Latest / Chuck Douglas / Columbus City School Board

Transcript

Columbus City School Board · Chuck Douglas

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Sorry, clarify yourself or clarify their self, because I don't know,
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: you said. You guy calls people saying that Dolly's husband
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: died in March. What what does that have to do
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: with the fact that she's okay and not dead. I'm
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: still trying to grasp this, but people wanted you to
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: know because I don't. I don't know. I didn't go that.
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: Like I said, what was his name? You know his name,
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: Bob Parton? Yeah, no, it wasn't. You don't know. What
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: do you look like? Tell me what to look like?
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: You don't know. That's my point. They were married nearly
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: sixty years. The guy kept staying in his lane and
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: let Dolly be Dolly, and that's a wonderful thing. Good
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: for him and good for her being married to him
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: for almost sixty years. And and you know, all the
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: stuff people said was going on or they thought was
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: going on, wasn't going on. Well it was, So why
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: did what's that guy to do with the fact he died?
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: I just said, it's a frustration because people call Zach
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: and like they'll say, oh, I don't want to talk
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: to Chuck, Well, then why are you calling? Put slip
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: something into mail. What's a postage stant now thirty forty
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: five dollars something like that, just stepping it in the
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: mail and send it to me. I'm not sure why
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: you were calling, and that makes me nuts because then
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: I sit here like this, going, Zach, what are you talking?
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: What do you mean? And he doesn't know, he can't
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: tell me. Then I get frustrated. When I get frustrated,
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: I turned into the incredible Hulk, doming me angry. You
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: wouldn't like me when I'm angry. Bill Dixby was so awesome.
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: He's dead too, by the way, just like Dolly's husband.
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: I forgot to tell you about George Jones' wife the
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: old Boston. She had a boyfriend. Well, I mean, George's
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: been dead for a while, so it's I mean, it's
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: understandable you want a little companionship, little company whatever. And
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: and her her name's Nancy. She said she put all
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: of her trust in her boyfriend, Kirk West. Then she
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: found out apparently he stole over ten million dollars in
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: cash and cryptocurrency from her court hearing, who was in
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: Tennessee on October seventh. Nancy Jones took them the stand
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: at the preliminary hearing for the theft case against mister
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: West and Williamson County Court. The studying case erupted into
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: the public this summer when West was arrested at the
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: Nashville Airport, saying, out of Dodge with a one way
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: ticket to the Philippines. Yeah, I'm getting out of here.
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: A few weeks prior, Nancy had kicked them out of
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: their house. It wasn't hit their house, it was her
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: house because it was George's house. He said, I love you,
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: did not die. So she kicked him out of a
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: house after discovering it he been having an affair. Discovery
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: let her realize that he had also stolen about four
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: hundred thousand dollars in cash from her and a ledger
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: containing eleven point six million in crypto currency. Uh, he
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: took care of everything, she said she met him in
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: twenty thirteen. I didn't take care of nothing, she said,
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: of nothing. That's what the quote is. Prosecutors ask if
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: she trusted West, and she replied one hundred percent. You
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: see what that got you, don't you. George Jones, back
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: when I was working for a station is no longer
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: a country state. But we flipped formats right, and we
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: were what they call adult contemporary, and so we were
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: playing you know, Neil Diamond and stuff and uh and
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: so they get a new owner station cells, we get
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: a new owner, they flip us to country. Twelve midnight
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: is when the format change happened. The last song that
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: we played as the station that we were was nat
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: King Cole and that Natalie Cole's Unforgettable duet Dave Leech
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: was on the air and h and dedicated that song
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: to our owners, the station owners for making our time.
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: They're so unforgettable. So there you go. Okay, so the
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: song's over and at midnight, all the laser beam them's lasers,
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: all the laser beams, sound effects and stuff. This is Columbus.
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: Columbus is new new country station. We bring you the hot, hot,
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: new hot new country. He said, I love you. They
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: started with George really really, you cannot have a big
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: opening like that, and and it's like when the frog
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: on the Warner Brothers cartoon, the curtain opens, it goes
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: That's exactly what it felt like, this big, grandiose opening.
