Jeffery Gaunt of the Daily Herald
is the best education reporter in Northern Illinois. Once again he hits it out of the ballpark with the article below. The article below should make it clear to all readers that Larry Snow is the only District 158 board member who has the interests of the taxpayers and taxpayers' dollars in mind. But will anything change? Will apathy allow the other board members to remain seated and continue to be reckless with taxpayer dollars?
As school spending increases so does the number of people who benefit from the school spending gravy train. Administrators, teachers, janitors, busdrivers, support staff, legislators, retirees on the education pension dole, architects, realtors, contractors, newspaper owners, lawyers, accountants, public relation firms, auditors, consultants, suppliers of everything from milk to bleachers to school furniture, etc., etc., etc. We will reach a point where more people's pockets will be filled with school dollars than those that don't receive school spending dollars. This monster will be so big that referenda pushers and tax eaters will be able to easily pass any tax increase unless everyone from students, parents, retirees and voters get involved. It is time to stop re-electing legislators who except teachers union, union and money from anyone involved in benefiting from public school monies.
What do we get from all this spending? Poor graduation rates, poor performance on standardized tests, billions of dollars being spent on remedial education because the K-12 system failed to prepare students for college, America falling behind second and third world countries in science and math, students who have been through the K-12 system who are functionally illiterate, etc, etc.
District 158 investigates $10,000 theft
BY JEFFREY GAUNT
Daily Herald Staff Writer
Posted Saturday, July 22, 2006
A former Huntley District 158 financial employee is under investigation for bilking the district out of as much as $10,000.
District officials contacted Algonquin and Huntley police on July 10, after an internal investigation revealed a staff member might have stolen money from the district.
Officials also said they were strongly advised by police not to discuss the details of the case during the investigation.
"This is a really sensitive issue," Superintendent John Burkey said. "We will be forthcoming. But we also have to protect the investigation."
Burkey said the employee is not now working in the district.
He said he couldn't comment on how much money might have been stolen, but a source close to the investigation said the amount likely is between $8,000 and $10,000.
Once the investigation is complete, police said they will turn all of the information over to the McHenry County state's attorney's office.
"I would expect in a few weeks," Algonquin Deputy Police Chief Ed Urban said. "I wouldn't expect it to take longer than that."
The investigation is the latest in a series of problems that have plagued the district's fiscal office in the past
several years.
The department's top two officers stepped down last year after the office came under fire for releasing false and misleading information regarding a 55-cent tax-rate increase.
When new chief financial officer Stan Hall came on board later last year, he discovered a series of missteps under the previous administration, including a $13 million loan that went largely unused and which cost the district $230,000 in interest.
State auditors later determined district officials falsely filled out several state aid claim forms. One led to the collection of an extra $666,000 in transportation aid, which the district is repaying. Another over-reported the number of students attending class and brought in as much as $325,000, which the district also must return.
The audits found the district owed the state $2.1 million.
Earlier this year, an independent auditor said the district lacked internal financial controls that would prevent employees from mishandling money - intentionally or unintentionally.
Completion of that audit was delayed because of problems with the district's accounting practices. The auditor and district officials still are unable to account for a difference of $16,000 to $20,000 between the district's ledgers and bank statements.
"The fiscal office had serious problems over a year ago," said Burkey, who started as superintendent July 1. "We all know that. I believe there has been significant progress in the last 12 months. However, I do believe there is still progress that has to be made."
The school board has balked at repeated calls from board member Larry Snow to hire a forensic auditor to investigate whether district employees have engaged in illegal activity.
School board President Mike Skala said Friday that despite news of the latest criminal investigation, he wasn't sure whether the board would change its tune - or even broach the topic in public.
"I don't think it's a dead issue by any means," Skala said. "I would like to bring it up in the future, and if it gets shot down again, it gets shot down."
But he said he would likely ask board members what they thought individually, rather than waste time discussing the matter in public, or asking administrators to work on it, if the majority of the board didn't support the idea.
Skala said that, like Snow, he supports an audit. But he prefers a special audit over a forensic audit, meaning the focus would be on where the money was spent, rather than possible impropriety.
In the meantime, he said the district's fiscal office is improving.
"There are checks and balances in place now where they might not have been previously," he said. "Not that it's going to be perfect right now. It's going to take awhile. You can't just do everything overnight."
jgaunt@dailyherald.com
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Friday, July 21, 2006
School district official quits amid corruption allegations
The article below was sent to us by our friends at Parent Advocates.org. Don't think stuff like this is happening in your district think again.
James Fleming, California Superintendent, Resigns Amidst Charges
School district official quits amid corruption allegations
SANTA ANA, Calif. The embattled superintendent of Orange County's
Capistrano Unified School District says he's resigning after 15 years
on the job.
James Fleming's announcement comes amid accusations that he targeted
parents attempting to recall the school board he reports to.
Allegations recently surfaced that the county registrar improperly
allowed district officials to review the names of people who signed
recall petitions.
Fleming acknowledged the existence of spreadsheets listing parents,
teachers and others who received recall e-mails for the first time
Tuesday.
He said the lists were part of an effort to determine whether someone
had hacked into the district's computer system.
The head of a group that was seeking the district trustees' recall
called Fleming's departure "a great milestone."
But district officials lauded Fleming. They say his tenure was marked
by achievement advances and a near doubling of district enrollment.
Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material
may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
James Fleming, California Superintendent, Resigns Amidst Charges
School district official quits amid corruption allegations
SANTA ANA, Calif. The embattled superintendent of Orange County's
Capistrano Unified School District says he's resigning after 15 years
on the job.
James Fleming's announcement comes amid accusations that he targeted
parents attempting to recall the school board he reports to.
Allegations recently surfaced that the county registrar improperly
allowed district officials to review the names of people who signed
recall petitions.
Fleming acknowledged the existence of spreadsheets listing parents,
teachers and others who received recall e-mails for the first time
Tuesday.
He said the lists were part of an effort to determine whether someone
had hacked into the district's computer system.
The head of a group that was seeking the district trustees' recall
called Fleming's departure "a great milestone."
But district officials lauded Fleming. They say his tenure was marked
by achievement advances and a near doubling of district enrollment.
Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material
may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Thursday, July 20, 2006
School Reformers Interested in Defamation Lawsuit
John Biver of the Family Taxpayers Foundation has another great post on the FTF site. This article points out why so many people do not speak out. But this is exactly the reason why people should speak out. School employees have become very powerful. Referendum's will pass if people especially parents and students do not speak out about the deplorable behavior of most school employees and many in the press.
School Reformers Interested in Defamation Lawsuit
By John Biver
An interesting case working its way through the court system has implications for school reformers. You may have read about Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Bob Thomas’ libel lawsuit against the Geneva-based Kane County Chronicle (Click here for an AP article and here for a Sun-Times article). Government watchdogs who have been the subject of similar newspaper treatment are paying attention.
At issue in the Thomas case is a newspaper column that claimed Thomas had changed his position in a disciplinary hearing after alleged quid pro quo support was given to a judicial candidate that Thomas favored.
The Associated Press reports that the Kane County Chronicle is standing by its columnist. The AP also quotes Thomas as saying, “The one thing the law doesn’t protect is lying, and that’s what this was.”
What makes this case interesting for school reformers is a recent column by Jennifer Martikean in the Northwest Herald bashing D158 School Board Member Larry Snow for automated phone calls he had nothing to do with.
In her column, Martikean portrays Larry Snow in a false light, creating the impression that he cooked up a nefarious plot to hide a campaign expenditure.
To view the rest of the article click here.
School Reformers Interested in Defamation Lawsuit
By John Biver
An interesting case working its way through the court system has implications for school reformers. You may have read about Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Bob Thomas’ libel lawsuit against the Geneva-based Kane County Chronicle (Click here for an AP article and here for a Sun-Times article). Government watchdogs who have been the subject of similar newspaper treatment are paying attention.
At issue in the Thomas case is a newspaper column that claimed Thomas had changed his position in a disciplinary hearing after alleged quid pro quo support was given to a judicial candidate that Thomas favored.
The Associated Press reports that the Kane County Chronicle is standing by its columnist. The AP also quotes Thomas as saying, “The one thing the law doesn’t protect is lying, and that’s what this was.”
What makes this case interesting for school reformers is a recent column by Jennifer Martikean in the Northwest Herald bashing D158 School Board Member Larry Snow for automated phone calls he had nothing to do with.
In her column, Martikean portrays Larry Snow in a false light, creating the impression that he cooked up a nefarious plot to hide a campaign expenditure.
To view the rest of the article click here.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Jersey County citizens law suit moves forward
The following was posted by Joyce Morrison on the Illinois Review website.
Jersey County citizens law suit moves forward
Taxpayers in Jersey County were victorious this morning when a ruling was given by the presiding judge before a packed court room for a "leave to file complaint." The request was filed by a citizens group against the illegal sale of school bonds by Jersey Community School District No. 100 and this ruling will permit the lawsuit to proceed.
This was music in the ears of Jeff Ferguson and his large group of followers. Ferguson has over 800 pages of documentation he has collected over the past three years indicating the two new schools, which were built against the wishes of the taxpayers, were also built by the illegal sale of bonds.
The attorney for the Jersey County Coalition for Public Awareness, stated that, " in 1999, School District 100 submitted a proposition to issue general revenue bonds for the building of a new high school which the voters rejected." The suit claims the school board and administration illegally sold Health and Safety bonds when they built two new schools in the district.
The attorney representing the school district in defense of the suit told the judge "the contractors are expected to be paid and the capital being discussed in this law suit is enormous."
The Jersey Community School District No. 100 was financially secure until the past 3 or 4 years and now they have been forced to cut programs and are facing millions of dollars indebtedness. School board member, Terri Kallal, with facts and figures in hand, has been the only school board member in the district trying to stop the spending frenzy.
Jersey County is not the only county facing this situation. School districts throughout Illinois are financially drained because of the building of new schools and the abuse of powers taken by their local school board and administration. Going to court against a school district is not an easy task but hopefully more districts will begin to defend their taxpayers and stop the corruption in the education system.
In conversation, one taxpayer compared the illegal building of schools to a theft. "A thief must pay the consequences. When boards illegally use my money, this is theft from my pocket just as sure as they had forcefully taken it from me."
On September 21, the summary judgment will be held where testimonies from both sides will be heard.
Jersey County citizens law suit moves forward
Taxpayers in Jersey County were victorious this morning when a ruling was given by the presiding judge before a packed court room for a "leave to file complaint." The request was filed by a citizens group against the illegal sale of school bonds by Jersey Community School District No. 100 and this ruling will permit the lawsuit to proceed.
