Welcome to Huntsville. I hope that what I am going to tell you, you already know, and that what I’m going to suggest is on your agenda. So I will be brief.
In your Entry Plan, you named identifying three things going well in the Huntsville City Schools as one of your goals. Surely, New Century Technology High School must top the list.
- It is the only school in North Alabama to be named one of America’s best 500 public high schools in the US by Newsweek in 2011.
- It is a US News Silver Medal School.
The NCTHS graduation program lists 74 graduates in the Class of 2011. Of these:
- 47 earned advanced diplomas [64%]
- 45 were Pathway Completers
- 36 were award advanced diplomas and were Pathway Completers
- 1 earned an appointment to the US Air Force Academy
- 24 reported having won at least one merit scholarship [32%]; 51 scholarships are listed, but the final total could well be higher since these figures are based on what information was available before the graduation program went to press.
Consider the demographics of the self-selected 2010-11 student body of 304 (142 female/162 male) pupils:
- 16 Asian
- 126 Black
- 32 Hispanic
- 1 Indian
- 129 White
Also, 41.45 % qualify for free or reduced charge lunch. No other school in the City approaches such a racial or ethnic and economic balance.
It would be great to have the resources to enhance all programs at this high school, but the HCS does not. It costs nothing, however, to appreciate and, especially, protect such a school. NCTHS is not a problem and should not be made one.
Unfortunately, such an obvious analysis is not universally shared: one of the poorly executed Facility Utilization Study’s recommendations is to move NCTHS to Lee High School. However,
- No money would be saved by moving New Century; Dr. Richardson acknowledged this at the fifth school closure public meeting.
- A move could reasonably be expected to lessen the involvement of local industries in the School’s programs. NCTHS is now located in the same building occupied by Columbia High School in the southwest corner of Cummings Research Park. This is not a residential zone. The property was first secured for New Century to facilitate partnerships with Research Park tech companies, none farther than a 5-minute drive in light, low-speed traffic unlikely to pose problems for new drivers. Lee High School, in contrast, is 10 heavily traveled interstate miles and 20 minutes away from Research Park.
This brings me to my suggestion. Tell the Board to strike this recommendation. Remind them that they hired you to solve problems, not to create new ones; that it is foolish to make a change that would do no good and may well do harm; and that when people and programs are working well, sometimes – often, perhaps — the best thing to do is to stay out of their way and let them get on with it. End of discussion.
I agree with the above sentiments 100 percent. NCT is a fantastic school. I would choose to send my child no where else. Moving NCT would actually cause a greater debt load to the school system. First, the move itself would have to be funded. Second, HCS would have to provide bus service for any child more than 5 miles away from his/her home school. Once the move was made the businesses in Research Park would most likely pull their support from NCT.
My 20 year old son graduated from NCT in 2009 with a 4.0 GPA and was in the top 5 of his graduating class. He earned a full scholarship to UAH and is now enrolled as a full time nursing student.
My 16 year old is now a student at NCT. Due to an illness he missed a lot of school. The principal and staff at New Century were more than accomodating to help him catch up his work. I can’t say that any other school would be amenable to this due to the situation.
HCS needs to put it’s money into the MESS ( Modified Educational Student Services). Believe me, MESS is the correct acronym for them!! Move those kids with health issues out of the Seldon Center . That is a program that needs a thourough overhaul!!
Just leave our kids alone, or give them their own building.
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Concerning the changing of the name of our beloved Lee High School: Why didn’t Huntsville High have to change their name when a new school was built??????? Why didn’t Butler High have to change their name when a new school was built??????? why did they secretly take down the letters “Lee High School” off of the NEW Building without public consultation???? Someone needs to lose their job over this, or at least be reprimanded, or issue a public apology and also pay for putting these letters back with money from their own pocket!!!!….. Vast sums of money were appropriated for this new school and ALL documentation and references said this was going to be “The New Lee High School”!!!!!!!!!! From researched reading it seems clear on who may be behind this .. Where did they go to High School????? I bet it was not Lee!!!!!!!! Lee people would NEVER be this insensitive to other people’s feelings!!!!!! Have they ever heard the Beach Boy’s song “Be True to Your School”?
got to admire your school spirit
I agree with you Lee shouldn’t have to change their name but New Century Technology shouldn’t have to change their name either. We were originally led to elieve that when NCTHS was moved to new Lee High building it would remain a separate entity from Lee High. That’s all we want is to remain as New Century Technology High School, separate from Lee High School. These students worked hard to get accepted into NCTHS and they need to be allowed to graduate as New Century Technology High School students. I have nothing against Lee, I plan on sending my son there, but my daughter is a current student at NCTHS and she should be allowed to remain as such, neither school should lose their names,they should be allowed to remain as two separate schools.
Lee High School has won its fight, you et to keep your name, now help us with our fight to sae NEW CENTURY TECHNOLOGY HIGH SCHOOL, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Save-New-Century-Technology-High-School/304604542886484?sk=wall.