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: And you're expecting, because this was the age of Travis
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: Tritt and Garth Brooks and you know country was coming
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  Speaker 1: alive was a new country and uh you would expect
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  Speaker 1: something diamond rio and uh, something with some some kick
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: to it, and they play he Stopped Loving Her Today
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: is the first song after all that introduction. That was
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: one of the most terrible station kickoffs I've ever heard.
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: We're all standing in the studio. The whole air staff
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: had gathered because it was our last night, and we're
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: all standing in the studio and we didn't know what
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: was coming because you know, as I said, we changed ownership.
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: In for minutes, we all just looked at each other.
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: I mean there's like nine of us from the air
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: staff looking at each other. Really, this is it, and
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: it was an odd beginning to a strange situation. Columbus
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: City Schools in the news in the last twenty four
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: hours after taking a vote to change the bussing situation,
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  Speaker 1: which I just I continue to say, this is ridiculous
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  Speaker 1: or shouldn't be bussing neighborhood schools. We got enough neighborhood
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: schools and enough neighborhoods that you don't need the bussing.
• 5:48
  Speaker 1: Save a fortune, not operating buses, not paying bus drivers,
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  Speaker 1: not having maintenance performed on buses, not paying for fuel
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  Speaker 1: for buses, not paying for any insurance for buses. We
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: wouldn't have to do any of that. We'd save a
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: whole bunch of money just in the kids the school
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: down the street. Columbus City Schools Board of Education voted
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: on Tuesday to remove requirements for the district to bus
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: high school students, a move that officials say could save
• 6:12
  Speaker 1: the district millions in the future as it wrestles with
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: looming budget shortfalls. Okay, here's my first problem with this,
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: high school students. Have you ever seen kids at the
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: bus stop waiting the high school students at the bus
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: stopping Columbus in the winter. No, they're out there sometimes
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: like six fifteen in the morning catching a bus. So
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: if using your transportation, they need six point fifteen to
• 6:40
  Speaker 1: catch a school bus, how how early are they going
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: to have to leave to get there without your transportation.
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: I'm just saying that's the first stupid thing. In a vote,
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: all but one among the board members present approved changing
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: the district's policy language from shall to may, so that
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: grades nine through twelve would no longer have to be
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: guarantee transportation. Instead, the board may choose to provide it
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: or may not. What are their solutions is for students
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: who need it? What maybe we can work out a
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: deal with CODA given CODA bus passes. Yeah, I know.
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: Here's the quote. What we're doing now is just changing
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: the language is so that it grades so grades nine
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: through twelve. The language would say the board may transport
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: students choosing the option for the board to make that
• 7:31
  Speaker 1: decision in the future if it so chooses, said board
• 7:35
  Speaker 1: member Sarah Ingles. Unless you anticipate making that change, there's
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: no reason to make that change. So they're going to
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: do it, you know that, one board member. The story
• 7:46
  Speaker 1: continues from the ten TV website. Doctor teen appears voted
• 7:50
  Speaker 1: against the change, after previously questioning its potential shortfalls. Supporters
• 7:56
  Speaker 1: say that the move gives the district flexibility to adapt
• 7:58
  Speaker 1: to financial pressures, would so would not bussing kids. Opponents
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: argue it could pose a barrier for students who lacks safe,
• 8:07
  Speaker 1: reliable transportation alternatives and could contribute to chronic absenteeism that
• 8:16
  Speaker 1: if correct it ultimately adopted, or if ultimately adopted, the
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: change would not take effect until next school year, but
• 8:22
  Speaker 1: the board is signaling with this policy shift that's laying
• 8:26
  Speaker 1: the groundwork for tougher decisions ahead. This board, by the way,
• 8:30
  Speaker 1: won't be there, is it. All of them, all of
• 8:34
  Speaker 1: them decided they weren't running again, like or like five
• 8:40
  Speaker 1: have decided they're not running again. So there are terms
• 8:43
  Speaker 1: in this year and they're so they're they're kicking this
• 8:47
  Speaker 1: can down the road to the next board. Superintendent Angela
• 8:51
  Speaker 1: Chapman works to identify fifty million dollars in cuts to
• 8:54
  Speaker 1: the district's annual budget. Officials say eliminating mandatory high school
• 8:58
  Speaker 1: bussing could to trim approximately seven million dollars per year.
