GMan 3,569 Report Share Posted February 23, 2008 The future of Pocahontas High... Tazewell public hearing vital for school officials to make difficult decision By CHARLES OWENS Bluefield Daily Telegraph POCAHONTAS, Va. — With only 28 seniors currently enrolled at Pocahontas High School, officials are being forced to make difficult decisions about the future of the historic school, Tazewell County School Superintendent Dr. Brenda Lawson said Wednesday. Lawson said the school system has not received any complaints about the March 3 school consolidation hearing for Pocahontas High School being held at Tazewell High School as opposed to Pocahontas High School. Lawson said the 7:30 p.m. public hearing will be a part of the regular March meeting of the school board. While the board normally meets at the student center at the Tazewell County Career and Technical Center, Lawson said the meeting was moved to Tazewell High School to accommodate a larger crowd. “The board requested that we change the meeting place to Tazewell High School to accommodate the public hearing,†Lawson said. “This is to accommodate the folks who want to address the board.†Lawson said as of January, only 105 students were enrolled at Pocahontas High School. That includes 28 seniors, 22 juniors, 26 sophomore and 29 freshmen. Lawson said the combined Pocahontas Middle School facility had an enrollment of 80 students as of January. “There are a lot of programs and services the students are missing out on that are at other localities,†Lawson said. “As classes and populations decline, it gets harder to provide these types of programs. I think we have to look at what is available to the students, and we feel as the numbers continue to decline — this past year it was band they lost — next year it could be something else. It’s not fair instructionally to these students. Everybody I can tell you on our school board have just been optimistically waiting for good things to happen in the town of Pocahontas. We felt from all of the information we had that there would be an increase in population with the prison.†However, the school system has seen only one additional student enroll at Pocahontas High School since the opening of the Pocahontas State Correctional Center six months ago. Lawson said the current proposal being considered by the school board would consolidate the students at Pocahontas with their choice of schools in either Bluefield, Va., or Tazewell. “If the board votes to close the school, then those students that are currently attending Pocahontas Middle School and Pocahontas High School would be given a choice of either attending a school in the Bluefield area or the Tazewell area. It would be up to the parents and the students to decide where they want to go to school.†If the school board votes to close Pocahontas High School, Lawson said the existing schools in Tazewell and Bluefield would be more than capable of handling the additional students. “I can assure you that if Pocahontas High School is closed that every effort will be made to accommodate those students in the best way possible,†Lawson said. “I know the administrators at all of our schools are talking and thinking about it.†Lawson said Tazewell High School has a current student enrollment of 619 students. Lawson said the current enrollment at Graham High School is 503 students. Graham Middle School has 409 students and Tazewell Middle School has an enrollment of 486 students. If the school board does vote to close Pocahontas High School, Lawson said all historic photos, documents and trophies would be preserved. “If that happens, some of these things will be maintained and preserved by Tazewell County Public Schools because of the tradition and history that is there,†Lawson said. “We will certainly weigh everything and put it in a place where it is always going to be valued and preserved.†Lawson said the school board will listen to and consider every citizen who speaks at the March 3 closure hearing. “Our school board listens,†Lawson said., “They always take great pride and effort in hearing and wanting to know what people think, and people that attend the public hearing will certainly be given the opportunity to speak.†Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPF 409 Report Share Posted February 23, 2008 [ QUOTE ] The future of Pocahontas High... Tazewell public hearing vital for school officials to make difficult decision By CHARLES OWENS Bluefield Daily Telegraph POCAHONTAS, Va. — With only 28 seniors currently enrolled at Pocahontas High School, officials are being forced to make difficult decisions about the future of the historic school, Tazewell County School Superintendent Dr. Brenda Lawson said Wednesday. Lawson said the school system has not received any complaints about the March 3 school consolidation hearing for Pocahontas High School being held at Tazewell High School as opposed to Pocahontas High School. Lawson said the 7:30 p.m. public hearing will be a part of the regular March meeting of the school board. While the board normally meets at the student center at the Tazewell County Career and Technical Center, Lawson said the meeting was moved to Tazewell High School to accommodate a larger crowd. “The board requested that we change the meeting place to Tazewell High School to accommodate the public hearing,†Lawson said. “This is to accommodate the folks who want to address the board.†Lawson said as of January, only 105 students were enrolled at Pocahontas High School. That includes 28 seniors, 22 juniors, 26 sophomore and 29 freshmen. Lawson said the combined Pocahontas Middle School facility had an enrollment of 80 students as of January. “There are a lot of programs and services the students are missing out on that are at other localities,†Lawson said. “As classes and populations decline, it gets harder to provide these types of programs. I think we have to look at what is available to the students, and we feel as the numbers continue to decline — this past year it was band they lost — next year it could be something else. It’s not fair instructionally to these students. Everybody I can tell you on our school board have just been optimistically waiting for good things to happen in the town of Pocahontas. We felt from all of the information we had that there would be an increase in population with the prison.†However, the school system has seen only one additional student enroll at Pocahontas High School since the opening of the Pocahontas State Correctional Center six months ago. Lawson said the current proposal being considered by the school board would consolidate the students at Pocahontas with their choice of schools in either Bluefield, Va., or Tazewell. “If the board votes to close the school, then those students that are currently attending Pocahontas Middle School and Pocahontas High School would be given a choice of either attending a school in the Bluefield area or the Tazewell area. It would be up to the parents and the students to decide where they want to go to school.†If the school board votes to close Pocahontas High School, Lawson said the existing schools in Tazewell and Bluefield would be more than capable of handling the additional students. “I can assure you that if Pocahontas High School is closed that every effort will be made to accommodate those students in the best way possible,†Lawson said. “I know the administrators at all of our schools are talking and thinking about it.†Lawson said Tazewell High School has a current student enrollment of 619 students. Lawson said the current enrollment at Graham High School is 503 students. Graham Middle School has 409 students and Tazewell Middle School has an enrollment of 486 students. If the school board does vote to close Pocahontas High School, Lawson said all historic photos, documents and trophies would be preserved. “If that happens, some of these things will be maintained and preserved by Tazewell County Public Schools because of the tradition and history that is there,†Lawson said. “We will certainly weigh everything and put it in a place where it is always going to be valued and preserved.†Lawson said the school board will listen to and consider every citizen who speaks at the March 3 closure hearing. “Our school board listens,†Lawson said., “They always take great pride and effort in hearing and wanting to know what people think, and people that attend the public hearing will certainly be given the opportunity to speak.