Our friend Ralf Seiffe sent us the following piece which is posted on the Illinois Reveiw Website.
The Camel’s Nose Of School Choice.
By Ralf Seiffe
Ever since I installed a TIVO on the television, I’ve been vaccinated against television advertising. Except for the old car shows that feature ads for carburetors and automobile tools that interest me, I have not watched general interest advertising for some time. Over the weekend, however, my ten-year old controlled the remote and I’m glad he did because he hasn’t yet figured out how to zip through the advertising clutter. As a consequence, we saw two important commercials. One illustrated the least common denominator approach to public policy while the other showed a path to school choice. The way to reform the schools is beginning to take form and for supporters of free markets, the news is good.
To view the full piece visit the Illinois Reveiw Website.
Monday, September 04, 2006
Sunday, September 03, 2006
A bold plan to set black boys up for success
The following article appeared in the The Chicago Sun Times. The Chicago Public Education System is failing this population. Choice is an excellent step to improve the future of this group and all groups. All parents should have the right to choose the best education opportunity for their child that will ensure success and a productive adult life.
A bold plan to set black boys up for success
September 3, 2006
BY KATE N. GROSSMAN Education Reporter
One hundred forty black high school boys, sharply dressed in polo shirts and khakis, stood silently in five long lines in an auditorium in West Englewood on a recent Tuesday.
It was the final week of summer school for the new Urban Prep Charter Academy, the city's first all-boys public high school in 35 years. The school officially opens Tuesday.
"There's a vibe, a feeling in this room -- some of you are losing focus!" bellowed Ben Blakeley, one of three Urban Prep administrators leading the school's daily "community'' meeting in the auditorium. "When we lose focus, something bad happens, we stray off our path!"
Their misdeeds?
Three came late. A few forgot their belts. A handful stared into space.
In many schools, those infractions might go unnoticed.
Goal is 5 schools
Not so at Urban Prep, one of 14 new schools opening this fall as part of Renaissance 2010, the city's controversial plan to close and re-create its most troubled public schools, including Englewood High, which Urban Prep is replacing. When Englewood's phaseout began in 2005, just 16 percent of its juniors read at grade level.
As an antidote, Urban Prep's founders opted for something radically different. They've designed a school they believe will work for boys, particularly black boys, who have only a one-in-four chance of graduating from a Chicago public school. They're starting with 160 freshmen on one campus. They hope eventually to open five all-boys schools.
Tim King, the school's president and driving force, says research suggests boys learn better under conditions of stress. So he and his 17 teachers and administrators -- including 15 African-American males -- are ladling it on.
The students will face a rigorous college prep curriculum taught in an in-your-face, Socratic style, with double periods of English, an eight-hour school day and required after-school activities, community service and internships. They're already greeting teachers with handshakes. Starting Tuesday, they will wear red ties and black blazers.
The idea is to create a sense of community and brotherhood and give the boys enough support so they know their teachers truly want them to succeed.
'There's no power struggles'
So far, they are lapping it up.
"I came because I felt they were going to make me work for my education," said Andre Young, a freshman from Englewood. "Here, you feel like you're someone important."
Nearly all of the freshmen showed up for summer school at Lindblom High, where Urban Prep will be this year while nearby Englewood High is renovated. For three weeks, boys took standardized tests, read silently for 25 minutes daily and were drilled on school rules. They met in small discussion groups daily.
Many were uneasy about a single-sex school but were starting to see the big picture.
"I don't want to be around all boys, but I came because they said it would prepare me to be a man and go to college,' said Melvin Brown, who lives in Chatham.
Even the teachers were floored by how quickly the boys fell in line.
"There's no power struggles -- and I've seen different," said Chezare Warren, who taught eighth grade at a North Lawndale school last year. When he took on that class in December, five teachers had already left in frustration
Residents skeptical
The Urban Prep boys graduated from 52 elementary schools, including parochial ones, but about 70 percent live in Englewood.
When King proposed his idea to people in Englewood, some thought his design team -- a group of well-dressed, well-educated African Americans -- couldn't relate to poor kids from Englewood. At a community forum last fall, several people asked pointed questions suggesting the team was underestimating the intense social problems some Englewood kids might face.
