Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to speak with you about your children. We have many issues ahead of us at CMS and I know that you are committed to giving your child the best educational experience possible.
I understand that many of you, like my mother, have work schedules that make spending time with your children before and after school extremely difficult. As a child raised in this environment, the best piece of advice I can offer is -- if your child thinks YOU value education, he/she will value education.
In order to be successful, CMS needs your help. Learning begins in the home. I encourage you to look for opportunities to explore your child's knowledgebase to help reinforce the learning which takes place in the classroom.
Some ways you can get involved in your child's education include checking homework, attending PTA meetings and/or volunteering at your child's school. If you watch a television show with your child, be sure to discuss the main themes of the program. If you are listening to the radio or reading a newspaper or magazine, ask your child if he/she knows the meaning of advanced vocabulary words. I remember that my mother would often make me look up vocabulary words in the dictionary. To be honest, I fought back -- but it made me a better student later in life. There are many ways to make "learning" an everyday part of your child's home-life.
Change will not happen overnight. With your commitment, we can make your child everything you know he/she can be. CMS can't do it without you. You are the most important factor in your child's education.
Best,
Joel
Did You Know?
Wake County is the largest school district in North Carolina yet spends less money than CMS in total and per student - I will fight to get our community the money it needs. We need greater resources in our district because our children have greater hurdles to overcome. CMS spends more money than any other school district in the state, yet still has students being taught with worn textbooks, temporary classrooms and overcrowded classrooms. Where is the fiscal accountability?
CMS cut positions across the board, But not all cuts made sense - CMS, as part of their cost cutting initiatives, cut many positions that will drastically affect the community. Listed as part of those "Cut" are two School Social Workers who were chiefly responsible for dropout prevention. This cut saved the system less than 200K in pure salary but will cost the community a lifetime of lost students. The system also cut middle school science and middle school math coordinators. It's hard to understand how our children are better off when they lose the professionals who run the core curriculum.
More than 2,000 Students Drop out of CMS Every Year - Students who drop out of school are more likely to fall into patterns of crime and homelessness. We need to do a better job in identifying at risk students and help parents help their children stay in school.
According to news reports, more than 18,000 students remain in trailers - It is shameful that 18,000 students are forced to attend class in trailers. Education is the cornerstone of our society and when we allow students to be taught in inadequate, outdated facilities, it has a negative effect on student and teacher morale. If you aren't proud of your schools, how can you be proud of your community?
Funding for CMS is determined by factors that have nothing to do with education - With the majority of funding for CMS coming from the county and state, the Schools are often forced to battle with political and special interest groups when it comes to funding. Counties have to provide many services including the District Attorney, Jails, Schools, and Parks - if one portion of the County Government has an increase in costs, money must be reallocated and CMS loses out. When CMS loses out, our children lose out.
