Regarding your “Just An Opinion” op-ed in the Aug. 5 Tribune, it does not seem appropriate to just whitewash the filthy politics or one-sided reporting of the Cherokee Tribune in all of this by saying we should all just move forward in the spirit of cooperation.
Your repeated attempts to draw sides by referring to the different viewpoints as “pro-public education” and “pro-charter” just highlight one of the many “opinions spoken as fact” by yourself, Marguerite Cline, Dick Yarbrough, Mike Chapman, Frank and others.
The insinuation being that those of us who support Cherokee Charter Academy do not support public education. Sorry that you wasted hundreds of column-inches on that argument attacking the delegation, Michael Geist, Kim Cochran and others, but it just isn’t true.
The fact is if we didn’t believe we could make a difference in Cherokee County schools, we would have moved out (as Mike Chapman has suggested) or never moved here at all.
If you want to discuss facts, please address the fact that we have a sitting BOE chairperson and other school district employees who directly engaged in a slanderous campaign against our local delegation incumbents and certain school board candidates (surely you noticed the signs “Save Our Schools”, “Boot Chip”, “Dukes Is A Hazard”, “Chip Supports TSPLOST — backed with “Chip Supports Gambling)” ... By ignoring these “facts”, when do you begin to really address all the “facts”?
Oh, but way, you did write a story on the robocall that looked and read suspiciously like Brandon Beach’s narrowly distributed press release on the incident ... “fact”?
In conclusion, there has been much written in the Tribune to support your opinion but little consideration for alternative opinions (some might say facts) that do not reflect well on the district or sitting BOE.
Even the letter from Mr. Conkey, which chided Mike Chapman, spoke well of Frank P. which may be the only reason it got published.
Where is the journalism? Where is the impartiality? Who holds you accountable when you arbitrarily decide what is opinion and fact and what gets reported or not?
Not sure how we can move forward cooperatively with that as an open “opinion” or “fact” ... guess you’ll decide.
Chris and Barbara Knowles
Citizens for Having Options In Children’s Education(CHOICE)
Lebanon
The Charter parents I know want ALL Cherokee County children to succeed. They do not wish failure on any school or child.
It does appear that there are many that hope the Charter School fails. I do not understand that type of thinking. This is not a competition of whose school is better, it is an alternative, a choice to make a difference in a child.
All this hate is doing no one any good especially the children of Cherokee County.
Mr. Knowles, it is a personal problem if you dislike 'Frank P.' and all things CCSD. Stop the antagonistic writing, learn some manners and perhaps hand the megaphone over to someone who can better work with all community members. You are certainly not doing your cause any favors.
As to the $$$, from what I do know this County is spending millions on a new schools over at Chapman among other excessive spending projects - when expansion would have been good enough. According to the FED , 61500 students applied for 32000 charter seats in 10' I get it too - any change that deviates from your power base is a threat; even at the expense of our future generations education. You stand on that ground - you will lose every time. One thing no one has mentioned either is that the right to "choose" guarantees your rights too - sending your child to a Public school. I'll bet that never occurred to any of you.
Why don't you get involved and make a meaningful contribution. Others would very much like to see your skill set; if you have one.
1. Change should be negotiated, not imposed.
2. What is your view on the new legislation that "throws" 3.3 times the amount of money at charter schools? Or do you only consider it an issue when we give money to public education?
3. I love how Knowles shows his true hypocrisy in this article. So its bad to insinuate Pro-Charter advocates do not support public education, but it is perfectly okay to say anyone that supports public education is anti-charter.
Nice.