This was music in the ears of Jeff Ferguson and his large group of followers. Ferguson has over 800 pages of documentation he has collected over the past three years indicating the two new schools, which were built against the wishes of the taxpayers, were also built by the illegal sale of bonds.
The attorney for the Jersey County Coalition for Public Awareness, stated that, " in 1999, School District 100 submitted a proposition to issue general revenue bonds for the building of a new high school which the voters rejected." The suit claims the school board and administration illegally sold Health and Safety bonds when they built two new schools in the district.
The attorney representing the school district in defense of the suit told the judge "the contractors are expected to be paid and the capital being discussed in this law suit is enormous."
The Jersey Community School District No. 100 was financially secure until the past 3 or 4 years and now they have been forced to cut programs and are facing millions of dollars indebtedness. School board member, Terri Kallal, with facts and figures in hand, has been the only school board member in the district trying to stop the spending frenzy.
Jersey County is not the only county facing this situation. School districts throughout Illinois are financially drained because of the building of new schools and the abuse of powers taken by their local school board and administration. Going to court against a school district is not an easy task but hopefully more districts will begin to defend their taxpayers and stop the corruption in the education system.
In conversation, one taxpayer compared the illegal building of schools to a theft. "A thief must pay the consequences. When boards illegally use my money, this is theft from my pocket just as sure as they had forcefully taken it from me."
On September 21, the summary judgment will be held where testimonies from both sides will be heard.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Underground History of American Education
For those who like to read a book on-line here is an education book for you. The book is Underground History of American Education by John Taylor Gatto. Below is an excerpt of the book. Thanks to our friends at the Fair Tax Groups and Neal Boortz for the heads up on this book and link.
"You aren’t compelled to loan your car to anyone who wants it, but you are compelled to surrender your school-age child to strangers who process children for a livelihood, even though one in every nine schoolchildren is terrified of physical harm happening to them in school, terrified with good cause; about thirty-three are murdered there every year. From 1992 through 1999, 262 children were murdered in school in the United States. Your great-great-grandmother didn’t have to surrender her children. What happened?
If I demanded you give up your television to an anonymous, itinerant repairman who needed work you’d think I was crazy; if I came with a policeman who forced you to pay that repairman even after he broke your set, you would be outraged. Why are you so docile when you give up your child to a government agent called a schoolteacher?"
To read more go to Underground History of American Education by John Taylor Gatto.
"You aren’t compelled to loan your car to anyone who wants it, but you are compelled to surrender your school-age child to strangers who process children for a livelihood, even though one in every nine schoolchildren is terrified of physical harm happening to them in school, terrified with good cause; about thirty-three are murdered there every year. From 1992 through 1999, 262 children were murdered in school in the United States. Your great-great-grandmother didn’t have to surrender her children. What happened?
If I demanded you give up your television to an anonymous, itinerant repairman who needed work you’d think I was crazy; if I came with a policeman who forced you to pay that repairman even after he broke your set, you would be outraged. Why are you so docile when you give up your child to a government agent called a schoolteacher?"
To read more go to Underground History of American Education by John Taylor Gatto.
Monday, July 17, 2006
A Call to All - The state of Illinois public education is poor.
The following article appears on the Illinois Policy Institutes website.
A Call to All
The state of Illinois public education is poor. Some schools excel, no doubt. But writ large, the public education system is failing parents, students, and educators. This does not have to be so - there exist reforms that can immediately improve the education system in Illinois. But first, Illinois needs reformers.
Far beyond a capital development plan, far beyond decreased class sizes, a paradigm shift in the approach to public education is essential. Nowhere is this more apparent than in rural Illinois. The state’s most squalid schools are in urban areas, and on average rural schools outperform urban schools. Rural students read better, and they perform better in math. But beyond Cook County and the Metro East areas, the districts struggling most to even graduate high school seniors are overwhelmingly rural in number.
Of rural high school graduates, fewer attend college than their urban counterparts. And even then, they remain in college for less time. This pattern, more than any other phenomenon, is destroying the economy of rural Illinois.
While reform has been slow in coming to rural Illinois schools, so has research. In this matter, however, Illinois is not alone in the dark. Nationwide, there is a dearth of rural education data. We know that the status quo is failing rural America, but there are few figures to suggest what can be done. A report commissioned by the United States Department of Education put it plainly: “there is almost no rural education research that is rigorous enough to guide important decision making with the necessary level of certainty. For all practical purposes, the knowledge base about important rural education issues is nonexistent.” And so, it is left to reformers to hypothesize as to which measures can best improve the lot of parents and students trapped in a failing school system.
In this spirit, the Illinois Policy Institute will, in the coming days, weeks, and months, issue a series of policy briefs outlining a number of choice-based reforms that aim to bring immediate, positive change to rural Illinois schools.
However, the reform of rural Illinois schools cannot come through the work of a single organization. State and federal lawmakers, local governments - especially school districts – must all look beyond the prevailing, convenient wisdom and look closely at innovative approaches that literally ‘re-form’ the delivery of public education.
To view the rest of the article go to the Illinois Policy Institutes website.
A Call to All
The state of Illinois public education is poor. Some schools excel, no doubt. But writ large, the public education system is failing parents, students, and educators. This does not have to be so - there exist reforms that can immediately improve the education system in Illinois. But first, Illinois needs reformers.
Far beyond a capital development plan, far beyond decreased class sizes, a paradigm shift in the approach to public education is essential. Nowhere is this more apparent than in rural Illinois. The state’s most squalid schools are in urban areas, and on average rural schools outperform urban schools. Rural students read better, and they perform better in math. But beyond Cook County and the Metro East areas, the districts struggling most to even graduate high school seniors are overwhelmingly rural in number.
Of rural high school graduates, fewer attend college than their urban counterparts. And even then, they remain in college for less time. This pattern, more than any other phenomenon, is destroying the economy of rural Illinois.
While reform has been slow in coming to rural Illinois schools, so has research. In this matter, however, Illinois is not alone in the dark. Nationwide, there is a dearth of rural education data. We know that the status quo is failing rural America, but there are few figures to suggest what can be done. A report commissioned by the United States Department of Education put it plainly: “there is almost no rural education research that is rigorous enough to guide important decision making with the necessary level of certainty. For all practical purposes, the knowledge base about important rural education issues is nonexistent.” And so, it is left to reformers to hypothesize as to which measures can best improve the lot of parents and students trapped in a failing school system.
In this spirit, the Illinois Policy Institute will, in the coming days, weeks, and months, issue a series of policy briefs outlining a number of choice-based reforms that aim to bring immediate, positive change to rural Illinois schools.
However, the reform of rural Illinois schools cannot come through the work of a single organization. State and federal lawmakers, local governments - especially school districts – must all look beyond the prevailing, convenient wisdom and look closely at innovative approaches that literally ‘re-form’ the delivery of public education.
To view the rest of the article go to the Illinois Policy Institutes website.
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Student sues Nevada school for silencing God reference
The story below is a follow-up to an early post .
This story appeared in the Chicago Tribune first published by the Associated Press.
Student sues Nevada school for silencing God reference
By Ryan Nakashima
Associated Press
Published July 15, 2006
LAS VEGAS -- A high school valedictorian whose microphone was cut off as she gave an address referring to Jesus Christ has filed a lawsuit against school officials, claiming her rights to religious freedom and free speech were trampled.
Brittany McComb, 18, said she was giving her June 15 commencement address to some 400 graduates of Foothill High School and their family members when the mike was unplugged.
"God's love is so great that he gave his only son up," she said before the microphone went dead. She continued without amplification, "...to an excruciating death on a cross so his blood would cover all our shortcomings and provide for us a way to heaven in accepting this grace."
McComb's lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court of Nevada, names the principal, assistant principal and the employee of the school in Henderson who allegedly pulled the plug.
McComb said she was warned that her speech would be cut off if she did not follow an approved script that deleted references to Christ and invitations for others to join the faith. But she memorized the deleted parts and said them anyway.
"In my heart I couldn't say the edited version because it wasn't what I wanted to say," she told The Associated Press. "I wanted to say why I was successful . . . . It involved Jesus Christ for me, period."
The lawsuit asks the court to declare that school officials deprived McComb of her rights under the 1st and 14th Amendments, according to The Rutherford Institute, a conservative legal group that is backing the lawsuit.
Clark County School District spokesman Dave Sheehan said district lawyers had not seen the lawsuit and were unable to comment on it.
School district lawyer Bill Hoffman said previously that the school was following 9th Circuit Court of Appeals rulings that have obligated districts to censor student speeches for proselytizing.
Allen Lichtenstein, a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada, said the school appropriately followed the appeals court's decisions.
"Proselytizing is improper in school-sponsored speech at valedictorian graduations," he said.
John Whitehead, president of the Charlottesville, Va.-based Rutherford Institute, said this case differed from others involving the vetting of valedictorian speeches because the microphone plug was pulled as McComb veered into unapproved text. Students in other cases had accepted editing of religious content, he said.
This story appeared in the Chicago Tribune first published by the Associated Press.
Student sues Nevada school for silencing God reference
By Ryan Nakashima
Associated Press
Published July 15, 2006
LAS VEGAS -- A high school valedictorian whose microphone was cut off as she gave an address referring to Jesus Christ has filed a lawsuit against school officials, claiming her rights to religious freedom and free speech were trampled.
Brittany McComb, 18, said she was giving her June 15 commencement address to some 400 graduates of Foothill High School and their family members when the mike was unplugged.
"God's love is so great that he gave his only son up," she said before the microphone went dead. She continued without amplification, "...to an excruciating death on a cross so his blood would cover all our shortcomings and provide for us a way to heaven in accepting this grace."
McComb's lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court of Nevada, names the principal, assistant principal and the employee of the school in Henderson who allegedly pulled the plug.
McComb said she was warned that her speech would be cut off if she did not follow an approved script that deleted references to Christ and invitations for others to join the faith. But she memorized the deleted parts and said them anyway.
"In my heart I couldn't say the edited version because it wasn't what I wanted to say," she told The Associated Press. "I wanted to say why I was successful . . . . It involved Jesus Christ for me, period."
The lawsuit asks the court to declare that school officials deprived McComb of her rights under the 1st and 14th Amendments, according to The Rutherford Institute, a conservative legal group that is backing the lawsuit.
Clark County School District spokesman Dave Sheehan said district lawyers had not seen the lawsuit and were unable to comment on it.
School district lawyer Bill Hoffman said previously that the school was following 9th Circuit Court of Appeals rulings that have obligated districts to censor student speeches for proselytizing.
Allen Lichtenstein, a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada, said the school appropriately followed the appeals court's decisions.
