkburke.com for some time now.
I understand that you may be hearing from many Burke citizens regarding the handling of the superintendant’s (Mr. David Burleson’s) contract – as a lawyer, I think that the termination of the contract prematurely was a terrible decision fraught will all kinds of liability. I think that the majority school of the school board has been less than cordial to Mr. Burleson for years, and their treatment of him has been an embarrassment. If you have read anything about Mr. Burleson, you would find that he is an exceptionally nice, pleasant, capable person, and that there would be no reason to treat him with so much derision., let alone terminate his contract prematurely.
The superintendent issue is only one of many problems the school board has caused. To wit:
I have been contacted by several teachers who feel that they have “targets” on their backs. Ms. Norman has contacted school offices to see which teachers took days off on days that she held afternoon school board meetings regarding Mr. Burleson.
Mr. Buff has gone so far as to call principals and ask them who they voted for in the last school board election – not an actionable crime, but inappropriate nonetheless.
Ms. Norman spends hours at the central office going through personnel files.
Ms. Norman continually holds meetings in venues that do not accommodate the attending public, and people are made to wait outside of the building in which she holds the meetings. Ms. Norman was quoted in the local newspaper as saying “Mr. Burleson only has 200 supporters” and then insisted on having the meetings in a venue that accommodates 85 – demonstrating that she willfully holds meetings in small venues to limit public participation.
Ms. Norman stifles public comment. She has ruled that only items on the school board agenda can be discussed during a board meeting – so if a member of the public wants to talk about any other aspect of the school –needed repairs, praising teachers, commenting on curriculum – they are not allowed to speak.
Mr. Rob Hairfield has admitted sending emails containing racist jokes to friends and acquaintances. This is highly inappropriate and offensive to most of the citizens of Burke County.
Mr. Hairfield insists on being present at meetings in which the principal makes determinations regarding school budget, although these meetings should only include administrators and the principal.
Ms. Karen Sain votes according to her Christian Conservative constituency, and declares so in open meetings (you may hear her do so if you listen to the meeting recordings available on the school system website.)
In conclusion, we are very upset that we seem to have no recourse in this matter, and our legislators have told us there is nothing they will do. The SACS-CASI is a very serious issue, but several board members have commented that it does not concern them, and one even made the statement that the SACS-CASI issue has nothing to do with the board.
It is true that 3 members of the board come up for re-election in November. Although that is true, even if all three of these positions are filled by people who have a sense of their fiduciary duty to the schools and citizens of this county, the board majority that is running the system into the ground will still be in control.
Please help us.
Sincerely,
Catherine Thomas
1660 Plantation Ct.
Morganton, NC 28655
(828) 433-9207
PS - I am also including a recent letter to the board from the ACLU regarding the board's refusal to allow public comment.
Dear Madam Governor:
I am sure the situation regarding the Burke County Board of Education has come to your attention. I have written about the Board’s exploits on my blog, www.barkburke.com for some time now.
I understand that you may be hearing from many Burke citizens regarding the handling of the superintendant’s (Mr. David Burleson’s) contract – as a lawyer, I think that the termination of the contract prematurely was a terrible decision fraught will all kinds of liability. I think that the majority school of the school board has been less than cordial to Mr. Burleson for years, and their treatment of him has been an embarrassment. If you have read anything about Mr. Burleson, you would find that he is an exceptionally nice, pleasant, capable person, and that there would be no reason to treat him with so much derision., let alone terminate his contract prematurely.
The superintendent issue is only one of many problems the school board has caused. To wit:
I have been contacted by several teachers who feel that they have “targets” on their backs. Ms. Norman has contacted school offices to see which teachers took days off on days that she held afternoon school board meetings regarding Mr. Burleson.
Mr. Buff has gone so far as to call principals and ask them who they voted for in the last school board election – not an actionable crime, but inappropriate nonetheless.
Ms. Norman spends hours at the central office going through personnel files.
