Special Note: The author would like to thank Keith Ball, Principal of Woodstock Middle School in Cherokee County, Georgia, for all the extra traffic he has been driving to this site.

If Mr. Ball referred you to this blog, please understand that his actions are the result of his personal vendetta against my fiancee’, Allison Burnes. For the record, Allison Burnes does not write, edit, approve, or support what is published here. I alone am responsible for this content.

Mr. Ball’s problem is with me, but he can’t seem to muster the courage to take me to task directly. Instead, he is referring all of Allison’s prospective employers here, hoping to sabotage her career by blaming my writings on her. It’s wrong, and you deserve to know his motives and the relevant facts. If you would like to read all of the articles related to Mr. Ball as of 2-15-2010, please use this link. The posts are displayed in reverse chronological order, so read from the bottom up. Thank you for visiting.

In my last post, which was some weeks ago, I lamented how the Cherokee County schools were unable to afford something as simple and inexpensive as a bulletin board, after the hundreds of thousands they spend every year keeping the principals’ yachts maintained.

Today, a bold new plan is being presented, and as it turns out, there is money for bulletin boards after all! The problem is that the school really would rather not spend it, and is asking local businesses, families, and individuals to pony up the cash instead.

The following (horrible formatting, garish colors and all) came from principal Keith Ball. Keep reading; I have further comments below the text.

Facility Improvement Plan for

Woodstock Middle School

• Rotunda Data Chart – WMS to fund $669.25
• Rotunda Count-Down Board – WMS to fund $490.97
• Staining of the Outdoor Classroom – damage and vandalism – currently it cannot be used until this is completed. WMS to fund $2,300
• Blinds for Media Center – damaged; not dark enough.

WMS to fund $3,712.16 – $5,643.04

• Main Office Area Rug Replacement – original rug from 1996.

WMS to fund $639 (1 needed) PAID 10/18/2007

• Entrance way Mats – currently only some doors have them.

WMS to fund $1,228.37 (6 needed)

• Bulletin Boards in Hallways to Preserve New Paint – WMS to fund $727.16

(7 needed)

• Landscaping – “tired”, many dead shrubs, overgrown plantings, needs new mulch. WMS to fund
• Rail Chairs in Rooms with Tile – have damaged the new floors. Pipe insulation bought from Home Depot to preserve the floors WMS to fund

~$50 per classroom x 12 = $600.

• Teacher Mini-Grants – Teachers apply to the PTSA for a monetary grant towards continuing education or supplies for their classroom. PTSA to fund
• Student Scholarships – Students apply for a monetary reward based on need and a criteria set by the PTSA. PTSA to fund

Adopt-a-Project:

• Companies that provide services and/or funds for any of these projects will have an advertising banner hung in the WMS Gym and will be listed on our website as an Official Partner In Education.
• We welcome any individuals or families who would like to donate to any of these projects.

I have a few questions about all this. First of all, you’ll notice that the list includes seven bulletin boards for the hallways, at a cost of around $700. Recall, now, that a teacher asked for a bulletin board in her classroom, where one is really needed, and was turned down. Hallway bulletin boards in my school days generally displayed little that was of interest and nothing that was of educational value, so we can see where the priorities lie here.

Also note the odd logic the principal uses. “To preserve new paint.” It sounds like a great justification, except that teachers are already forbidden to attach anything to the walls. The paint is already being preserved. The bulletin boards will allow things to be displayed in the hallways, which doesn’t sound quite so essential.

No one, of course, can dispute the educational value of a front office rug. I hear it’s oriental and very nice. For that price, it’d better be. “Tired” landscaping and “not dark enough” blinds are also clear impediments to the educational process, and we can’t expect students to learn in the presence of such things.

That last bit, the part in bright purple, is interesting too. WMS will hang advertising banners in the gym for businesses that donate and become “partners in landscaping and paint preservation.” My question would be this: who’s buying the banners, and who’s paying the county maintenance guy to come hang them?

Update: Principal Ball apparently wasn’t at all happy at first with his document finding its way onto the internet. Given its appearance and content, I can’t say I blame him. It was when he discovered this blog entry that he attempted to censor this blog in the most cowardly way possible, by putting pressure on my fiancee’, a third party having no control or accountability for my writing. He even went so far as to violate my copyright by illegally printing this blog and placing it in her personnel file.