Thursday 5/25/06

Monday evening I attended the graduation for Stratford Comprehensive High School at TSU’s Gentry Center. What a difference from the graduation for East Literature Magnet on Friday. The East one was quiet and sedate in comparison to the Stratford students and their families who could hardly contain themselves they were so glad to have made it that far. They had a lot to celebrate and I’m very glad for them. Most students hardly wanted to shake the hands of dignitaries as they crossed the platform and many didn’t even bother—I don’t blame them a bit. We laughed and cheered most of the way through the ceremony.

BOE MEETING: Tuesday evening was my first board meeting. I met with Chair Pam Garrett beforehand and we went over the agenda and the previous minutes, I asked several questions regarding who had approved items for passage where they money had come from, if they’d gotten notice of some of these things before hand. All were satisfactorily answered by Ms. Garrett.

She also surprised me by telling me she wanted me to lead the pledge at the opening of the meeting—which I did.

Judge Carol Solomon did my public swearing in after an award from the Education Consumers Foundaton to Principal Brenda Steele of Amqui Elementary, a couple of perfect attendance awards that were overlooked previously (they missed this event though) and the goodbye and hello of the student board members.

The consent agenda was passed unanimously. It contained some contract changes to maintenance work and the awarding of the contract for the remodeling & additions at Glengarry Elementary school awarded to a company called Kerry-Campbell, Inc.

Next up were the final readings of what are monitoring reports for the results the board desires in the system, specifically the results in AP classes and ACT/SAT/PSAT testing. Ms. Garrett told me that since I hadn’t been on the board for the previous presentations of these I would not vote on those but I did comment.

I had been at the school board meeting on 4/25/06 when testimony about the AP classes was presented and noted at the time that while the number of students taking the classes was increasing and the number of students passing the classes was increasing two important pieces of informtion were missing. I had a chance to mention those during the discussion at this BOE meeting. One was we don’t know how many students are taking the classes and the students aren’t required to take the final test. I did stumble and ramble a bit trying to make this point. I can only attribute it to my first time speaking up in that venue and I got better quickly.

SIDE COMMENTARY: If we’re to really understand our rate of return, if you will, on providing these classes we’ve got to know if the goal of obtaining that college credit is being accomplished. I think taxpayers are willing to help these students get a jump start on their college credits. But it was news to many that night and I’m sure news to many taxpayers that students are not required to take the test if they take the class. If we have 100 students in the class and only 50 take the test and then only 54% of them passed are these classes really a wise investment of taxpayer dollars in a system that has so many foundational needs? We can’t accurately assess the success of these classes without all the numbers. So the Board is going to require them.

Also at that 4/25/06 meeting the woman presenting had a slide I considered very enlightening. We know that not everyone is a good test taker. MNPS is tracking good test takers and encouraging them to participate. The slide called “Next Steps” said: MNPS Assessment and Evaluation department provides lists of all students who are capable test takers to the principals in the fall. These freshmen and sophomore students are encouraged to take the PSAT as a practice test. The presenter said those students would be encouraged to participate in these AP classes.

Next up was the final reading on the ACT/SAT/PSAT monitoring report. Here there was a bit of discussion initiated by Dr. Awipi about the Board’s goal of 22 as the average ACT score for Metro students. He suggested that since 21 was the rate for lottery scholarships perhaps we should drop that down to 21 also. I spoke up and told the Board that I had attended several of the House Education Committee meetings where this score was discussed. The intention of most of the legislators I heard was to allow as many students to participate in these scholarships as possible and a higher score was definitely going to be a problem for too many. And so they settled on 21. I told the Board that 21 was certainly not the gold standard and I felt our students could do better than that. No change in that rate was made.

On First Reading were monitoring reports on college entrance requirements and ELL/Special Ed.

Regarding College Entrance the goal is to have 65% of the students meeting the college entrance requirement (mostly via ACT score of 19 and above) by 2007. It’s only at 57% to date with new data not available until the fall. It became obvious that it was unlikely, considering the past rates, that this goal was going to be met.

2001 46%
2002 46.2%
2003 49.2%
2004 48.7%
2005 51%

English Language Learners information was confusing to most of us on the Board. Part of the problem was inconsistency in wording and charts that didn’t consistently include the same population. The presenters are going to work on that. Bottom line on average—across all ELL students-- it takes 3.3 years for them to obtain sufficient English skills to be test takers. Younger students catch on more quickly than the older students.

The real highlight of the evening’s reports was the Special Education presentation. Ms. Sharon Wright (and I’m sure she had a team) presented what could have been a confusing amount of information/definitions and statistics but wasn’t. There are 8,202 students classified as Sp Ed ages 6 to 21. They’ve got 685 teachers and 531 assistants tending these children. That sort of attention is massive, granted, but they’re getting things done if this presentation is accurate. Amazingly 80% of these children are there simply because they haven’t learned to read. And of those 40% were just not taught. [UPDATE: clarification at the request of BOE member Kathy Nevill on 5/31/06. The 80 and 40% statistics Ms. Wright presented were from the "Presidential Commission on Special Education, 2002 and not MNPS specific.] That’s just an amazing statistic shadowed only by the fact that they’ve managed to have 42.9% of their charges obtain a regular high school diploma. I had to repeat that back to her just to make sure that I understood correctly.

Wednesday morning: I was pleased to help serve the teachers at East Literature Magnet school. Their PTO provided them a hot lunch and fabulous desserts. My task was filling the cups with ice. This PTO also had on hand a man from Essence Day Spa providing massages, and so, many teachers left full of good food, fellowship and quite mellow from the massages.

Thursday morning: Finally, this morning I attended the Mayor’s State of Metro Address at the Convention Center hosted by the Chamber of Commerce. Since I had previously blogged (http://kaybrooks.blogspot.com/2006/05/change-venue.html) that this event should occur in the council chambers finding myself at the BOE table was interesting. And in honor of a constituent request* I asked the wait staff to clear my place setting and drank just ice water. Interestingly the Mayor announced that next year’s State of Metro address would be held at the new public square as part of Nashville’s Bicentennial.

Regarding the budget the Mayor announced he would recommend on Friday that the Council fully fund the BOE budget (to include their list of “we’d rather not do without but we will if we have to.”) The BOE members at the table who’d done the yeoman work on creating that budget were quite excited and thankful for his support.

So, Friday the Mayor will tell the Council how much he wants and then the Council will wrangle out the details and tell the BOE how much they have. You can view the budget here: http://www.mnps.org/Page5308.aspx

Other news:

Inglewood Elementary is being considered for an exciting incentive pay plan being sponsored by private funds. The staff there voted yesterday to participate if chosen. If specific academic goals are met every employee there would receive a cash bonus for their team success. I certainly hope that Inglewood is chosen. I’m sure Dr. Garcia understands that he has my support and earnest desire to see this happen in our neighborhood.