†[/ QUOTE ] It would appear to me that this thing is a done deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBlueAlum 12 Report Share Posted February 23, 2008 [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] The future of Pocahontas High... Tazewell public hearing vital for school officials to make difficult decision By CHARLES OWENS Bluefield Daily Telegraph POCAHONTAS, Va. — With only 28 seniors currently enrolled at Pocahontas High School, officials are being forced to make difficult decisions about the future of the historic school, Tazewell County School Superintendent Dr. Brenda Lawson said Wednesday. Lawson said the school system has not received any complaints about the March 3 school consolidation hearing for Pocahontas High School being held at Tazewell High School as opposed to Pocahontas High School. Lawson said the 7:30 p.m. public hearing will be a part of the regular March meeting of the school board. While the board normally meets at the student center at the Tazewell County Career and Technical Center, Lawson said the meeting was moved to Tazewell High School to accommodate a larger crowd. “The board requested that we change the meeting place to Tazewell High School to accommodate the public hearing,†Lawson said. “This is to accommodate the folks who want to address the board.†Lawson said as of January, only 105 students were enrolled at Pocahontas High School. That includes 28 seniors, 22 juniors, 26 sophomore and 29 freshmen. Lawson said the combined Pocahontas Middle School facility had an enrollment of 80 students as of January. “There are a lot of programs and services the students are missing out on that are at other localities,†Lawson said. “As classes and populations decline, it gets harder to provide these types of programs. I think we have to look at what is available to the students, and we feel as the numbers continue to decline — this past year it was band they lost — next year it could be something else. It’s not fair instructionally to these students. Everybody I can tell you on our school board have just been optimistically waiting for good things to happen in the town of Pocahontas. We felt from all of the information we had that there would be an increase in population with the prison.†However, the school system has seen only one additional student enroll at Pocahontas High School since the opening of the Pocahontas State Correctional Center six months ago. Lawson said the current proposal being considered by the school board would consolidate the students at Pocahontas with their choice of schools in either Bluefield, Va., or Tazewell. “If the board votes to close the school, then those students that are currently attending Pocahontas Middle School and Pocahontas High School would be given a choice of either attending a school in the Bluefield area or the Tazewell area. It would be up to the parents and the students to decide where they want to go to school.†If the school board votes to close Pocahontas High School, Lawson said the existing schools in Tazewell and Bluefield would be more than capable of handling the additional students. “I can assure you that if Pocahontas High School is closed that every effort will be made to accommodate those students in the best way possible,†Lawson said. “I know the administrators at all of our schools are talking and thinking about it.†Lawson said Tazewell High School has a current student enrollment of 619 students. Lawson said the current enrollment at Graham High School is 503 students. Graham Middle School has 409 students and Tazewell Middle School has an enrollment of 486 students. If the school board does vote to close Pocahontas High School, Lawson said all historic photos, documents and trophies would be preserved. “If that happens, some of these things will be maintained and preserved by Tazewell County Public Schools because of the tradition and history that is there,†Lawson said. “We will certainly weigh everything and put it in a place where it is always going to be valued and preserved.†Lawson said the school board will listen to and consider every citizen who speaks at the March 3 closure hearing. “Our school board listens,†Lawson said., “They always take great pride and effort in hearing and wanting to know what people think, and people that attend the public hearing will certainly be given the opportunity to speak.†[/ QUOTE ] It would appear to me that this thing is a done deal. [/ QUOTE ] Its starting to sound that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMan 3,569 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2008 [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] The future of Pocahontas High... Tazewell public hearing vital for school officials to make difficult decision By CHARLES OWENS Bluefield Daily Telegraph POCAHONTAS, Va. — With only 28 seniors currently enrolled at Pocahontas High School, officials are being forced to make difficult decisions about the future of the historic school, Tazewell County School Superintendent Dr. Brenda Lawson said Wednesday. Lawson said the school system has not received any complaints about the March 3 school consolidation hearing for Pocahontas High School being held at Tazewell High School as opposed to Pocahontas High School. Lawson said the 7:30 p.m. public hearing will be a part of the regular March meeting of the school board. While the board normally meets at the student center at the Tazewell County Career and Technical Center, Lawson said the meeting was moved to Tazewell High School to accommodate a larger crowd. “The board requested that we change the meeting place to Tazewell High School to accommodate the public hearing,†Lawson said. “This is to accommodate the folks who want to address the board.†Lawson said as of January, only 105 students were enrolled at Pocahontas High School. That includes 28 seniors, 22 juniors, 26 sophomore and 29 freshmen. Lawson said the combined Pocahontas Middle School facility had an enrollment of 80 students as of January. “There are a lot of programs and services the students are missing out on that are at other localities,†Lawson said. “As classes and populations decline, it gets harder to provide these types of programs. I think we have to look at what is available to the students, and we feel as the numbers continue to decline — this past year it was band they lost — next year it could be something else. It’s not fair instructionally to these students. Everybody I can tell you on our school board have just been optimistically waiting for good things to happen in the town of Pocahontas. We felt from all of the information we had that there would be an increase in population with the prison.†However, the school system has seen only one additional student enroll at Pocahontas High School since the opening of the Pocahontas State Correctional Center six months ago. Lawson said the current proposal being considered by the school board would consolidate the students at Pocahontas with their choice of schools in either Bluefield, Va., or Tazewell. “If the board votes to close the school, then those students that are currently attending Pocahontas Middle School and Pocahontas High School would be given a choice of either attending a school in the Bluefield area or the Tazewell area. It would be up to the parents and the students to decide where they want to go to school.†If the school board votes to close Pocahontas High School, Lawson said the existing schools in Tazewell and Bluefield would be more than capable of handling the additional students. “I can assure you that if Pocahontas High School is closed that every effort will be made to accommodate those students in the best way possible,†Lawson said. “I know the administrators at all of our schools are talking and thinking about it.†Lawson said Tazewell High School has a current student enrollment of 619 students. Lawson said the current enrollment at Graham High School is 503 students. Graham Middle School has 409 students and Tazewell Middle School has an enrollment of 486 students. If the school board does vote to close Pocahontas High School, Lawson said all historic photos, documents and trophies would be preserved. “If that happens, some of these things will be maintained and preserved by Tazewell County Public Schools because of the tradition and history that is there,†Lawson said. “We will certainly weigh everything and put it in a place where it is always going to be valued and preserved.†Lawson said the school board will listen to and consider every citizen who speaks at the March 3 closure hearing. “Our school board listens,†Lawson said., “They always take great pride and effort in hearing and wanting to know what people think, and people that attend the public hearing will certainly be given the opportunity to speak.†[/ QUOTE ] It would appear to me that this thing is a done deal. [/ QUOTE ] Its starting to sound that way. [/ QUOTE ] Yep... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tid_Bit 10 Report Share Posted February 24, 2008 bout time. I hate it for the die hards that want it open, but this world is about progress and one way for TCPS to progress is to start consolidating schools. Close them all and build two new ones. That is the future of Taze co. Before people start saying where will the money come from......i agree that is the million(millions) dollar question! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudmaker 10 Report Share Posted February 24, 2008 According to todays BDT a group of about 300 Pocy die hards have lawyered up to fight the TCSB. this could get interesting! Despite the other 100,000 citizens in the county who think the kids of Pocy would be better served in the other schools in the county that are fully accredited and offer much more opportunity(both academically and atheletically) the citizens of Pocy have vowed to fight till the end. Personally I feel their pain. Pocy has lost about everthing they have to proud of in the last fifty years. They have lost industry, jobs, census, and the villians at the school board want to take the only thing they have left their school ! their IDENTITY!!! Unfortunatly it is a greater injustice to penalize the tax payers of the county to substidize a communities identity. I would venture guess that it tkes about 5-7 times as much money to educate a kid at pocy than any of the other county high schools. This is not only unfair to the tax payers, unfair to the kids of the other high schools in the county , but ultimately it is unfair to the students of pocy. These kids are denied a huge number of benifits that other county kids are afforded. ie. advanced maths, sciences, literary, and composition classes competitive atheletics, band and other extra curricular activities. Ultimately, I hope the right decisions are made for the greater good of all of the county. I'm sure this is a difficult decision for all those responsible. If no other resolution is reached I propose the county donate the facility (along with all expense liabilities both in maintenence and upkeep,and staffing) to the community of pocy. They could opperrate it as a private school and charge tuition to the enrolled students. The county should also offer transportation to those that would choose to go to the other county schools. This should satisfy everyone in the county. The kids at Pocy have a choice of where they go to school. The citizens of Pocy have their school, and the tax money wasted at Pocy can be put back into the other schools facility improvements. Its the best of all worlds!! Everyone can be happy ( except for those who want everything for nothing, and expect the rest of the county to pay the way for them to keep their school, identity, and pride intact without any other responsibility) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPF 409 Report Share Posted February 25, 2008 [ QUOTE ] According to todays BDT a group of about 300 Pocy die hards have lawyered up to fight the TCSB. this could get interesting! Despite the other 100,000 citizens in the county who think the kids of Pocy would be better served in the other schools in the county that are fully accredited and offer much more opportunity(both academically and atheletically) the citizens of Pocy have vowed to fight till the end. Personally I feel their pain. Pocy has lost about everthing they have to proud of in the last fifty years. They have lost industry, jobs, census, and the villians at the school board want to take the only thing they have left their school ! their IDENTITY!!! Unfortunatly it is a greater injustice to penalize the tax payers of the county to substidize a communities identity. I would venture guess that it tkes about 5-7 times as much money to educate a kid at pocy than any of the other county high schools. This is not only unfair to the tax payers, unfair to the kids of the other high schools in the county , but ultimately it is unfair to the students of pocy. These kids are denied a huge number of benifits that other county kids are afforded. ie. advanced maths, sciences, literary, and composition classes competitive atheletics, band and other extra curricular activities. Ultimately, I hope the right decisions are made for the greater good of all of the county. I'm sure this is a difficult decision for all those responsible. If no other resolution is reached I propose the county donate the facility (along with all expense liabilities both in maintenence and upkeep,and staffing) to the community of pocy. They could opperrate it as a private school and charge tuition to the enrolled students. The county should also offer transportation to those that would choose to go to the other county schools. This should satisfy everyone in the county. The kids at Pocy have a choice of where they go to school. The citizens of Pocy have their school, and the tax money wasted at Pocy can be put back into the other schools facility improvements. Its the best of all worlds!! Everyone can be happy ( except for those who want everything for nothing, and expect the rest of the county to pay the way for them to keep their school, identity, and pride intact without any other responsibility) [/ QUOTE ] They are even threatning to sue the school board and make them change the name of Graham High School. These people are complete morons. This is for the good of their children and all taxpayers of Tazewell County. This whole situation is hilarious. The guy they brought in to make a presentation about the benefits of a small school education was fired from his last job for embezzlement. Funny....you can't make this stuff up. I was also told that one of the people making such a stink of the closing of Pocy only lives in Pocahontas 3 months a year, the rest of the time he lives in Florida. He I believe was the one quoted in the paper last year saying 500 families would be moving to Pocahontas when the prison was completed. Guess he was off by about 499. Basically these people need to realize that it is not 1958 anymore, and their town is in shambles with or without the high school. The era is over, just like Bramwell, Northfork, and Keystone who were all consolidated into other schools. Get over it..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBlueAlum 12 Report Share Posted February 25, 2008 [ QUOTE ] According to todays BDT a group of about 300 Pocy die hards have lawyered up to fight the TCSB. this could get interesting! Despite the other 100,000 citizens in the county who think the kids of Pocy would be better served in the other schools in the county that are fully accredited and offer much more opportunity(both academically and atheletically) the citizens of Pocy have vowed to fight till the end. Personally I feel their pain. Pocy has lost about everthing they have to proud of in the last fifty years. They have lost industry, jobs, census, and the villians at the school board want to take the only thing they have left their school ! their IDENTITY!!! Unfortunatly it is a greater injustice to penalize the tax payers of the county to substidize a communities identity. I would venture guess that it tkes about 5-7 times as much money to educate a kid at pocy than any of the other county high schools. This is not only unfair to the tax payers, unfair to the kids of the other high schools in the county , but ultimately it is unfair to the students of pocy. These kids are denied a huge number of benifits that other county kids are afforded. ie. advanced maths, sciences, literary, and composition classes competitive atheletics, band and other extra curricular activities. Ultimately, I hope the right decisions are made for the greater good of all of the county. I'm sure this is a difficult decision for all those responsible. If no other resolution is reached I propose the county donate the facility (along with all expense liabilities both in maintenence and upkeep,and staffing) to the community of pocy. They could opperrate it as a private school and charge tuition to the enrolled students. The county should also offer transportation to those that would choose to go to the other county schools. This should satisfy everyone in the county. The kids at Pocy have a choice of where they go to school. The citizens of Pocy have their school, and the tax money wasted at Pocy can be put back into the other schools facility improvements. Its the best of all worlds!! Everyone can be happy ( except for those who want everything for nothing, and expect the rest of the county to pay the way for them to keep their school, identity, and pride intact without any other responsibility) [/ QUOTE ] Very well said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluefieldRocks 14 Report Share Posted February 25, 2008 agreed... Nicely put! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EH31 2,517 Report Share Posted February 25, 2008 [ QUOTE ] According to todays BDT a group of about 300 Pocy die hards have lawyered up to fight the TCSB. this could get interesting! Despite the other 100,000 citizens in the county who think the kids of Pocy would be better served in the other schools in the county that are fully accredited and offer much more opportunity(both academically and atheletically) the citizens of Pocy have vowed to fight till the end. Personally I feel their pain. Pocy has lost about everthing they have to proud of in the last fifty years. They have lost industry, jobs, census, and the villians at the school board want to take the only thing they have left their school ! their IDENTITY!!! Unfortunatly it is a greater injustice to penalize the tax payers of the county to substidize a communities identity. I would venture guess that it tkes about 5-7 times as much money to educate a kid at pocy than any of the other county high schools. This is not only unfair to the tax payers, unfair to the kids of the other high schools in the county , but ultimately it is unfair to the students of pocy. These kids are denied a huge number of benifits that other county kids are afforded. ie. advanced maths, sciences, literary, and composition classes competitive atheletics, band and other extra curricular activities. Ultimately, I hope the right decisions are made for the greater good of all of the county. I'm sure this is a difficult decision for all those responsible. If no other resolution is reached I propose the county donate the facility (along with all expense liabilities both in maintenence and upkeep,and staffing) to the community of pocy. They could opperrate it as a private school and charge tuition to the enrolled students. The county should also offer transportation to those that would choose to go to the other county schools. This should satisfy everyone in the county. The kids at Pocy have a choice of where they go to school. The citizens of Pocy have their school, and the tax money wasted at Pocy can be put back into the other schools facility improvements. Its the best of all worlds!! Everyone can be happy ( except for those who want everything for nothing, and expect the rest of the county to pay the way for them to keep their school, identity, and pride intact without any other responsibility) [/ QUOTE ] Pocahontas is fully accredited. People make such a big deal about the students will have more opportunities for athletics and extra curricular activies. The one everyone brings up is band. True, we don't have a band program this year, but I guarentee you that 90% of the school was glad we don't. Noone wanted to be in band, and as the number declined and only 2 or 3 people signed up they decided to do away with it. So the other 100 and some students are gonna have to be bused 45 minutes if not more so that 3 students can play in band? To us band isn't a big deal. But I forgot, the school board members that never step foot in Pocahontas know what's best for us. And athletically, how many students will get to participate in sports at another school? I'll be honest and say that most of the students that participate in sports at Pocahontas aren't as athletic as most of the students at another school are. There will be a VERY small percentage of students that try to play a sport for another school because truthfully they know they won't get to play, or because of the travel and gas money they will have to spend getting to and from practice. From my house to Graham High School, Mapquest says "Total Est. Distance: 16.73 miles." The Jeep Cherokee I drive to and from practice usually gets 17-18 miles per gallon. With gas being $3.15 right now, I would be spending $6.30 a day at the bare minimun. And who knows what gas will be by August. How is the school board going to resolve this? Are they going to buy every family a Geo Metro? I'm barely having gas money to get to Pocahontas everyday, and now I would have to drive to Bluefield? That's money I don't have, and that's money that most of the families around here don't have. So what do we do? It looks as if not playing sports is the only option. That sure is giving us more athletic opportunites isn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluefieldRocks 14 Report Share Posted February 25, 2008 Give 'em hell gene! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tid_Bit 10 Report Share Posted February 25, 2008 [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] According to todays BDT a group of about 300 Pocy die hards have lawyered up to fight the TCSB. this could get interesting! Despite the other 100,000 citizens in the county who think the kids of Pocy would be better served in the other schools in the county that are fully accredited and offer much more opportunity(both academically and atheletically) the citizens of Pocy have vowed to fight till the end. Personally I feel their pain. Pocy has lost about everthing they have to proud of in the last fifty years. They have lost industry, jobs, census, and the villians at the school board want to take the only thing they have left their school ! their IDENTITY!!! Unfortunatly it is a greater injustice to penalize the tax payers of the county to substidize a communities identity. I would venture guess that it tkes about 5-7 times as much money to educate a kid at pocy than any of the other county high schools. This is not only unfair to the tax payers, unfair to the kids of the other high schools in the county , but ultimately it is unfair to the students of pocy. These kids are denied a huge number of benifits that other county kids are afforded. ie. advanced maths, sciences, literary, and composition classes competitive atheletics, band and other extra curricular activities. Ultimately, I hope the right decisions are made for the greater good of all of the county. I'm sure this is a difficult decision for all those responsible. If no other resolution is reached I propose the county donate the facility (along with all expense liabilities both in maintenence and upkeep,and staffing) to the community of pocy. They could opperrate it as a private school and charge tuition to the enrolled students. The county should also offer transportation to those that would choose to go to the other county schools. This should satisfy everyone in the county. The kids at Pocy have a choice of where they go to school. The citizens of Pocy have their school, and the tax money wasted at Pocy can be put back into the other schools facility improvements. Its the best of all worlds!! Everyone can be happy ( except for those who want everything for nothing, and expect the rest of the county to pay the way for them to keep their school, identity, and pride intact without any other responsibility) [/ QUOTE ] Pocahontas is fully accredited. People make such a big deal about the students will have more opportunities for athletics and extra curricular activies. The one everyone brings up is band. True, we don't have a band program this year, but I guarentee you that 90% of the school was glad we don't. Noone wanted to be in band, and as the number declined and only 2 or 3 people signed up they decided to do away with it. So the other 100 and some students are gonna have to be bused 45 minutes if not more so that 3 students can play in band? To us band isn't a big deal. But I forgot, the school board members that never step foot in Pocahontas know what's best for us. And athletically, how many students will get to participate in sports at another school? I'll be honest and say that most of the students that participate in sports at Pocahontas aren't as athletic as most of the students at another school are. There will be a VERY small percentage of students that try to play a sport for another school because truthfully they know they won't get to play, or because of the travel and gas money they will have to spend getting to and from practice. From my house to Graham High School, Mapquest says "Total Est. Distance: 16.73 miles." The Jeep Cherokee I drive to and from practice usually gets 17-18 miles per gallon. With gas being $3.15 right now, I would be spending $6.30 a day at the bare minimun. And who knows what gas will be by August. How is the school board going to resolve this? Are they going to buy every family a Geo Metro? I'm barely having gas money to get to Pocahontas everyday, and now I would have to drive to Bluefield? That's money I don't have, and that's money that most of the families around here don't have. So what do we do? It looks as if not playing sports is the only option. That sure is giving us more athletic opportunites isn't it? [/ QUOTE ] RIDE THE BUS!!!!!!!!!!!!! PROBLEM SOLVED!