"Proselytizing is improper in school-sponsored speech at valedictorian graduations," he said.
John Whitehead, president of the Charlottesville, Va.-based Rutherford Institute, said this case differed from others involving the vetting of valedictorian speeches because the microphone plug was pulled as McComb veered into unapproved text. Students in other cases had accepted editing of religious content, he said.
Saturday, July 15, 2006
"But What About Socialization?"
Yesterday's piece about the Chicago public school teachers' union concern about home schooling promoted us to rerun the piece below which first appeared in the New Oxford Review.
This is a cute little piece on homeschooling and socialization. This piece came from the New Oxford Review
Apparently, the problem with homeschooling is the socialization of children. In the Kolbe Little Home Journal (Fall 2005), there is a brief item called "Homeschooling Family Finds Ways to Adapt to a Public
School 'Socialization' Program." Here it is:
"When my wife and I mention we are strongly considering homeschooling our children, we are without fail asked, 'But what about socialization?' Fortunately, we found a way our kids can receive the same socialization that government schools provide. On Mondays and Wednesdays, I will personally corner my son in the bathroom, give him a wedgie and take his lunch money. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, my wife will make sure to tease our children for not being in the 'in' crowd, taking special care to poke fun at any physical abnormalities. Fridays will be 'Fad and Peer Pressure Day.' We will all compete to see who has the coolest toys, the most expensive clothes, and the loudest, fastest, and most dangerous car. Every day, my wife and I will adhere to a routine of cursing and swearing in the hall and mentioning our weekend
exploits with alcohol and immorality.... And we have asked them to report us to the authorities in the event we mention faith, religion, or try to bring up morals and values."
So much for socialization!--
"You can have Peace or you can have Freedom. Don't ever count on having
both at the same time."
--Robert Anson Heinlein
This is a cute little piece on homeschooling and socialization. This piece came from the New Oxford Review
Apparently, the problem with homeschooling is the socialization of children. In the Kolbe Little Home Journal (Fall 2005), there is a brief item called "Homeschooling Family Finds Ways to Adapt to a Public
School 'Socialization' Program." Here it is:
"When my wife and I mention we are strongly considering homeschooling our children, we are without fail asked, 'But what about socialization?' Fortunately, we found a way our kids can receive the same socialization that government schools provide. On Mondays and Wednesdays, I will personally corner my son in the bathroom, give him a wedgie and take his lunch money. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, my wife will make sure to tease our children for not being in the 'in' crowd, taking special care to poke fun at any physical abnormalities. Fridays will be 'Fad and Peer Pressure Day.' We will all compete to see who has the coolest toys, the most expensive clothes, and the loudest, fastest, and most dangerous car. Every day, my wife and I will adhere to a routine of cursing and swearing in the hall and mentioning our weekend
exploits with alcohol and immorality.... And we have asked them to report us to the authorities in the event we mention faith, religion, or try to bring up morals and values."
So much for socialization!--
"You can have Peace or you can have Freedom. Don't ever count on having
both at the same time."
--Robert Anson Heinlein
Friday, July 14, 2006
Home-based online schooling ripped
The following article appeared in the Chicago Sun Times.
According to the Illinois School Report cards in Chicago School District 299 only 31.7% of the students meet or exceed state goals on the Prairie State Achievement Exam. It is time for the Chicago Teachers' Union to let go of their iron grip on the Chicago Education System and give students a fighting chance to get a proper education. 15,587 dollars is spent per student to educate the children, the results are only 31.7% can meet or exceed state goals. The system is failing far to many students and society and our country pays the price. While teachers except no accountability and retire early on hefty pensions primarily funded by the taxpayers. It is time for reform.
Home-based online schooling ripped
July 14, 2006
BY KENDRICK MARSHALL Staff Reporter
A new Chicago Public Schools charter that would educate students online from home is illegal, the Chicago Teachers Union said Thursday, threatening a court challenge to the school, which has yet to receive state approval.
"This is not the answer for our students," teachers union President Marilyn Stewart said at a press conference Thursday at the union's Merchandise Mart headquarters. "This school is a step back in education reform."
The Chicago Virtual Academy was approved by the School Board in January and plans to enroll 600 K-8 students this fall.
However, as a charter school, it must receive state approval and Illinois State Board of Education officials said they have yet to receive its application.
Malon Edwards, CPS spokesman, said the application from the school operators arrived in March and was sent to the state this week. He could not explain the delay, but said it shouldn't affect the timetable for state approval.
Hindered socially, academically?
State Board officials will try to rule before the school year starts, a state board spokesman said.
The union contends the online setting would violate a state school code that mandates "non-home based'' charter schools. Virtual Academy president Sharon Hayes denied the program would be "home schooling children'' since they would learn in the classroom as well.
The planned school would enroll students citywide and serve physically disabled and gifted students or those from underperforming schools as part of the city's Renaissance 2010 initiative. Students would work primarily from home with the help of a parent or another responsible adult.
One of the union's biggest concerns is that students would be hindered socially and academically.
According to Hayes, students will spend 25 percent of their time online with laptops and materials provided by the school, the rest of the time they will complete workbook exercises and hands-on activities as well as interact with a state-certified teacher and other students once a week at a downtown learning center.
According to the Illinois School Report cards in Chicago School District 299 only 31.7% of the students meet or exceed state goals on the Prairie State Achievement Exam. It is time for the Chicago Teachers' Union to let go of their iron grip on the Chicago Education System and give students a fighting chance to get a proper education. 15,587 dollars is spent per student to educate the children, the results are only 31.7% can meet or exceed state goals. The system is failing far to many students and society and our country pays the price. While teachers except no accountability and retire early on hefty pensions primarily funded by the taxpayers. It is time for reform.
Home-based online schooling ripped
July 14, 2006
BY KENDRICK MARSHALL Staff Reporter
A new Chicago Public Schools charter that would educate students online from home is illegal, the Chicago Teachers Union said Thursday, threatening a court challenge to the school, which has yet to receive state approval.
"This is not the answer for our students," teachers union President Marilyn Stewart said at a press conference Thursday at the union's Merchandise Mart headquarters. "This school is a step back in education reform."
The Chicago Virtual Academy was approved by the School Board in January and plans to enroll 600 K-8 students this fall.
However, as a charter school, it must receive state approval and Illinois State Board of Education officials said they have yet to receive its application.
Malon Edwards, CPS spokesman, said the application from the school operators arrived in March and was sent to the state this week. He could not explain the delay, but said it shouldn't affect the timetable for state approval.
Hindered socially, academically?
State Board officials will try to rule before the school year starts, a state board spokesman said.
The union contends the online setting would violate a state school code that mandates "non-home based'' charter schools. Virtual Academy president Sharon Hayes denied the program would be "home schooling children'' since they would learn in the classroom as well.
The planned school would enroll students citywide and serve physically disabled and gifted students or those from underperforming schools as part of the city's Renaissance 2010 initiative. Students would work primarily from home with the help of a parent or another responsible adult.
One of the union's biggest concerns is that students would be hindered socially and academically.
According to Hayes, students will spend 25 percent of their time online with laptops and materials provided by the school, the rest of the time they will complete workbook exercises and hands-on activities as well as interact with a state-certified teacher and other students once a week at a downtown learning center.
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Ex-CPS official indicted over bribes
The following story appeared in the Chicago Sun Times.
Ex-CPS official indicted over bribes
July 12, 2006
BY NATASHA KORECKI Federal Courts Reporter
A former Chicago Public Schools official who is the brother of a high-ranking mayoral aide was indicted on charges he took bribes in exchange for handing out millions of dollars worth of school contracts, officials disclosed today.
James Picardi, former assistant manager of operations and operations manager for the school system, was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bribery. Picardi, 51, of Wauconda, is the brother of Michael Picardi, the city's Streets and Sanitation commissioner.
Federal authorities said James Picardi and two others scammed the schools out of money tied to fencing contracts.
Picardi received weekly payments totaling $5,000 in exchange for helping James Levin, a fence company executive, land contracts with the schools, authorities said.
Levin, former president of Tru-Link Fence and Products Co., and Tru-Link Commercial Inc., was charged with one count of wire fraud and tax evasion. Also charged with conspiracy to commit bribery is Arthur Miller, who owns All Power Electric.
CPS paid more than $2.6 million to Tru-Link between 1998 and 2000 for 106 fencing projects.
nkorecki@suntimes.com
Ex-CPS official indicted over bribes
July 12, 2006
BY NATASHA KORECKI Federal Courts Reporter
A former Chicago Public Schools official who is the brother of a high-ranking mayoral aide was indicted on charges he took bribes in exchange for handing out millions of dollars worth of school contracts, officials disclosed today.
James Picardi, former assistant manager of operations and operations manager for the school system, was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bribery. Picardi, 51, of Wauconda, is the brother of Michael Picardi, the city's Streets and Sanitation commissioner.
Federal authorities said James Picardi and two others scammed the schools out of money tied to fencing contracts.
Picardi received weekly payments totaling $5,000 in exchange for helping James Levin, a fence company executive, land contracts with the schools, authorities said.
Levin, former president of Tru-Link Fence and Products Co., and Tru-Link Commercial Inc., was charged with one count of wire fraud and tax evasion. Also charged with conspiracy to commit bribery is Arthur Miller, who owns All Power Electric.
CPS paid more than $2.6 million to Tru-Link between 1998 and 2000 for 106 fencing projects.
nkorecki@suntimes.com
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
New Century Project - John Kasich Chairman
The information below is from the New Century Project.
"I do not believe that there is any way to fix the public school system without opening it up to competition and parental choice. Our bureaucratic one size fits all public school system has lost its ability to encourage and nurture the uniqueness of each child. What is so radical about the idea of giving parents the power to send their child to the best possible school? I understand that this will bring huge change to our public schools, but I do not fear this change. The only thing I fear is the status quo."
- John Kasich in a speech to the Urban League
The education our nation's children is the most important civil rights issue in America today.
New Century Project supports school choice because it empowers parents to provide a better education for their children. It also increases the accountability of educational institutions and helps to restore local control over schools.
NCP continues to support initiatives and ideas for more accountable education, as well as elected leaders who are fighting for school choice, local control, and more accountability.
Our chairman, John Kasich, has a consistent and ongoing commitment to school choice.
To read more about John Kasich and the New Century Project go to New Century Project website.
"I do not believe that there is any way to fix the public school system without opening it up to competition and parental choice. Our bureaucratic one size fits all public school system has lost its ability to encourage and nurture the uniqueness of each child. What is so radical about the idea of giving parents the power to send their child to the best possible school? I understand that this will bring huge change to our public schools, but I do not fear this change. The only thing I fear is the status quo."