King, an easygoing 39-year-old, is former president of Hales Franciscan, an all-boys Catholic High School on the South Side where most of the African-American families struggle financially. During his five years as president, 100 percent of each graduating class was admitted to college. He has been working on Urban Prep since 2002.
'We believe in them'
King says his staff is fully aware of the social problems his kids may face and is tackling that head-on with the highly structured day, an experienced staff and extra student supports, such as daily advisory sessions and school meetings, low student-to-staff ratios, access to teachers via cell phones and black role models.
"How can we not manage that?" said Eric Smith, an African-American English teacher. "For too long, we've said, 'Those kids,' but they were our kids, dead, in jail, working minimum-wage jobs. They're my babies, and we believe in them. It's idealistic but not so farfetched to believe we can set them up for success."
With three successful weeks of summer school behind him, King took a moment to enjoy the victory.
"We've got a group that has really bought into what we're selling," he said in late August.
But no one at Urban Prep is naive enough to think the battle is won.
"We have no illusions," King said. "We know it'll be incredibly difficult and challenging, but it's very encouraging to see the group taking steps to at least meet us halfway."
kgrossman@suntimes.com
Along with this story we suggest the book Enough: The Phony Leaders, Dead-End Movements, and Culture of Failure That Are Undermining Black America--and What We Can Do About It by Juan Williams.
Here is one of the editorials that appears on the site.
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
When Bill Cosby addressed a 50th-anniversary celebration of Brown v. Board of Education, he created a major controversy with seemingly inoffensive counsel ("begin with getting a high school education, not having children until one is twenty-one and married, working hard at any job, and being good parents"). Building from Cosby's speech, NPR/Fox journalist Williams offers his ballast to Cosby's position. Williams starts with the question, "Why are so many black Americans, people born inside the gates of American opportunity, still living as if they were locked out from all America has to offer?" His answers include the debacle of big-city politics under self-serving black politicians; reparations as "a divisive dead-end idea"; the parlous state of city schools "under the alliance between the civil rights leaders and the teachers' unions"; and the transformation of rap from "its willingness to confront establishment and stereotypes" to "America's late-night masturbatory fantasy." A sense of the erosion of "the high moral standing of civil rights" underlies Cosby's anguish and Williams's anger. Politically interested readers of a mildly conservative bent will find this book sheer dynamite. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
A bold plan to set black boys up for success
September 3, 2006
BY KATE N. GROSSMAN Education Reporter
One hundred forty black high school boys, sharply dressed in polo shirts and khakis, stood silently in five long lines in an auditorium in West Englewood on a recent Tuesday.
It was the final week of summer school for the new Urban Prep Charter Academy, the city's first all-boys public high school in 35 years. The school officially opens Tuesday.
"There's a vibe, a feeling in this room -- some of you are losing focus!" bellowed Ben Blakeley, one of three Urban Prep administrators leading the school's daily "community'' meeting in the auditorium. "When we lose focus, something bad happens, we stray off our path!"
Their misdeeds?
Three came late. A few forgot their belts. A handful stared into space.
In many schools, those infractions might go unnoticed.
Goal is 5 schools
Not so at Urban Prep, one of 14 new schools opening this fall as part of Renaissance 2010, the city's controversial plan to close and re-create its most troubled public schools, including Englewood High, which Urban Prep is replacing. When Englewood's phaseout began in 2005, just 16 percent of its juniors read at grade level.
As an antidote, Urban Prep's founders opted for something radically different. They've designed a school they believe will work for boys, particularly black boys, who have only a one-in-four chance of graduating from a Chicago public school. They're starting with 160 freshmen on one campus. They hope eventually to open five all-boys schools.
Tim King, the school's president and driving force, says research suggests boys learn better under conditions of stress. So he and his 17 teachers and administrators -- including 15 African-American males -- are ladling it on.
The students will face a rigorous college prep curriculum taught in an in-your-face, Socratic style, with double periods of English, an eight-hour school day and required after-school activities, community service and internships. They're already greeting teachers with handshakes. Starting Tuesday, they will wear red ties and black blazers.