Ms. Norman continually holds meetings in venues that do not accommodate the attending public, and people are made to wait outside of the building in which she holds the meetings. Ms. Norman was quoted in the local newspaper as saying “Mr. Burleson only has 200 supporters” and then insisted on having the meetings in a venue that accommodates 85 – demonstrating that she willfully holds meetings in small venues to limit public participation.
Ms. Norman stifles public comment. She has ruled that only items on the school board agenda can be discussed during a board meeting – so if a member of the public wants to talk about any other aspect of the school –needed repairs, praising teachers, commenting on curriculum – they are not allowed to speak.
Mr. Rob Hairfield has admitted sending emails containing racist jokes to friends and acquaintances. This is highly inappropriate and offensive to most of the citizens of Burke County.
Mr. Hairfield insists on being present at meetings in which the principal makes determinations regarding school budget, although these meetings should only include administrators and the principal.
Ms. Karen Sain votes according to her Christian Conservative constituency, and declares so in open meetings (you may hear her do so if you listen to the meeting recordings available on the school system website.)
In conclusion, we are very upset that we seem to have no recourse in this matter, and our legislators have told us there is nothing they will do. The SACS-CASI is a very serious issue, but several board members have commented that it does not concern them, and one even made the statement that the SACS-CASI issue has nothing to do with the board.
It is true that 3 members of the board come up for re-election in November. Although that is true, even if all three of these positions are filled by people who have a sense of their fiduciary duty to the schools and citizens of this county, the board majority that is running the system into the ground will still be in control.
Please help us.
Sincerely,
Catherine Thomas
1660 Plantation Ct.
Morganton, NC 28655
(828) 433-9207
PS - I am also including a recent letter to the board from the ACLU regarding the board's refusal to allow public comment.
Response to Jacumin and Blackwell's Canned Response
Dear Mr. Blackwell and Mr. Jacumin:
I received your bulk responses to my emails pleading for intervention into this rapidly deteriorating situation, and I am extremely disappointed that you don't have the political will to assist us. Please know that this will be an issue for you both when you run for office in the future.
Since you have claimed to have “friends” on both sides of the issue, and since it is clear to the majority of Burke Countians that your “friends” are causing the destruction of the county school system, wouldn’t it be “friendly” and responsible to persuade your “friends” on the board to resign?
As someone who supported the board majority in their elections, you must feel some personal responsibility for their actions – they are destroying the school system and appear to be self-destructing at the same time. Please be a “friend” to them and pressure them to step down.
You both can fill their seats with other republicans if you want, just make sure they have the interests of our children as their first priority. (I do not endorse any partisanship in this election, but I am not so naïve that I think you and the party haven’t had a hand in this situation by supporting the board majority.) As a registered Republican, I am ashamed that my local representatives act in this manner.
We will certainly be thinking of you both as our property values plummet and people leave the county to seek better educational options for their children.
Sincerely,
Catherine R. Thomas
1660 Plantation Court
Morganton, North Carolina 28655
I received your bulk responses to my emails pleading for intervention into this rapidly deteriorating situation, and I am extremely disappointed that you don't have the political will to assist us. Please know that this will be an issue for you both when you run for office in the future.
Since you have claimed to have “friends” on both sides of the issue, and since it is clear to the majority of Burke Countians that your “friends” are causing the destruction of the county school system, wouldn’t it be “friendly” and responsible to persuade your “friends” on the board to resign?
As someone who supported the board majority in their elections, you must feel some personal responsibility for their actions – they are destroying the school system and appear to be self-destructing at the same time. Please be a “friend” to them and pressure them to step down.
You both can fill their seats with other republicans if you want, just make sure they have the interests of our children as their first priority. (I do not endorse any partisanship in this election, but I am not so naïve that I think you and the party haven’t had a hand in this situation by supporting the board majority.) As a registered Republican, I am ashamed that my local representatives act in this manner.
We will certainly be thinking of you both as our property values plummet and people leave the county to seek better educational options for their children.
Sincerely,
Catherine R. Thomas
1660 Plantation Court
Morganton, North Carolina 28655
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