- John Kasich in a speech to the Urban League
The education our nation's children is the most important civil rights issue in America today.
New Century Project supports school choice because it empowers parents to provide a better education for their children. It also increases the accountability of educational institutions and helps to restore local control over schools.
NCP continues to support initiatives and ideas for more accountable education, as well as elected leaders who are fighting for school choice, local control, and more accountability.
Our chairman, John Kasich, has a consistent and ongoing commitment to school choice.
To read more about John Kasich and the New Century Project go to New Century Project website.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Time to Face our Education Crisis by Newt Gingrich
The following is a letter from Newt Gingrich. This is a good start but he should put the finger at the teachers' unions just as Dole had when he was running for president.
Time to Face our Education Crisis
School is out for the summer, but as a grandfather and former college professor, the education of our children is never far from my mind. My own grandchildren are young -- ages 6 and 4 -- and have their entire educational experience ahead of them. I saw a report recently that makes me worry about the education system they will inherit. It makes me worry what kind of country they will inherit. And it makes me ask this question: When it comes to educating our children, at what point are we willing to face the truth and declare that the education system created for the industrial era is failing to prepare our children for the demands of today's information age?
If a 21.7% Graduation Rate Isn't Failure, What Is?
The education bureaucracy likes to play a game with statistics. They usually publish data on educational successes or failures only on a statewide basis, so parents and teachers have no way to hold the education bureaucracy accountable where it counts -- on the district level. But a new study sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation took a different approach, and the results it reported are deeply troubling to those of us with a concern for the future of American children.
The study looked at graduation rates on a district-by-district level and found that they are shockingly lower than previously reported by the education bureaucracy. In big-city public school districts like Cleveland, Los Angeles, Miami, Dallas and Denver, fewer than 50 percent of high school students graduate on time. In three districts, the public schools graduate fewer than 40 percent of their students: In New York City, the graduation rate is 38.9 percent; in Baltimore, it's 38.5 percent; and in Detroit, incredibly, only 21.7 percent of students who enter public high schools will graduate.
Failing Four Out of Five Students
Consider this finding for a moment. If only 21.7 percent of students graduate from Detroit schools on time, that means that 78.3 percent of students fail to graduate. Almost 80 percent of students -- four out of five -- are failed by our educational system. Why do we tolerate this level of failure? The fact is, in most aspects of life, we don't. If a private company took the money from its customers and then failed 80 percent of them, it would be closed in a day.
I am a firm believer in establishing measurable standards of success (or failure) and constantly assessing the wisdom and workability of policies against these standards. One of the most basic measures of the success of our school system is high school graduation. A high school diploma is the minimum requirement for successful participation in American life. The failure of our schools to graduate their students isn't limited to Detroit or to our big cities. Nationwide, it is estimated that three of every 10 students who start high school won't graduate on time. For minorities, these numbers are far worse. One of every two African-American and Latino students won't graduate on time or graduate at all. So dramatic is the failure that today there are more African American males in prison than there are in college -- a fact that is a national disgrace.
First, Save the Children
We've all heard the rallying cries of "Save the Whales" and "Save the Rainforest." My view is that reports on our public schools like this latest one should have us all shouting "Save the Children." Every time we allow policies that favor the education bureaucracy over our children, we not only hurt our children, we hurt our country and our prospects for future safety and prosperity.
Here's a case in point. One of the favorite talking points of the left-liberals is that more money will cure what is wrong with our education system. But here is just one of the facts that exposes this for the lie that it is. Nationally, our education bureaucracy is receiving more than $440 billion a year of our tax dollars to fund our schools, but only about 61 percent of this is actually spent in classrooms. In a state like Michigan, that number is even lower -- only 57 percent of education funds are actually spent on teachers and teaching. The rest goes to the bureaucracy for undefined, unaccountable "overhead." It cannot be overstated, that unless and until we make it a priority to put the welfare of our children over the welfare of the education bureaucracy, our education bureaucracy will continue to consign our children to future poverty and our nation to future failure.
The Valedictorian Who Flunked Out
America has many great public schools and many, many dedicated teachers. And we have more than our share of education success stories. The problem is that too often these successes are achieved in spite of our current education system, not because of it.
I am reminded of a tragic story I heard about the valedictorian at a high school in New Orleans who couldn't graduate because she had failed the math portion of her graduate exit exam five times. She had a near-perfect grade point average -- and had even received an A in an advanced math class her senior year. But when she took the test required of all Louisiana students before graduation, everything her school system had supposedly done for her was exposed as a lie. She hadn't been educated -- she had merely been processed, passed up the line from grade to grade in order to avoid exposing the failure of the very institutions and officials that were entrusted with her future.
To Rescue the Future, We Must Remember Our Past
From New York Times bestselling author William J. Bennett, comes America: The Last Best Hope, Volume 1. More than a history book, America: The Last Best Hope is a thrilling account of why America is the greatest country on earth, what made her so, and why she should prevail.
"The role of history is to inform, inspire and sometimes provoke us, which is why Bill Bennett's wonderfully readable book is so important."
- Walter Isaacson, author of Benjamin Franklin: An American Life
Had this story ended here, it would have been just one more tragic tale of how our education system is cheating kids and lying to their parents. But thankfully, the story of this young woman didn't end in failure. Even though she had been humiliated in front of her peers and the nation when the press picked up the story, she didn't give up. She persevered and, on her seventh try, passed the state graduation exam and received her diploma.
America abounds with more energy, resourcefulness and innovation than any nation in the history of mankind. We deserve an education system that nurtures and develops these qualities. I've said it before and I'll say it again: We owe our children and grandchildren an America at least as prosperous and secure as the one our parents and grandparents fought and worked to give us. "Save the children" isn't just a slogan, it's a call to win the future for all Americans, starting with our children. Let's not wait to get started.
Your friend,
Newt Gingrich
Time to Face our Education Crisis
School is out for the summer, but as a grandfather and former college professor, the education of our children is never far from my mind. My own grandchildren are young -- ages 6 and 4 -- and have their entire educational experience ahead of them. I saw a report recently that makes me worry about the education system they will inherit. It makes me worry what kind of country they will inherit. And it makes me ask this question: When it comes to educating our children, at what point are we willing to face the truth and declare that the education system created for the industrial era is failing to prepare our children for the demands of today's information age?
If a 21.7% Graduation Rate Isn't Failure, What Is?
The education bureaucracy likes to play a game with statistics. They usually publish data on educational successes or failures only on a statewide basis, so parents and teachers have no way to hold the education bureaucracy accountable where it counts -- on the district level. But a new study sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation took a different approach, and the results it reported are deeply troubling to those of us with a concern for the future of American children.
The study looked at graduation rates on a district-by-district level and found that they are shockingly lower than previously reported by the education bureaucracy. In big-city public school districts like Cleveland, Los Angeles, Miami, Dallas and Denver, fewer than 50 percent of high school students graduate on time. In three districts, the public schools graduate fewer than 40 percent of their students: In New York City, the graduation rate is 38.9 percent; in Baltimore, it's 38.5 percent; and in Detroit, incredibly, only 21.7 percent of students who enter public high schools will graduate.
Failing Four Out of Five Students
Consider this finding for a moment. If only 21.7 percent of students graduate from Detroit schools on time, that means that 78.3 percent of students fail to graduate. Almost 80 percent of students -- four out of five -- are failed by our educational system. Why do we tolerate this level of failure? The fact is, in most aspects of life, we don't. If a private company took the money from its customers and then failed 80 percent of them, it would be closed in a day.
I am a firm believer in establishing measurable standards of success (or failure) and constantly assessing the wisdom and workability of policies against these standards. One of the most basic measures of the success of our school system is high school graduation. A high school diploma is the minimum requirement for successful participation in American life. The failure of our schools to graduate their students isn't limited to Detroit or to our big cities. Nationwide, it is estimated that three of every 10 students who start high school won't graduate on time. For minorities, these numbers are far worse. One of every two African-American and Latino students won't graduate on time or graduate at all. So dramatic is the failure that today there are more African American males in prison than there are in college -- a fact that is a national disgrace.
First, Save the Children
We've all heard the rallying cries of "Save the Whales" and "Save the Rainforest." My view is that reports on our public schools like this latest one should have us all shouting "Save the Children." Every time we allow policies that favor the education bureaucracy over our children, we not only hurt our children, we hurt our country and our prospects for future safety and prosperity.
Here's a case in point. One of the favorite talking points of the left-liberals is that more money will cure what is wrong with our education system. But here is just one of the facts that exposes this for the lie that it is. Nationally, our education bureaucracy is receiving more than $440 billion a year of our tax dollars to fund our schools, but only about 61 percent of this is actually spent in classrooms. In a state like Michigan, that number is even lower -- only 57 percent of education funds are actually spent on teachers and teaching. The rest goes to the bureaucracy for undefined, unaccountable "overhead." It cannot be overstated, that unless and until we make it a priority to put the welfare of our children over the welfare of the education bureaucracy, our education bureaucracy will continue to consign our children to future poverty and our nation to future failure.
The Valedictorian Who Flunked Out
America has many great public schools and many, many dedicated teachers. And we have more than our share of education success stories. The problem is that too often these successes are achieved in spite of our current education system, not because of it.
I am reminded of a tragic story I heard about the valedictorian at a high school in New Orleans who couldn't graduate because she had failed the math portion of her graduate exit exam five times. She had a near-perfect grade point average -- and had even received an A in an advanced math class her senior year. But when she took the test required of all Louisiana students before graduation, everything her school system had supposedly done for her was exposed as a lie. She hadn't been educated -- she had merely been processed, passed up the line from grade to grade in order to avoid exposing the failure of the very institutions and officials that were entrusted with her future.
To Rescue the Future, We Must Remember Our Past
From New York Times bestselling author William J. Bennett, comes America: The Last Best Hope, Volume 1. More than a history book, America: The Last Best Hope is a thrilling account of why America is the greatest country on earth, what made her so, and why she should prevail.
"The role of history is to inform, inspire and sometimes provoke us, which is why Bill Bennett's wonderfully readable book is so important."
- Walter Isaacson, author of Benjamin Franklin: An American Life
Had this story ended here, it would have been just one more tragic tale of how our education system is cheating kids and lying to their parents. But thankfully, the story of this young woman didn't end in failure. Even though she had been humiliated in front of her peers and the nation when the press picked up the story, she didn't give up. She persevered and, on her seventh try, passed the state graduation exam and received her diploma.