The idea is to create a sense of community and brotherhood and give the boys enough support so they know their teachers truly want them to succeed.
'There's no power struggles'
So far, they are lapping it up.
"I came because I felt they were going to make me work for my education," said Andre Young, a freshman from Englewood. "Here, you feel like you're someone important."
Nearly all of the freshmen showed up for summer school at Lindblom High, where Urban Prep will be this year while nearby Englewood High is renovated. For three weeks, boys took standardized tests, read silently for 25 minutes daily and were drilled on school rules. They met in small discussion groups daily.
Many were uneasy about a single-sex school but were starting to see the big picture.
"I don't want to be around all boys, but I came because they said it would prepare me to be a man and go to college,' said Melvin Brown, who lives in Chatham.
Even the teachers were floored by how quickly the boys fell in line.
"There's no power struggles -- and I've seen different," said Chezare Warren, who taught eighth grade at a North Lawndale school last year. When he took on that class in December, five teachers had already left in frustration
Residents skeptical
The Urban Prep boys graduated from 52 elementary schools, including parochial ones, but about 70 percent live in Englewood.
When King proposed his idea to people in Englewood, some thought his design team -- a group of well-dressed, well-educated African Americans -- couldn't relate to poor kids from Englewood. At a community forum last fall, several people asked pointed questions suggesting the team was underestimating the intense social problems some Englewood kids might face.
King, an easygoing 39-year-old, is former president of Hales Franciscan, an all-boys Catholic High School on the South Side where most of the African-American families struggle financially. During his five years as president, 100 percent of each graduating class was admitted to college. He has been working on Urban Prep since 2002.
'We believe in them'
King says his staff is fully aware of the social problems his kids may face and is tackling that head-on with the highly structured day, an experienced staff and extra student supports, such as daily advisory sessions and school meetings, low student-to-staff ratios, access to teachers via cell phones and black role models.
"How can we not manage that?" said Eric Smith, an African-American English teacher. "For too long, we've said, 'Those kids,' but they were our kids, dead, in jail, working minimum-wage jobs. They're my babies, and we believe in them. It's idealistic but not so farfetched to believe we can set them up for success."
With three successful weeks of summer school behind him, King took a moment to enjoy the victory.
"We've got a group that has really bought into what we're selling," he said in late August.
But no one at Urban Prep is naive enough to think the battle is won.
"We have no illusions," King said. "We know it'll be incredibly difficult and challenging, but it's very encouraging to see the group taking steps to at least meet us halfway."
kgrossman@suntimes.com
Along with this story we suggest the book Enough: The Phony Leaders, Dead-End Movements, and Culture of Failure That Are Undermining Black America--and What We Can Do About It by Juan Williams.
Here is one of the editorials that appears on the site.
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
When Bill Cosby addressed a 50th-anniversary celebration of Brown v. Board of Education, he created a major controversy with seemingly inoffensive counsel ("begin with getting a high school education, not having children until one is twenty-one and married, working hard at any job, and being good parents"). Building from Cosby's speech, NPR/Fox journalist Williams offers his ballast to Cosby's position. Williams starts with the question, "Why are so many black Americans, people born inside the gates of American opportunity, still living as if they were locked out from all America has to offer?" His answers include the debacle of big-city politics under self-serving black politicians; reparations as "a divisive dead-end idea"; the parlous state of city schools "under the alliance between the civil rights leaders and the teachers' unions"; and the transformation of rap from "its willingness to confront establishment and stereotypes" to "America's late-night masturbatory fantasy." A sense of the erosion of "the high moral standing of civil rights" underlies Cosby's anguish and Williams's anger. Politically interested readers of a mildly conservative bent will find this book sheer dynamite. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Myths and Misconceptions About Teaching: What Really Happens in Classrooms
Heads up to a comment on Cal Skinner's Blog that lead to this post on the TC Record The Voice of Scholarship in Education website.
