A site dedicated to the improvement of Goodpasture School for the benefit of the students, parents and employees....*

Although it is stated in several instances in this site, this site is not official endorsed by or supported by Christian Schools, Inc. d/b/a Goodpasture Christian School.  This site is not a school or a competitor of Christian Schools, Inc.  This site exists for the First Amendment use and enjoyment of students, parents, alumni, teachers, employees, and anyone else that has an interest in, question about, concern regarding this school.

This site has been privately funded with a view towards furthering the mission of the school by providing important information to these beneficiaries and by providing a means for these beneficiaries to communicate their comments, concerns, fears and problems without oversight of or censorship from the Administration and with confidentiality from the Administration when desired.

What We Stand For - Our mission is to promote and protect, to the extent possible, the interests of the students and the parents with a view towards improving the school by further progress along the path of academic excellence and honest discourse.  It is recognized that many of the alumni, parents and students are hesitant if not fully constrained to honestly communicate their questions, concerns, and complaints to a teacher, a principal or even to the Administration for fear of retaliation.

As military tactics have established, an effective control technique and one that the Administration seems to employ is the tactic of "divide and conquer" or in this instance "divide and control."   Too often, these beneficiaries internalize their concerns and complaints because of a perception that either the Administration will not take their concerns seriously and/or that those individuals, who are often faculty teachers, will retaliate against an innocent student merely because "negative comments" or "negative concerns" were expressed by a parent or the student concerning a teacher, a class, a coach, and/or other aspects of the school.  It is not fair to the school - as an institution - for the concerns and complaints of the school's beneficiaries to be silenced because of a perception - however well deserved - of retaliation or inaction by those who are in control of the school. 

Why Success is Possible -  Goodpasture School is not a state funded institution.  It is dependent entirely upon tuition payments from parents and charitable contributions from its donors and benefactors.  Charitable contributions however cover only a small portion of the school's operating expenses.  Substantially all operating funds, and thus the school's existence, depend on the receipt of tuition payments and a targeted level of enrollment.  Thus, the parents hold a power collectively that they have been historically unwilling to either recognize or exercise and that power is the power of the purse.   Parents, when they act in appropriate unison - not mob rule - have the power through their tuition payments to influence the Administration and the Board of Directors.  History has shown in the spring of 2006 that the demands of the parents will dictate the response of the Board of Directors as well as the Administration and that is why the ultimate power to control Goodpasture Christian School is vested in the parents. 

This should not be a foreign concept because it is the very concept upon which the Founding Fathers formed this United States.  Constitutional law teaches that the citizens have the ultimate power but that they exercise that power through a representative form of republican government.  At any time, as expressly set forth in the Constitution, the citizens can by appropriate action dissolve the government, limit its powers, or, as we tend to do in November, replace those who are in control of it.  Perhaps the parents at Goodpasture need to read their civil history.

Why Parents Must be Vigilant -  Parents must recognize that their principal obligation is to do what is best within the scope of their power and resources to raise their children.  Parents realize that obligation and for that reason Goodpasture loses many students, particularly in the high school ages, to Metro's magnet schools, to other successful public schools and even to other, more expensive, private schools.  

That parental obligation is greater than obligations, whatever they may be, to the Administration and the Board of Directors at Goodpasture.  While parents have the power of the purse, Goodpasture parents have been conditioned otherwise.  They generally ignore that power and sometimes abdicate their obligations as parents to those in control of the school without fully assessing whether they are satisfying their parental obligations. 

It could be argued that the school realizes that parents generally cannot effectively act alone because the impact of a few lost tuition dollars is immaterial to the school.  Parents that appropriately act is unison of sufficient numbers however can satisfy their obligations as parents and can influence the course of the school.  Parents must be free to assess the status of the school, must discuss and investigate their concerns with others parents and if it is determined that a material consensus does exist they should consider making a demand for change to the Administration and the Board of Directors.  That change may even be calling upon the Board of Directors to make substantial changes in the Administration and even of the Board itself.

This site is created and given as an opportunity for the parents, students, alumni and even the employees of Goodpasture Christian School to have a forum, which provides confidentiality to those participating in it, if so desired, for the discussion of their concerns about the school of all types without fear of retaliation with a view towards seeking out an appropriate solution to these concerns.  

This site is not under the control of Goodpasture Christian School, Gilbert Drake, its Administration or its Board of Directors.  Individuals may fully access the information on this site and even post additional information in the forums without having to register for access.  However, any materials which are offered for inclusion in this site may be removed in the discretion of the Webmaster.