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluefield_Rules 46 Report Share Posted February 25, 2008 [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] According to todays BDT a group of about 300 Pocy die hards have lawyered up to fight the TCSB. this could get interesting! Despite the other 100,000 citizens in the county who think the kids of Pocy would be better served in the other schools in the county that are fully accredited and offer much more opportunity(both academically and atheletically) the citizens of Pocy have vowed to fight till the end. Personally I feel their pain. Pocy has lost about everthing they have to proud of in the last fifty years. They have lost industry, jobs, census, and the villians at the school board want to take the only thing they have left their school ! their IDENTITY!!! Unfortunatly it is a greater injustice to penalize the tax payers of the county to substidize a communities identity. I would venture guess that it tkes about 5-7 times as much money to educate a kid at pocy than any of the other county high schools. This is not only unfair to the tax payers, unfair to the kids of the other high schools in the county , but ultimately it is unfair to the students of pocy. These kids are denied a huge number of benifits that other county kids are afforded. ie. advanced maths, sciences, literary, and composition classes competitive atheletics, band and other extra curricular activities. Ultimately, I hope the right decisions are made for the greater good of all of the county. I'm sure this is a difficult decision for all those responsible. If no other resolution is reached I propose the county donate the facility (along with all expense liabilities both in maintenence and upkeep,and staffing) to the community of pocy. They could opperrate it as a private school and charge tuition to the enrolled students. The county should also offer transportation to those that would choose to go to the other county schools. This should satisfy everyone in the county. The kids at Pocy have a choice of where they go to school. The citizens of Pocy have their school, and the tax money wasted at Pocy can be put back into the other schools facility improvements. Its the best of all worlds!! Everyone can be happy ( except for those who want everything for nothing, and expect the rest of the county to pay the way for them to keep their school, identity, and pride intact without any other responsibility) [/ QUOTE ] Pocahontas is fully accredited. People make such a big deal about the students will have more opportunities for athletics and extra curricular activies. The one everyone brings up is band. True, we don't have a band program this year, but I guarentee you that 90% of the school was glad we don't. Noone wanted to be in band, and as the number declined and only 2 or 3 people signed up they decided to do away with it. So the other 100 and some students are gonna have to be bused 45 minutes if not more so that 3 students can play in band? To us band isn't a big deal. But I forgot, the school board members that never step foot in Pocahontas know what's best for us. And athletically, how many students will get to participate in sports at another school? I'll be honest and say that most of the students that participate in sports at Pocahontas aren't as athletic as most of the students at another school are. There will be a VERY small percentage of students that try to play a sport for another school because truthfully they know they won't get to play, or because of the travel and gas money they will have to spend getting to and from practice. From my house to Graham High School, Mapquest says "Total Est. Distance: 16.73 miles." The Jeep Cherokee I drive to and from practice usually gets 17-18 miles per gallon. With gas being $3.15 right now, I would be spending $6.30 a day at the bare minimun. And who knows what gas will be by August. How is the school board going to resolve this? Are they going to buy every family a Geo Metro? I'm barely having gas money to get to Pocahontas everyday, and now I would have to drive to Bluefield? That's money I don't have, and that's money that most of the families around here don't have. So what do we do? It looks as if not playing sports is the only option. That sure is giving us more athletic opportunites isn't it? [/ QUOTE ] RIDE THE BUS!!!!!!!!!!!!! PROBLEM SOLVED!!!!!!!!!! [/ QUOTE ] Exactly. The school needs to be closed and the funds used to improve the quality of the schools that actually have an enrollment large enough to justify keeping open. The town has fought hard for a decade now, but it's time to shot that old horse and put it out of its misery. And taking the school board to court is only to delay the enviable and cost the tax payers of Tazewell County more money. That won't help your cause, that will cause your school to get burnt to the ground by an angry mob... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beano5 14 Report Share Posted February 25, 2008 riding the buses would just in turn make us as taxpayers pay MORE because the buses would need GAS MONEY as well...either way you look at it...the citizens of this county are gonna be paying just as much...or more...taxes if Pocy closes... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBlueAlum 12 Report Share Posted February 25, 2008 [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] According to todays BDT a group of about 300 Pocy die hards have lawyered up to fight the TCSB. this could get interesting! Despite the other 100,000 citizens in the county who think the kids of Pocy would be better served in the other schools in the county that are fully accredited and offer much more opportunity(both academically and atheletically) the citizens of Pocy have vowed to fight till the end. Personally I feel their pain. Pocy has lost about everthing they have to proud of in the last fifty years. They have lost industry, jobs, census, and the villians at the school board want to take the only thing they have left their school ! their IDENTITY!!! Unfortunatly it is a greater injustice to penalize the tax payers of the county to substidize a communities identity. I would venture guess that it tkes about 5-7 times as much money to educate a kid at pocy than any of the other county high schools. This is not only unfair to the tax payers, unfair to the kids of the other high schools in the county , but ultimately it is unfair to the students of pocy. These kids are denied a huge number of benifits that other county kids are afforded. ie. advanced maths, sciences, literary, and composition classes competitive atheletics, band and other extra curricular activities. Ultimately, I hope the right decisions are made for the greater good of all of the county. I'm sure this is a difficult decision for all those responsible. If no other resolution is reached I propose the county donate the facility (along with all expense liabilities both in maintenence and upkeep,and staffing) to the community of pocy. They could opperrate it as a private school and charge tuition to the enrolled students. The county should also offer transportation to those that would choose to go to the other county schools. This should satisfy everyone in the county. The kids at Pocy have a choice of where they go to school. The citizens of Pocy have their school, and the tax money wasted at Pocy can be put back into the other schools facility improvements. Its the best of all worlds!! Everyone can be happy ( except for those who want everything for nothing, and expect the rest of the county to pay the way for them to keep their school, identity, and pride intact without any other responsibility) [/ QUOTE ] Pocahontas is fully accredited. People make such a big deal about the students will have more opportunities for athletics and extra curricular activies. The one everyone brings up is band. True, we don't have a band program this year, but I guarentee you that 90% of the school was glad we don't. Noone wanted to be in band, and as the number declined and only 2 or 3 people signed up they decided to do away with it. So the other 100 and some students are gonna have to be bused 45 minutes if not more so that 3 students can play in band? To us band isn't a big deal. But I forgot, the school board members that never step foot in Pocahontas know what's best for us. And athletically, how many students will get to participate in sports at another school? I'll be honest and say that most of the students that participate in sports at Pocahontas aren't as athletic as most of the students at another school are. There will be a VERY small percentage of students that try to play a sport for another school because truthfully they know they won't get to play, or because of the travel and gas money they will have to spend getting to and from practice. From my house to Graham High School, Mapquest says "Total Est. Distance: 16.73 miles." The Jeep Cherokee I drive to and from practice usually gets 17-18 miles per gallon. With gas being $3.15 right now, I would be spending $6.30 a day at the bare minimun. And who knows what gas will be by August. How is the school board going to resolve this? Are they going to buy every family a Geo Metro? I'm barely having gas money to get to Pocahontas everyday, and now I would have to drive to Bluefield? That's money I don't have, and that's money that most of the families around here don't have. So what do we do? It looks as if not playing sports is the only option. That sure is giving us more athletic opportunites isn't it? [/ QUOTE ] RIDE THE BUS!!!!!!!!!!!!! PROBLEM SOLVED!!!!!!!!!! [/ QUOTE ] They do not run busses for students that participate in extracurricular activities. PROBLEM NOT SOLVED!!!! EH31 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBlueAlum 12 Report Share Posted February 25, 2008 [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] According to todays BDT a group of about 300 Pocy die hards have lawyered up to fight the TCSB. this could get interesting! Despite the other 100,000 citizens in the