Myths and Misconceptions About Teaching: What Really Happens in Classrooms
Recent trends in education have encouraged democratic and holistic approaches to learning through discovery-oriented teaching approaches. At the same time, research on teaching for students with learning difficulties and disabilities suggests that direct instruction, explicit teaching, and highly regulated learning environments are the best practice for teaching special education classes. These distinct theoretical approaches have been used to argue that regular classrooms are inappropriate learning environments for students with learning difficulty, disabilities, or behavior disorders (Kauffman, 1999; Kauffman & Sasso, 2006). Vicki Snider’s new book, Myths and Misconceptions About Teaching: What Really Happens in the Classroom, challenges whether regular classrooms with holistic, discovery-oriented and democratic philosophies are appropriate teaching environments for any students. Snider suggests that the most effective teaching methods are direct instruction, explicit teaching, and highly structured curricular environments. She bases this argument on empirical evidence of the effectiveness of these teaching methods.
Snider proposes that many teaching strategies have come from theories of learning that have not been empirically tested, such as multiple intelligence, and that student failures to a large extent can be explained by the fact that education systems do not empirically test teaching methods and curricula. She argues that the trend toward whole language, discovery-oriented, and experiential approaches to learning hinders learning at best, and at worst, actually causes some students to have learning difficulties. Snider instead advocates curriculum that is proven successful in rigorous testing. She uses extensive reading research as an example, pointing out that the scrutiny of reading instruction indicates that phonics and direct instruction are proven effective teaching strategies. Current general education practice, Snider suggests, has been undermined by six myths or misconceptions about teaching that arise from untested theories that have become widely accepted. These myths are as follows:
• that learning outcomes are not as important as learning process;
• that learning has to be fun and interesting rather than hard work and sometimes difficult;
• that good teaching is always eclectic rather than due to proven methods that work for most children;
• that teachers have intrinsic characteristics that make them good teachers;
• that individual students have unique learning styles;
• and that learning difficulties or disabilities are intrinsic characteristics of students rather than the result of poor teaching.
To view the full article go to the TC Record The Voice of Scholarship in Education website.
Myths and Misconceptions About Teaching: What Really Happens in Classrooms
Recent trends in education have encouraged democratic and holistic approaches to learning through discovery-oriented teaching approaches. At the same time, research on teaching for students with learning difficulties and disabilities suggests that direct instruction, explicit teaching, and highly regulated learning environments are the best practice for teaching special education classes. These distinct theoretical approaches have been used to argue that regular classrooms are inappropriate learning environments for students with learning difficulty, disabilities, or behavior disorders (Kauffman, 1999; Kauffman & Sasso, 2006). Vicki Snider’s new book, Myths and Misconceptions About Teaching: What Really Happens in the Classroom, challenges whether regular classrooms with holistic, discovery-oriented and democratic philosophies are appropriate teaching environments for any students. Snider suggests that the most effective teaching methods are direct instruction, explicit teaching, and highly structured curricular environments. She bases this argument on empirical evidence of the effectiveness of these teaching methods.
Snider proposes that many teaching strategies have come from theories of learning that have not been empirically tested, such as multiple intelligence, and that student failures to a large extent can be explained by the fact that education systems do not empirically test teaching methods and curricula. She argues that the trend toward whole language, discovery-oriented, and experiential approaches to learning hinders learning at best, and at worst, actually causes some students to have learning difficulties. Snider instead advocates curriculum that is proven successful in rigorous testing. She uses extensive reading research as an example, pointing out that the scrutiny of reading instruction indicates that phonics and direct instruction are proven effective teaching strategies. Current general education practice, Snider suggests, has been undermined by six myths or misconceptions about teaching that arise from untested theories that have become widely accepted. These myths are as follows:
• that learning outcomes are not as important as learning process;
• that learning has to be fun and interesting rather than hard work and sometimes difficult;
• that good teaching is always eclectic rather than due to proven methods that work for most children;
• that teachers have intrinsic characteristics that make them good teachers;
• that individual students have unique learning styles;
• and that learning difficulties or disabilities are intrinsic characteristics of students rather than the result of poor teaching.
To view the full article go to the TC Record The Voice of Scholarship in Education website.
