(Editor’s note: We’re cleaning up this article but the information is final. Bear with the one-sentence paragraphs for a while as the article was written in LIVE! mode.)
SouthsideCentral is LIVE! at today’s Danville School Board meeting. The meeting starts at 4:45 PM and we’ll start our LIVE! coverage around an hour before… or when anything interesting happens.
You know the drill. Refresh the page often for the latest updates.
3:50 PM – Doors to meeting room locked, 5 people waiting.
Interestingly, the security camera is pointed at the waiting area, not the door from the outside.
You’d think for building security purposes, they’d want to see who’s going in or out the exterior doors. Hmm.
4:00 PM – We’re up to 6 people. Much less than the same relative time last meeting.
Now up to 16 at 4:10 PM.
4:30 PM – Doors are open and the seating area is full.
Quote from an informed source: “The School Board members don’t know what’s going on.”
4:40 PM – Everyone gets semi-quiet.
4:45 PM – All members here except Philip Campbell.
We’re underway.
George Wilson questions lack of public comment section. Philip Campbell will be added by speakerphone. Wilson moves to add comment period. Renee Hughes seconds. Wilson wants Campbell on the line to approve the public comment session.
Apparently, Wilson and Hughes are against firing Newsome, and Campbell is with them.
Public comment period is surprisingly approved 6 – 0.
Campbell doesn’t answer his cellphone.
Hiring and transfer is happening now. Public comment section is on hold until Campbell calls in.
Principal named for Schoolfield. Cheryl Bryant questions qualifications and is answered.
Cheryl Bryant asks to limit public comment to 15 minutes total, 3 minutes per person.
Danville United chairman Ron Johnson goes first.
Fire Marshal and her assistant come in along with a Danville Police officer to check for overcrowding.
Jay Dorman speaks about the lack of stability with no GW principal in place. Asking to keep current principal team in place.
Avon Keen up next, asking for more school board disclosure.
Fire Marshal asks all people standing to exit the room due to overcrowding. They move to the hallway which has an occupancy limit as well. Quite interesting.
Dana Tickle, teacher at GW takes the public comment podium. She’s supporting the current principal team.
Marcellus Mack speaks now in favor of Dr. Newsome.
Philip Campbell is now on the phone and in the meeting.
One person got an attitude with the fire marshal’s room clearing. He backed down.
Mary Yeaman speaks in favor of the current GW principal team.
A GW student speaks in favor of Newsome calling him a father figure.
Last speaker is Malvester Muhammad.
Rebecca Bolton is getting an attitude with all of the comments.
Alonzo Jones speaks now. Lee Vogler stands with him.
“We have to move our city forward.” Jones goes on to support the GW principal team.
Vogler speaks and says Newsome has always been responsive to his questions.
One more final speaker who gets Newsome’s name wrong. Former guidance counselor.
This three minute limit and 15 minute total idea was a failure.
Another speaker jumps up, says he’s a guidance counselor and this meeting goea out of control.
Closed meeting starts now as we go out to the hall.
6:10 PM – Closed meeting continues.
6:25 PM – Closed meeting continues. Not understanding the duration, if this buyout deal has been negotiated. Newsome’s supporters are Wilson, Hughes and probably Campbell. There needs to be a 4th vote to save Newsome.
6:45 PM – Closed session continues. Sharon Dones & Steven Gould, incoming board members starting at the next meeting, have been in since the beginning.
6:55 PM – School Board attorney Alan Spencer leaves the meeting with a folder. Closed meeting continues.
7:10 PM – Spencer returns from his City Hall office. Closed meeting continues.
7:20 PM – Showtime. Inside source says Newsome has been signing papers.
Newsome is not in the room.
Newsome resigns for personal and family reasons.
Campbell, Hughes and Wlson vote no on accepting his resolution, but it passes 4-3.
Newsome gets $160,000 as severance in two payments.
Newsome also gets accumulated leave.
This was clearly a forced resignation.
Newsome gets his first payment this week, and second one on January 1st, 2015.
Back to an unrelated closed meeting.
8:00 PM – This closed session continues.
8:30 PM – And continues…
8:50 PM – And continues…
9:05 PM – And continues…
The only big thing left is the GW principal team, and I wouldn’t think that would be handled tonight after Newsome’s departure. And I’m totally wrong about that. Here we go. Everett Johnson from Roanoke is named as principal of Schoolfield. Withers Jackson (current interim GW principal) is named as the official principal at GW, and Kathy Osborne is named acting superintendent for a minimum of 10 weeks.
And that’s it! More coming up on SouthsideCentral!
What is this meeting going to be about?
Um. I’ve made my predictions. Nobody outside the inner circle knows for sure yet.
