news-record.com

NEWS

N.C. principal retires after cash-for-grades blunder

Article
Comments (9)

Friday, November 13, 2009

(Updated 1:46 pm)

By
Associated Press

GOLDSBORO (AP) — A North Carolina principal has decided to retire after school district leaders halted the cash-for-grades fundraiser she approved.

Wayne County Public Schools said Friday that Rosewood Middle School principal Susie Shepherd has gone on leave for the rest of the month and will retire at the beginning of December.

The Goldsboro middle school had planned to allow students to get 20 test points in exchange for a $20 donation. Shepherd says she approved the idea after a parent advisory council presented it as a way to raise money.

School district officials stopped the fundraiser this week, saying no students will get extra credit and any donations will be returned.

The district says a new principal is expected to be named next week.

Accompanying Photos

File photo (News & Record)

Comments

View Comments

This article has been closed to new comments. Comments are generally closed after 14 days. However, comments may be closed earlier at the discretion of the News & Record.

Inappropriate content? Please report abuse.

tonymo

November 13, 2009 - 1:57 pm EST

Okay, and who would be surprised by this, and why!

histrion

November 13, 2009 - 2:58 pm EST

Thank the good Lord. I think the most disturbing thing about this is that the parent advisory council cooked up the idea. I'd love to know how that discussion went down. Points to a severe lack of diversity -- and common sense -- in that group, if you ask me.

Panacea

November 13, 2009 - 4:01 pm EST

I don't know what diversity has to do with it, though the lack of common sense is self evident.

No doubt the parents were hopeful their own kids would be able to take advantage of this "fund raiser."

The story made national news. I read an editorial on this in USA Today this morning.

justaguy46

November 13, 2009 - 3:06 pm EST

Just ANOTHER shady educator. My how they scurry when the truth is closing in! I bet that soon, misuse of funds comes to light, this was just a desperate attempt to hide a possible "no-no!"

Get A Clue

November 13, 2009 - 4:29 pm EST

Perhaps she was simply following the lead of our elected leaders, or of the millions who play online games and pay to acquire pointless tokens, or she simply didn't have the guts to stand before the Parents Advisory Committee and ask if they'd gone completely stupid with such an inane suggestion as buying grades.
I urge every principal who pulls children from instruction to attend assemblies for the next school 'fundraiser' to also resign. Our children should be attending school to get an education, not to shill cheap junk to raise funds for a new copy machine. If their boneheaded "No taxes!" parents think public education should be underfunded, let their children suffer by becoming just like them.

VALawyer

November 13, 2009 - 5:00 pm EST

Stupid move by the principal. A student would essentially be buying himself/herself a better grade.

ltsparky

November 14, 2009 - 9:12 pm EST

Damn, WHAT AN IDIOT !! It just goes to show that we DO HAVE MORONS in some N.C. Department Of PUBLIC "FOOL" positions that are "in charge" of taking care of our children so that "NO CHILD GETS LEFT BEHIND".

What a "CROCK OF CRAP" that we have to put up with...

newkid

November 13, 2009 - 11:29 pm EST

Truly stupid. No question. And the principal was removed (retired) as an appropriate response. No need to start a generalized tirade against educators in general–complete with ANGRY WORDS and "odd sarcastic use of quotation marks" and bad grammar/speling.