America abounds with more energy, resourcefulness and innovation than any nation in the history of mankind. We deserve an education system that nurtures and develops these qualities. I've said it before and I'll say it again: We owe our children and grandchildren an America at least as prosperous and secure as the one our parents and grandparents fought and worked to give us. "Save the children" isn't just a slogan, it's a call to win the future for all Americans, starting with our children. Let's not wait to get started.
Your friend,
Newt Gingrich
Monday, July 10, 2006
Can Political Leaders Find the Courage to Liberate Education?
The following article was published in The Heartland Institute's publication School Reform News.
Can Political Leaders Find the Courage to Liberate Education?
Author: Michael Strong
Published: The Heartland Institute 07/01/2006
Editor's note: This is the final installment of a seven-part series showing why charter schools do not have the freedom needed to create significant educational improvements through innovation.
Educational innovations leading to performance improvements were the goal of introducing school choice in the first place. It is possible that if Moreno Valley High School (MVHS)--a charter school in Angel Fire, New Mexico--had replicated its program across the state, SAT scores and AP enrollment statewide might have increased as additional Socratic Practice charter schools opened, staffed by faculty trained at the proposed MVHS Socratic Practice teacher training center.
Over the course of a decade or two, New Mexico might plausibly have moved from 50th in the nation educationally into the top 10. At MVHS, Socratic Practice programs have resulted in 120 point average annual gains on the SAT, compared to 40 point average annual gains for the United States as a whole, according to The College Board.
Legions of students currently incapable of college-level work, with SAT verbal scores below 300, could become legions of students with SAT verbal scores above 500, higher than the average entering college freshman's. New Mexico could have the highest percentage of students taking AP courses of any state in the nation.
Why accept failure? If indeed MVHS has such a good program, why can't the state replicate it statewide and reap the benefits of its innovative program?
Blocking the Way
Note the obstacles to such an approach:
Exactly the same program is perceived to be excellent by some, educational malpractice by others.
Although some parents, students, and educators love the program, the state regards it as largely a failing program due to noncompliance with regulations.
The program, despite its solid, measurable achievements, is similar to progressive pedagogies with a long history of failure and little documented success outside of MVHS and a limited track record even there. It is not a "research-based" reform.
In order for the program to be successful, it must be staffed and supervised by expert, highly intelligent Socratic educators, most of whom are not state-licensed and who must be trained in an institution that does not yet exist and if it did, would be completely outside the official university credentialing system and therefore an affront and a threat to that system.
Staking Careers on Change
In short, though some parents and educators are willing to stake their children's education and livelihoods, respectively, on this program, it is unlikely that bureaucrats and politicians, who must answer to majorities, media, and opponents, would stake their careers on it. It is just too controversial and too risky.
In addition, insofar as MVHS is staffed by non-credentialed personnel and uses an approach that does not teach to state standards, the public education establishment has both the incentive and the ammunition to undermine support for such a program.
Seeing Like Bureaucrats
Learning to "see like a state" means learning to see like the politicians and bureaucrats who constitute the state. To achieve political success, it is crucial to appear to be a leader, on the one hand, and to avoid appearing to be responsible for highly publicized disasters, on the other. Both President George W. Bush, with No Child Left Behind, and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D), with his reform program that required all charter school personnel to be licensed, were able to portray themselves as strong, assertive leaders in educational policy.
In the hunter/gatherer communities in which humans evolved, the decisive leader was the good leader. A politician who supports diverse experiments, especially in an area of such importance as education, is apt to appear weak.
Worse yet, if some of those educational experiments fail due to "inadequate" regulatory oversight, the media and the politician's opponents will blame the politician for allowing the failure to happen. Therefore it is much safer to support tightly regulated programs than to support diverse experimentation.
We are all constantly impressed by the world of technological innovation. Read Wired, Technology Review, Popular Science, or Popular Mechanics, or visit Sharper Image or Radio Shack, to be dazzled by the rate of technological change. But the road to the dynamism of the world of technology is paved with untold numbers of failed experiments, failed technicians, failed entrepreneurs, and failed companies.
Experimenting with Children
Critics of school choice sometimes indignantly claim that the public task of educating children is too important to be allowed to a chaotic marketplace in which schools operated by uncredentialed amateurs might fail. But without experimentation, great innovations will not come into being.
Because of the policies supported through the responsible leadership of Bush, Richardson, and the New Mexico Department of Education, MVHS is now on track to be a successful school in the eyes of the State of New Mexico.
The same parties are also responsible for ensuring that New Mexico will likely remain among the poorest and educationally lowest-achieving states in the nation during the coming decades.
Demanding Freedom
Freedom is a prerequisite for innovation in every field of human endeavor. Silicon Valley, "the greatest legal creation of wealth in human history," was created out of math, sand, and freedom. The Soviet Union had the best mathematicians on Earth and plenty of sand, but in the absence of freedom they were unable to produce innovative information technology. By the mid-1980s, any decent university in the United States had more computing power than the entire Soviet Union.
If we want to create the greatest development of human intellectual power in human history, we will have to allow for much greater educational freedom.
As long as we are led by "responsible political leaders," regardless of political party, who protect the public from educational malpractice, we will never have amazingly good schools. Until the public supports politicians in liberating education from state control, regardless of whether that means we'll have public schools, charter schools, vouchers, or tax credits, risk-averse politicians will be forced by the public to support "responsible" policies that prevent innovation and thereby ensure mediocrity.
Michael Strong (michael@flowidealism.org) is CEO and chief visionary officer of FLOW, Inc. (http://www.flowrealism.org), a group working to achieve world peace, prosperity, happiness, and sustainability in 50 years.
For more information ...
The College Board's "Retaking the Test" report is available online at http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/scores/understanding/retaking.html.
THE HEARTLAND INSTITUTE
19 South LaSalle Street #903
Chicago, IL 60603
phone 312/377-4000 · fax 312/377-5000
http://www.heartland.org
Can Political Leaders Find the Courage to Liberate Education?
Author: Michael Strong
Published: The Heartland Institute 07/01/2006
Editor's note: This is the final installment of a seven-part series showing why charter schools do not have the freedom needed to create significant educational improvements through innovation.
Educational innovations leading to performance improvements were the goal of introducing school choice in the first place. It is possible that if Moreno Valley High School (MVHS)--a charter school in Angel Fire, New Mexico--had replicated its program across the state, SAT scores and AP enrollment statewide might have increased as additional Socratic Practice charter schools opened, staffed by faculty trained at the proposed MVHS Socratic Practice teacher training center.
Over the course of a decade or two, New Mexico might plausibly have moved from 50th in the nation educationally into the top 10. At MVHS, Socratic Practice programs have resulted in 120 point average annual gains on the SAT, compared to 40 point average annual gains for the United States as a whole, according to The College Board.
Legions of students currently incapable of college-level work, with SAT verbal scores below 300, could become legions of students with SAT verbal scores above 500, higher than the average entering college freshman's. New Mexico could have the highest percentage of students taking AP courses of any state in the nation.
Why accept failure? If indeed MVHS has such a good program, why can't the state replicate it statewide and reap the benefits of its innovative program?
Blocking the Way
Note the obstacles to such an approach:
Exactly the same program is perceived to be excellent by some, educational malpractice by others.
Although some parents, students, and educators love the program, the state regards it as largely a failing program due to noncompliance with regulations.
The program, despite its solid, measurable achievements, is similar to progressive pedagogies with a long history of failure and little documented success outside of MVHS and a limited track record even there. It is not a "research-based" reform.
In order for the program to be successful, it must be staffed and supervised by expert, highly intelligent Socratic educators, most of whom are not state-licensed and who must be trained in an institution that does not yet exist and if it did, would be completely outside the official university credentialing system and therefore an affront and a threat to that system.
Staking Careers on Change
In short, though some parents and educators are willing to stake their children's education and livelihoods, respectively, on this program, it is unlikely that bureaucrats and politicians, who must answer to majorities, media, and opponents, would stake their careers on it. It is just too controversial and too risky.
In addition, insofar as MVHS is staffed by non-credentialed personnel and uses an approach that does not teach to state standards, the public education establishment has both the incentive and the ammunition to undermine support for such a program.
Seeing Like Bureaucrats
Learning to "see like a state" means learning to see like the politicians and bureaucrats who constitute the state. To achieve political success, it is crucial to appear to be a leader, on the one hand, and to avoid appearing to be responsible for highly publicized disasters, on the other. Both President George W. Bush, with No Child Left Behind, and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D), with his reform program that required all charter school personnel to be licensed, were able to portray themselves as strong, assertive leaders in educational policy.
In the hunter/gatherer communities in which humans evolved, the decisive leader was the good leader. A politician who supports diverse experiments, especially in an area of such importance as education, is apt to appear weak.
Worse yet, if some of those educational experiments fail due to "inadequate" regulatory oversight, the media and the politician's opponents will blame the politician for allowing the failure to happen. Therefore it is much safer to support tightly regulated programs than to support diverse experimentation.
We are all constantly impressed by the world of technological innovation. Read Wired, Technology Review, Popular Science, or Popular Mechanics, or visit Sharper Image or Radio Shack, to be dazzled by the rate of technological change. But the road to the dynamism of the world of technology is paved with untold numbers of failed experiments, failed technicians, failed entrepreneurs, and failed companies.
Experimenting with Children
Critics of school choice sometimes indignantly claim that the public task of educating children is too important to be allowed to a chaotic marketplace in which schools operated by uncredentialed amateurs might fail. But without experimentation, great innovations will not come into being.
Because of the policies supported through the responsible leadership of Bush, Richardson, and the New Mexico Department of Education, MVHS is now on track to be a successful school in the eyes of the State of New Mexico.
The same parties are also responsible for ensuring that New Mexico will likely remain among the poorest and educationally lowest-achieving states in the nation during the coming decades.
Demanding Freedom
Freedom is a prerequisite for innovation in every field of human endeavor. Silicon Valley, "the greatest legal creation of wealth in human history," was created out of math, sand, and freedom. The Soviet Union had the best mathematicians on Earth and plenty of sand, but in the absence of freedom they were unable to produce innovative information technology. By the mid-1980s, any decent university in the United States had more computing power than the entire Soviet Union.
If we want to create the greatest development of human intellectual power in human history, we will have to allow for much greater educational freedom.
As long as we are led by "responsible political leaders," regardless of political party, who protect the public from educational malpractice, we will never have amazingly good schools. Until the public supports politicians in liberating education from state control, regardless of whether that means we'll have public schools, charter schools, vouchers, or tax credits, risk-averse politicians will be forced by the public to support "responsible" policies that prevent innovation and thereby ensure mediocrity.
