New Friends

There are a couple of articles on the Inner Banks Eagle that cover the Civitas Institute Conservative Conference. You should check them out.

There were a lot of important people there at the conference and I got the chance to chat with a lot of them. Here are a few that you may know.

Fred Barnes. Currently more pessimistic than he should be about the future, but he is still a good guy.



Angela McGlowan. Fomer Miss Washington DC . . and smarter than she is beautiful. Author and Fox News Analyst. Very conservative and a great fighter for expanding the Republican Party. Her book "Bamboozled" is going to cause a tsunami among the great number of conservative blacks who don't yet realize the power they can gain by changing parties. You can hear Angela present her own case intelligently and persuasively in a 30 minute interview with Andrew Clark, Sr. of Memphis by clicking here

Joe McLaughlin. County Commissioner in Onslow County . . . and the man who is taking on Walter Jones in next years Republican Primary. Former Marine.





Michael Steele. There are some men you meet with charisma and a bearing which tells you they are solid people. Former Lt. Governor of Maryland, as a Republican, in an overwhelmingly Democrat state. Should have been the Senator from Maryland too. May well be that or hold even higher office before things are done. He lost a race but this man has never been defeated. There is a difference. Impressive man.

Rotary Fish Fry -Annual Cookout

The Windsor Rotary changed their meeting on Thursday (both time and place) to make it more fun. They had their annual fish fry cookout at the veterans building . . . and the event was a great time for all.

Current and former members and their wives were invited.





The white perch were fresh . . over 200 of them for a crowd of about 40.





They were cooked carefully . . . and perfectly.





Everyone got down to business quickly . . . with loaded plates.





Conversation slowed down while people attended to the business at hand.





Seconds were the order of the day until all the food was gone. You should have been there. The Windsor Rotary meets every Thursday at the Carolina Country Restaurant at Noon. The good works they do is matched by the good fun they have. You should come see what it is all about.

Bertie County Schools

When I ran for the Board of Education last year, this was how I explained my hopes for education in Bertie County.

Bertie County is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Formed as a Peninsula between the Roanoke and Chowan Rivers and feeding into Albemarle Sound, this area is one of God’s chosen places. So why are we losing population while the state of North Carolina is growing? Why are our tax rates 85% higher than the 10 richest counties in the State? Why has our retail community deteriorated to the point you must leave the county to buy a decent pair of socks. Why have we allowed our school system to founder while spending more money per student than most other counties . . . even most other nations? Despite great teachers and good intentions, we are improving in inches while improvement is needed in miles. We need major change in a county where the culture is to resist change. Before we change we have to decide if we are ready for change. Are we ready for change?

Before you answer, remember the money involved. The Board of Education spends 30 million dollars. The County Commissioners spend 17 million dollars, not on education, but their total budget including all other county needs. The biggest entity in Bertie County is the School System, and they are not carrying their weight in preparing Bertie County for the future. Are we ready for change yet?

I believe we have to chart a new strategy in education for Bertie County that starts with the belief that we can provide our children with a great education. That new strategy must be based on returning to the basics of teaching that made our education system the best in the world until the last couple of decades.

The proven historical strategy we need to adopt to make real change for our children focuses on four issues:

Teaching Empowerment.
Community Empowerment.
Embracing Technology.
Spending Wisely.

These issues will allow us to do as they did down in Okaloosa Florida, "clear out the underbrush of educational fashions and learning fads that have cluttered our schools, muddled our teaching, and disserved our children for too long." I would like to explain what these four issues mean to me.

Teaching Empowerment

Change starts in the classroom. Teaching empowerment and effective instruction are the same thing. We need to empower teachers to teach the state curriculum with the focus being on student results and the resources needed to get them. To clearly define our goals the following actions are needed.

1. Our focus needs to move from the central office to the schools. We should decentralize money and organization so that our activities support instruction from a classroom perspective. We must build programs and budgets that are driven by student academic needs at the classroom and school level. Recently the education establishment has centralized the budget process so that budgets are built and controlled from a central office perspective. Returning to the historical method of budgeting money to the students has resulted in some of the fantastic success stories that are happening in our nation.

2. We must provide student level standardized test performance data for use by principals, teachers, and parents in a system wide consistent format. This data must be recorded over time and at the student level to gauge performance against the grade or subject matter levels. This data will become the basis for a School Performance Plan which should be internet accessible with appropriate security. This plan will be the basis to focus needed changes as determined by teachers, principles and parents to serve our children.

3. Wherever possible we should have previously “central office” personnel assigned to schools for best support and we should have those positions report to principals. This insures the best utilization of these resources at the point of instruction. Any remaining central office job descriptions should be charged with responsibility for student achievement in some significant way. Everyone’s goals should be tied to improving student success in a measurable way.