Friday, September 01, 2006
Teachers And Unions Disregard For Laws And Ethical Behavior
Time and time again teachers and unions put their interests ahead of the very children they are to educate and the communities they serve. Public school teachers are no longer the noble professionals they once were. Public School Teachers are the first to whine and complain about the children they teach. Maybe if public school teachers would improve their actions and behaviors they would not have as many problems with behavioral issues in the classroom.
This past week we saw the highest paid teachers in Indiana go on strike. In Indiana teachers went on strike despite being illegal under Indiana statutes. Visit the Chicago Tribune website to see the full story.
The Education Intelligence agency reports how Detriot Teachers disregard the no strike law in Michigan.
The EIA further reports how Washington Teachers blatantly disregard the no strike laws. Teachers Union Lawyer Kathy O'Toole stated "They are not going to put 850 of you away," Gee what great examples public school teachers set for our children.
This past week we saw the highest paid teachers in Indiana go on strike. In Indiana teachers went on strike despite being illegal under Indiana statutes. Visit the Chicago Tribune website to see the full story.
The Education Intelligence agency reports how Detriot Teachers disregard the no strike law in Michigan.
The EIA further reports how Washington Teachers blatantly disregard the no strike laws. Teachers Union Lawyer Kathy O'Toole stated "They are not going to put 850 of you away," Gee what great examples public school teachers set for our children.
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Teacher retirement fund consultant facing lawsuit
The following article appeared in the Chicago Tribune.
The allegations below are just part of the chronic problems that face our public school system (government schools). Yet another reason to do away with public pensions and switch to self-funding individual retirement accounts for government school employees.
Teacher retirement fund consultant facing lawsuit
By Michael Higgins
Tribune staff reporter
Published August 31, 2006
A former top consultant to the state's teacher retirement fund took in millions of dollars in fees from money managers, including managers that the consultant later recommended for lucrative state work, a retired school official alleges in a lawsuit.
By taking the fees, Callan Associates, based in San Francisco, violated its duty to serve only the interests of the state's school teachers, who depended on Callan to provide fair and objective recommendations, contends Patrick Patt, a retired school superintendent from Lake Forest.
"The Illinois Pension Code is clear," said Brian McTigue of Washington, an attorney representing Patt. "You cannot have an investment manager with a conflict of interest. ... Callan should pay for any losses that result from the conflict."
Patt is seeking class-action status of the suit, filed last week in Cook County Circuit Court.
Officials at Callan, which faces similar allegations in a lawsuit by city officials in San Diego, declined to comment.
Officials at the Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois said this week that Callan disclosed the potential conflict, as required under its state contract, and that no investor money was lost. With Callan as adviser, the pension fund ranked in the top 10 percent among funds of similar size, said Jon Bauman, executive director of Teachers' Retirement System.
The performance "was excellent and does not indicate any substandard managers," Bauman said.
But officials at Teachers' Retirement System, which is not named as a defendant in the suit, also acknowledge that they downsized Callan's consulting role in March and that the outside fees were "a consideration" in making that decision.
Callan was a primary investment consultant to the retirement fund from December 2001 to March 2006. The state paid Callan about $2.8 million in fees from fiscal 2002 to 2006, state officials said.
At the same time, Callan was receiving fees from money managers, who paid to attend Callan seminars, such as its Callan College and Callan Investments Institute, the suit alleges.
Teachers' Retirement System officials said they studied the matter in 2004 and found that various state consultants had collected combined fees of $6 million to $7 million per year from money managers from 2001 to 2003, and that Callan's share of that was millions of dollars. State officials said they could not determine on Wednesday how many of the money managers that paid fees to Callan received the consultant's recommendation or how many the state ultimately hired.
Patt is seeking to force Callan to return its fees from Teachers' Retirement System to the state fund. Patt's attorneys said that as part of the litigation, they also will investigate whether Callan's influence regarding the choice of investment managers caused the retirement fund to lose money.
----------
mjhiggins@tribune.com
Copyright © 2006, Chicago Tribune
The allegations below are just part of the chronic problems that face our public school system (government schools). Yet another reason to do away with public pensions and switch to self-funding individual retirement accounts for government school employees.