Little naive of you, SC. Of course people outside the inner circle know–and the fact a mob hasn’t gathered to threaten shows that Newsome is safe.
Personnel, some vacancies need filling and other assignments will be made.
So idkaidc-u dont think it got nothin to do with trying to buy out the superintendent?
Any indication that Hairston is getting together a mob as he did before? That was the tip-off.
I disavow that word “mob”.
Do you disavow that Hairston made a threat at last meeting?
OK. “threatening group” or “group threatening to disrupt racial harmony” or anything nice you like.
Do you really think the board would call a special meeting at a wierd time wth no idea about what’going on?
Just curious, can you vote if you are not in the room?
Yes, new commonwealth rule says you can vote if you are absent, provided that the sitting body approves. The approval happened at the beginning of the meeting.
How can we be sure who is on the other end of the telephone? That is 100% bogus.
Who is schoolfield principal?
Everybody has an attitude….good, bad, or indifferent. What is it about the two individuals whose attitudes have been called out are worth mentioning? And why are they not mentioned? Headlines with no story…
So apparently, Newsome is a “father figure”. That’s funny. He’s only been here a year. Remind me what he’s accomplished?
DPS has a new logo!
Vogler and Jones are wusses====seat warmers and do nothings on city council—vogler was to be new fresh blood—aint done nothing—both are good ole boys
Agreed. Voted for Vogler before and won’t do it again. What a letdown
Oh look. Half the room is vacated but The Nation of Islam gets to speak. Allah akbar.
It seems that the term “father figure” is a strange term but unless you have walked in the shoes of that young child you don’t know why he associates that term with Dr. Newsome. And it is clear that you are on the outside of Danville Public Schools looking in because it should be evident that Dr. Newsome inherited a mess from years ago but of course he gets the blame because he can’t work miracles. I feel that every person deserves time to prove themselves and definitely more than 12 months. As the old saying goes “It is easier said than done”.
I agree with you 100%….we’ll done!
What a joke. Danville is going down the tubes with all this crap going on. Who in their right mind is going to bring a family into this threatening,spliting the city of leadership and weak leadership in the school system. If city council can’t see that and the black members are voting and supporting Newsome because he is black and not because of his lack of leadership they need to quit today..
I completely agree with you. This sounds so familer….oh wait! The 2008 and 2012 presidential election! Let’s vote for a candidate because he’s black and not because of what he stands for! Genius!
BC, I find your comment very offensive because no vote or decision should be made based on color. I think you need to speak for yourself and not for others.
Are you aware of what’s going on in the school system? Do you know how many good teachers with decades of experience we’ve lost this past year?
I agree with that! Which is why I have serious questions about any racial group would vote 96% for a candidate who happens to look like them. Why are you offended when I agree with you?
Obviously you are white and a racist, still sour about a black President?!!
Fireball, are you a parent of a student, a student, a teacher, or someone that has nothing to do with DPS?
I’m a teacher and parent within DPS….and yes, I’m white!
I’m not aware of any current teachers in support of Dr. Newsome.
Well now you are aware of one teacher that is and I didn’t cast my vote on the ballot you sent out to every teacher about voting for Dr. Newsome. I will look for it next time!
Ladies and gentlemen making its first appearance of the night … lets give a warm welcome to the RACE CARD! (Applause). Now we don’t have to discuss anything. Good show fireball. Dumbing down the conversation.
N Ray, you have a right to your opinion but I totally find your comments about Dr. Newsome offensive. What has he personally done to you? In any leadership role there are going to be decisions made by leaders of any ethnic group that we are not going to agree with but I heard a statement sometime ago that said “If a leader didn’t make somebody mad then they aren’t doing their job”. I can’t imagine one individual having the ability to make hundreds, thousands, and millions of different decisions to please hundreds, thousands, and millions of people individually. Simply impossible.
well lets not forget you have to be white to be a racist in Danville.
Didn’t you know that? Racially motivated prejudice is only racist if it comes from “white” people. Otherwise its “social justice”. Because magic privilege and fire hoses and stuff from before I was even born and junk.
SC: Is Newsome present at this meeting?
How can it be legal to phone in a vote?
It’s interesting to me how half of the people here have nothing to do with DPS other than they go to church with Dr. Newsome or Dr. Campbell. It was ridiculous to see Stephen Gould and Sharon Dones kicked out of the meeting when there were too many people. They will be on the board tomorrow and they weren’t even allowed to stay?
