Guest Logic

The following was written by our old friend Robert Monnie who writes a weekly column for The Link. Unfortunately, the editor of The Link, Leighton Smells, decided to make the Link's website a pay site so this blogger can no longer enjoy Mr. Monnie's columns for free online. Alas, even though I can't read the text of the Letters to the Editor, I can still see the pretty pictures of all the Yards of the Month and the various ribbon cuttings attended by all of the local dignitaries. Enjoy.

Productive Politicians

"The Race to the Top program expands the federal role in education
by offering pieces of silver in exchange for strings attached to
Washington. More federal money for education will not solve our
problems. Schools need less, not more, federal intrusion to increase
student achievement. The previous two rounds of Race to the Top were
not competitive grant programs; they were top-down directives forcing
states to adopt programs favored by Washington. Respectfully, South
Carolina will not apply for this money.
"I urge President Obama and Secretary (of Education) Duncan to
spend their time supporting efforts to reduce the role of the federal
government in education by working with Congress to pass an Elementary
and Secondary Education Act that decentralizes education policy.
States and schools need flexibility, not more federal mandates, to
meet the academic needs of students, empower parents with more
choices, and reward excellent teachers for their success in the
classroom."
State Superintendent of Education Mick Zais in remarks last week
that South Carolina would not participate in a new round of the
federal Race to the Top program that was announced by the U.S.
Department of Education.
Zais is right, of course. With his ten year track record in
turning around the fortunes of Newberry College into one of the
premier small colleges in the state in addition to 35 years of
leadership experience in the Army, the retired Brigadier General knows
leadership. He is a productive politician.
One local example of many to prove Zais' point involves the
mathematics programs at Chesterfield and McBee High Schools.
Specifically, both of these schools have consistently been well above
the state average in passing rates for the end of course exams for
Algebra I which is taken by virtually all high school students at
least once during grades 9 through 12.
In the case of McBee, the past three years of Algebra I EOC
results have been particularly exceptional. In 2009, the passing rate
was 82.5 percent followed by an increase to 94.1 percent in 2010. The
preliminary data for 2011 for the exams completed earlier this month
indicates a passing rate in the 90th percentile range. For some
reason, it takes the state department of education four or five months
after the fact to release the EOC exam results for the four tested
subjects.
At any rate, South Carolina schools have to look no further than
McBee math teachers Omoro King and Susan Moore to learn how to develop
and maintain successful, if not superb, algebra programs. Washington
D.C. cannot fix local learning shortfalls with a 500 mile screwdriver
from the Potomac River to the Little Pee Dee River.
Another politician with the moniker of Mick has also been quite
productive the past few weeks with constituent visits in Chesterfield
and Darlington counties. Fifth District Congressman Mick Mulvaney
(R-S.C.) viewed operations at a multi-million dollar agri-business
prior to talking with McBee High School teacher agriculture Pat Earle
who recently earned the rare honor of selection to the National
Teachers Hall of Fame. Mulvaney also chatted with aspiring Eagle
Scouts and the McBee senior class.
After some briefings in the town of Chesterfield, Mulvaney took
time to relax by watching game two of the Class A baseball state title
series between Chesterfield and Lakeview.
Last Saturday, Mulvaney was the commencement speaker at the
graduation exercises of the prestigious Governor's School for Science
and Math in Hartsville. All GSSM graduates are planning to attend four
year colleges. Sixty-two percent of the GSSM class of 2011 will attend
college in South Carolina. Notable out-of-state schools that 2011
graduates will attend include Harvard, the Air Force Academy,
Vanderbilt, Notre Dame and Georgia Tech.
Mulvaney gets it. Not only does an elected official vote on
legislation, he also votes with his time by telling his constituents
what he deems important. In the instances cited above, our
congressman demonstrated that he deems local businesses, youth
leadership development (FFA, Boys Scouts), sound education and
competitive athletics to be important.
State Sen Vincent Sheheen (D-Camden) and House Speaker Pro Tem Jay
Lucas (R-Hartsville) also get it. Both of these productive
politicians spoke at Earle's notification ceremony for the NTHOF in
addition to last week's World War II memorial ceremony in McBee.