*This mom is very concerned about the physical condition of her child's school (Isaac Litton Middle School) and is wondering why MNPS is feeding folks when that money could be going to improvements in schools. She's asked me and is encouraging other people to forgo any MNPS paid for meals to demonstrate solidarity with her efforts. I'm happy to do so.

There was a lot of wasted food on tables and plates after the State of Metro Address. I can’t imagine how much paint, plaster and ADA renovations all that would have paid for.

Monday 05/22/06

Saturday I spoke briefly at the SEIU hall in East Nashville. They were disappointed that I didn't fill in their survey, but they let me explain who I was and why I wanted to continue on the school board which I appreciate. One woman was offended that I hadn't filled in the survey. She said that if all people thought like homeschoolers she wouldn't have a job. Immediately thinking of all the families that are leaving Nashville and choosing private education options because of the current condition of our public schools my response was: If we don't improve public schools you won't have a job.

This morning I attended Dr. Pedro Garcia's usual Monday morning cabinet meeting. I was warmly welcomed. They introduced themselves and gave me a brief overview of their duties. I also saw a presentation on the status of the new Cane Ridge High School in Antioch.

I'm going to get with a couple of them on improving the MNPS website so that it's actually useable by mere mortals. I was told that they have been working on behind the scenes foundational issues and very much welcomed my suggestions and asked if we could meet later. I expect that the BOE page with the agendas and minutes will be updated soon so that we can all stay better informed about what has happened.

Afterward it was paperwork time. It seems despite being a Metro employee in order to get a security badge for MNPS facilities I must have an employee number which I can only get by filling in an online job application which wouldn't allow me to continue with the application unless I agreed to a background check. I was told BOE members didn't need to have background check but there was no workaround in order to get a security badge. Surely someone can figure out how to put a 'NO' box on that page for such circumstances. (I'll add that to my conversation with the fellows in the paragraph above.)

And before I left I got more homework. I brought this box of policy papers, reference materials, health insurance information, strategic and strategy plans (I guess I'll find out the difference soon), organizational charts, Board Minutes for the year to date and budget information home with me.

That big binder is a grand report from January of 2001 called "Long-Range Implementation Plan Resulting from a Performance Audit of Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools from MGT of America. " Let's hope it's long range--it's now 5 years later.

This evening I'll attend the graduation celebration for Stratford High School.

UPDATE: 6/2/06: My first paycheck arrived. They charged me $31.00 for a background check.

Language, please.

I can't believe that I'm even having to write this but I've removed a comment for crude language. In places where foul language is common it wasn't that bad--but I don't like hearing it, I don't want to read it and won't have it published here under my name. Comments containing foul language will be removed hereafter without any notice whatsoever.

She's not alone

Just bumped into this while trying to catch up from a very busy week.

Sharon Anthony, an active parent at Whites Creek High, said the district's focus on improving high schools is overdue but critically important.

"It hurts me to see what's going on," said Anthony, whose daughter is a junior at the high school. "More parents need to be aware of what's going on in public schools. The kids need to be pushed a little harder."

Anthony said the graduation rates at many Metro high schools make it clear that it's time for change. Eleven of the 15 regular and magnet high schools in the system have a rate below 70 percent.

"It makes me sick," she said.
Tennessean 5/19/06

Me too. See for yourself.

My homework arrived

NewsChannel 5 ended their online version of our conversation yesterday with this:

Metro's school board meets next week. Wednesday, boxes of information were sent to Brooks to help her get up to speed.

Well, when I got home today it had arrive and--well--you see the great heap the courier left. One envelope was the usual board agenda and accompanying documents of about 40 pages total. The other was a robe for upcoming graduation ceremonies.

I am expecting documents regarding the BOE policies and the usual employment documents.

BTW, I never saw the actual broadcast so I've no idea how accurate that was.

And so it begins

This afternoon Judge Carol Solomon graciously interrupted her busy day and officiated at my swearing in as the new MNPS School Board Representative for the 5th District. Family and friends were in attendance.

I have received many notes of support and encouragement as a result of the Metro Council's vote on Tuesday. They have been a salve and an encouragement. Thank you all for writing. My heartfelt thanks to the councilmen that believed the good reports about me and decided that I was worth taking a chance on:

Jason Alexander, Feller Brown, Carl Burch, Michael Craddock, Eric Crafton, Buck Dozier, Adam Dread, Jim Forkum, Randy Foster, Jim Gotto, Jason Hart, J. B. Loring, Rip Ryman, Parker Toler, Charlie Tygard, Ludye Wallace, Harold White and Edward Whitmore. These men will not be disappointed or embarrassed by their votes.

It was a treat to learn yesterday that one of the perks of being on the BOE is our special place in the graduation ceremonies. I was tickled to learn that my first graduation will be at East Literature where old friends have a daughter graduating. I'll try not to embarrass her but I consider it a special gift that she'll be part of my first official duties. Mazel tov sweetie. :-)

I'm in.

As of about 8:00 p.m. this evening I'm the new school board member for Metro Nashville Public Schools representing the 5th District. It was a close 18 to 17 vote but that was good enough.

Here's my first official press release dropped on the media desk before I left the meeting after already having talked to several reporters.

Announcement of Candidacy

I am formally announcing that I am a candidate for the 5th District School Board position for Metro Nashville Public Schools.

I am deeply concerned about the quality of education the children in our district are receiving and know that my efforts can make a positive difference in the lives of these children.

This is a difficult district. To start with we’ve got more schools than any other district. Of the 32 Metro schools on the Tennessee Department of Education’s “High Priority” list, seven are in this district. Two of those are our comprehensive high schools—-Maplewood and Stratford. They have graduation rates of 41% and 50% and test scores that should be much better. That’s hundreds of young people in our city discouraged, frustrated, angry and lacking the basic skills we promised them and their parents they would get. This is unacceptable and has to change.

Like it or not, in today’s world public schools are in a competition with private, home, and online schools. If MNPS wants to compete well with those other education options then it must listen to voices from outside the choir and not the usual educators and administrators. If we continue to appoint and elect the same sort of people to the school board we will continue to get the same sort of educational results for our children. For too many of our children that’s not good enough.

I am also announcing that in an effort to encourage conversation about the district and its needs I have created an e-list at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MNPSDistrict5 and I invite voters and parents in the district to subscribe. I have also created http://KayBrooks.com where I have begun to include information about the schools in the 5^th district along with links to helpful resources and where I will be reporting on my campaign activities.