Ok so lets describe what an outsider sees, Danville with the river that is polluted from coal ash,,,,,, the population has dropped from over 50 K to middle 40 k , the taxpayer is on the hook for tobacco commission money that was given to companies that did not produce jobs, The electric rates are on the rise again since it seemed smart to charge the customer less than the city was paying for electricity. Racism seems to be alive and thriving among the population. The conceal carry permits are on the rise due to fear of well the last thing I mentioned,,,, there is a school board member who believes she has the right to tell a concerned parent to keep her opinion off social media,,,,,,,,, a city council member that yells at women at work and cause undue stress about an issue he knew about before he made sure she was hired for the job,,,, she had to resign due to his yelling and total lack of professionalism and maturity and lack common decency to women. Yes this is a city that all executives of big companies are looking to bring their wives and children to. O did I mention the school system is a complete mess with no resolution in the near term. …….and the beat goes on.
Didn’t the coal ash spill DOWNSTREAM from Danville? Last time I checked water doesn’t move up a gradient.
last time i checked Eden was upstream of Danville unless Duke moved it after the spill
MLK – coal ash spill occurred upstream. Try google.
The spill was UPSTREAM from Danville.
Weak Board leadership! Weak Board!!! What are they thinking…
Wish you’d tell us whether you’ve seen Newsome or his lawyer present for all this…..
Who will the School Board have to blame now! Who will be the fall guy/girl for these drama filled Board Members……
There is a §anta Claus after all! !!
Who will lead GW?
Yes—who are new principals— wonder what is in store from the NAACP? they said outcry from Black community as last meeting. Yikes
Greg Hairston should be removed as president of the local NAACP after his threat at the last meeting.
He didn’t make a threat. It’s as though people are too ignorant to understand their own language.
threat (noun) – a declaration of an intention or determination to inflict punishment, injury, etc., in retaliation for, or conditionally upon, some action or course; menace
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/threat
Lee Small brain, take your insults somewhere where people care what you think. Hairston said what he said and it was a threat that the supporters would rise up if not heard and satisfied with the decision they desire. Hairston is the president of the NAACP.He used his position to get what he wanted. It was clear there would be problems from the membership of the organization he leads if the board made the wrong choice as far as they were concerned.. .Why do you think the meeting was stopped then and continued till tonight,,,,,To let the temperature cool off some from the statements he made. You clearly are a believer in incompetence.Ignorance is supporting someone who believes more high paid management positions over teachers is getting the job done. Ignorance is seeing the problem and doing nothing to fix it,,,, ignorance is letting someone who is dividing the community with bad decisions continue to do it. He was a bad decision and it needs to be fixed now not later.To act like he will get better is being ignorant to the issues. if he is so good then why is this so bad.
According to the Register & Bee (June 19, 2014) “Hairston also threatened “tremendous outcry from the African-American community” if Newsome’s employment status were to change.” What could be plainer?
You’re talking about the editorial where the premise was give the white people what they want or they’ll take their kids to the private schools? Do you really want to crawl in bed with that?
(Editor’s Note: Lee Vogler is referring to an earlier version of the article. I have since reviewed it and edited it to add information. When articles are in “LIVE!” mode, I may not be able to get things perfectly clear to my readers, but I will always correct things in the editing process. I’m going to leave Vogler’s comment here because it was a fair statement at the time he made it.)
For those who are relying solely on this report to find out what was said or done: let me clarify. To say “Vogler speaks in favor of Newsome” is a poorly given account. I followed Councilman Jones and stated my desire for our city to come together and for our school system to listen to concerns. I said that when I visited all of the schools this year, Dr. Newsome accompanied me on most of them. That is true. I said that whenever I asked for a meeting with him, he set it up. That is true. I said that when I expressed a concern to him, he would hear me out. That is true.
That is what I said this evening. I said nothing about keeping or getting rid of anyone. That is not my place to say. I’m not a teacher or a student. I can’t speak for those issues. I could only say what I personally experienced.
The bottom line is this: school is starting in roughly a month. The city now has to find a new superintendent. My hope is that the engagement we’ve seen from the public in the past few months will continue because now we need to come together and worry about where we’re going in the future.
keep your shorts on—no one here had said you vocalized anything—u only stood on Newsome’s behalf.—community aint gonna come together—-NAACP threatened “OUTCRY” from black community— your headache and council’s headache has just begun if the crystal ball is correct. I see city council refusing to give the city schools less money cause of this. Vengenance for sure. call it what u choose. Ya;ll will act on this. Last spring’s school board budget presentation was a horrible endurance test for Newsome and Paul Hay Mus . where was ya’lls and your support then and councilman jones??? u didn’t stand up for him then…u talking out both sides of your mouth. the city schools will pay for this from city council for years to come.
I think calling this a forced resignation is a bit much. It’s a guy saying that if the system is really so stupid that it would prefer to pay him a buyout rather than fix its issues, he’s smart enough to take the money and go work elsewhere. His skills are clearly in demand based on his resume. We’ve seen his contract. If he wanted to be the embattled Superintendent facing a hostile board, he could have probably walked away with the whole remaining $300,000 on the contract with a bleeding ulcer and a lot of legal fees.
