Information we are working to gather, share

Here are topics that the task force is pursuing- this is pretty far reaching, we're not likely to get it all in the next week or so, but as information becomes available, we'll get it out there:

1. History of school board's deliberations/actions on IB program to date


2. School board members- profiles (and opinions on IB if possible) - can we already identify champions or detractors? If we want to communicate with the members at an individual level, what approaches might work best for each one? (we can access their profiles on their website, John Rogers has already publicly expressed concerns about a rush to judgment and expenses). Bill Brater publicly expressed support in the same article.

3. Iredell school budget broadly

4. Iredell school budget for the 2 IB programs

5. Melanie Taylor- (see Statesville Register article) where did she get her information from on potential budget numbers? What more can we learn about the Committee of the Whole and their deliberations on the program?
6. Budget tied to 11th and 12th grade expansion- can we get numbers to compare for various options/locations?

7. Parent's group at Northview? What work/information might they have gathered that we could leverage? What can we offer them to help them?

8. Trends and big picture- IB programs in North Carolina and elsehwere in the U.S.- what are some of the big wins, what challenges have occurred and how might they apply to our situation?

9. Location, location, location- perceived benefits and drawbacks of the various locations (from point of view of 1. MMIB students and parents, 2. School Board, 3. general public/our community and county)

10. Headcounts & space- make some "guesstimates" based on information gathered above... integrate into budget pieces

11. Responses from PTSO survey noted earlier. If you haven't completed the survey, please do so by Friday, April 2.

Getting ready for April 12 school board meeting

This past Tuesday morning there was a parent's meeting at MMIB. We talked about a desire to influence the school board regarding decisions for the 11th and 12th grade years of the IB program.

There were concerns expressed about the School Board's commitment to the program, their understanding of what it takes to have it be a successful endeavor. We heard each other indicate various opinions about the best location for the 11th and 12th grade, that there had been talk of moving those years to South Iredell and combining with the other Iredell county IB program for those years at that more central location.

This site is intended to gather information and share it with participants in the process, so opinions can be identified and clarified, and supplemented by as much hard data as possible.

Our near term effort for this page is to prepare to put together a coherent presentation for the school board meeting on April 12.

Welcome to the blog, please roam around, and weigh in. As the internal task force volunteers (self-identified on Tuesday) gather information, this is the place we'll share it. Likewise, the survey results will be published here.