I understand that not everyone is on the Internet and welcome invitations to attend community gatherings where we can talk in person about our district, its needs and possible solutions. I look forward to those conversations and working with my neighbors for the benefit of the children.

Yes, that's my hat.

It's true. Nathan Moore correctly reports that I'm being nominated for the school board's District 5 vacancy. Further, I intend to run for the position.

This Metro Council appointment will last just 11 weeks until the August 4th election. Then the voters of District 5 will elect a board member who will serve for only a 2 year term instead of the normal four years to accommodate the regular election rotation for the board. Voters will have a rare opportunity to keep that board member on a very short leash and I don't mind that at all. Four years is a long time in the life of a child. This is a unique opportunity to serve the children, families and taxpayers of my neighborhood and I'm ready and willing to take on the challenge of this difficult district.

I'll have a lot more to say Tuesday evening and following. I'm working on putting in place some communication tools and information about our district for us to utilize in this effort and I am looking forward to working with my neighbors to make some real improvements in the educational life of our children.

Change the venue

This morning's Tennessean has an article about the Metro Council receiving free meals and how that could be a conflict. Being used as a prime example is the Mayor's State of Metro address before the Chamber of Commerce which has previously been free to councilmen but is no longer due to a recent rule change.

My question is: Why is the Mayor presenting this information to a private group when this is public information being provided by a public servant? No citizen should have to fork over cash to hear their own mayor give this important overview of their city. The problem isn't who pays for the meals. The problem is the private nature of the venue. Both the State of the Union and the State of the State speeches are given in legislative chambers. Why not the State of Metro speech?

[Councilman Parker] Toler said it's "a little idiotic," however, that he can't have a soft drink or cookie if he attends the grand opening of a store in his district.

My suggestion is that at any event where the public is invited and freely offered food councilmen can eat free too. If it's not offered to the general public--it's off limits to the council members.

Another Ford throws his hat in the ring

No, not from that Ford family.

This is Jeff Ford of Williamson County.

He's running for State Senator Jim Bryson's seat.

For the purposes of this blog here's the statement on his campaign site regarding education.

EDUCATION

The formula for funding of schools is confusing, incomplete and unfair to both Williamson County and Metro Davidson County Schools. Williamson County is punished for tremendous growth. Metro Schools are punished by the lack of recognition of the ELL population. Williamson County had approximately 30% of all the growth in student population for the most recent school year. We must find a way to make certain that we fully fund the growth portion of the BEP, as well as make certain that Williamson County receives the growth funds it deserves. We must also find a way to get the growth funds into the system in the year the growth occurs, rather than one year later.

Metro Davidson County currently has approximately 30% of the ELL students, but only receives approximately 10% of the ELL funds. We must ensure that the funds received by Davidson County are sufficient to handle this growing population.

Both Davidson and Williamson are punished because of an ability to pay. The BEP formula is outdated, and does not take into account changing populations.

Good start, imo. Every attempt at being fair to one set is always going to end up being unfair to another--welcome to life. This is why I think control and funding need to be as local as possible.

Jeff will be blogging at http://electjeffford.blogspot.com/ if you want to keep tabs on him and his positions.

Kudos to Claudette

Nashville education reporter Claudette Riley gets strokes for a job well done from Mike Antonucci in his May 1 Communique and she deserves them.

This morning, Claudette Riley of the Tennessean also took the time to look at the Metro Nashville teachers' contract, and discovered that a handful of teachers are spending a significant portion of the school year attending to union business. "We didn't know we were being policed," said Metro Nashville Education Association President Jamye Merritt.

Most of this stuff never gets "policed," which is why the unifying factor for most school district operations is inertia. Local newspapers can not only generate some decent stories from this, but maybe even effect some positive change.

It really was a very informative piece and I would encourage the media to provide us more in-depth reporting. From my point of view parents and taxpayers are thirsty for this sort of information and I encourage folks to read it. Any time a teacher is absent from work 24% of the time it's cause for concern.

Most interesting to me was this section of the piece:

Tracking leave time

Suggested ways around the problem include extending the length of time contract negotiations can take place on any given day and waiting until the school day ends to start negotiations.

There's some question about how many approved leave days have been used. Garcia said he tracks the requests he approves each year and rarely turns one down unless too many teachers would be out or the activity doesn't seem necessary.

"There are some that I have denied or asked them to have less people," Garcia said.

Neither the district nor the union has kept track of how much approved time was used. Merritt said that if she had known it would become an issue, she would have reported each time the member opted not to take approved time off.

"Not everything has been used — less has been used than requested," said Merritt, who wouldn't speculate on how many of the approved days went unused.

"We didn't know we were being policed."

Policed is such a negative emotional word. Can we use the phrase 'being held accountable' instead? And then let's start tracking this information and find a solution that is best for the students and then as accomodating as possible for the rest of the participants.

Tied for 49th

From the May 1st Education Intelligence Agency Communique:

We're Number 49! No, We Are! EIA gets tons of reports, policy papers and other assorted documents from people and organizations with an interest in public education. And – to be perfectly honest – unless it has something in it that is immediately eye-catching, I'm not going to spend too much time with it.

But, while thumbing through a March 2006 report from the Independence Institute titled, "Counting the Cash for K-12: The Facts about Per-Pupil Spending in Colorado," I came across a graphic that illustrates why it pays to be skeptical.

The institute found that "at least 10 states claimed in 2004 or 2005 to rank 49^th in education funding."

The list includes Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Utah. (emphasis added)

Call it the reverse Lake Wobegon effect. When it comes to funding, everyone claims to be below average.

Newsweek's top 100 high schools

I'll be picking up a copy of this week's Newsweek magazine today. You can read much of it online here. Seems that there are some "urban" schools that somehow manage to be excellent. How did that happen?

One big hint:

If you want to understand what's happening in some of America's most innovative public high schools, think back to your own experiences in that petri dish of adolescent social stratification known as the cafeteria. Were you a jock? A theater geek? A science whiz? Part of the arty crowd? Whatever your inclination, it defined where you sat. Now imagine that each of those tables was a school in itself—with a curriculum based on sports, drama, science or art and a student body with shared interests and common aptitudes. That radical idea is transforming thousands of high schools. A one-size-fits-all approach no longer works for everyone, the new thinking goes; a more individualized experience is better.

and

On the plus side, students get more adult attention and are less likely to be lost in the crowd. They can focus on subjects they really care about while still getting a grounding in the basics. But some educators think this boutique approach comes with a cost: the loss of a common experience that brings everyone together under one big roof.