Those of you who bemoaned fewer teachers at GW due to some additional central office personnel can now contemplate where that $160,00 is going to come from. Smart choice. The school system clearly must be rolling in dough.
Who wants to succeed Newsome in this environment? That’s tragic because it’s very important that the new Superintendent have high qualifications and the ability to bring a community fractured by a bunch of ignorant people who insist people supported Newsome because of race together.
I think Lee Smallwood is one of the most rational civil headed people on here writing. He writes and speaks the truth (RATIONALLY).I enjoy everything that he has to say…IT MAKES SENSE!
Lee always have to Show Boat! We are always enlightened after one of your post or verbal dialogs. Are you afraid? Do you think this is not seen as you running for cover? Thank you for once again for milk toast statements.
WHAT HAPPEN IN THE MEETING? I Need a short summary
HE RESIGNED!!?
I will merely say this whole process is disappointing. I am sure he did some things right but it does seem to the outside world that he had quite a few missteps that he then failed to take action on. Should his contract been “purchased”? No. The school board should have taken a more proactive approach the entire year–both to help him and to document when he failed to resolve issues or went directly against the school board’s approval. If they had done that he might have had a better year or at the very least, it would have saved them 160k.
To me this has nothing to do with race other than the people trying to make it a racial thing. Now if he was doing a good job and THEN was fired we could talk about race. But honestly even those who supported him can’t look in the mirror and say he did a good job. I am not talking about the issues he inherited from Sue but regarding the issues that came up THIS year under his leadership. Could he have pulled it out and ended up improving DPS? Maybe but he failed some very simple tests this year so HE took away our chance of ever knowing.
To all School Board Members (as well as City Council Members) now is a time to come together and learn from this situation. It isn’t time to be swept up in politics or drama, it is time to take charge and be active in the selection of his replacement and the entire year. PLEASE understand that the School Board clearly needs to guide the replacement and hold his/her hand during the first few years before you can let them go out on their own.
To all teachers reading this, please think about what you liked about his leadership/plans and what you did not like and provide that feedback to the School Board. Help them look and guide the replacement and continue to be active in this discussion as that is what we all need to repair this system. If you see issues, reach out to the School Board as soon as possible so they can hopefully work on fixing them.
I think everyone is upset one way or another in all of this. When it comes to schools and learning, there is no winning if we can’t LEARN from this situation to improve.
IM offended by your comment about as a teacher- no teacher can say he did a good job. You cannot speak for all teachers . And number 1- i did not rationally expect him to clean up A Decade worth of mess in a one year time frame. thats jus impossible . ANd you should not have expected that either….
Dear Mary Jane,
I am not sure you are reading my post correctly. I didn’t say anything about teachers supporting him or not supporting him. I also didn’t say that I expected him to clean up past issues in his first year–I actually said the opposite. I said that he failed very public tests under his own leadership during his first year. I said I wanted to be a strong supporter but he let everyone down (as did the past School Board for not resolving issues more directly during the year). There is a decent amount of failure to go around but my point is that we ALL need to learn from this and move on. The saddest outcome would be to repeat this mess by not learning from the past.
@Local Business Owner- But How can you say he let everyone now when he has not had adequate opportunity to carry out his action plan. A year is insufficient time… He cannot turn a decade of mess around in one year. No one could have turn the DPS distict around in one year…. I certainly did not expect it too…It takes time ……….I do not feel that he failed. I feel like he was failed to be given a fair chance to move his vision forward…Under his leadership-a new vision was created, a new online database system, the scholars academy and etc
SAD TIMES IN THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM IS ALL I GOT TO SAY SAD TIMES… We dont have money to give teachers pay raises or reduce class sizes at schools like bonner but WE CAN BUY A SUPERINTENDENT OUT-someone who we havnt even given a chance!!! SAD TIMES SAD TIMES SAD TIMES!
I truly wander if Dr. Newsome was white would Greg Hairston and the African American community be in attendance at the school board meetings showing their support. It is truly sad that in 2014 that someone’s race has to be brought into the equation when an African American’s job performance is under scrutiny. It is time to stop seeing black and white and look at the big picture not the color of their skin.
And @Fedup:I wonder if NEWSOME was only white in skin color and not black. Would the school board had voted him out in a one year time instead of giving him an opportunity to improve a messed up system..Its funny no one voted SUE DAVIS out-this system was a mess when Dr. Newsome took it…DON’T PLAY YOURSELF!!……..He inherited a mess lol!!!
It’s Bush’s fault!!!!!!!!!!! It’s Obama’s fault,!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It’s Bush’s fault !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I It’s Obama’s fault!!!!! etc etc etc etc etc It doesn’t matter it just has to be fixed and sooner than later.