4. Principals must become the instructional leaders of each school with this instructional leadership role having a higher priority than the traditional management function of the principal position. Principals will drive the changes needed in curriculum and instruction and will serve as the change catalyst for implementing policies and practice that may conflict with current ways of doing things. The principal’s focus will move from being adult centered administrator to instruction centered leader. This new principal must have the ability to judge teaching effectiveness, evaluate student performance and adjust efforts through test results, and make sure resources are allocated to areas with the greatest need.

5. We must end social promotions, eliminate grade inflation as a matter of district policy and restore discipline to our schools. Social Promotion only puts the student in a more daunting learning environment and makes it harder for the teacher to accommodate varying levels of ability in a lesson plan that is already challenging. All grading must be based on the student’s academic achievement. This insures each student has mastered the skills for each grade level. Holding people accountable and assuring discipline will create a totally different environment for our children, one conducive to learning.

6. Focus on student results and not the process. The state has defined the curriculum and how we will test our success in teaching it (that is the process). Principals must insure teachers focus on individual instruction and move beyond whole-group-instruction. We must end pull out programs which take students out of their grade level curriculum. We must provide supplemental instruction for deficient skills. This will be accomplished through a School Performance Plan that outlines the instructional focus areas (by student and subject) for each school on an annual basis. The result must be that the student is the focus of the plan.

7. We must partner with the county commissioners to fund a county stipend that supports teachers who meet or exceed certification and student testing goals and challenges those who don’t with a fair improvement plan that is supported by continuing education and mentoring. Results will drive rewards in the new environment. I would like to see a significant portion of our county money given to this teacher reward process as soon as practical. Though that sounds excessive, would anyone object if the result was tied to Bertie County becoming one of the top school systems in the state?


Community Empowerment

Give real authority to the community. Making people feel they are part of the ongoing process and direction of our educational system, rather than every four years at the ballot box, is something we must do or apathy will destroy our system. If people feel like they have some degree of control over the direction of their schools we will see increased volunteerism and community support to improve our schools. We must make the educational experience inviting and supportive for all stakeholders. Community empowerment is important work. Making people feel welcomed and included must start at the board of education level. Stakeholder involvement needs to occur during the process and not after major decisions and strategies have been set. When elected, these are the key programs I would seek to implement.

1. Along with the cultural change of having our instruction and budgets be driven from the school, we will be making parents partners in the instructional focus and budget implementation for their school. We will increase parent and community involvement by implementing a school advisory council at each school with real power. This council will serve as an advocacy group to balance and check the decision making process of the school as it relates to instructional and financial initiatives. This group helps insure that all decisions are based on the academic needs of the students. This group will have oversight in the development of The School Performance Plan at each school and must sign off on the plan before it can be implemented. This plan is developed based on analyzing end of grade testing and developing instructional programs, plans and resources for specific student groups to drive performance. The School Performance Plan will be the action plan for instructional focus and the basis for developing the discretionary instructional spending budget in each schools annual budget. The majority of the council will be elected from the parents of children at the school. The rest will be appointed by the district board member and approved by the board of education. Term limits will be worked out by the board. No advisory council members or members of their immediate family can work for the Bertie School System.

2. With like minded board members I will create a partnership with the county commissioners and make sure they are included in long range capital and strategic planning that could call on taxpayer resources. My hope is this process can be formalized and both boards would meet together at least twice annually. A joint strategic and long range capital committee should be formed to bring the boards more in sync on an ongoing basis.

3. We will actively seek and develop a formal volunteer program. The program will be supported by a volunteer handbook which will outline how volunteers will interact with faculty and staff. We will develop a web based volunteer site to recruit, schedule, educate, and appreciate volunteers. This program will teach students the value of community and provide a support group that will be needed as our instruction becomes more segment focused within the same classroom. We need to begin to explore ways to develop afternoon tutoring programs in partnership with each community and help staff these programs. We have not utilized the wealth of volunteer resources. Developing this resource for the board will be a major focus if I am elected.

4. I will work with other community minded board members to build partnerships and show our community partners how important they are to the board and our educational system. I will push for having at least one board meeting in each district during the year and for having meetings in the early evening hours for parent convenience. I will push for public comment times to be on the agenda at the most convenient times for our educational advocates who attend board meetings. I promise that I will hold a town hall style meeting in my district every quarter and welcome anyone in the county to attend. I will do everything in my power to make sure we communicate to the point you tell us to stop. More on this in my technology section.

5. Community located elementary schools will be a preference of this board member if elected. Students perform better in community schools.


Embracing Technology

Learn to use the power of technology. Technology today is producing amazing improvements in productivity. Many of these technology improvements are based on the Internet. Since the mid 90s corporations have been focusing on the strategy advantages of understanding the Internet and using the advantages to create huge leaps forward. There are numerous specific uses of technology in enhancing the world of education. However using technology means getting past simply buying computers and putting them into the schools, but developing programs and training teachers in how to use the leverage power of technology to expand career opportunities for our children. This requires focusing on the two most important aspects of the Internet for education, distance learning and knowledge research, making sure every teacher is expert in both.