What's worse--not being able to read and do math or not having that common experience? One common experience that must stop is that 56% dropout rate at Stratford & Maplewood High Schools.

Nashville's MLK comes in at 39, Hume-Fogg at 43. Most of the Top 100 schools have way more 'free lunch' students than the roughly 10% at both those area magnet schools by the way.

Unexcused absence

For the record:

MNPS Addresses “Great American Boycott of 2006”

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (April 26, 2006) – The administration of Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools issued a statement today regarding the “Great American Boycott of 2006,” a May 1 nationwide protest regarding proposed federal immigration legislation.
“While we understand the passion of this issue, parents need to appreciate how valuable classroom time is and how important it is for children to be in school, studying, taking tests and focusing on academic progress” said MNPS Director Pedro E. Garcia, Ed. D. “All of our 132 schools will be open with normal schedules May 1; we will not be giving excused absences to children who miss school due to the boycott. (emphasis added)
“We know this is a matter of great concern for many in our community, but we can’t afford to lose any of the critical time we have for teaching children,” Garcia said. “We are hopeful all parents will recognize how important it is for children to be in school, and that we can’t shut down our district whenever there’s a debate on proposed local, state or federal legislation.”
Garcia said the district would encourage schools throughout the district to discuss the issue in government, history and other classes.
“It’s important for our children to discuss topical issues; that is a cornerstone of good citizenship,” he said. “We believe conversations on important matters are healthy for children to learn and grow. Our goal, as a district, is to permit these conversations in an orderly way that benefits the learning process.” (snip)

AP test results

This chart was presented at last evening's Metro Nashville Board of Education meeting. The presenter focused on the fact that they were getting so many more students taking these advance placement classes. One board member asked if the class members were required to take the actual AP test. They aren't. I assume that those who decline to take the test feel they wouldn't be able to pass. What might the rate be if all were required to take the test?

No one asked why we can't break the 60% pass rate and are, obviously, losing ground.

My scanner isn't the best but that Percentage of Tests Passed rate along that bottom line reads: 59%, 58%, 55%, 59%, 57% and finally 54%

TEA gets a lesson

from Bill Hobbs. The current TEA legislative report encourages members to lobby against Sen. Jim Bryson's bill to constitutionally limit state spending.

The TEA says, "SJR 629 is largely modeled after the so-called Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) which was enacted in Colorado in 1991. The 1991 provision had such a negative impact that Colorado voters last year suspended several key provisions of the amendment. "

Not true.

A side-by-side comparison of SJR 629 and Colorado's Taxpayers Bill of Rights shows that the two share almost no similarities.

(snip)

...SJR 629 really only does three things:

1. It changes the Tennessee constitution's existing cap on the annual growth of the state budget to allow it to be broken only if two-thirds of the legislature approves, rather than the current simple-majority vote.
2. It puts unspent surplus funds in the state's rainy day fund.
3. Once the rainy day fund reaches a set target, additional surpluses go to reducing the state sales tax.

It's one thing to disagree on the issue--and a completely different matter to encourage advocacy based on error. You should read both the TEA report and Bill's corrections to that report. And I encourage you to contact the Senate Finance Ways & Means Committee members and let them know how you feel about how they take and spend your money.

SOS proposal

I've not seen any of the SOS materials but from what I read in this morning's City Paper--there seems to be good reason to read and discuss their information. Part of our problem is that we don't have enough information, it's hard to find it, it's really hard to interpret.

And yes, it's the rare report and overview that doesn't have some sort of point of view encouraging a specific agenda. But let's not throw out the effort without examining it first.

Today, the group — called Save Our Schools (or SOS) — will present to the council and to the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce a program they say will greatly improve the city’s public schools.

But before doing so, SOS will present a series of statistics, culled primarily from the Tennessee Department of Education, that SOS feels shows Metro Nashville Public Schools is lagging behind most other Tennessee school systems.

I've advocated for paying excellent teachers excellent wages here several times and the SOS proposal apparently includes teacher bonuses for taking on the hard jobs and succeeding. Superintendent Garcia also suggested that teachers receive incentive pay in his state of the schools speech in February.

"We must also reward excellence and pay our employees according to their effort and results. We must enter the dialogue of incentive pay so teachers are encouraged and rewarded for teaching successfully in our more difficult schools. We must move forward on these issues."

So--bring it on SOS. Let's see what you've got.

Education Davids

Today's must read comes from a new blog called Edpresso.com. Starting from Tennessee's Instapundit Glenn Reynolds' new book "An Army of Davids" Dan Lips ask some questions that the public school system would be wise to consider as it looks toward the future.

Reynolds argues that technological advances will lead to fewer Americans spending their days at Goliath institutions like factories or offices. A case in point is the 724,000 Americans who now are working full- or part-time through eBay. The trend suggests that family life in the new century may look more like 18^th century when parents spent more time at home with their children.

As society changes, what society wants from its education system will also change.

Surely we can agree that last line is already absolutely true. Parents of today are not the parents of the 50's. We've moved into the customized age where everything from our television viewing to our cars are highly personalized. Why should be expect those same people to stop asking for personal service when it comes to something so much more important than what is in their coffee cup?

What are we going to do about it?

Candidates?

I'm disappointed that the only quotes contained in this morning's Nashville City Paper article about the 3rd draft of the MNPS budget are (once again) from board members that are leaving (Nevill & Hunt). I would really like to hear what the rest of the board members have to say. And I'm sure lots of voters in the 2nd, 6th & 8th districts would appreciate knowing what those school board candidates have to say about the entire process, what they'd do differently and what they support regarding this $556,250,500.00 budget before the August 3rd elections.

Superintendent Garcia told us back in February that last year the school budget was 37.6% of Metro's overall budget and more importantly 73,000 of our children.

$1.8M update

This morning's Nashville City Paper has some additional information about the $1.8 million mentioned here yesterday. Unfortunately the article doesn't explain why the money is sitting in escrow and needs council intervention to get to the schools. See the post below for that explanation straight from the Metro Council Agenda.

Keep in mind that these aren't NAPE (Nashville Alliance for Public Education) raised funds--they're acting as a conduit for the cash. Thanks to them for the help around this legal bar. I'd link to NAPE but I can't seem to find a web site. [Update: Thanks to Eric for the URL for NAPE. Does MNPS host the websites of other non-profits?.]

[Councilman Charlie] Tygard has proposed via a resolution that $1.8 million be given as a grant to the Nashville Alliance for Public Education (NAPE) for equal distribution among Metro’s 132 schools. The money, about $15,000 per school, would be used to purchase technology equipment and science lab supplies.

