Saturday, January 15, 2011

Thoughts on a Saturday

Dunwoody Schools

The community reaction to the proposed redrawn school lines in Dunwoody by DeKalb County School System is ugly.  I can't tell you how many anonymous posts I've read on Dunwoody blogs this week that turn my stomach (I'm still curious why so many folks hide behind the veil of secrecy and feel compelled to post anonymously).
It's natural that everyone wants what is best for their own children.  I get that.  I want what is best for my children.  But let's act like civilized adults and consider all children of Dunwoody - regardless of race, economic status or dwelling.  It does the community no good to have two elementary schools of excellence and two failing schools (no, I'm not saying that any of the current proposals are setting up certain schools to fail).  Remember, all of these schools will come together for middle school and high school.
Three years ago, then-superintendent Crawford Lewis and the school board screwed up.  Dunwoody Elementary should never have been constructed at its current site, so close in proximity to Vanderlyn.  At the very least, it should not have been built as a "mega" elementary school, this while the old elementary school on Chamblee Dunwoody sits idle.  I understand that bigger schools get better funding, but at what cost?  Call it a lasting legacy from the reign of the great Crawford Lewis. 
Hopefully, at the end of the day, we can all come together, support one another, and are left with the best schools possible under DeKalb County jurisdiction.  Perhaps one day we'll be complaining about our Milton County schools!

Falcons Prediction

For 20-years I was a full-time sportscaster for CNN and FOX (click here for my old CNN bio, which is still online 9 years later).  I've been in real estate full time for the past 5 years, but still get a call once a week or so from either CNN or Comcast (CSS's SportsNite) to co-host an evening or weekend show.
I am still a sports fanatic, thus felt the urge to weigh in on tonight's Falcons playoff game, arguably the biggest game in franchise history.
It's the Falcons hosting the Green Bay Packers at the Georgia Dome, with the winner advancing to the NFC Championship Game (if the Falcons win tonight, that game would be at the Georgia Dome, as well). 
Tonight's game is going to be a battle of two teams that are very capable of winning the Super Bowl.  These clubs met earlier this season, with the Falcons winning 20-17 on a last second field goal.
I think this game will be very similar.  The Falcons Matt Ryan and the Packers Aaron Rodgers are among the best two quarterbacks in the game.  I'll be shocked if both don't have great performances tonight.  But I'll also be shocked if the Falcons don't have the better effort running the football.  And in the end, that will be the difference.  The Falcons win 21-17 (yes, they cover the spread)! 
For more on tonight's game, go to ESPN.com.  

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

"It does the community no good to have two elementary schools of excellence and two failing schools"

I believe ALL Dunwoody schools will continue to be great schools regardless of how the attendance lines are drawn. We are ONE community.

SDOC Publishing Internet Solutions said...

Bob--
Re: anon posts
You already do know the reason why some choose to post anonymously or not at all. It's because people get excited, worried, concerned and they get carried away. If someone puts their name on a post, there is **nothing** stopping someone with too much energy and too little restraint from going ham on them.

I blogged on this recently when thinking about how technology has changed how we communicate. Fact is, the medium has changed, the people haven't.

And since we're all human beings with the same failings, we're all capable of getting too wrapped up in what school our kids are zoned for and how it affects home values. Right, Bob?

Clio said...

Bob

What two schools are failing? DES will be mostly Vnaderlyn and Austin, both had over 97% meet and exceed.

and where was this solidarity three years ago?

Bob Fiscella said...

Smart One - there are no failing schools. Hopefully it remains that way. And you ask, "where was this solidarity three years ago." Well - there was none. I was hoping that we had learned from our past.

SDOC - yes, I know why folks post anonymously. And yes, we all get wrapped up in our children. But not all of us are willing to take the same tone or go to the same lengths.

For the community to come together as one, everyone must be willing to compromise. Some aren't.