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: Doctor Chapman, how much would just sending kids to school
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: in their neighborhood trim? Just wanting Board President Michael Cole
• 9:13
  Speaker 1: urged caution and community input as the process moves forward.
• 9:18
  Speaker 1: Good for you, Michael, I mean he's saying the right thing.
• 9:22
  Speaker 1: This this arbitrary we're just going to do this stuff
• 9:25
  Speaker 1: is it doesn't fly with people anymore. But when you've
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: got some kid that's you know, he's going twelve fourteen
• 9:33
  Speaker 1: miles from home to high school because you're having him
• 9:37
  Speaker 1: catch a bus at six fifteen in the morning, and
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: then of course they've got to make arrangements to get
• 9:42
  Speaker 1: it home, because if he's in the marching band or
• 9:45
  Speaker 1: on the football team or the soccer team or the
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: basketball team or whatever it has, you know, he's after school,
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  Speaker 1: there's there's rehearsals, there's practice and that kind of thing.
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  Speaker 1: Then they got to find a way to get him
• 9:55
  Speaker 1: home because I don't think those activity buses, I don't
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: think those run for everything. Those are those are kind
• 10:03
  Speaker 1: of few and far between these days. Now. If the
• 10:07
  Speaker 1: kid went to school in their own neighborhood, to their
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: own school, and they were on the football team or
• 10:11
  Speaker 1: the marching band, or the soccer team or the basketball team,
• 10:13
  Speaker 1: and stayed after school for practice or whatever, they then
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: they could just walk home because it's like four blocks
• 10:20
  Speaker 1: that would make That would make perfect sense and it
• 10:23
  Speaker 1: wouldn't cost the schools anything. And if students want to
• 10:29
  Speaker 1: go to a school outside of their their uh you
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: know signs, then fine arrange for transportation. I mean them,
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: not the schools. If you live on the east side,
• 10:42
  Speaker 1: but you want to go to a school on the
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: west side, okay, you can do that. You're in Columbus,
• 10:46
  Speaker 1: so go ahead and pick your school, but you have
• 10:48
  Speaker 1: to get there. You're making that choice, and there may
• 10:53
  Speaker 1: be a reason for that. You know, maybe you want
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: to be you know, West High School is that they're
• 10:58
  Speaker 1: making a gangbuster moves when it comes to STEM programs
• 11:01
  Speaker 1: over there. Maybe you're you want to be at West
• 11:04
  Speaker 1: High School because of that. Okay, maybe East High School
• 11:08
  Speaker 1: has a great looking football program, a coach that's just
• 11:12
  Speaker 1: rip roaring everywhere. And you live on the South side,
• 11:15
  Speaker 1: but you you want to be an East High Tiger. Fine,
• 11:18
  Speaker 1: you live in the district. You can go there instead
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: of South High School, but you got to arrange for
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: your own transportation. I don't know. Choice and responsibility is
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: that out of the question. I realize it's twenty twenty five,
• 11:30
  Speaker 1: But shouldn't you be able to do that? I would
• 11:34
  Speaker 1: think so, And I think frankly, that would save a
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: fortune from the Columbus School's budget. I also think that
• 11:42
  Speaker 1: it would enhance the academic progress, increase the graduation rate
• 11:49
  Speaker 1: and the retention rate because kids in the district would
• 11:53
  Speaker 1: be able to go to the schools they want to
• 11:55
  Speaker 1: go to for the reasons that make sense in their life.
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: Clone me and let the other me run for a
• 12:02
  Speaker 1: school board be cause I have no interest in doing it,
• 12:04
  Speaker 1: but I wish somebody