county who think the kids of Pocy would be better served in the other schools in the county that are fully accredited and offer much more opportunity(both academically and atheletically) the citizens of Pocy have vowed to fight till the end. Personally I feel their pain. Pocy has lost about everthing they have to proud of in the last fifty years. They have lost industry, jobs, census, and the villians at the school board want to take the only thing they have left their school ! their IDENTITY!!! Unfortunatly it is a greater injustice to penalize the tax payers of the county to substidize a communities identity. I would venture guess that it tkes about 5-7 times as much money to educate a kid at pocy than any of the other county high schools. This is not only unfair to the tax payers, unfair to the kids of the other high schools in the county , but ultimately it is unfair to the students of pocy. These kids are denied a huge number of benifits that other county kids are afforded. ie. advanced maths, sciences, literary, and composition classes competitive atheletics, band and other extra curricular activities. Ultimately, I hope the right decisions are made for the greater good of all of the county. I'm sure this is a difficult decision for all those responsible. If no other resolution is reached I propose the county donate the facility (along with all expense liabilities both in maintenence and upkeep,and staffing) to the community of pocy. They could opperrate it as a private school and charge tuition to the enrolled students. The county should also offer transportation to those that would choose to go to the other county schools. This should satisfy everyone in the county. The kids at Pocy have a choice of where they go to school. The citizens of Pocy have their school, and the tax money wasted at Pocy can be put back into the other schools facility improvements. Its the best of all worlds!! Everyone can be happy ( except for those who want everything for nothing, and expect the rest of the county to pay the way for them to keep their school, identity, and pride intact without any other responsibility) [/ QUOTE ] Pocahontas is fully accredited. People make such a big deal about the students will have more opportunities for athletics and extra curricular activies. The one everyone brings up is band. True, we don't have a band program this year, but I guarentee you that 90% of the school was glad we don't. Noone wanted to be in band, and as the number declined and only 2 or 3 people signed up they decided to do away with it. So the other 100 and some students are gonna have to be bused 45 minutes if not more so that 3 students can play in band? To us band isn't a big deal. But I forgot, the school board members that never step foot in Pocahontas know what's best for us. And athletically, how many students will get to participate in sports at another school? I'll be honest and say that most of the students that participate in sports at Pocahontas aren't as athletic as most of the students at another school are. There will be a VERY small percentage of students that try to play a sport for another school because truthfully they know they won't get to play, or because of the travel and gas money they will have to spend getting to and from practice. From my house to Graham High School, Mapquest says "Total Est. Distance: 16.73 miles." The Jeep Cherokee I drive to and from practice usually gets 17-18 miles per gallon. With gas being $3.15 right now, I would be spending $6.30 a day at the bare minimun. And who knows what gas will be by August. How is the school board going to resolve this? Are they going to buy every family a Geo Metro? I'm barely having gas money to get to Pocahontas everyday, and now I would have to drive to Bluefield? That's money I don't have, and that's money that most of the families around here don't have. So what do we do? It looks as if not playing sports is the only option. That sure is giving us more athletic opportunites isn't it? [/ QUOTE ] You know you're a closet flautist. haha Nah, that was very nicely said. You bring up some really good points. BTW, Pocahontas Middle School was accredited for their students passing the math SOL. While, Richlands Middle School wasn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hokie07 11 Report Share Posted February 25, 2008 [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] According to todays BDT a group of about 300 Pocy die hards have lawyered up to fight the TCSB. this could get interesting! Despite the other 100,000 citizens in the county who think the kids of Pocy would be better served in the other schools in the county that are fully accredited and offer much more opportunity(both academically and atheletically) the citizens of Pocy have vowed to fight till the end. Personally I feel their pain. Pocy has lost about everthing they have to proud of in the last fifty years. They have lost industry, jobs, census, and the villians at the school board want to take the only thing they have left their school ! their IDENTITY!!! Unfortunatly it is a greater injustice to penalize the tax payers of the county to substidize a communities identity. I would venture guess that it tkes about 5-7 times as much money to educate a kid at pocy than any of the other county high schools. This is not only unfair to the tax payers, unfair to the kids of the other high schools in the county , but ultimately it is unfair to the students of pocy. These kids are denied a huge number of benifits that other county kids are afforded. ie. advanced maths, sciences, literary, and composition classes competitive atheletics, band and other extra curricular activities. Ultimately, I hope the right decisions are made for the greater good of all of the county. I'm sure this is a difficult decision for all those responsible. If no other resolution is reached I propose the county donate the facility (along with all expense liabilities both in maintenence and upkeep,and staffing) to the community of pocy. They could opperrate it as a private school and charge tuition to the enrolled students. The county should also offer transportation to those that would choose to go to the other county schools. This should satisfy everyone in the county. The kids at Pocy have a choice of where they go to school. The citizens of Pocy have their school, and the tax money wasted at Pocy can be put back into the other schools facility improvements. Its the best of all worlds!! Everyone can be happy ( except for those who want everything for nothing, and expect the rest of the county to pay the way for them to keep their school, identity, and pride intact without any other responsibility) [/ QUOTE ] Pocahontas is fully accredited. People make such a big deal about the students will have more opportunities for athletics and extra curricular activies. The one everyone brings up is band. True, we don't have a band program this year, but I guarentee you that 90% of the school was glad we don't. Noone wanted to be in band, and as the number declined and only 2 or 3 people signed up they decided to do away with it. So the other 100 and some students are gonna have to be bused 45 minutes if not more so that 3 students can play in band? To us band isn't a big deal. But I forgot, the school board members that never step foot in Pocahontas know what's best for us. And athletically, how many students will get to participate in sports at another school? I'll be honest and say that most of the students that participate in sports at Pocahontas aren't as athletic as most of the students at another school are. There will be a VERY small percentage of students that try to play a sport for another school because truthfully they know they won't get to play, or because of the travel and gas money they will have to spend getting to and from practice. From my house to Graham High School, Mapquest says "Total Est. Distance: 16.73 miles." The Jeep Cherokee I drive to and from practice usually gets 17-18 miles per gallon. With gas being $3.15 right now, I would be spending $6.30 a day at the bare minimun. And who knows what gas will be by August. How is the school board going to resolve this? Are they going to buy every family a Geo Metro? I'm barely having gas money to get to Pocahontas everyday, and now I would have to drive to Bluefield? That's money I don't have, and that's money that most of the families around here don't have. So what do we do? It looks as if not playing sports is the only option. That sure is giving us more athletic opportunites isn't it? [/ QUOTE ] RIDE THE BUS!!!!!!!!!!!!! PROBLEM SOLVED!!!!!!!!!! [/ QUOTE ] They do not run busses for students that participate in extracurricular activities. PROBLEM NOT SOLVED!!!! [/ QUOTE ] They do run special buses for kids who do wish to participate in any extra-curricular activities. They are called "activity buses." James Monroe, for instance, has a special bus that makes rounds for the athletes who have no means of transportations. There is only 1 high school in all of Monroe County and some kids spend hours on buses. 