1. Every school person must be able to use email effectively. Every teacher and principal will be reachable by email, and we will implement some of the business community’s expectations that email is answered the same day it is received.

2. All public meetings at school or central administration will be reported promptly on the school system web site, and will not be considered complete until so posted.

3. All student reports must be filed electronically, and available to parents online with proper security.

4. Homework assignments, schedules of tests, and outlines of special classes being taught will be online, so parents can follow what their children are doing.

5. The distance learning capability of the Internet is especially important as it allows for the computer to become an “assistant teacher” working one on one with the student to maximize the lessons the teacher is charged with providing, and providing easy access to specialized tutors from across the world on topics of specific interest.

6. The vast array of knowledge available on the Internet will be a special focus. This knowledge is useless unless you are trained in the research techniques and use of the search engines that the Internet offers. Use of these tools and the support facilities such as “chatting” with tutors and experts will be taught to all teachers. The numerous low cost classes available on the Internet will reduce costs in many areas while dramatically broadening the scope of instruction available. The focus will be to make the Internet a “library” in the classroom. That way learning can become interactive and immediate, the best and most exciting way for children.


Spending Wisely

Manage our money like a business. Everyone in Bertie County who reads a paper or watches TV knows what can happen when responsibility is not a priority. We are a low wealth county and our resources must be diligently guarded. Spending in the classroom cannot come at the expense of other areas. When a hard choice in spending allocation must be made the classroom must win. I will be a diligent watchdog to insure that our teachers and children are the first focus for our spending. My focus for spending will be as follows.

1. Instruction will drive spending. We will create a culture where all requests for money will be tied to student needs and student results will measure the results of spending. Did we get the results we were seeking? Our instruction focus will be clearly shown for the districts budget since it will be an accumulation of each school’s budget and performance plan, which we have called the School Performance Plan. Our budgets and performance against them will be open for the community to see. They will have oversight from the school advisory councils and be available on the web as each reporting period is closed. We will make sure our financial data is open to the community.

2. Capital budgets will be followed or changes reviewed prior to implementation. We will never again risk our relationship with the community and county commissioners over projects not done in the full light of day.

3. We will use our successes to justify increases in funding rather than blame our performance on a lack of funding. Bertie County’s funding (state, federal, and local) historically has been above the state average on a per pupil basis. Sometimes more than 20% greater than the state per pupil average. Study after study has proved that there is no shortage of money in education. There is a shortage of accountability.

4. We will implement modern accounting methodologies that rely on budgeting and auditing with simultaneous different views of our money and the responsibilities to the different funding agencies. Businesses understand that keeping track of money for both generally accepted accounting practices and for local, state and federal taxes, plus budgeting for stockholder accountability and various overlapping management budgeting processes for rewards and bonuses, requires a sophisticated budget process that keeps track of money in more than simple ways. In schools we have to report money expended to satisfy federal, state and local reporting requirements demanded by law, but this does not mean that we do not capture the details about how money is spent so that we can report money spent on a specific student. We can do both!

To summarize, this is what I think are the key issues for future success.
Teaching Empowerment
Community Empowerment
Embracing Technology
Spending Wisely

Much has changed in our education system recently. The new Board of Education is placing the emphasis on our children. We do not yet have a permanent superintendent who will focus on our children's scores instead of personal glory from building new schools, but there is hope. All indications are the interim superintendent is focusing on the children and that is a great sign.

The rumor is that the SBI will shortly issue indictments of those who committed crimes in the past and wasted our school system's money. That will also be a great sign. Essentially a milestone necessary to remind us all that integrity in our schools is the only acceptable way.

Bertie County can be the best.

I am still committed to helping make that happen. I still think that the agenda outlined above has many facets that we should be implementing when the time is right. I encourage the Board of Education to continue on its current path of progress, not confrontation.

Discussion Continues On QZAB Funds

by Cal Bryant - April 20th, 2007 - Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald

WINDSOR - It appears Bertie High School is on its way towards much-needed improvements.

However, there remains a strong feeling within [some of] the Bertie County Board of Commissioners that a new high school is needed.

At their mid-month meeting here Monday night, the commissioners continued their discussion on QZAB (Qualified Zone Academy Bonds) funds earmarked for improvements at the high school.

This discussion will be one of the most important discussions we will have on the direction of our schools. J.P. Law Elementary School sits idle in a county that is not growing. Askewville Elementary sits idle in a county that is not growing. With the completion of the new Middle School, C.G. White will sit idle in a county that is not growing. Southwestern will also sit idle in a county that is not growing. It will sit idle until the Board of Education finds some way to use it that does not waste money we need for our children's classrooms. (The idea is to move Central Administration to Southwestern, however I hope it is done cost effectively.)