Teacher retirement fund consultant facing lawsuit
By Michael Higgins
Tribune staff reporter
Published August 31, 2006
A former top consultant to the state's teacher retirement fund took in millions of dollars in fees from money managers, including managers that the consultant later recommended for lucrative state work, a retired school official alleges in a lawsuit.
By taking the fees, Callan Associates, based in San Francisco, violated its duty to serve only the interests of the state's school teachers, who depended on Callan to provide fair and objective recommendations, contends Patrick Patt, a retired school superintendent from Lake Forest.
"The Illinois Pension Code is clear," said Brian McTigue of Washington, an attorney representing Patt. "You cannot have an investment manager with a conflict of interest. ... Callan should pay for any losses that result from the conflict."
Patt is seeking class-action status of the suit, filed last week in Cook County Circuit Court.
Officials at Callan, which faces similar allegations in a lawsuit by city officials in San Diego, declined to comment.
Officials at the Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois said this week that Callan disclosed the potential conflict, as required under its state contract, and that no investor money was lost. With Callan as adviser, the pension fund ranked in the top 10 percent among funds of similar size, said Jon Bauman, executive director of Teachers' Retirement System.
The performance "was excellent and does not indicate any substandard managers," Bauman said.
But officials at Teachers' Retirement System, which is not named as a defendant in the suit, also acknowledge that they downsized Callan's consulting role in March and that the outside fees were "a consideration" in making that decision.
Callan was a primary investment consultant to the retirement fund from December 2001 to March 2006. The state paid Callan about $2.8 million in fees from fiscal 2002 to 2006, state officials said.
At the same time, Callan was receiving fees from money managers, who paid to attend Callan seminars, such as its Callan College and Callan Investments Institute, the suit alleges.
Teachers' Retirement System officials said they studied the matter in 2004 and found that various state consultants had collected combined fees of $6 million to $7 million per year from money managers from 2001 to 2003, and that Callan's share of that was millions of dollars. State officials said they could not determine on Wednesday how many of the money managers that paid fees to Callan received the consultant's recommendation or how many the state ultimately hired.
Patt is seeking to force Callan to return its fees from Teachers' Retirement System to the state fund. Patt's attorneys said that as part of the litigation, they also will investigate whether Callan's influence regarding the choice of investment managers caused the retirement fund to lose money.
----------
mjhiggins@tribune.com
Copyright © 2006, Chicago Tribune
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
District 300 Hires Northwest Herald’s Allison Smith to Run Public Relations
Cal Skinner has a great piece on his Blog about Allison Smith. Allison Smith was a Northwest Herald reporter who is now the District 300 public relations person. Ms. Smith has been biased towards the education establishment and referenda throughout her reporting career at the Northwest Herald. When reading future reports in our local newspapers supporting referenda keep this story in the back of your mind. How many other reporters when supporting referenda our vying for the lucrative position as a public relations person in our government schools? Ms. Smith has gained financially from her pushing of the passing of the referenda. We ask the residents of District 300 is this how you expected your tax increase to be spent when you voted yes for these referenda?
Here is the introduction to Cal Skinner's post on his BLOG.
8/29/6 - At last night’s school board meeting, Superintendent Ken Arndt welcomed Northwest Herald reporter Allison Smith as the new communications director for District 300.
Smith covered School District 300 for the Northwest Herald during the past referendum and gave the tax hikers fits.
She will be paid $60,707, which has to be a substantial increase from her Northwest Herald salary, where she worked about three years. She starts her new job Sept. 5th.
She must be getting at least a 50% pay hike. And, that’s assuming that the Northwest Herald pays a lot better than I think they do.
Maybe she doubled or almost doubled her salary (as would be the case if she were earning $30,000 before).
There was a good political reason for District 300’s hiring of Allison Smith.
To view the rest of Cal Skinner's piece click here.
Here is the introduction to Cal Skinner's post on his BLOG.
8/29/6 - At last night’s school board meeting, Superintendent Ken Arndt welcomed Northwest Herald reporter Allison Smith as the new communications director for District 300.
Smith covered School District 300 for the Northwest Herald during the past referendum and gave the tax hikers fits.