Michael Strong (michael@flowidealism.org) is CEO and chief visionary officer of FLOW, Inc. (http://www.flowrealism.org), a group working to achieve world peace, prosperity, happiness, and sustainability in 50 years.
For more information ...
The College Board's "Retaking the Test" report is available online at http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/scores/understanding/retaking.html.
THE HEARTLAND INSTITUTE
19 South LaSalle Street #903
Chicago, IL 60603
phone 312/377-4000 · fax 312/377-5000
http://www.heartland.org
Sunday, July 09, 2006
Break teachers union
The following letter to the editor appeared in the Sun-Times.
Break teachers union
As a homeowner and as a person without a great pension plan, I am forced to pay higher taxes so that the teachers union can have $70 million added to their pension fund. When will our government have the guts to break this teachers union?
Tenure is an insult to anyone who works on merit. In every other occupation, people keep their jobs only if they do them well. Why are new, vibrant, teachers being laid off when tenured teachers can't be touched (some of whom should retire)? In this wonderful country that boasts democracy, we are harboring a socialistic school system. Pouring money into a broken system and not fixing the real problem is a waste of homeowners' money.
Jackie Granlund,
Lincoln Square
Break teachers union
As a homeowner and as a person without a great pension plan, I am forced to pay higher taxes so that the teachers union can have $70 million added to their pension fund. When will our government have the guts to break this teachers union?
Tenure is an insult to anyone who works on merit. In every other occupation, people keep their jobs only if they do them well. Why are new, vibrant, teachers being laid off when tenured teachers can't be touched (some of whom should retire)? In this wonderful country that boasts democracy, we are harboring a socialistic school system. Pouring money into a broken system and not fixing the real problem is a waste of homeowners' money.
Jackie Granlund,
Lincoln Square
Parents and Students for Academic Freedom (K-12)
The following piece is taking in part from Parents and Students for Academic Freedom (K-12) website.
JOINT SENATE RESOLUTION
CONCERNING ACADEMIC FREEDOM IN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION
WHEREAS, Public primary and secondary education in the State of ___________ is an important and valued institution that fosters learning, culture, and economic vitality; and
WHEREAS, Providing students with a solid foundation in the language arts, mathematics, science, history, the humanities, and the social sciences to adequately equip students to learn to think critically, acquire an understanding of our shared national heritage and the richness and diversity of our culture, and prepare them to lead productive lives as informed and responsible citizens in our democratic republic is among the principal purposes of public primary and secondary education; and
WHEREAS, The academic freedom of instructors and the academic freedom of
students are essential and complementary elements of successful education; and
WHEREAS, Teachers and school administrators from the state’s public elementary schools, middle schools, junior and senior high schools have often expressed their commitment to valuing and respecting diversity; and
WHEREAS, A commitment to respect diversity in the educational context necessarily includes a respect for the diversity of intellectual, political, and religious viewpoints, and this commitment must remain strong; and
WHEREAS, A respect for intellectual, political, and religious diversity means that a student should never be penalized because of the opinions he or she holds that differ from a teacher's, and that all students should be made to feel comfortable in exercising their right to listen critically, to express and defend their views, and to challenge an instructor's opinions; and
To read the full JOINT SENATE RESOLUTION CONCERNING ACADEMIC FREEDOM IN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION go to the Parents and Students for Academic Freedom (K-12) website.
JOINT SENATE RESOLUTION
CONCERNING ACADEMIC FREEDOM IN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION
WHEREAS, Public primary and secondary education in the State of ___________ is an important and valued institution that fosters learning, culture, and economic vitality; and
WHEREAS, Providing students with a solid foundation in the language arts, mathematics, science, history, the humanities, and the social sciences to adequately equip students to learn to think critically, acquire an understanding of our shared national heritage and the richness and diversity of our culture, and prepare them to lead productive lives as informed and responsible citizens in our democratic republic is among the principal purposes of public primary and secondary education; and
WHEREAS, The academic freedom of instructors and the academic freedom of
students are essential and complementary elements of successful education; and
WHEREAS, Teachers and school administrators from the state’s public elementary schools, middle schools, junior and senior high schools have often expressed their commitment to valuing and respecting diversity; and
WHEREAS, A commitment to respect diversity in the educational context necessarily includes a respect for the diversity of intellectual, political, and religious viewpoints, and this commitment must remain strong; and
WHEREAS, A respect for intellectual, political, and religious diversity means that a student should never be penalized because of the opinions he or she holds that differ from a teacher's, and that all students should be made to feel comfortable in exercising their right to listen critically, to express and defend their views, and to challenge an instructor's opinions; and
To read the full JOINT SENATE RESOLUTION CONCERNING ACADEMIC FREEDOM IN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION go to the Parents and Students for Academic Freedom (K-12) website.
Saturday, July 08, 2006
MEA Advocates Deceptive High Pressure Tactics Against School Board Members
The information below was quoted from the Mackinac Center for Public Policy website . We suggest that you go to the Mackinac Center for Public Policy website to listen to the tape or read the transcript of this analysis. The Michigan Education Association is similar to the Illinois Education Association in Illinois. As your school districts are negotiating their teachers' contracts take note if the same tactics are used in your district. Clearly you can see that the Huntley school board members, BEST members and school employees have used some of these tactics against Larry Snow.
MEA Advocates Deceptive High Pressure Tactics Against School Board Members
An MEA training audio tape for union negotiators offers a particularly disturbing inside look at the MEA, and clearly reveals that it has adopted the militant "industrial union" model for its organization, rather than a "craft union" or professional association model.
The transcript of the tape explains how union negotiators should use pressure tactics to force school board members to concede to their demands. Among the tactics advocated are:
* Investigate the background of each school board member, including religious affiliation, marital status, age, education, employment, family, politics, "what do his peers think of him?," "what is his relationship with his employer or employees?," and "does holding a public office help him advance in his job or produce business connections?" This should be investigated, the MEA states, so the negotiator will "know what sensitive chords and nerves to hit during negotiation to get the results you seek."
*After gathering information, the MEA recommends that the local union "consider bringing in a heavy from the outside. You know, perhaps your Uniserv director. When the job is done and the bad guy, you know, has to leave town, won’t it be nice when the local association won’t have to bear the brunt of resentment?"
*The MEA tape recommends that the negotiator "use time as an ally. You know, if your negotiating team can get to bargaining sessions well rested, whereas the board’s team is harried and fatigued, keep negotiations going until 2 o’clock or 3 o’clock in the morning. Wear down the board physically and psychologically."
*"Remember that large districts rely heavily upon the superintendent to absorb the flack. They use the superintendent as a shield. If he is discredited, the rest of the board suddenly feels naked and they are often eager to take an escape route which the association has waited for the appropriate moment to offer."
*"Do your best to split the board on crucial issues through contacts with individual board members or misrepresentation of the issues to the public through press releases. Attempt to carefully attack the credibility of the board negotiating team so that most of the board team’s executive sessions with their board will be spent answering board members’ questions about association charges and not with planning on up-coming negotiation sessions."
MEA Advocates Deceptive High Pressure Tactics Against School Board Members
An MEA training audio tape for union negotiators offers a particularly disturbing inside look at the MEA, and clearly reveals that it has adopted the militant "industrial union" model for its organization, rather than a "craft union" or professional association model.
The transcript of the tape explains how union negotiators should use pressure tactics to force school board members to concede to their demands. Among the tactics advocated are:
* Investigate the background of each school board member, including religious affiliation, marital status, age, education, employment, family, politics, "what do his peers think of him?," "what is his relationship with his employer or employees?," and "does holding a public office help him advance in his job or produce business connections?" This should be investigated, the MEA states, so the negotiator will "know what sensitive chords and nerves to hit during negotiation to get the results you seek."
*After gathering information, the MEA recommends that the local union "consider bringing in a heavy from the outside. You know, perhaps your Uniserv director. When the job is done and the bad guy, you know, has to leave town, won’t it be nice when the local association won’t have to bear the brunt of resentment?"
*The MEA tape recommends that the negotiator "use time as an ally. You know, if your negotiating team can get to bargaining sessions well rested, whereas the board’s team is harried and fatigued, keep negotiations going until 2 o’clock or 3 o’clock in the morning. Wear down the board physically and psychologically."
*"Remember that large districts rely heavily upon the superintendent to absorb the flack. They use the superintendent as a shield. If he is discredited, the rest of the board suddenly feels naked and they are often eager to take an escape route which the association has waited for the appropriate moment to offer."
*"Do your best to split the board on crucial issues through contacts with individual board members or misrepresentation of the issues to the public through press releases. Attempt to carefully attack the credibility of the board negotiating team so that most of the board team’s executive sessions with their board will be spent answering board members’ questions about association charges and not with planning on up-coming negotiation sessions."
Friday, July 07, 2006
A tale of two different taxing situations.
The first story below appeared in the Rockford Register Star. In the first article below you will read that legislators are thinking of a tax increase. The second story is an AP story and apppeared in Northwest Herald.
In the first story below Martire made two good statements:
"The honest answer is if you're going to enhance public spending, you need recurring revenue to fund it," Martire said.
"And if you're relying on gimmicks or tricks or borrowing or raiding other funds, every year you create a bigger and bigger deficit position. That's something other than responsible because it's borrowing against future generations to maintain current spending levels."
But the solution is to NOT "enhance public spending" and to NOT "maintain current spending levels". Even his own words show that the real problem is spending, not funding.
After more than 15 years, is a state tax increase inevitable?
By Aaron Chambers
REGISTER STAR SPRINGFIELD BUREAU
Click here for more information about Aaron Chambers
SPRINGFIELD — The state hasn’t hiked tax rates in more than 15 years.
Will Illinois soon hit you with a tax increase? And, as some observers suggest, would a tax hike be more responsible than the state’s nickel-and-dime approach to generating more cash to spend?
“They come up with so many creative ideas, why don’t they just raise taxes and get by all these games and get a solid revenue stream to take care of our pensions and our debt and our schools?” said Sen. Dave Syverson, R-Rockford.
He was referring to Gov. Rod Blagojevich and fellow Democrats in the Legislature who have shaped the state budget in recent years.
Syverson predicted the state would need to raise taxes to deal with its rapidly growing expenses.
He said a sales-tax increase wouldn’t be feasible because it would drive consumers to the Internet and surrounding states.
But he would consider supporting an income tax increase — perhaps a temporary one — as long as the state stopped diverting dollars from road construction funds and committed to using all new revenue to pay bills and debt.
“Unfortunately the problem can’t be fixed with a few small fee increases,” Syverson said. “It’s going to take a pretty substantial amount of new revenue, unfortunately, just to make up for what’s happened over the last three years.”