17 miles is really nothing compared to what others are faced with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluefield_Rules 46 Report Share Posted February 25, 2008 [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] According to todays BDT a group of about 300 Pocy die hards have lawyered up to fight the TCSB. this could get interesting! Despite the other 100,000 citizens in the county who think the kids of Pocy would be better served in the other schools in the county that are fully accredited and offer much more opportunity(both academically and atheletically) the citizens of Pocy have vowed to fight till the end. Personally I feel their pain. Pocy has lost about everthing they have to proud of in the last fifty years. They have lost industry, jobs, census, and the villians at the school board want to take the only thing they have left their school ! their IDENTITY!!! Unfortunatly it is a greater injustice to penalize the tax payers of the county to substidize a communities identity. I would venture guess that it tkes about 5-7 times as much money to educate a kid at pocy than any of the other county high schools. This is not only unfair to the tax payers, unfair to the kids of the other high schools in the county , but ultimately it is unfair to the students of pocy. These kids are denied a huge number of benifits that other county kids are afforded. ie. advanced maths, sciences, literary, and composition classes competitive atheletics, band and other extra curricular activities. Ultimately, I hope the right decisions are made for the greater good of all of the county. I'm sure this is a difficult decision for all those responsible. If no other resolution is reached I propose the county donate the facility (along with all expense liabilities both in maintenence and upkeep,and staffing) to the community of pocy. They could opperrate it as a private school and charge tuition to the enrolled students. The county should also offer transportation to those that would choose to go to the other county schools. This should satisfy everyone in the county. The kids at Pocy have a choice of where they go to school. The citizens of Pocy have their school, and the tax money wasted at Pocy can be put back into the other schools facility improvements. Its the best of all worlds!! Everyone can be happy ( except for those who want everything for nothing, and expect the rest of the county to pay the way for them to keep their school, identity, and pride intact without any other responsibility) [/ QUOTE ] Pocahontas is fully accredited. People make such a big deal about the students will have more opportunities for athletics and extra curricular activies. The one everyone brings up is band. True, we don't have a band program this year, but I guarentee you that 90% of the school was glad we don't. Noone wanted to be in band, and as the number declined and only 2 or 3 people signed up they decided to do away with it. So the other 100 and some students are gonna have to be bused 45 minutes if not more so that 3 students can play in band? To us band isn't a big deal. But I forgot, the school board members that never step foot in Pocahontas know what's best for us. And athletically, how many students will get to participate in sports at another school? I'll be honest and say that most of the students that participate in sports at Pocahontas aren't as athletic as most of the students at another school are. There will be a VERY small percentage of students that try to play a sport for another school because truthfully they know they won't get to play, or because of the travel and gas money they will have to spend getting to and from practice. From my house to Graham High School, Mapquest says "Total Est. Distance: 16.73 miles." The Jeep Cherokee I drive to and from practice usually gets 17-18 miles per gallon. With gas being $3.15 right now, I would be spending $6.30 a day at the bare minimun. And who knows what gas will be by August. How is the school board going to resolve this? Are they going to buy every family a Geo Metro? I'm barely having gas money to get to Pocahontas everyday, and now I would have to drive to Bluefield? That's money I don't have, and that's money that most of the families around here don't have. So what do we do? It looks as if not playing sports is the only option. That sure is giving us more athletic opportunites isn't it? [/ QUOTE ] RIDE THE BUS!!!!!!!!!!!!! PROBLEM SOLVED!!!!!!!!!! [/ QUOTE ] They do not run busses for students that participate in extracurricular activities. PROBLEM NOT SOLVED!!!! [/ QUOTE ] They do run special buses for kids who do wish to participate in any extra-curricular activities. They are called "activity buses." James Monroe, for instance, has a special bus that makes rounds for the athletes who have no means of transportations. There is only 1 high school in all of Monroe County and some kids spend hours on buses. 17 miles is really nothing compared to what others are faced with. [/ QUOTE ] Exactly. The kids at Pocahontas aren't too good to have to take a longer bus ride than usual to school. A number of kids in this region take much longer bus rides than the kids from Pocahontas would have to take. They're grasping at anything they can because the end is near... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBlueAlum 12 Report Share Posted February 25, 2008 [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] According to todays BDT a group of about 300 Pocy die hards have lawyered up to fight the TCSB. this could get interesting! Despite the other 100,000 citizens in the county who think the kids of Pocy would be better served in the other schools in the county that are fully accredited and offer much more opportunity(both academically and atheletically) the citizens of Pocy have vowed to fight till the end. Personally I feel their pain. Pocy has lost about everthing they have to proud of in the last fifty years. They have lost industry, jobs, census, and the villians at the school board want to take the only thing they have left their school ! their IDENTITY!!! Unfortunatly it is a greater injustice to penalize the tax payers of the county to substidize a communities identity. I would venture guess that it tkes about 5-7 times as much money to educate a kid at pocy than any of the other county high schools. This is not only unfair to the tax payers, unfair to the kids of the other high schools in the county , but ultimately it is unfair to the students of pocy. These kids are denied a huge number of benifits that other county kids are afforded. ie. advanced maths, sciences, literary, and composition classes competitive atheletics, band and other extra curricular activities. Ultimately, I hope the right decisions are made for the greater good of all of the county. I'm sure this is a difficult decision for all those responsible. If no other resolution is reached I propose the county donate the facility (along with all expense liabilities both in maintenence and upkeep,and staffing) to the community of pocy. They could opperrate it as a private school and charge tuition to the enrolled students. The county should also offer transportation to those that would choose to go to the other county schools. This should satisfy everyone in the county. The kids at Pocy have a choice of where they go to school. The citizens of Pocy have their school, and the tax money wasted at Pocy can be put back into the other schools facility improvements. Its the best of all worlds!! Everyone can be happy ( except for those who want everything for nothing, and expect the rest of the county to pay the way for them to keep their school, identity, and pride intact without any other responsibility) [/ QUOTE ] Pocahontas is fully accredited. People make such a big deal about the students will have more opportunities for athletics and extra curricular activies. The one everyone brings up is band. True, we don't have a band program this year, but I guarentee you that 90% of the school was glad we don't. Noone wanted to be in band, and as the number declined and only 2 or 3 people signed up they decided to do away with it. So the other 100 and some students are gonna have to be bused 45 minutes if not more so that 3 students can play in band? To us band isn't a big deal. But I forgot, the school board members that never step foot in Pocahontas know what's best for us. And athletically, how many students will get to participate in sports at another school? I'll be honest and say that most of the students that participate in sports at Pocahontas aren't as athletic as most of the students at another school are. There will be a VERY small percentage of students that try to play a sport for another school because truthfully they know they won't get to play, or because of the travel and gas money they will have to spend getting to and from practice. From my house to Graham High School, Mapquest says "Total Est. Distance: 16.73 miles." The Jeep Cherokee I drive to and from practice usually gets 17-18 miles per gallon. With gas being $3.15 right now, I would be spending $6.30 a day at the bare minimun. And who knows what gas will be by August. How is the school board going to resolve this? Are they going to buy every family a Geo Metro? I'm barely having gas money to get to Pocahontas everyday, and now I would have to drive to Bluefield? That's money I don't have, and that's money that most of the families around here don't have. So what do we do? It looks as if not playing sports is the only option. That sure is giving us more athletic opportunites isn't it? [/ QUOTE ] RIDE THE BUS!!!!!!!!!!!!! PROBLEM SOLVED!!!!!!!!!! [/ QUOTE ] They do not run busses for students that participate in extracurricular activities. PROBLEM NOT SOLVED!!!! [/ QUOTE ] They do run special buses for kids who do wish to participate in any extra-curricular activities. They are called "activity buses." James Monroe, for instance, has a special bus that makes rounds for the athletes who have no means of transportations. There is only 1 high school in all of Monroe County and some kids spend hours on buses. 