History and tradition are important in our society and important in our schools. The best schools are always schools that have tradition and history behind them. That tradition is related to the buildings that an institution is housed in. No major University in the world ever fails to recognize that hanging on to their buildings is an important element in reverence for the tradition of education. They renovate. New buildings are only created to accommodate growth of the University. Most of our Universities are using buildings from the 1700s and 1800s. They keep them maintained and they are still excellent buildings.

Three facts are important. Bertie County is not growing. The building structure of our current high school can last for centuries. Renovation is always less expensive than building new unless you have to redo the structure itself.

The millions that can be saved by renovation rather than new construction can be directed into our classrooms for education. However it is the same people who ignore the fact that we are already in the top 25% in spending per student who insist we have to spend more money on education. They are also the ones that want to waste money on new facilities that will not teach any child.

The traditions and history of Bertie High School should not be wasted. It has been over 10 years since appropriate maintenance has been spent on our high school. It has already been pretty much accepted that the earliest we could get the funds for a new high school is 7 years, and that is optimistic. The State of North Carolina is growing rapidly and the formula for sharing bond money (which we still have to help repay) will be focused on the rapidly growing counties and cities. Bertie County is not growing and cannot expect much help in the current situation any time soon unless we start to grow. Increasing taxes to build a wasteful new school is not going to help get our economy growing. In fact it could kill chances for growth. Building a new school while we are not growing and our children are struggling to learn makes absolutely no sense.

How many more years will be wasted while not bringing our current school up to the top through facility maintenance? Every year we wait, another class of our children is essentially told, "you are not important enough for us to give you a decent school!" If we built a new high school, at the earliest 8 more years of our children will pass through the current high school before any child will "benefit". That "benefit" is in quotes because our student scores have dropped continuously during the time we have built the new middle school. Let's focus on the children in school now and who will be there in the near future. We need to start educating them.

New schools do not improve student achievement. New schools are for the egos of adults and school administrators . . . not the children. When are we going to work towards teaching our children and stop worrying about the wishes of adults?

The important discussion in Bertie County should be quickly bringing our current high school up to top standards. We must sell off some of the empty school buildings that we currently have sitting idle, or will have idle soon, and spend that currently idle money making our current school like new.

We are not growing and the idea of adding another empty school to our current huge warehouse of empty schools borders on . . . . you pick the word. Insanity is all I can think of.

Sheryl Crow Proposes Global Warming Fix

"I propose a limitation be put on how many squares of toilet paper can be used in any one sitting...", Sheryl Crow.

That is the problem! Global warming is your fault because you use too much toilet paper. Now if we could only figure out just how your using so much toilet paper is causing the global warming on Mars, we could end all this confusion about whether global warming is caused by man here on Earth.

ROTFLMAO

Hammond And Dotoratos In Concert

Pianist Gary Hammond and violinist Ray Dotoratos gave a great concert at the Martin County Auditorium last night. Check out the article on the Down-East Patriot.


Ray Dotoratos and Gary Hammond

Gun For Sale

Story by Bob Fringer



An elderly turkey hunter once remarked that he didn’t mind dying but he was sure going to miss turkey hunting. You know, I can relate to that remark because I, too, have been badly infected by an extreme case of “turkey fever.” It wasn’t the matter of shooting a gobbler but the entire experience of hunting that elusive bird that fascinated me. I enjoyed getting out in the woods early in the morning, listening to the all the different birds greet the dawn and see the new morning come to life. To hear a thunderous gobble from a male turkey was just icing on the cake.

I could not wait until the 2006 season started. It couldn’t begin soon enough. I had spent a great deal of time in the winter months during deer season scouting for turkey signs. Starting in mid-march, I began to rise early in the morning, sit along certain wooded areas and listen for the male birds to gobble before they flew down from their night- time roosting sites. It was a little too early in the year to hear the birds but I went out at dawn anyway. By the time the season rolled around I had located half dozen places where turkeys were roosting. I was pumped up and ready to go!


On the first day I chose a place where I had experienced good luck in previous years. I had checked the area out earlier in the year and discovered that the old logging road where I wanted to hunt had become overgrown by tall weeds during the previous summer. However, I thought I could see well enough to spot a turkey if one were to wander by.

Early that morning I grabbed all my hunting gear and headed off to my hunting location. I took my Remington model 870, 12 gauge 3-inch magnum shotgun with me. I had won the gun in a raffle at a wild turkey federation banquet a few years earlier. There was just something about that gun that I didn’t like but I couldn’t put my finger on it. In addition, I was not particularly fond of that gun after missing a turkey the previous hunting season while the bird was standing in open field only 10-15 yards away from me. However, off I went.

I quietly walked along an open field for several hundred yards, slipped into the woods about 50 yards and set up my turkey decoys along that old road. When I sat down I knew I had made a mistake. The visibility was terrible. I could not see more than five yards in any direction. By this time dawn was breaking and it was getting too late to make a move so I decided to stay where I was. I had no sooner sat down when I heard a couple of male birds greet the new day with some lusty gobbles. Shortly afterward, I heard a noisy confrontation between two gobblers who were busy establishing the pecking order for the day. After I sat there for about an hour I heard a hen turkey give a few yelps as she sought some male company. Ten minutes later, I heard the rustle of some leaves. I cautiously turned my head and was surprised to see two gobblers walking in full strut about five yards behind me. I was unable to move around for a shot and was disappointed as the two birds slowly disappeared into the tall weeds.