I’ll say this — it certainly does need fixing now.
It has happened before.
The last time there was a one year Superintendent, he resigned of his own volition early in the spring effective June 30, and the only controversy was whether or not to let him serve out that lame duck period.
While at the meeting, I saw several people with what appeared to be prayers on cards the size of a business card, with little wooden crosses in their hands. I also heard that some of the people there to support Dr. Newsome had no clue why they were there! That is simply ridiculous, also it was a bit entertaining when one of his supporters stood to speak and called him Mr. Newman.
The school system better be worried about filling all the positions that will be vacant. It also means that they will have no choice but to let us out of our contracts as well.
Are u goin to be teaching at Bonner this upcoming yeAR @ Bonner is Hell on Earth?
I am supposed to but i will not stay. I am filing a discrimination law suit against dps.
A discrimination suit? Bwahahaha. No, you’re not and we both know it.
I am sad about this. Dr. Newsome was nice to me and he was down to earth guy ….. I think that his leaving is Terrible. I wish I would have went to the meeting to speak up. But then again, I feel like the school board already had their decisiion made up..regardless of what people said in his support…
SMH…Most of the comments on this story were a collossal waste of space, most of you should feel ashamed for even writing them!! I guess now I am playing the DUMBA** CARD…..
I am sad about this. Dr. Newsome was nice to me and he was down to earth guy ….. I think that his leaving is Terrible. I wish I would have went to the meeting to speak up. But then again, I feel like the school board already had their decisiion made up..regardless of what people said in his support…
I wish I would have went to the meeting to speak up.,,,,, Did you go to english class?
Earlier she stated she is a public school teacher. Go figure.
Look, none of us know the real issues regarding Newsome. Only the board knkows that and we elected them so we have to trust them.
However, the whole exercise played out here online and in the meeting room highlights a bigger issue. It is sad that some segments of our community are more concerned with “race” than they are that our schools provide good teachers, administrators, and a safe environment conducive to learning. Perhaps this is why many of our children are growing up without manners, respect for one another, or good moral fiber. As long as we have the blinders of “race” on we will never see true colors of what this community can be. I don’t see that ever changing in Danville.
You mean the ignorant people who notice some people share complexion and then jump to the conclusion that the shared complexion is the only reason one is supporting the other? Yes, that’s pretty racially ignorant I agree.
Or the same church? You know as well as I do, that some of his supporters were there because they either attend church with him or Dr. Campbell, or because of his color. It’s the exact same reason as BC stated above, there are always a select group of ignorant people that will vote strictly based on race or religion.
To be more specific, why is it that we should believe it’s about oh Dr. Newsome is black when the much more compelling evidence from the people I have talked to is that Dr. Newsome actually cared about community outreach and the people who rallied to his defense are exactly the people who have been ignored in years past but actually felt they had a voice in the schools thanks to the outreach he did?
bottom line is if he had not agreed to resign the school board would have “fired” him —-some may not even realize that—-now he is laffing all the way to the bank—he got paid June 30 + the 160,000. this week. He not in destitute cause he probably retired in Maryland prior to coming to Danville. he gone and that is the truffffffffffffffff. of de matter. NOw we wait for that outcry from black community—-promise, threat or just talk???? we all got a front row seat.
If they had cause pursuant to the contract to terminate him they wouldn’t have paid him. If they terminated him in violation of the contract, they’d be on the hook for $300,000. My thought is that he said why fight a war?
@Bgood- Please excuse my English at 1:00am in the morning (My eyes were drifting)…. I am very well educated. I guarantee that my credentials are higher than yours probably. I would make a bet on it.
Why was they going to fire him???? Somebody knows something. Did anyone see Mona Whittle at the meeting. What has she been saying?
“Why were…”
I’m guessing, at that point, Dr. Campbell was unable to be reached via phone.
Eyes drifting again? You are a teacher? smh
@SMH-Yes, I was just waking up at that present time. I had an appointment at 10:15. I did not proofread. This is not a formal chat conversation . If I desire to use slang and not be proper on this website then that decision is my personal choice. Thanks.
Excuse you. I speak english very good. I is a lot smarter than you.
There are only seven board members. Is the 3-4 vote for not retaining Dr. Newsome accurate. Because it was previously said that the commmenting was approved 6-0. Shouldn’t it read 7 to zero if there were 7 board members…?