Today, a letter crafted by Tygard goes in the mail addressed to principals, asking them to quantify how they would use the grants.

and this :

School Board Chairwoman Pam Garrett is a non-voting member of the NAPE Board of Directors. She said Metro Schools has given the Alliance a list that prioritizes the district’s needs – music, science and reading.

$1.8 million paperwork shuffle

An interesting bit in the Metro Council agenda for Tuesday. The city got some money. But the city can't just 'give' it to the schools they have to funnel it through a non-profit. There's got to be a better way--surely.

RESOLUTION NO. RS2006-1244 (TYGARD, DOZIER & OTHERS) – This resolution appropriates $1.8 million from the unappropriated fund balance of the general fund of the general services district to Nashville Alliance for Public Education, Inc., to provide funding for the purchase of technology and science equipment for use in public schools. Nashville Alliance for Public Education, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the mission of raising money for Metro public schools.

In February 2006, the council approved the assignment of the Renaissance Hotel lease. As part of the lease assignment, the Metropolitan Government received a twenty percent share of the anticipated profit from the assignment, which resulted in a payment to Metro of $2,234,000. This resolution relies on this share of the profit from the assignment to bolster the unappropiated fund balance of the general fund of the GSD to fund this appropriation. However, the director of finance has stated that he has been advised by the legal department that this appropriation would violate an ordinance enacted by the council in 1990, which requires that such funds go to the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency (MDHA) for affordable housing opportunities and economic development activities. In addition, the director of finance states that the department of law has raised concerns that this appropriation may violate the Charter prohibition requiring that the general funds of the Metropolitan Government be kept separate from the schools, and that it may violate state laws granting the sole authority to the school board for determining how school funds are to be expended. Therefore, the director of finance has refused to certify that funds are available for this appropriation. A copy of the director of finance’s memorandum is attached to this analysis.

The Council Office would point out that not all of the required documentation has been provided in order for Nashville Alliance for Public Education, Inc., to be eligible to receive grant funding from the Metropolitan Government. The Metropolitan Code of Laws requires that certain information be provided by nonprofits prior to receiving grant funds from Metro. This includes a copy of the organization’s charter, a copy of the letter from the Internal Revenue Service certifying that the agency is tax exempt, a copy of the organization’s audit, a statement of the proposed use of funds, and the proposed budget for the organization. A proposed budget and statement of the proposed use of funds has yet to be provided.

Lottery Scholarships

Today's Chattanooga Times Free-Press reports what was known before the Tennessee lottery was enacted--it's not the poor students that benefit. Unfortunately the Times-Free Press doesn't link to the actual data for independent analysis.

State Rep. Tommie Brown, D-Chattanooga, along with other members of the Tennessee General Assembly's Black Caucus, has criticized the lottery scholarship program for not helping enough minority and low-income students.

She said lawmakers knew when they approved the program nearly two years ago that it would cater more to well-off students.

She's exactly correct. She chaired one of the education committees reviewing this legislation. But it's not the program that needs to be amended. The answer lies somewhere between the school districts, the parents and the students working together at finding the right educational options to ensure that each student gets that basic education they've been promised.

I was in many of the education committee hearings, even testified, and can confirm how hard legislators worked to include their own poorly performing students in this opportunity. That's why a "B" average was included in the bill. Many of those committee members knew and expressed their opinion on this very subject. The ACT score bounced around from high of 23 to a low of 19 and finally landed at 21 with the subjective "B" average option as the best chance many of those children would have to obtain this money. It was a shameful fact that many of the children in their districts couldn't make it with just an ACT/SAT score alone. Something had to be done to accommodate them.

The entire lottery scheme was sold as being for the 'best and brightest'. It was never advertised as a hand up for poorly performing or minority students. Lottery opponents routinely pointed out that poor people were more likely to buy lottery tickets and more well off students were the usual beneficiaries of those lottery losings. It should be no surprise to anyone who was half paying attention at the time that the Free-Press analysis is old news.

The only way to fix lack of scholarships for poorer students is for the legislators to go back to their home districts and raise a huge fuss. I would be mortified to sit on any of the state's education committees attempting to steer the public education system for the entire state without being an outspoken advocate for serious changes and accountability in my own home district. They say all politics is local. So let's fix the local problem first.

Why should I pay twice?

The recent excellent investigative reporting by the Tennessean actually lured me back to subscribing. Today I discovered something new--I have to pay for archived articles. I'm a subscriber--why should I have to pay for archived articles? I know Gannett has to recoup its expenses somehow, but maybe they ought to sell free archive access as a benefit of subscribing?

However, it was apparent yesterday they may not have the whole subscribing thing down since we got a card asking us to subscribe. The money is coming out of my checking account and the paper magically appears in the drive every morning---I'd call that subscribing.

Interestingly the paper is using the same NewsBank service the library does--and I'm not charged if I utilize their web site: http://www.library.nashville.org/Index.html.

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Ed reporter hired by MNPS

Tennessean education reporter Diane Long has been hired by the Metro Nashville Public Schools according to a press release from MNPS today.

Long To Aid Parental Information Efforts

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (April 13, 2006) – The Metro Nashville Public Schools Public Information and Community Relations office announced this week that veteran journalist Diane Long will serve as a public information coordinator for the district. Long, who started work with MNPS Monday, April 10, will help manage the school system’s website and work on projects to improve communication with parents and other MNPS stakeholders.
“We’re delighted to have Diane working with us,” said Woody McMillin, MNPS Director of Public Information and Community Relations. “In addition to being an education reporter for more than two decades in Nashville, she is also certified as a secondary English teacher. She will be a tremendous asset as we strengthen our efforts to provide timely, accurate information.”
Long succeeds Chris Russell, who resigned earlier this year to pursue other opportunities. She will be based in the MNPS central office at 2601 Bransford Avenue, but will spend much of her time at the 132 schools within the district.

This is one of those good news/bad news situations. She'll probably do a very good job for the city based on her work for the paper but I'm concerned about being one education reporter short. Considering the amount of money involved in education, the number of citizens involved and the impact the system has on our society as a whole, education reporting is vital. And let's not forget that we've got school board elections on the horizon. This is not the best time to be short handed in this arena.

MNPS School Board Elections

Kathy Nevill, Metro School Board Vice-Chairman, is not going to run for reelection this year according to this morning's City Paper.

Nevill has groomed Steve Glover, an involved parent and insurance broker by trade, to take her spot representing District 4. He will run unopposed in the Aug. 3 election.

(snip)

Glover said he will focus his initial efforts on future graduation rates by ensuring students know how to read when they leave fourth grade and by enhancing middle school curriculum to better prepare students for high school.