I stayed in the same location for another half an hour and then moved over to the field and put my decoys out in front of me. After I was sitting there for some time I glanced over to my right side and when I looked back I was amazed to see a gobbler in full strut standing beside my decoys. Another bird was standing about five yards farther to my left. The one bird was no more than 25 yards away. I cautiously brought my gun up to my shoulder, put my cheek on the gunstock, carefully aimed and pulled the trigger at the strutting bird. I was dumbfounded to see the bird quickly spin to the left and start running away. I unleashed two more unsuccessful shots behind the sprinting gobbler. I could not believe I had missed that bird. To this day I can still relive that shot and wonder why I missed—but I did.

After I returned to my truck I looked at that miserable gun and decided that the two of us had to part company. I knew it could not have been my fault that I had missed two turkeys. There was something wrong with that gun! One of my friends remarked that the gun was ok but there was a problem with the nut on the gunstock. Was he talking about me? So, if any of you reading this story want to buy a slightly used shotgun, I have one for sale. Cheap!


Bob Fringer
March 16, 2007

P. S. That gun is history now. I sold it.

North Carolina's Greatest Golf Course

That Golf Course is at Innsbrook Golf and Boating Community, Merry Hill, NC. It is almost finished! At least close enough to see what it will become.

Last year this time Innsbrook Golf And Boating Community started construction on the 18 hole Arnold Palmer Signature Golf Course portion of their development on the banks of the Albemarle Sound in Eastern Bertie County near Merry Hill. Two weeks ago I drove out and took a look at the course and it was something special. It is only eighteen months since they got started on this great new facility, Innsbrook. At that time I did an article about the dream Bobby Ware had of what this facility would become. You can read that article here.




After I saw how far they had come, I contacted Bobby and asked if I could do an updated article on the golf course. He felt at first that it would be better to wait until closer to the time the course is opened, but he let me go ahead with this article on interim progress. I appreciate it. He arranged for me to ride around the course with Chris Catron in an off road vehicle they use to get around this huge complex called Innsbrook.

When I got up yesterday I didn't think we were going to be able to do the tour as the sky was heavily overcast and the prediction was for rain. However the afternoon turned out beautiful. Though the course was not as green as two weeks ago due to the freezing sleet and snow we got last week, it still showed what a beautiful course and housing community this will be. When the brown grass turns green again, it will be even more beautiful.




The brochure describes the course this way, "From the moment you stand on the first tee and gaze across the greens, until you reach the eighteenth hole, you will marvel at the the design of the 'Arnold Palmer Signature Course' at Innsbrook". It certainly seems they have attained the excellence they sought. This course is magnificent.

This picture tour will show you the view from the tee and the approach shot to the green of every one of the 18 holes. (Don't forget that you can click on the thumbnail pictures in the article and open up a large size photo of any you want to see in detail. Each hole has a course map that is oriented with North pointing straight up, so golfers can figure out the direction of the sun at any time of day.)

Let's get started!

First Hole - Par 4 - 416 Yards








Second Hole - Par 4 - 420 Yards








Third Hole - Par 3 - 187 Yards





Fourth Hole - Par 4 - 398 Yards









Fifth Hole - Par 5 - 581 Yards

Sixth Hole - Par 4 - 441 Yards









Seventh Hole - Par 3 - 194 Yards





Eighth Hole - Par 5 - 561 Yards









Ninth Hole - Par 4 - 437 Yards (Tee picture from the second tee, not the pro tee)







Front Nine - Par 36 - 3635 Yards

Tenth Hole - Par 4 - 435 Yards








Eleventh Hole - Par 5 - 523 Yards




Can you see the green through the trees? You better be able to pull your drive!




Twelfth Hole - Par 4 - 336 Yards







Thirteenth Hole - Par 4 - 404 Yards







Fourteenth Hole - Par 3 - 240 Yards




Beautiful View of Salmon Creek on the left with Albemarle Sound out beyond.




Fifteenth Hole - Par 4 - 454 Yards


Par 4? You have to be kidding! You can't see the green until you are almost there and you have to thread a needle to get there.






Sixteenth Hole - Par 4 - 446 Yards




A lot of balls will wind up in that lake on the left!




Seventeenth Hole - The Signature Hole - With a simply awesome view of the Albemarle Sound - Par 3 - 152 Yards






Eighteenth Hole - Par 5 - 538 Yards - Water on the right - water around the green!

Back Nine - Par 36 - 3828 Yards

Total Course - Par 72 - 7463 Yards

What a beautiful course! Long and tough. There is no easy hole anywhere. I have no doubt it will be the greatest course in North Carolina and rival the best in the world. Because it is out near the Sound, the constantly changing wind . . . . and the layout of the holes with regard to the sun, mean this course will be different every time you play it.