A couple of points:
1. DPS has 6,362 students. Newsome was hired at 150K. Lynchburg Public Schools has 8559 students, their Sup’t makes 158K. The City of Danville has some of the most ridiculous compensation levels in both schools and gov’t. Lynchburg is a much larger city (77K v. 42K for Danville population) with a lot more vitality. Yet somehow Danville pays almost as much as Lynchburg and Roanoke. Southside Central should run a story that compares the 3 cities in both demographics/economic performance v. compensation of school and gov’t employees. Richmond and NoVa are unfair comparisons. Lynchburg and Roanoke are fair comparison (western VA cities that share some of Danville’s problems)
2. Look at Bedford and Roanoke Counties. School divisions near Danville that consistently have good results. Again, not Fairfax or Va Beach, but western VA school systems. What are those School Boards and Sup’ts doing right? We need to figure out what we want the School Division to do b/f searching for a new Sup’t. Then get a Sup’t who has strengths in the areas that we want to improve. Hire based on areas of need, not personality.
@Jerry- This decade of mess cannot be fixed overnight by any superintendent. Dr. Newsome was highly qualified if you look at his credentials. If he can do well working with CITY KIDS(DC-Metropolitan area as well as Maryland district) then he surely can work with these Danville kids .The danville so called street guys are nothing compared to them….. Danville is not a city. It is a small country town…. Although I was raised in Danville I myself was born in the DC Metropolitan area……THESE DANVILLE KIDS ARE A JOKE COMPARED TO REAL CITY KIDS…….Dr. Newsome is highly qualified-his skills,education and experience level….I am sure he will not have any trouble finding another job. I feel that Dr. Newsome did not get a fair chance….and I think the color of his skin had something to do with it.
Danville will be hard-pressed to find a strong leader with the skills needed to navigate the problems that were here before Newsome – and the problems he either exacerbated or created during his time here – for the salaries you are suggesting. Strong leaders are in high demand; look it up…. Salary is not set on demographics alone; the challenge that lies ahead also influences salary. And as everyone is quick to point out, there are many challenges.
If the board had done its due diligence regarding this search it would have uncovered red flags in Buffalo, NY, where Newsome was the first finalist to be dismissed due to his not being “dynamic enough to be effective” in 2012: http://voices.yahoo.com/buffalo-york-has-school-superintendent-following-11474740.html.
Also, he was vague in his vision for Buffalo schools: http://blogs.buffalonews.com/school_zone/2012/05/newsome-and-dixon-on-why-they-should-be-superintendent.html. Both are interesting reads.
All of this shows Newsome’s predestination, which became Danville’s reality.
In other words (and I commend you for doing research so this isn’t an attack on you at all), Danville could only attract somebody of Newsome’s quality on $150,000 last year and the challenge is finding somebody having already spent $160,000 buying Newsome out who is a stronger leader than he is who is possibly also more qualified than he was to fix problems that exist in this school system, many of which date back to the Davis era (if not before — I didn’t live nearby before her time).
Based on the events of the last year, the next Superintendent will either be (a) a high-priced change agent with the requisite skills who will come in, make hard decisions in a politically sensitive way, and move on at the end of his/her term with the system set up for success, or (b) someone who truly cares about settling the chaos and moving the system forward with the children’s best interest at heart, and who is in it long-term. Everyone involved (board members, parents, and outraged (either way) citizens, should all keep in mind what is in the best interest of the children. Long way to go….
I don’t think Danville is ready for somebody ready to settle chaos. They need a change agent, and I am convinced that is what Newsome was and that it was also the reason we got to this point. There are forces resistant to change not because Danville is providing a superior educational experience but because that’s the way it always was and they oppose doing what is necessary to make things better. I think perhaps I could be called beyond concerned.
the bottom line of this situation is …..IF THEY GOT RID OF NEWSOME THEY HAD GOOD REASON BC IF THEY DID’NT CAN YOU SAY “LAWSUIT”.I wonder if a thorough background check was doneand later it showed up.some of the people on city council and school board i dont like and some i do be they black or white,but to get rid of Newsome i personally feel they were well in their rights and had a “DAMN” good reason
Irritating part is we will never formally and officially know the TRUE reasons why—personnel matters not made public
@DJ: IGNORANCE IS TRYING TO TURN YOUR PERSONAL VIEW AND MAKE IT A FACT!! YOU DO NOT KNOW THE REASON THAT THEY GOT RID OF DR. NEWSOME AND YOUR CERTAINLY CANNOT SAY THAT THERE WERE GOOD REASONS BEHIND IT. UNTIL YOU ARE ABLE TO FACTUALLY STATE A GOOD REASON-THEN LET YOUR OPINIONS STAY OPINIONS AND DO NOT TRY TO MAKE THEM FACTUAL…. IS THE FACT THAT DR.NEWSOME IS AN AFRICAN AMERICAN A GOOD REASON TO GET RID OF HIM and NOT SUPPORT HIM? Due to the fact that Caucasian teachers and school board leaders feel some type of way about working under a leader that is African american…IS it a good reason to fire Dr. Newsome? …..because Caucasian teachers threatened to quit their job because they don’t want to be lead under a black man….IS RACE a good reason to fire someone and not give them a chance to succeed. Is race a good reason to expect a Black man to be able to clear up SUE DAVIS’s decade worth of mess. WHY Did Sue Davis get to stay in the system until she retired….Why did it get to the point where the school board allowed Sue Davis to continue to be superintendent all the meanwhile she was driving the budget into deficiency ? Why is it that Sue Davis was allowed to stay unto the point where 3 schools has to be closed in Danville and some teachers had to loose their job (get bumped out of their position due to budget cuts. WHY IS THIS.. WHY wasn’t anything said about it or did about it. Is it because SUE DAVIS was a white Caucasian lady? The facts show that SUE DAVIS has did far more damage to the school system-created a mess-WHY IS IT THAT within a year time Dr. Newsome is kicked out but SUE DAVIS WAS ALLOWED TO SERVE UNTIL SHE RETIRED….and if she hadn’t chose to retire then she would probably still be serving? WHY IS THIS? A taste for thought…Something just not adding up?