John Kenward, a senior analyst at rating agency Standard & Poors, said the state’s nickel-and-dime approach is not unusual.
“There’s not a lot of forward financial planning with the states,” he said. “It tends to be budget to budget, year to year.”
Kenward said it’s heroic for Illinois to keep a lid on taxes to stay competitive with surrounding states. But that at some point, it would need “an overall longer-term plan because the revenues aren’t growing as fast as the expenditures are.”
In April, Fitch Ratings gave Illinois a “negative outlook,” because it must start making dramatically larger payments to its pension systems. Public pension systems have $38.6 billion in unfunded liability, which is the difference between assets and the cost of retirement benefits for everybody covered by the system.
Ralph Martire, executive director of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, a fiscal policy think tank, likened Blagojevich’s fiscal style to paying grocery bills with a credit card.
Martire supports an income tax hike to better fund education and other needs.
“The honest answer is if you’re going to enhance public spending, you need recurring revenue to fund it,” Martire said.
“And if you’re relying on gimmicks or tricks or borrowing or raiding other funds, every year you create a bigger and bigger deficit position. That’s something other than responsible because it’s borrowing against future generations to maintain current spending levels.”
The state hiked the personal income tax from 2.5 percent to 3 percent in 1989, according to the state Department of Revenue. The corporate income tax increased from 4 percent to 4.8 percent at the same time.
The state sales tax has been 6.25 percent since 1990.
Blagojevich’s latest plan to generate cash is selling or leasing the state lottery. Skeptics say that would simply postpone an inevitable tax increase, but Blagojevich budget director John Filan disputes that.
Staff writer Aaron Chambers may be reached at 217-782-2959 or achambers@rrstar.com.
In the story above
Rising gas prices have pumped millions into state budget
[published on Fri, Jul 7, 2006]
SPRINGFIELD (AP) – Rising gasoline prices and the extra tax money they produce have pumped an additional $137 million into the state budget over the past year, analysts say.
To view the rest of the story go to Northwest Herald.
In the first story below Martire made two good statements:
"The honest answer is if you're going to enhance public spending, you need recurring revenue to fund it," Martire said.
"And if you're relying on gimmicks or tricks or borrowing or raiding other funds, every year you create a bigger and bigger deficit position. That's something other than responsible because it's borrowing against future generations to maintain current spending levels."
But the solution is to NOT "enhance public spending" and to NOT "maintain current spending levels". Even his own words show that the real problem is spending, not funding.
After more than 15 years, is a state tax increase inevitable?
By Aaron Chambers
REGISTER STAR SPRINGFIELD BUREAU
Click here for more information about Aaron Chambers
SPRINGFIELD — The state hasn’t hiked tax rates in more than 15 years.
Will Illinois soon hit you with a tax increase? And, as some observers suggest, would a tax hike be more responsible than the state’s nickel-and-dime approach to generating more cash to spend?
“They come up with so many creative ideas, why don’t they just raise taxes and get by all these games and get a solid revenue stream to take care of our pensions and our debt and our schools?” said Sen. Dave Syverson, R-Rockford.
He was referring to Gov. Rod Blagojevich and fellow Democrats in the Legislature who have shaped the state budget in recent years.
Syverson predicted the state would need to raise taxes to deal with its rapidly growing expenses.
He said a sales-tax increase wouldn’t be feasible because it would drive consumers to the Internet and surrounding states.
But he would consider supporting an income tax increase — perhaps a temporary one — as long as the state stopped diverting dollars from road construction funds and committed to using all new revenue to pay bills and debt.
“Unfortunately the problem can’t be fixed with a few small fee increases,” Syverson said. “It’s going to take a pretty substantial amount of new revenue, unfortunately, just to make up for what’s happened over the last three years.”
John Kenward, a senior analyst at rating agency Standard & Poors, said the state’s nickel-and-dime approach is not unusual.
“There’s not a lot of forward financial planning with the states,” he said. “It tends to be budget to budget, year to year.”
Kenward said it’s heroic for Illinois to keep a lid on taxes to stay competitive with surrounding states. But that at some point, it would need “an overall longer-term plan because the revenues aren’t growing as fast as the expenditures are.”
In April, Fitch Ratings gave Illinois a “negative outlook,” because it must start making dramatically larger payments to its pension systems. Public pension systems have $38.6 billion in unfunded liability, which is the difference between assets and the cost of retirement benefits for everybody covered by the system.
Ralph Martire, executive director of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, a fiscal policy think tank, likened Blagojevich’s fiscal style to paying grocery bills with a credit card.
Martire supports an income tax hike to better fund education and other needs.
“The honest answer is if you’re going to enhance public spending, you need recurring revenue to fund it,” Martire said.
“And if you’re relying on gimmicks or tricks or borrowing or raiding other funds, every year you create a bigger and bigger deficit position. That’s something other than responsible because it’s borrowing against future generations to maintain current spending levels.”
The state hiked the personal income tax from 2.5 percent to 3 percent in 1989, according to the state Department of Revenue. The corporate income tax increased from 4 percent to 4.8 percent at the same time.
The state sales tax has been 6.25 percent since 1990.
Blagojevich’s latest plan to generate cash is selling or leasing the state lottery. Skeptics say that would simply postpone an inevitable tax increase, but Blagojevich budget director John Filan disputes that.
Staff writer Aaron Chambers may be reached at 217-782-2959 or achambers@rrstar.com.
In the story above
Rising gas prices have pumped millions into state budget
[published on Fri, Jul 7, 2006]
SPRINGFIELD (AP) – Rising gasoline prices and the extra tax money they produce have pumped an additional $137 million into the state budget over the past year, analysts say.
To view the rest of the story go to Northwest Herald.
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Taxes forced me out
The following letter to the editor appeared in the Northwest Herald.
Taxes forced me out
To the Editor:
A letter of thanks to the tax hikers of Kane County and District 300.
Thank you, Dundee Township assessor, for hiking my assessment for more than was needed.
Thank you, Village of Algonquin, for not keeping the tax rate lower for homeowners, even with the new developments on Randall Road.
Thank you, District 300, for running such a dirty campaign to engage my kindergartner to try to get a "yes" vote out of her parents. (By the way, I voted no.)
Thank you, Kane County, for making my taxes so high that I put my house up for sale.
Thanks for making me have to explain to my children why we needed to move away from their friends.
Thank you for making me see that moving to Indiana was a good choice and a better education for my children.
Thank you for showing that no matter what, the corrupt, twisted ways of taxes and electioneering in Illinois never will change.
Roger Case
Valparaiso, Ind.
Taxes forced me out
To the Editor:
A letter of thanks to the tax hikers of Kane County and District 300.
Thank you, Dundee Township assessor, for hiking my assessment for more than was needed.
Thank you, Village of Algonquin, for not keeping the tax rate lower for homeowners, even with the new developments on Randall Road.
Thank you, District 300, for running such a dirty campaign to engage my kindergartner to try to get a "yes" vote out of her parents. (By the way, I voted no.)
Thank you, Kane County, for making my taxes so high that I put my house up for sale.
Thanks for making me have to explain to my children why we needed to move away from their friends.
Thank you for making me see that moving to Indiana was a good choice and a better education for my children.
Thank you for showing that no matter what, the corrupt, twisted ways of taxes and electioneering in Illinois never will change.
Roger Case
Valparaiso, Ind.
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
District 99 Tax Referendum Rejection Arguments
A group called Citizens for Responsible Solutions opposed to the District 99 referendum proposed the following reasons to reject the referendum. Their investigation and reasons are a good example for others to follow after they have decided to organize a group and oppose school referenda.
Reasons to vote no:
District 99 Tax Referendum Rejection Arguments
I.
Tax cap issue is a "red herring." Despite the tax cap, District 99 has already received very significant and repeated inflows of new dollars in recent years.
Due largely to property value appreciation and new construction, total revenues, after tax cap restrictions, grew from $44.2 million in fiscal 1994 to $67.7 million in fiscal 2003. That is an increase of over $22 million or an average annual revenue increase of 5.3% per year.
Additional funds from referendum/non-referendum bonds and state construction grant totaled $82.3 million.
The district's problem is not their after tax cap revenue levels, but rather their unwillingness to make budget adjustments as the economy goes through non-boom periods.
II.
District 99 has repeatedly demonstrated poor fiscal and administrative management in recent years.
Voters approved $49.5 million for construction and renovation. Cost overruns (700+ change orders) have brought cost, to date, to nearly $65 million with additional lawsuit expenses still coming. Final net impact of lawsuits is unknown.
District 99 borrowed $10.6 million they claim has generated income. In fact, the borrowing expense has exceeded the investment interest rate by several percentage points, costing the district hundreds of thousands of dollars in negative interest rate spread. They now hope to reduce, not solve, the problem by re-financing $42 million of higher cost bonds. This will cost several hundred thousand dollars to transact.
District 99 has failed to respond to calls to commit to a mandated balanced budget. Instead, it has adopted a budget where annual percentage increases for salaries and benefits exceed realistic percentage increases in revenues, resulting in continued deficit spending.
Budget problems have been compounded by practice of spiking salaries just prior to retirement, and refusing to expect administrators to contribute toward insurance costs.
Poor administrative relations with staff contributed to teacher strike that further polarized staff/administration relations.
District issued high cost taxable bonds instead of lower cost tax free bonds under pretense that money would go to cash reserves rather than be used for operations. Instead, over half that bond money has already been spent.
III.
District 99 has demonstrated poor priorities.
$3500 to $6500 pay increases were just approved in August for most administrators, but sufficient money for textbooks supposedly isn't available.
$2 million has been allocated to buy land at DGN for future parking and sports fields, but science labs, fine arts facility renovations, administrative office space and computer upgrades badly needed right now at DGS have not been funded.
Last spring District 99 spent nearly $25,000 sending 15 administrators and department heads to San Francisco for a four day conference, when sending only 2 or 3 individuals would have been much more appropriate considering district budget problems.
IV.
District 99 has not been candid with the community on many issues.
Claimed a "Balanced Budget" that clearly wasn't.
Indicated that referendum rate increase amount being considered was $.05 or $.10. In fact, it was readily changed to $.15, a 50% increase. Leadership was either disingenuous or out of touch with their fiscal needs.
Promised to abate back state construction grant money, but ceased doing so after only a couple years.
Didn't address construction/renovation needs at both schools as promised in last referendum.
Makes no mention of salary and benefit role in current fiscal problems even though that area represents at least 80% of their budget!
Finally, using per capita expenditure data in their election materials ignores the fact such data is largely a function of District size, not management efficiency.
V.
This proposed tax increase is excessive as well as potentially harmful to other taxing bodies.