From hole 14 until the end there is no more beautiful section on any golf course in the world. You are never out of sight of the Albemarle Sound. The signature hole, seventeen, is as beautiful as anything on Pebble Beach.




So that is the golf course. However Innsbrook is also a new gated housing community. The first gated community in Bertie County. The first home in the community is nearing completion along with the Golf Course. This is Chris Catron's dream home. It is everything you could want, with magnificent views of the Albemarle Sound and the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Holes.




Innsbrook looks to be everything promised.




Go check it out. The sales office is staffed daily and they will be glad to show you Innsbrook. For more information, call them at (800) 482-9012 or (252) 482-5065 or email - info@innsbrookgolfandboat.com

Windsor Rotary Hears About Conservation

Brian Short, Soil Conservationist from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, was the speaker at yesterday's weekly Rotary luncheon.

Brian gave a fascinating recap of the major conservation programs that his department is helping with in our area. Three that he covered in detail included the Wetlands Reserve Program, the Environmental Quality Incentives Program to assist farmers who face threats to soil, water, air and related natural resources on their land, and the Wildlife Habitat Improvement Program which is focusing on Bobwhite Quail recovery here in North Carolina.




Steve Wishall presented Brian with the traditional cobalt blue coffee mug as a thank you.

Brian is located here in Windsor. If you have other questions about these or any of the other programs available to help with conservation in our area, Brian can be contacted at (252) 794-5305 or by email at brian.short@nc-usda.gov

Truth About Global Warming

A recent poll of climatologists found that 90% agreed with the statement: “scientific evidence indicates variations in global temperature are likely to be naturally occurring and cyclical over very long periods of time.” So much for the claim that "most" scientists accept that global warming is caused by man.

Why do climatologists agree with the statement above? Here are a few facts that support their rejection of the political hysteria about global warming being caused by man (as espoused by Al Gore).

1. Jupiter, Mars, Pluto, and Neptune’s moon are verified to be undergoing ‘global warming’ coinciding with the earth. How is man causing that?
2. In the year 1000 A.D., earth’s climate was much warmer than it is now. Vikings raised crops and cattle in Greenland. It was the greatest time ever for food production (before modern technology based farming) and led to the Renaisance, a high period in mankind's ease in living on this planet. If global warming was so good then why is it bad now?
3. The highest solar activity in the last 1000 yrs has been recorded recently and coincides with the fact the sun is now burning hotter than in the last 1000 years. Why is that evidence ignored?
4. The amount of sunspot activity bottomed out during the latter half of the 17th century. This was named the Maunder Minimum and coincided with an abnormally cold period that is typically called the Little Ice Age. It led to winter snow staying on the ground for weeks in Eastern Carolina, typical of the climate around Winnipeg Canada today. Is this supposed to be good?

The reality is that the earth is getting WARMER THAN IT WAS DURING THE LITTLE ICE AGE. That does not mean it is man caused or that it is bad. The hysteria being touted by Al Gore requires you to believe two facts that are credibly denied by history and science.

1. Global warming does not appear to be bad for man. Just look at the Renaisance.
2. Global warming does not appear to be man created. Just look at Mars.

When people argue that you should turn over political power to them to fix two hypothetically related problems that cannot be intelligently defended you have to question their motives and their integrity, especially considering the economic devastation that will result from their solution to global warming.

The Al Gore position is a chicken little position. The sky is not falling.

Bracy Resigns Bertie Seat

by Brent Todd - April 6th, 2007 - Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald

Michael Bracy, one of two newly seated members of the Bertie County Board of Education, announced that effective May 31, 2007, he will resign his seat as a member of the board.

Bracy, who made the announcement on April 3, has been offered and has accepted a position as Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources, Testing and Accountability with Jones County Public Schools in Trenton.

Bracy expressed sentiments that after much discussion and prayer, his loyalties had to be with his family and career.

[snip]

Mrs. Bracy will join her husband in furthering her education career in Jones County.

Mike Bracy is a very bright man who could have provided valuable insights into the problems we are faced with here in Bertie County if he had finished his term of office. He has been in office less than 4 months out of a 4 year term.




Mike Bracy With Family After His Recent Election To Board Of Education

Windsor Rotary Hears About Retirement Planning

The speaker for this week's Rotary Luncheon was Brent Downing, Vice President with Planco, a member of the Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. The presentation was on financial planning with an emphasis on adequate returns for our current trends in retirement.




Brent explained the kind of services he could provide in analyzing and setting goals for the allocation of retirement assets to help attain adequate growth while securing assets for an individual investor. He recommended the need for people to make adequate plans for retirement but with less emphasis on caution than in the past. This recommendation is influenced by the new reality that people are living much longer. The level of caution needed in past retirement planning can be too cautious in the world of modern medicine where long life is so much more likely. This longer life can exhaust retirement funds if past practices are continued and this impact must be considered.