I see in earlier posts that you are a teacher…albeit your grammatical skills are beyond poor. After reading this post, I surmise that you are certainly not a teacher in the Danville Public Schools!
@SMH-I do not care what you SURMISE TOO…. I am not in a classroom right now. I am not proofreading my paragraphs and dotting every I and or cor. I am simply trying getting my point across . I have other things to do then to treat this like a formal conversation. I do not care about your opinion. Don’t you dare try to attack me as a teacher….You will attack anyone that does not support you. Did I not make myself clear that I am not treating this like a formal conversation… Please keep your comments to yourself about my occupation and stop trying to attack me and just understand the POINTS THAT ARE BEING MADE. FOCUS ON THE POINTS BEING MADE. I have my credentials Baby…
I will attack anyone that does not support me? I have not stated my opinion on any matter! I understand this is chat and you are merely writing as you speak-Danville dialect! Good oral and written communication skills are needed to be successful. I surely hope we are providing these opportunities to our students!
Yes Newsome was a change agent. I watched the school board meetings. He had his ducks in a row and wagons in a circle. He had a blueprint / vision for the school system. He was trying. As has been pointed out Danville city schools does not want someone with a vision for change. The school board as well as city council only want for their respective bodies what THEY see fit and want. Newsome had his plan but the school board didn’t want him to implement it nor did they want to pay for it.
Those school board members who voted to get rid of him are going to eat crow from the city council cause of what happened especially when the school budget isin the spring. city council will throw up in their faces they have money to buy out a supt so the school system don’t need any extra money.
There were ole slack jack wusses good ole boys from city council jones and vogler trying to cover their asses to support newsome. They and other city council members put newsome and paul hay muss through the war when they presented and defended the budget. I know this cause I watched on tv. where were jones and vogler’s support then?????!!!!!!
hypocrites–they and others need voting off—-seat warmers !!!
“Kathy Osborne is named acting superintendent for a minimum of 10 weeks.”
She is from the old regime. Her spending on ridiculous projects was a big problem before. I not sure this is a good move for the board.
She had 150 thousand $$$ worth of computer hardware stolen under her watch.
Remember the different color mulch on the playground placed in stripes, reorganization of the custodians, repainted a school because she didn’t like the color. We could go on and on.
Truth of the matter is Dr. Newsome wasn’t on the radar for Danville. He found out about Danville thru Richmond and his brother. Lyle Evans (from Danville) who works for Newsome’s brother in the Richmond School Office let it be known. Funny I think Lyle and Dr. Newsome’s brother were put on the transition team
what does Newsome’s brother do in Richmond? Richmond city schools? yes Lyle was on the transition team–he presented the plan to the school board.
Good question about Mona whittle—she too busy walkin around somewhere in HIGH HEELS with the BIG HAIR—-since this was a detrimental personnel concern she ought to have been there. what role did julliet Jennings play? seems these 2 took a back seat and deaf ear to it and they are both black to boot!!
Also SUE DAVIS—the board allowed her to be half time principal at glenwood while superintendent. she got her way. supposedly to avoid from hiring a principal fulltime as it was year before school closed.
Mona Whittle & Juliet Jennings had absolutely no say-so in this process nor should they have. This was solely between the school board & Newsome.