I should think this should have been done all along. With a 50% graduation rate at McGavock somethings been done wrong for a long time. And, of course, the unanswered question is what's his plan beyond "initial efforts" as if the initial efforts weren't tough enough?

I don't know why, but I have been unable to find any election information at the MNPS website for weeks. It used to be there, years ago, but it's sure no where near obvious anymore. And the Metro Election Commission isn't of any help either. Why does the Chamber of Commerce have more info?

Districts 2, 4, 6 & 8 are all up for election. The rundown:

District 2 formerly held by George Blue who is resigning has three candidates: Terri Harris, Michael Kerstetter (a current councilman who will resign to run), and Joann Brannon.

District 4 formerly held by Kathy Nevil has Steve Glover as the unopposed candidate.

District 6 has Dr. Mebenin Awipi running for reelection and two or three other contenders, Duane Dominy, Karen Y. Johnson, according to the Tennessean (and additionally Lane Simpson according to the Chamber of Commerce.) This is when official election commission info would be very handy.

District 8 has Kathleen Harkey running for reelection and David Fox opposing her.

Get out there folks. Get to know the candidates. Ask them the hard questions. They're your children. It's your money. Make 'em account for every minute of those precious young lives under their care and for every dime they take from your families.

Stossel's still waiting

Some of you may remember that ABC's John Stossel ran a report on January 13 called "Stupid in America". I gave my observations at the time and yesterday learned that Mr. Stossel is still waiting for the teacher's union to make good on their invitation.

Randi Weingarten, head of New York City's union, took the microphone and hollered, "Just teach for a week!" She said I could select from many schools. "We got high schools, we got elementary schools, we got junior high schools!"

I accepted.

Well, it's sure looking like they don't really want him to teach in a normal classroom. Read his report here. That's a pity. If they really wanted to make the case for additional help, having a national forum like Stossel's would surely have been a great place to make their point.

Mandisa's coming home! :-)

Last night our favorite Idol contestant, Mandisa, was voted off of American Idol. I can't say that I wasn't entirely surprised by this turn of events. Previously, we'd only been able to get in about twenty votes per episode. Tuesday night we managed 127. Something wasn't normal and I hated what that might indicate.

Like most of America our family only tuned into American Idol for the first few shows. It was hilarious to see some of those people try and make an impression on the judges and America. Often they did impress because we wondered "What were they thinking?" But months ago we got the word that this season we might want to watch a bit more closely. And so we did. We were thrilled that one of our own was participating and became faithful watchers. We weren't surprised to see the cameras taping a recent worship service at Mandisa's home church (with my hubby playing upright bass) and we actually bought the t-shirt saying "Mandisa is my American Idol. All hail the Diva."

Like Stevie Wonder and Barry Manilow, we know that she has an awesome voice. Each time she's been a part of our music team we've been encouraged by her. Kenny Rogers was right, she does have a sweet spirit. Not only can that girl sing--she can worship! And more importantly, she encouraged us to worship.

We're of two minds around here this reality morning. We're sad that she didn't win. Very sad. But we're also very thankful for the national exposure she did get (and that job offer from Manilow ain't shabby) and especially glad that she'll be coming home. She's been missed. It's been fun. I'm sure that her abilities will never be overlooked again.

And I'm willing to bet that she's "still believing God".

Information please

Why does Circuit Court Clerk Richard Rooker have an 'about' page on the Circuit Court's web site? Shouldn't that be an 'about the job' or 'about the court' page? Considering he's running for reelection this comes off as an inappropriate way to obtain votes. It's not a hidden page deep within personnel files, either. It's right there on the main Circuit Court navigation section. And don't overlook the Rooker name again at the top navigation line. Shouldn't that really attractive "Rooker Report" be renamed something less self-serving--unless, of course, he's paying for it.

And why aren't the actual judges listed? Knowing about Mr. Rooker and his personal life and accomplishments are more important than who the judges are?

I'm thinking the Circuit Court page ought to be more focused on the court. Something along the lines of the Chancery Court page for example. But I don't see the names of the Chancery Court judges there either.

I'm just a voter looking for information for the upcoming election who foolishly thought that she'd find the answers by checking the appropriate web pages. Well, at least there's a nice Rooker seal to look at.

Honestly

Jon Crisp's column in this morning's Tennessean points out, again, that there are some serious issues in the MNPS that must be addressed.

Let's first present the facts as the Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) and the Tennessee Department of Education published them. Nashville spends more than $9,000 per student per year to educate each child, an amount that puts us near the top of the 135 public schools systems in Tennessee and well above the national average. The graduation rate for MNPS is second from the lowest in Tennessee of all reporting school systems. MNPS is in last place in Tennessee in the number of students determined to be "proficient" in math foundations.

Did you know that there are Metro high schools from which your child has only a one-in-three chance of graduation? Did you know that a large number of our students are unable to meet minimum graduation requirements and will receive an "attendance" certificate at graduation rather than a diploma?

This just ought not to be so.

Jon says we need to "declare war on our deficiencies" and "Why not offer financial incentives to our teachers..."? Yes and yes again. Go read the rest and then start asking the current School Board and the candidates running "What exactly are you going to do to fix this?"

A crippling education

This morning's City Paper wastes ink and trees and tells us the MNPS School Board opposes vouchers. That's not news. It's more of the same protectionism that is expected from a school board that is all too unwilling to hold 'the professionals' accountable.

According to the story Stacy Campfield's (R-Knoxville) legislation (HB2687) will 'cripple' the system.

Lisa Hunt, a school board member, said the nine-member body opposes vouchers that allow public school monies to go to private schools.

“Right now, Tennessee is one of the states with the lowest funding for public education, and allowing vouchers would seriously cripple our system,” Hunt said.

What has seriously crippled the public school system is its monopoly status. What has crippled the system is its inability to meet the diverse needs of the students. What has crippled the system is its inability to actually empower parents and aid them in finding the right educational services for their child's needs.

This legislation doesn't kick in until the public school system fails. If they'd get their act together they wouldn't need to be concerned about losing students and funding.

and here's an interesting 'coincidence':

The board’s effort comes on the heels of the Tennessee Education Association (TEA) and the Metro Nashville Education Association (MNEA) denouncing the proposed legislation.

The MNPS got their marching orders and complied.

I wouldn't have thought that the 'crippled' quote could be topped but School Board Member Marsha Warden managed to do it.

“Our school system provides ample choices for our families to find schools in our district that meet their academic and philosophical needs,” she said. “And there is really no need to move unless your inherent belief is that private schools are just better.”

If the system provided 'ample' choice we wouldn't have the abundance of private schools in this area that we do. As it is those private schools are flourishing, expanding and have long waiting lists.