If you have any questions about the presentation, Brent can be contacted at (252) 413-9382 or by mail at brent.downing@thehartfordfunds.com

Bertie High Targeted For $2 Million Renovation

by Cal Bryant - April 4th, 2007 - Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald

In their meeting here yesterday (Monday) morning, the Bertie County Board of Commissioners approved two resolutions that will pave the way for $2 million in much-needed renovations to the 40-plus-year-old high school.

In his presentation to the commissioners, Bertie Schools Interim Superintendent Dr. Michael Priddy suggested the $2 million be applied to install a new roof and for new heating and cooling units at Bertie High.

“The high school is not in very good shape,” Dr. Priddy said. “The question becomes do we replace it or improve it?”

The most important aspect of this question is its impact on the education of our children. Though it was built back in the 60s, our current high school has the potential to be an excellent physical facility if its shortcomings are fixed. There is every indication they can be fixed. Colleges all over America use buildings for 100 to 200 years by maintaining them and periodically upgrading them, not replacing them. The cost effectiveness of this is well established. Building new schools and new school buildings should be done only when there is significant student growth that justifies it.

Even if Bertie County could get the $30 million in bonds to build a new high school, there are two reasons why this should not be attempted.

First, building the middle school has proved that any school construction sucks huge amounts of time from school administrators, diverting their attention from the education of our children into the details of a construction project. This is not what we pay them for. It is a contributing factor in the reason our children are not getting a good education right now. So much time and energy spent trying to build a high school that could not be funded and then additional time spent on the new middle school. It is built now, but when you go look at the new school don't forget that during the entire time it was constructed, our children's test scores continued to deline. Not a legacy I would be proud of.

Second, Bertie County is not growing. Construction of a new high school would leave one more empty building sitting in Bertie County's huge warehouse of abandoned schools. The image of wastefull use of tax payer assets is not what we need to communicate at a time when Bertie County is trying to reverse decades of economic slippage. Even if we get a huge bond money windfall from the state, Bertie County tax payers will still be stuck paying off a major portion of these bonds. That will raise our already too high tax rates. Any funds we get can be more effectively spent upgrading and fixing existing buildings. This can be done in small increments that does not consume education administration resources. This leaves us with better overall facilities for less money.

The best sign is the way this issue is being handled by the County Commissioners and the Board of Education. They are working together for our children. The Board of Education sent Dr. Priddy to request the County Commissioners trust the BOE would live up to their part of the process needed. On Monday night, the BOE voted to execute the program they had asked the Commissioners to support, as they had promised to do.

This is encouraging as an indication that the coming budget process will also be focused on what is best for the children. We need both the BOE and the County Commissioners to continue this cooperation until our children are getting the education focus that they deserve.

Bertie Chooses STEM

There is clearly a need to find some way to teach our children in Bertie County High School more effectively. It is not pleasant to be the focus of attention from Judge Manning with our ongoing poor performance in measurement tests. Nothing will convince me that our children are not as good as the best in the State of North Carolina.

Some of the efforts have included a state requirement (communicated by Howard Lee, Chairman of the State Board of Education) that Bertie County adopt one of 3 special programs to improve our students accesss to advanced courses.

The 3 programs that Bertie was asked to select from included:
* The Talent Development High School
* America's Choice School Design
* The New Schools Project (Also called STEM, for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics)

The technical evaluation showed little difference in the potential between the three programs to serve our children. However the financial evaluation showed the STEM choice to be significantly more cost effective for us. This included a $40,000.00 grant not available for any program except STEM. Bertie was selected for one of the 10 grants. Give credit to our people in Bertie County Schools for winning the grant in a tough competition. Good job.

Additionally the funding of some of the personnel needed for the effort will be provided by the NC DPI.

Following is the Bertie Schools information on STEM as they passed it out at the last BOE meeting explaining their choice.

STEM High School - Preparing Students for 21st Century Careers

What is a STEM High School?
The NC State Department of Public Instruction, the North Carolina New Schools Project, andBertie County Schools are partnering to establish a new, small high school with a science,technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) focus on the Bertie High School campus.

This small school will create a personalized learning environment to encourage students toremain in school and to graduate prepared for work, college, and citizenship.
STEM schools are committed to developing a project-based learning environment to supportthe delivery of a rigorous college preparatory curriculum.
STEM schools strive to prepare ALL students for college, for citizenship, and for potentialwork in STEM-related fields.

How will the Bertie STEM High School be different?
The Bertie STEM High School will be located in one wing of the existing Bertie High School.As with the existing Freshman Academy, students' core academic courses will be taught by ateam of teachers who will collaborate to provide a rigorous, relevant curriculum.

Smaller classes will mean more individualized attention.

Daily advisory sessions will provide all students additional tutorials and the support that they need in order to be successful in rigorous course work.