@DJ: IGNORANCE IS TRYING TO TURN YOUR PERSONAL VIEW AND MAKE IT A FACT!! YOU DO NOT KNOW THE REASON THAT THEY GOT RID OF DR. NEWSOME AND YOUR CERTAINLY CANNOT SAY THAT THERE WERE GOOD REASONS BEHIND IT. UNTIL YOU ARE ABLE TO FACTUALLY STATE A GOOD REASON-THEN LET YOUR OPINIONS STAY OPINIONS AND DO NOT TRY TO MAKE THEM FACTUAL…. IS THE FACT THAT DR.NEWSOME IS AN AFRICAN AMERICAN A GOOD REASON TO GET RID OF HIM and NOT SUPPORT HIM? Due to the fact that Caucasian teachers and school board leaders feel some type of way about working under a leader that is African american…IS it a good reason to fire Dr. Newsome? …..because Caucasian teachers threatened to quit their job because they don’t want to be lead under a black man….IS RACE a good reason to fire someone and not give them a chance to succeed. Is race a good reason to expect a Black man to be able to clear up SUE DAVIS’s decade worth of mess. WHY Did Sue Davis get to stay in the system until she retired….Why did it get to the point where the school board allowed Sue Davis to continue to be superintendent all the meanwhile she was driving the budget into deficiency ? Why is it that Sue Davis was allowed to stay unto the point where 3 schools has to be closed in Danville and some teachers had to loose their job (get bumped out of their position due to budget cuts. WHY IS THIS.. WHY wasn’t anything said about it or did about it. Is it because SUE DAVIS was a white Caucasian lady? The facts show that SUE DAVIS has did far more damage to the school system-created a mess-WHY IS IT THAT within a year time Dr. Newsome is kicked out but SUE DAVIS WAS ALLOWED TO SERVE UNTIL SHE RETIRED….and if she hadn’t chose to retire then she would probably still be serving? WHY IS THIS? A taste for thought…Something just not adding up?
What do you
What do you all think about Mona Whittle? Is she fair when it comes to hiring people and bringing them into the system?
I can only think of one point that has not been made here regarding Newsome’s abilities and intelligence: He was not very smart to come to Danville to begin with. If he had done his “due diligence,” he’d have run in the opposite direction.
Danville is a racist town…History shows that Danville wanted to keep the Confederate Flag up (which they did keep it up for decades……) Danville is closeminded…Danville fears black leadership…..
Danville has had a black mayor for how long now?
I don’t think this is black and white (at least not exclusively), which is a big reason why I get so irritated when people act like it’s black folks covering an incompetent black man’s butt. Dr. Newsome never struck me as incompetent, and there are much better reasons why the room was filled the past two meetings than that.
You couldn’t be more wrong.
I also adjusted your name in this one back to the previous one you posted with.
Nothing wrong about his statement! A well educated, well respected, well organized man who happens to be black and a great role model is handled the way he has been under a veil of secrecy by some on the School Board without just cause, you are gonna have an outcry from the black community because it smells of tactics of the past…
A disclaimer should be printed on all DPS and City of Danville literature that reads “Welcome to the Last Capital of the Confederacy and the first choice for bible carrying, God-fearing racist. Unless you look and think like Barney Fife – we don’t wontcha’ (in the voice of Sarah Palin)”
Mary Jane, I agree that Danville is racist. Especially since seeing a room full of one race filling a school board meeting to support someone of the same race without knowing the issues behind any personnel action. Yes that’s racist.
Oh by the way, I believe Danville has a black mayor, a majority of the school board is black, and until he resigned (on his own) we had a black school superintendent. I guess that’s racist too.
One more thing about your grammar, as a teacher is it okay to use good grammar sometimes and bad grammar other times? I don’t think that sets a good example. When my kids text me I make them use correct grammar. I think that’s setting a good example.
The race issues in Danville run at least as much white to black as black to white. Danville is not United. People who don’t want to see both ends are either kidding themselves or trying to race bait.
The School Board is majority white. I wouldn’t be blasting the grammar skills of somebody until I looked into my own math skills if I were you.
@Jeff Williams- The School Board is Majority White. The ratio is 3:7 I believe. Additionally,@Jeff Williams-> Those are your kids! I am not your child! So, do not tell me how to conduct myself or my grammar. You are not my Daddy! I am sick of your comments about my grammar. Don’t talk to me about my grammar. If I cared about your comments then I would take the time to proofread it.. Maybe your kids need to teach you a little math…. Proofreading the English of other individual’s appears to be your strong point. However, Your math skills appear to be off. While you are taking time to do all that proofreading (something that I am not doing), perhaps you should be getting your mathematical facts straight.
You must care about his comments, You keep replying to them…..
I love everybody.
How nice of you to add your dime to the table…. Lol
@Jon-How nice of you to add your dime to the table…. Lol
@ Jeff Williams- Oh by the way, I am actually a writer……..I write poetry and etc. Thanks. You be blessed now!
How can Danville afford a buy out when they closed 3 schools and have 3 schools combined into one over at Bonner?