Interestingly, both of these women are NOT up for election this year. I suppose that's why they were willing to be quoted.

Rep. Campfield--This school board does not speak for me. Please, continue in your efforts to ensure that children and their parents have ample choice regarding the education of their children.

Plagiarism is stealing even if you're the AP

This story about MSM plagiarism (via Glenn Reynolds) hits just too close to home. I know a bit about how this feels and it's maddening. You work hard at becoming knowledgeable about a topic, you put it out there for folks to utilize and then you discover that someone bigger than you has snagged it and published it as their own without so much as a 'how do you do'.

Larisa Alexandrovna writes:

We contacted an AP senior editor and ombudsmen both and both admitted to having had the article passed on to them, and both stated that they viewed us as a blog and because we were a blog, they did not need to credit us. What we are or are not is frankly irrelevant. What is relevant is that by using a term like blog to somehow excuse plagiarism, the mainstream press continues to lower the bar for acceptable behavior. It need not matter where the AP got the information, research, and actual wording from. What matters is that if they use it in part or in whole, they must attribute properly. A blog or a small press publication or grads students working in the corner of a library all equally deserve credit for their work, period.

And that's really all I ask. About the only payment I get is letters of thanks, a bit of notariety (yes, I'm a legend in my own mind) and an occasional Google ad check.

I can't recall when I ever denied anyone permission to reprint my stuff if they'd just do the decent thing and let folks know it was my work product. Usually I do that because if there is a mistake I want to be responsible for it. Or if someone needs more information they can check back with me. And I heartily welcome the use of snips and links.

Every now and then it's some newbie who doesn't have a clue about basic copyright rules and I'm willing to provide a primer. But lately it's been publishing professionals who ought to know better. Last week I wrote a publisher and got a long diatribe asking why was I being so selfish and uncooperative. It took most of the day but they eventually got word from their lawyer that I was right. It was my stuff. I'm still waiting to hear back from another publisher. I guess they'll just blow me off assuming I don't have the means to fight for my words.

I certainly hope that the AP doesn't waste anymore time being high and mighty. They need to own up to this, change their policies and profusely thank and pay Larisa for her work.

UPDATE: If you've had any trouble with this sort of thing on the web I've found Shawn Hall's tips at http://reliableanswers.com/pc/dmca.asp to be very effective.

Political families

I've been in Nashville 25 years now and still, nearly every election cycle, I discover a new thread in the web of political connections that I was completely cluelss about.

For example: Candidate A is married to Justice B and Candidate B is the cousin of Political Appointee C who is also the sister of Candidate D who has brother working in Justice B's office. We may be a town of over half a million people--but our political dynasties seem to be so thoroughly entrenched that attempting to run outside of the clan is very difficult. I remember holding up signs for a political candidate one year outside of a polling station. I was there all day and chatted up the opponents workers. Not one of them knew the candidate they were working for. But they knew their daddy, worked for their daddy, their daddy had helped them out and so they were there returning the favor--or creating one.

What I would love to see is someone create political family trees to help voters know who and what these connections are. I could sure use a scorecard right about now.

Focus is good

This morning's Tennessean (page 3A) contained a highly edited version of the New York Times article about schools being forced by No Child Left Behind to focus on the core subjects of reading and math.

What jumped out at me in the Tennessean version, which bemoaned the loss of courses like social studies, science and art, was this quote:

"Experts warn that by reducing the academic menu, schools risk giving bored teenagers the message that school means repetition and drilling."

Wait a minute. If students don't have basic math and reading skills down by the time they're teenagers I don't think your average social studies or science class is really going to be the 'hook' that keeps them engaged in school. Ditto for sports participation. Taxpayers and parents understand that knowing the Monroe Doctrine or the difference between a Renoir and a Monet is good, but knowing how to balance your check book, figuring out your odds of winning the lottery and being able to read that car lease, are more important for every day life.

And of course this article is jumping the gun a bit. The survey upon which the entire article is premised upon won't be released until Tuesday by the Center on Education Policy. This Center makes it quite clear on their website that they are public school proponents and so I don't anticipate much more than the party line in their findings.

If it's Sunday--

the front page of the Tennessean will contain some article of controversy about the Christian church. This habit is one of the reasons I unsubscribed from the paper for such a long time. Their current good investigative work drew me back but it may not be permanent.

Really, I don't appreciate dragging in that big bundle of newprint, culling out the ads and, useless to me, classified and sports sections and then the first thing I read of the less than half that is left is some controversy as I head out to my own house of worship.

I don't recall regular Friday edition articles about divisions in the Islamic faith or Saturday exposes about the local Jewish congregations.

IF these discussions between faith members need front page coverage, and they usually don't--why are they routinely saved for Sundays?

What's in those books?

I've discovered a tool for parents who, like me, wonder "Just what's the uproar about?" when book controversies come to light. The Parents Against Bad Books In Schools (PABBIS) provide some answers. You can go to their site and they actually have a list of books that these parents have issues with and then they go one better by providing the actual offensive text so you can judge for yourself.

At http://www.sibbap.org/ you'll find a disclaimer, the list of books with questionable content and then a link to a downloadable file of the actual text. If you're looking for a particular book use the Find feature of your browser (usually CTRL +F) and search for its title. Unfortunately, the downloadable file contains all the texts and not just links to the problem paragraphs of each book.

Sometimes it's the parents that have to do the homework. Here's a tool to help you make wiser decisions for your children.

Let the Sun Shine

Some lessons for all public officials can be learned from J. C. Bowman's critique of the Hamilton County School Board.

It astonishes me that any political body could continue to operate like the Hamilton County Board of Education. It appears to even the most casual readers or observers that BOE members often exhibit irrational thought. Real leaders have no problem ensuring transparency by reporting accurately, clearly and comprehensively on their activities, maintaining objectivity and remaining free of conflicts of interest.

(snip)

Most state and local governments have adopted freedom of information acts in order to have a more open government. However, despite the laws gaining public access to data and information takes great effort. Removing unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles should be the goal of every candidate for public office. Strangely calls for greater openness have strangely encountered fierce resistance from some quarters. Taxpaying citizens can make better decisions when they are well-versed on the issues that concern them the most. Institutions reliant on taxpayer support cannot flourish in an atmosphere of widespread public distrust.

It appears to me that many times these officials and school boards assume that the public needs caretaking more than we need information. Those involved in education especially seem to creepily treat us like we're still in First Grade and not adults with children, mortgages and successful careers of our own. The fact is if they've done their jobs correctly we're quite able to process information and come to conclusions. Of course, I'm sure the fear for some is that we've learned outside of their classrooms and so will come to the 'wrong' conclusions.