Curriculum will include advanced mathematics and science studies, to include physics,chemistry, and pre-calculus.

Subjects such as world languages and humanities will be integrated.

Instruction will be designed to
* build problem-solving, reasoning, and analytical skills;
* develop students' ability to collaborate with a team;
* develop students' understanding of the ethical, and moral implications of the decisions that they make in their work and in their lives .

Students will have access to all clubs, organizations, and athletics offered at Bertie HighSchool.

Technology is viewed as an essential tool.

The Bertie STEM High School will implement a standards-focused project-based learning model such as Duke University's Project Lead the Way or Engineering the Future: Designing the World of the 21st Century developed by the Boston Museum of Science.

What are the benefits?
Students participate in a four-year sequence of courses designed to introduce them to the scope, rigor, and discipline of STEM applications prior to their entrance into college.

Smaller class sizes enable more attention from teachers.

Students have multiple opportunities to experience the world of work through job shadowing and work-based learning opportunities.

Who should apply?
Rising freshmen residing within Bertie County are eligible to apply for admission into the STEM High School.

Students must have an interest in pursuing a career in a STEM-related field.

Students with high potential who can fulfill that potential with some assistance are eligible.

Students who may not have been exposed to higher education opportunities but who are willing to work hard are encouraged to apply.

Students must possess the maturity and independence to accept the challenges of this progressive school.

Interested students and their parents must complete an application form and participate in an informal interview.

Student assignment to the STEM High School will be based on a randomized sampling of the applicants. (Random sampling of all applicants will be completed by an outside, nationally recognized educational organization, the Southeast Regional Visions for Education - SERVE.)

The student body at the STEM High School should reflect the demographics of Bertie High School.

State Officials Challenge Bertie School Board

by Cal Bryant - April 2nd, 2007 - Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald

Why can’t you all get along?

That reoccurring theme within Bertie County was addressed again here yesterday (Monday). The only difference this time around was it was an outside source asking the question.

The process recommended here, to have a public meeting and try and get everyone on the same page, is a good one. However it assumes that we can end our own fighting. I hope we can. Can we?

I look forward to hearing some of the other suggestions that came out of this meeting with the State personnel.

Commissioners Approve School Bonds

Yesterday was a big day at the County Commissioners meeting.

Interim School Superintendent Dr. Michael Priddy was present to request help in fixing safety and maintenance problems at Bertie High School.

There is a special program called QZAB bonds that lets us make improvements to our schools at a significant reduction in cost to the county. The request was to use the $2 million balance in our QZAB bonds to repair the roof at Bertie High School. QZAB bonds are a great process to provide money for schools at a fraction of traditional bond costs.

A great deal of thought has been spent in making this an effective use of our tax dollars. While fixing the roof it will be changed to the new "slant roof" concept that reduces maintenance costs for the long haul. There will also be some attention to heating and air conditioning where the costs can be effective in reducing roof maintenance, since the heating and air conditioning units are placed on the roof.

The request by the Superintendent was made with awareness that the Board of Education (BOE ) must also act for this to move forward. That request will be made at the BOE meeting tonight.

An issue that arose was the long term desire of some in Bertie County to get a brand new high school. Unfortunately that is looking more and more unlikely. The latest state plan for school bonds is giving priority to high growth counties and Bertie County with its loss of population fares poorly in that contest. It will be ( in the best of all worlds) at least 7 years before there is any chance to get enough bond money for a new high school. A likely scenario is that it will be closer to the 15 year time frame of the QZAB bonds before money can be obtained. That argues we cannot wait to start fixing some of the critical problems that have been allowed to worsen due to lack of maintenance of our current facility. It is time to start working on reasonable plans to take care of our children within realistic expectations for money. Especially money that can be obtained cost effectively. That is why the QZAB bonds to fix Bertie High make so much sense.

Another issue that will be researched is the suggestion by a Mr. Ben Mathews of the State DPI that there may be ways to free J.P. Law and Askewville Elementary schools from their current bond encumbrance. If so that would allow us to sell these two facilities and generate money to fix problems with facilities that are being used. It would also eliminate the waste of resources maintaining and protecting from vandalism facilities that are closed. There is no surety that he is right but it is worth checking out. The County Manager and Attorney were requested to investigate the suggested course of action. Turning these unused assets into cash is a smart idea.

C.G. White will be another idle building shortly. There are two things that can be done with that. Using it for other government purposes could be desirable but that will cost money and not turn this asset into cash we need so badly. The most important use in my estimation is make sure that we turn this asset into cash to fix some of the other problems at the high school.

Issues that need to be addressed at our high school include safety of athletic facilities, new doors, new windows, updated electrical, heating and air conditioning. We need to focus on getting these things fixed expeditiously. We need our school personnel focused on teaching . . . not focused on new buildings. That is what our children need. An education.

Lets maintain our current facilities and focus on education.

Using these QZAB bonds to fix our high school is an excellent decision.