I am a huge supporter of my son’s education and chose to have him in the Asheville City Schools system. I fell in love with Claxton Elementary from the moment I took the tour when he was in pre-K; I loved how they referred to them as “their” babies, [and it] made me feel like Claxton was going to take extra care of my kindergartner.
We were beyond blessed to have Kimberly Dechant as our principal; she always had an open door for anything and everything. She was one of my son’s biggest supporters when it came to him struggling with fluency in reading. We also were blessed to have the same teacher from third grade to fifth grade, Michelle Then. She helped my son excel in reading and more. I don’t know where my son would be academically without Claxton.
Now we are at Asheville Middle School; the reason we chose to stay with ACS was Cynthia Sellinger! Now, the board has decided upon themselves to take the best principal Asheville Middle School has ever had away. I can only imagine the downward slope and the amount of children that will now be leaving AMS because of her departure.
Shame on you, ACS board: You should have asked us parents, taxpayers, the ones who have daily interactions with these amazing people, before you rip them from our children’s lives. A lot of children have so much instability that seeing the same principal every day and every year is reassuring. So, way to go in making kids feel unloved!
— Carrie A. Baldwin
Asheville
Editor’s note: A response from ACS spokesman Charlie Glazener appears in the letter, “ACS Personnel Changes Are Part of Bigger Picture,” also in this issue.
WHY must the TAXPAYERS SUFFER the EXPENSE and needless operation of the Avl City Screwls? WHY can the two
systems not be consolidated NOW for the children AND diversity ??? WHY do we allow this ? WHY are CITY screwls such
screwed up places ??? the people who RUN them are a total mess…
Carrie, I know that you love your special little snowflake and want the best for them, but when dealing with and governmental agency please understand that you don’t have control over anything. You just pay the taxes and keep your mouth shut. I guess you can whine and complain, but nobody is listening, ever. Also, I’d like to point out that it is your sole responsibility to make your child feel loved and not the responsibility of some government worker. I suggest you reevaluate some things and think about the role the government plays in your life. Also, you can join the charter school movement if you want more control of publicly funded schools.