Many families and individuals are currently under great financial stress due to unemployment, high medical costs, college costs, etc. $150 to $250 more in new taxes is simply unaffordable for these people and elderly on fixed income.
It is unfair to ask for a tax increase before telling citizens the fair value of the Woodridge property, and plans to either use it or sell it after forty years! "Citizen participation" means more than just asking for an endorsement. Their own survey shows citizen support of a Woodridge property sale by approx. a 2 to 1 margin.
There is still about $6 million available in reserve to cover the next two years of projected deficit, plus room to cut non-instructional expenditures such as the administrative budget.
Any true problems related to the tax cap are a statewide problem requiring a state solution, not a bailout by district taxpayers. Other non-school district taxing bodies seem able to live with the tax cap.
District 99 is already getting one third of our property tax bill. Tax dollars are not unlimited, and such a large tax increase would seriously jeopardize the growing fiscal needs of other taxing bodies such as District 58, College of DuPage, Villages of Woodridge and Downers Grove, DuPage County, etc.
Reasons to vote no:
District 99 Tax Referendum Rejection Arguments
I.
Tax cap issue is a "red herring." Despite the tax cap, District 99 has already received very significant and repeated inflows of new dollars in recent years.
Due largely to property value appreciation and new construction, total revenues, after tax cap restrictions, grew from $44.2 million in fiscal 1994 to $67.7 million in fiscal 2003. That is an increase of over $22 million or an average annual revenue increase of 5.3% per year.
Additional funds from referendum/non-referendum bonds and state construction grant totaled $82.3 million.
The district's problem is not their after tax cap revenue levels, but rather their unwillingness to make budget adjustments as the economy goes through non-boom periods.
II.
District 99 has repeatedly demonstrated poor fiscal and administrative management in recent years.
Voters approved $49.5 million for construction and renovation. Cost overruns (700+ change orders) have brought cost, to date, to nearly $65 million with additional lawsuit expenses still coming. Final net impact of lawsuits is unknown.
District 99 borrowed $10.6 million they claim has generated income. In fact, the borrowing expense has exceeded the investment interest rate by several percentage points, costing the district hundreds of thousands of dollars in negative interest rate spread. They now hope to reduce, not solve, the problem by re-financing $42 million of higher cost bonds. This will cost several hundred thousand dollars to transact.
District 99 has failed to respond to calls to commit to a mandated balanced budget. Instead, it has adopted a budget where annual percentage increases for salaries and benefits exceed realistic percentage increases in revenues, resulting in continued deficit spending.
Budget problems have been compounded by practice of spiking salaries just prior to retirement, and refusing to expect administrators to contribute toward insurance costs.
Poor administrative relations with staff contributed to teacher strike that further polarized staff/administration relations.
District issued high cost taxable bonds instead of lower cost tax free bonds under pretense that money would go to cash reserves rather than be used for operations. Instead, over half that bond money has already been spent.
III.
District 99 has demonstrated poor priorities.
$3500 to $6500 pay increases were just approved in August for most administrators, but sufficient money for textbooks supposedly isn't available.
$2 million has been allocated to buy land at DGN for future parking and sports fields, but science labs, fine arts facility renovations, administrative office space and computer upgrades badly needed right now at DGS have not been funded.
Last spring District 99 spent nearly $25,000 sending 15 administrators and department heads to San Francisco for a four day conference, when sending only 2 or 3 individuals would have been much more appropriate considering district budget problems.
IV.
District 99 has not been candid with the community on many issues.
Claimed a "Balanced Budget" that clearly wasn't.
Indicated that referendum rate increase amount being considered was $.05 or $.10. In fact, it was readily changed to $.15, a 50% increase. Leadership was either disingenuous or out of touch with their fiscal needs.
Promised to abate back state construction grant money, but ceased doing so after only a couple years.
Didn't address construction/renovation needs at both schools as promised in last referendum.
Makes no mention of salary and benefit role in current fiscal problems even though that area represents at least 80% of their budget!
Finally, using per capita expenditure data in their election materials ignores the fact such data is largely a function of District size, not management efficiency.
V.
This proposed tax increase is excessive as well as potentially harmful to other taxing bodies.
Many families and individuals are currently under great financial stress due to unemployment, high medical costs, college costs, etc. $150 to $250 more in new taxes is simply unaffordable for these people and elderly on fixed income.
It is unfair to ask for a tax increase before telling citizens the fair value of the Woodridge property, and plans to either use it or sell it after forty years! "Citizen participation" means more than just asking for an endorsement. Their own survey shows citizen support of a Woodridge property sale by approx. a 2 to 1 margin.
There is still about $6 million available in reserve to cover the next two years of projected deficit, plus room to cut non-instructional expenditures such as the administrative budget.
Any true problems related to the tax cap are a statewide problem requiring a state solution, not a bailout by district taxpayers. Other non-school district taxing bodies seem able to live with the tax cap.
District 99 is already getting one third of our property tax bill. Tax dollars are not unlimited, and such a large tax increase would seriously jeopardize the growing fiscal needs of other taxing bodies such as District 58, College of DuPage, Villages of Woodridge and Downers Grove, DuPage County, etc.
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Teacher at Sheepshead Bay High School Takes Time Off to Go To Prison
The following article appeared in the NY Times.
This is our favorite section in the story below....""Michael Herman, the teachers' union chapter leader, said Mr. Everett was an excellent teacher who should be welcomed back to his job teaching law classes.
"It was an unfortunate isolated incident that got blown out of proportion," Mr. Herman said. "He wanted to make a difference in kids' lives, and he was doing that.""
That folks is one of the many problems of the teachers' unions.
June 7, 2006
Time Off? No Problem. But for Jail? Problem.
By ELISSA GOOTMAN
For years, the New York City school system has encouraged people to leave lucrative professions behind to work as teachers. But a disbarred lawyer convicted of theft may not have been what officials had in mind.
Investigators said yesterday that when the disbarred New Jersey lawyer, Thomas Everett, applied for a leave of absence from his job teaching at Sheepshead Bay High School in Brooklyn, he wrote that he had to take care of "problems with the state of New Jersey judicial system." In fact, they said, Mr. Everett needed the time off to go to jail.
In a report, Richard J. Condon, the special commissioner of investigation for the city schools, wrote that Mr. Everett, 59, was
disbarred in 2001 while being investigated by the Essex County prosecutor's office. In 2003, Mr. Everett started teaching at
Sheepshead Bay.
But his past followed him. In May 2005, New Jersey officials finished their investigation, and Mr. Everett was arrested and charged with stealing more than $1 million while serving as the executor of two elderly women's estates.
In October, investigators said, Mr. Everett pleaded guilty to theft and misappropriation and was sentenced in January to a maximum of three years in prison, at which point he applied for the leave. After serving four months, Mr. Everett was released from jail on May 22 and placed in a supervised release program, forbidding him to leave New Jersey. According to the report, he owes $1.4 million in restitution to the families.
The Department of Education issued a statement yesterday saying it would move to fire Mr. Everett. That is what Mr. Condon recommended — not because of the conviction, but because Mr. Everett had not reported the conviction to the department's Office of Personnel Investigations, although he did tell his principal.
Nonetheless, Mr. Condon said Mr. Everett may have been done in by his own honesty, by offering an accurate if vague reason for requesting the leave.
"If he had come up with a good reason, even if it wasn't true, but one that passed the smell test, he probably would have been home free," Mr. Condon said.
Mr. Everett did not return a telephone call yesterday seeking comment. But according to the report, he said that heirs of his
clients, whom he described as "two little old ladies in nursing homes," had questioned his actions in handling the estates. He told investigators that he simply failed to keep good records of his billable hours.
Michael Herman, the teachers' union chapter leader, said Mr. Everett was an excellent teacher who should be welcomed back to his job teaching law classes.
"It was an unfortunate isolated incident that got blown out of proportion," Mr. Herman said. "He wanted to make a difference in kids' lives, and he was doing that."
This is our favorite section in the story below....""Michael Herman, the teachers' union chapter leader, said Mr. Everett was an excellent teacher who should be welcomed back to his job teaching law classes.
"It was an unfortunate isolated incident that got blown out of proportion," Mr. Herman said. "He wanted to make a difference in kids' lives, and he was doing that.""
That folks is one of the many problems of the teachers' unions.
June 7, 2006
Time Off? No Problem. But for Jail? Problem.
By ELISSA GOOTMAN
For years, the New York City school system has encouraged people to leave lucrative professions behind to work as teachers. But a disbarred lawyer convicted of theft may not have been what officials had in mind.
Investigators said yesterday that when the disbarred New Jersey lawyer, Thomas Everett, applied for a leave of absence from his job teaching at Sheepshead Bay High School in Brooklyn, he wrote that he had to take care of "problems with the state of New Jersey judicial system." In fact, they said, Mr. Everett needed the time off to go to jail.
In a report, Richard J. Condon, the special commissioner of investigation for the city schools, wrote that Mr. Everett, 59, was
disbarred in 2001 while being investigated by the Essex County prosecutor's office. In 2003, Mr. Everett started teaching at
Sheepshead Bay.
But his past followed him. In May 2005, New Jersey officials finished their investigation, and Mr. Everett was arrested and charged with stealing more than $1 million while serving as the executor of two elderly women's estates.
In October, investigators said, Mr. Everett pleaded guilty to theft and misappropriation and was sentenced in January to a maximum of three years in prison, at which point he applied for the leave. After serving four months, Mr. Everett was released from jail on May 22 and placed in a supervised release program, forbidding him to leave New Jersey. According to the report, he owes $1.4 million in restitution to the families.
The Department of Education issued a statement yesterday saying it would move to fire Mr. Everett. That is what Mr. Condon recommended — not because of the conviction, but because Mr. Everett had not reported the conviction to the department's Office of Personnel Investigations, although he did tell his principal.
Nonetheless, Mr. Condon said Mr. Everett may have been done in by his own honesty, by offering an accurate if vague reason for requesting the leave.
"If he had come up with a good reason, even if it wasn't true, but one that passed the smell test, he probably would have been home free," Mr. Condon said.
Mr. Everett did not return a telephone call yesterday seeking comment. But according to the report, he said that heirs of his
clients, whom he described as "two little old ladies in nursing homes," had questioned his actions in handling the estates. He told investigators that he simply failed to keep good records of his billable hours.
Michael Herman, the teachers' union chapter leader, said Mr. Everett was an excellent teacher who should be welcomed back to his job teaching law classes.
"It was an unfortunate isolated incident that got blown out of proportion," Mr. Herman said. "He wanted to make a difference in kids' lives, and he was doing that."
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