With Success Comes Recognition ...

This morning we got another 200 signatures for the people's "stop the tax hike by the Pickens County School Board".  While we were getting the signatures, I read a post on facebook that said that Conservatives of the Upstate was only a handful of members and that "The Smiths" were using the Constitution as a defense,  when it's proposed that operational expense items were the responsibility of the General Assembly of the State.  Well, that is the true measure of legality in South Carolina (Article 11 Section 3) just like robbing a bank is a criminal offense.  I cannot understand anyone so ignorant of our laws that they be in charge of leading any group, much less someone who is supposed to be supporting an academic endeavor. 

My children, one called by name, was belittled in the facebook post - for the sole purpose of bullying him amongst his peers. I have been taught to respect the law, while some of the remarks in the post made on facebook have no basis in law or respect for the ideas of others. My children have been taught about the free enterprise system which rewards hard work and opportunity (most of the time).  When it doesn't, one has to pick up the pieces and start over.  If one has chosen a government job, they tend to try to influence politicians and unelected officials of Boards & Commissions ~ most of the time at the expense of John Q. Public.

For instance, I have not heard about commitment to goals of improvement, just step increases. This is a union action.  For instance, if one lived around here fifty years ago, they would learn that our schools were producing results equal to or better than they are now.  Don't tell me that I don't know what I am talking about because just a few years ago, I had finished teaching 25,000 students the mathematical methodology of Statistical Process Control, 5000 of which had taken what schooling they had in Pickens County.  These students were woefully weak in mathematics.  Some were unable to identify signs such as  addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and square root.  Some didn't know how to find an average, range, and what a standard deviation was.  They didn't know what a simple trend chart looked like, etc.  Until we are willing to measure teachers based on performance and not whether the Principal likes them, we will not ever improve.  Until the State takes responsibility for their Constitutional duties and quits trying to shovel the responsibility onto the counties, we will always have this Ya Ya-ing. Notice that the Assembly Delegation always uses statutory laws in discussions with educational responsibilities rather than Constitutional responsibility.

John Eby and I were having a debate when I told him about the legalities of following a budget sent down by the State.  I said, in private industry when you do not make a profit, they would close your business, so if you cannot stay within a budget just shut down the schools.  (This was to make a point)  When some people butt into a conversation, for their own purposes, they usually take it out of context.  This is especially true of a person who hasn't read our State Constitution and wouldn't understand it if they did!

Junius Smith

President of the Conservatives of the Upstate