17 miles is really nothing compared to what others are faced with. [/ QUOTE ] But that isnt Tazewell County... or Virginia for that matter. In all my year of going to Tazewell County Schools and now working in them have I never seen a bus run for students participating in sports. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudmaker 10 Report Share Posted February 25, 2008 like i said EH there will be difficult decisions to make. Instead of you believers sueing to have your school left open under the TCSB why dont you guys petition for "custody" of the school.If there is such a lack of intrest in band and such an overall lack of atheletic ability as you suggest a private school format may be in your best intrest anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hokie07 11 Report Share Posted February 25, 2008 [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] According to todays BDT a group of about 300 Pocy die hards have lawyered up to fight the TCSB. this could get interesting! Despite the other 100,000 citizens in the county who think the kids of Pocy would be better served in the other schools in the county that are fully accredited and offer much more opportunity(both academically and atheletically) the citizens of Pocy have vowed to fight till the end. Personally I feel their pain. Pocy has lost about everthing they have to proud of in the last fifty years. They have lost industry, jobs, census, and the villians at the school board want to take the only thing they have left their school ! their IDENTITY!!! Unfortunatly it is a greater injustice to penalize the tax payers of the county to substidize a communities identity. I would venture guess that it tkes about 5-7 times as much money to educate a kid at pocy than any of the other county high schools. This is not only unfair to the tax payers, unfair to the kids of the other high schools in the county , but ultimately it is unfair to the students of pocy. These kids are denied a huge number of benifits that other county kids are afforded. ie. advanced maths, sciences, literary, and composition classes competitive atheletics, band and other extra curricular activities. Ultimately, I hope the right decisions are made for the greater good of all of the county. I'm sure this is a difficult decision for all those responsible. If no other resolution is reached I propose the county donate the facility (along with all expense liabilities both in maintenence and upkeep,and staffing) to the community of pocy. They could opperrate it as a private school and charge tuition to the enrolled students. The county should also offer transportation to those that would choose to go to the other county schools. This should satisfy everyone in the county. The kids at Pocy have a choice of where they go to school. The citizens of Pocy have their school, and the tax money wasted at Pocy can be put back into the other schools facility improvements. Its the best of all worlds!! Everyone can be happy ( except for those who want everything for nothing, and expect the rest of the county to pay the way for them to keep their school, identity, and pride intact without any other responsibility) [/ QUOTE ] Pocahontas is fully accredited. People make such a big deal about the students will have more opportunities for athletics and extra curricular activies. The one everyone brings up is band. True, we don't have a band program this year, but I guarentee you that 90% of the school was glad we don't. Noone wanted to be in band, and as the number declined and only 2 or 3 people signed up they decided to do away with it. So the other 100 and some students are gonna have to be bused 45 minutes if not more so that 3 students can play in band? To us band isn't a big deal. But I forgot, the school board members that never step foot in Pocahontas know what's best for us. And athletically, how many students will get to participate in sports at another school? I'll be honest and say that most of the students that participate in sports at Pocahontas aren't as athletic as most of the students at another school are. There will be a VERY small percentage of students that try to play a sport for another school because truthfully they know they won't get to play, or because of the travel and gas money they will have to spend getting to and from practice. From my house to Graham High School, Mapquest says "Total Est. Distance: 16.73 miles." The Jeep Cherokee I drive to and from practice usually gets 17-18 miles per gallon. With gas being $3.15 right now, I would be spending $6.30 a day at the bare minimun. And who knows what gas will be by August. How is the school board going to resolve this? Are they going to buy every family a Geo Metro? I'm barely having gas money to get to Pocahontas everyday, and now I would have to drive to Bluefield? That's money I don't have, and that's money that most of the families around here don't have. So what do we do? It looks as if not playing sports is the only option. That sure is giving us more athletic opportunites isn't it? [/ QUOTE ] RIDE THE BUS!!!!!!!!!!!!! PROBLEM SOLVED!!!!!!!!!! [/ QUOTE ] They do not run busses for students that participate in extracurricular activities. PROBLEM NOT SOLVED!!!! [/ QUOTE ] They do run special buses for kids who do wish to participate in any extra-curricular activities. They are called "activity buses." James Monroe, for instance, has a special bus that makes rounds for the athletes who have no means of transportations. There is only 1 high school in all of Monroe County and some kids spend hours on buses. 17 miles is really nothing compared to what others are faced with. [/ QUOTE ] But that isnt Tazewell County... or Virginia for that matter. In all my year of going to Tazewell County Schools and now working in them have I never seen a bus run for students participating in sports. [/ QUOTE ] I have never seen nor heard of them in this area either, but that is probably because they have never been necessary. Going back to the Monroe County example, they didn't need those buses either before they consolidated. But the true point is that it couldn't that much of a burden on the BOE to implement a bus or two for that very instance. Judging by the obvious differences between two counties (Tazewell being much more commercialized and "urban", if you will) I am sure that they have the financial means to support an extra school bus or two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EH31 2,517 Report Share Posted February 25, 2008 What about basketball games? Sometimes you play 3 or 4 games a week, getting back to the school at late hours..they're going to have someone be at the school to drive everyone home at 10 or 11? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hokie07 11 Report Share Posted February 25, 2008 [ QUOTE ] What about basketball games? Sometimes you play 3 or 4 games a week, getting back to the school at late hours..they're going to have someone be at the school to drive everyone home at 10 or 11? [/ QUOTE ] As "crazy" as it sounds.... YES! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBlueAlum 12 Report Share Posted February 25, 2008 [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] What about basketball games? Sometimes you play 3 or 4 games a week, getting back to the school at late hours..they're going to have someone be at the school to drive everyone home at 10 or 11? [/ QUOTE ] As "crazy" as it sounds.... YES! [/ QUOTE ] I doubt it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EH31 2,517 Report Share Posted February 25, 2008 If they are going to be fair about all of this, which I doubt they are, then I don't see where they're going to be saving any money at all? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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