Either way, we've paid for the information. Let go of it--all of it and in a timely fashion.

Be careful what you pray for

Once I started attending legislative hearings and interacting with the folks at the capitol about 5 years ago it didn’t take me long to realize that heavy prayer was an essential component in dealing with the folks and issues up there. Along with pleas for wisdom and discernment for myself and the other participants my consistent prayer has been that truth will out.

Well, I had no idea how much truth needed to be outed. I had no idea how prideful and self-serving some of the people in authority and entrusted with the care and concern of our citizens have become. I did not imagine how pervasive the evil intentions of some could be. I still don’t understand how the simple truths of not that long ago have been abandoned and the contorted logic of what can only be called ‘New and Improved!’ wisdom is so fully embraced. It’s been almost overwhelming and I’ve had to take a break from even reading or seeing any more of the shenanigans that are going on in our state. I’m very thankful that this information is being revealed, but I truly couldn’t handle any more.

And like a lot of things that just push it over the top it was a relatively small thing. What started this whole self-imposed news hiatus was the demand by (current) Senator Ophelia Ford that we pay her legal fees for daring to question an election that was severely flawed. It’s my opinion that she should have been leading the charge to ensure that every rule was scrupulously followed and complied with so that she could start with a legitimate and absolutely spotless record. But that didn’t happen and somehow citizens across the state will again pay for the nonsense that is called ‘politics as usual’ in Memphis.

I’ve always had a heart for children and what occurs in our schools but to read about so many incidents of abuse by authority figures was heart wrenching—seriously heart wrenching. I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to step back and hug my own children and thank God that my children are in a safe place. I shook my head in amazement that our society requires compulsory attendance but does not ensure that these students are safe. How dare we demand one without providing the other? Currently the educrats are whining because giving families any real choice (choices, choices) is going to put a dent in their monopoly. Too bad, so sad. What’s more important protecting the system or educating children? It’s not YOUR money and they’re not YOUR children. Let go of both.

And then too many of the very folks that are charged with running these schools and their associations have lost their focus and instead of remembering that it’s ‘for the children’ and serving them they pretty much made it clear that it’s for their bank accounts and personal empowerment. It’s as if folks have completely forgotten that all this money does actually come from somewhere and that the reality is not everyone getting taxed to pay for these thefts can easily do without the money. When you steal and waste money from the public coffers you steal from me and my children and other parents and their children and the thousands of classrooms, hospital rooms and homes across the state.

And speaking of stealing and contorted wisdom—have you seen the latest lottery commercials? The one bragging about $2 BILLION dollars in sales, how much money has been awarded and with the tag line “Do the math!” as if the calculations would prove that participating in this bad idea actually makes sense mathematically? We saw a bumper sticker one day that the lottery was a tax on people with bad math skills. It’s absolutely true. The problem is that the very people with these bad math skills probably got whatever math skills they have from public schools. Why are there not hundreds of educational malpractice lawsuits? Attorneys should quit ambulance chasing—surely there’s a bundle to be made in this niche market and there’s no chasing involved. Potential clients are waiting in line at the local Kwiki Mart lottery counter. We’re bamboozling money from poor people and the lottery CEO brags about the integrity of the games.

And I haven’t even touched on the shameful conduct of too many State Troopers, or the DCS or the inability of certain legislators to at least schedule the people’s business let alone step out of the way so that our representatives can represent us. Well, you can see I’d just had my fill and it was a good thing I stepped back, focused on what was true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy for a change.

Unfortunately, I don’t think the season of revealing which made its big debut via the FBI’s Operation Tennessee Waltz scandal is quite over. I suspect there is more to come and I want to encourage everyone out there to continue the good and necessary work of bringing folks to accountability in public matters. I understand it can be overwhelming and discouraging but we’ve got to take back our state from those who wrongly think they own it and that we’re their servants. Winter is over and it’s time for a thorough spring cleaning.

Let the number crunching begin--

The MNPS proposed budget is now out there for review. And heavy review it should get.

You can download .pdf versions of the budget, their comparison of last year's to this proposal and the PowerPoint presentation from the MNPS website: http://www.mnps.org/site3.aspx

If you don't have MS PowerPoint on your computer download Open Office (free) and their Impress will do the job for you.

The MNPS blurb about the budget does start by saying it's a 2.58% increase but quickly uses the word "cuts". It's new math, I suppose, that allows an increase to be a cut.

"The proposed budget totals $556,250,500, and reflects an increase of 2.58 percent from the 2005-2006 operating budget, which totaled $542,250,000. It includes cuts to staff, programs and materials throughout the district, with some new elements to improve academic achievement. "

It's more than half a billion dollars. We could buy a new convention center with all that money.

Maybe next year they'll publish this as an Excel file so we can actually manipulate the numbers. Happy reading everyone.

Where'd I put that extra roll of calculator tape?

This is no geography class

Colorado teacher Jay Bennish is in a lot of hot water. People are shocked that his teaching tactics are being questioned. People are shocked that he would say the things he said. Count me among the latter.

I don't think he's actually doing what he's paid to do--teach 10th grade geography. We're not talking about adults who've paid for this abuse in order to get a higher education degree. We're talking about 15/16 year olds who are compelled to sit in that class and be subjected to this. The father of the boy recording this didn't believe what his son had said about this 'teacher'. The only chance at freedom from this was bringing home proof. And this boy did--in spades.

The right wingers are getting blamed for trying to control the curriculum. But it's obvious to me that lots of people are upset that someone has entered the educational sanctuary and dared to hold a teacher accountable for their words. They've never liked anyone daring to question their absolute right to rule every aspect of this process. They have fought accountability since the day Horace Mann created his accredited schools to ensure that teachers would follow his plan for our society.

I've listened to the 20 minutes (thanks to Michelle Malkin's link and she's got a transcript. http://michellemalkin.com/archives/004689.htm ) and this was not thoughtful back and forth between a passionate geography teacher and his inquiring and participating students. This was 'eerily similar' to just about any cult leader I've ever heard. Most damaging was his insistence that we 'don't know' and so a different point of view isn't valid (about 12:15 into the recording). THAT small question, imo, is very akin to the snake in the garden saying 'Hath God said...'. It will knock the pins out from under these students for a long time. And let me make it absolutely clear I'm not equating the Bush administration with the voice of God. I'm pointing out that the teacher didn't say--"Let's dig further and discover the truth." He just left them doubting. No good teacher does that.

It's been routine for parents to be refused the opportunity to observe their child's classes. They're told it would be disrupting to the class. Maybe. Maybe not. Perhaps what would be disrupted is 'teaching' careers instead.