She will be paid $60,707, which has to be a substantial increase from her Northwest Herald salary, where she worked about three years. She starts her new job Sept. 5th.
She must be getting at least a 50% pay hike. And, that’s assuming that the Northwest Herald pays a lot better than I think they do.
Maybe she doubled or almost doubled her salary (as would be the case if she were earning $30,000 before).
There was a good political reason for District 300’s hiring of Allison Smith.
To view the rest of Cal Skinner's piece click here.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
East Side schools will ask for tax hike
The following story appeared in the Beacon News Newspaper. A fellow taxpayer from District 131 asked us to put this story on the CRAFT Blog.
Bruce Schurbert asked the school board members the following questions: "Why not impart a salary freeze?" and "Where is the deficit reduction plan?" Mr. Schurbert this referendum is about teachers, administrators and school employees salaries. Salary freezes when and if ever given in school districts are always repaid in later years with even larger salary increases. This is about greed and not need. The only interests the tax increase will serve is school employees and their bank accounts.
This same scenario is playing out around school districts across Illinois. Once referendum pass large salary increases always follow just ask voters in District 15 McHenry and District 158 in Huntley.
To view the District 131 salaries go to thechampion.org.
East Side schools will ask for tax hike
By Justina Wang
Staff writer
AURORA — The East Aurora School Board gave their approval Monday for a November referendum that will ask voters for a tax rate increase of 85 cents per $100 of equalized assessed valuation.
The hike, which will cost the owner of a $100,000 home an estimated $283 more in taxes the first year, is lower than earlier numbers proposed by administrators.
At a public forum this month, school officials presented four scenarios that would raise the tax rate by anywhere from 95 cents to $1.25 per $100 of assessed valuation and cost owners of a $100,000 home between $316 and $416 in the first year.
"We challenged the administration to come up with an even lower rate," Board Member Russell Pietrowiak said during Monday's meeting. "We have tried to come down and listen to people's concerns."
Several residents who attended Monday's meeting said they believe the district will still have a hard time passing a referendum in an area with many low-income families.
"The thing is, people here don't want to give you more money," resident Rayanne Carlson told Board members.
Carlson and another East side resident, Bruce Schubert, also questioned teacher and administrator salary increases, which make up large portions of the district's budget.
"Why not impart a salary freeze?" Schubert asked School Board members. "Where is the deficit reduction plan?"
School Board members responded that they cut dozens of positions in 2004, and that many of the larger pay raises were because of promotions to administrative positions. Board Vice President Dan Barreiro added that the district has to negotiate with teacher's unions and needs to offer a salary schedule that is competitive enough to attract top educators so that East Aurora will "stop being a training ground for other school districts" and "retain our best."
"We're being asked, I think, to look at making cuts, but we've made cuts and it's hard to make cuts when you have growth," Barreiro said. "We're going to have to ask voters to help us get over this hurdle."
School officials said a tax hike is needed to prevent a projected $21.9 million deficit by 2010, a year when a new state law requires all districts to have a balanced budget. The district's last operating fund rate increase passed in 1993.
If the referendum is successful, the new tax rate would be locked in for four years and would not be subject to tax caps. The hike would leave the district with a $15 million balance in all funds in the 2009-2010 school year.
East Aurora tax hike referendum
The district's proposed tax hike of .85 cent per $100 of equalized assessed valuation would cost the owner of a $100,000 home an estimated:
• $283 in the first year
• $306 in 2007
• $332 in 2008
• $359 in 2009
Bruce Schurbert asked the school board members the following questions: "Why not impart a salary freeze?" and "Where is the deficit reduction plan?" Mr. Schurbert this referendum is about teachers, administrators and school employees salaries. Salary freezes when and if ever given in school districts are always repaid in later years with even larger salary increases. This is about greed and not need. The only interests the tax increase will serve is school employees and their bank accounts.
This same scenario is playing out around school districts across Illinois. Once referendum pass large salary increases always follow just ask voters in District 15 McHenry and District 158 in Huntley.
To view the District 131 salaries go to thechampion.org.
East Side schools will ask for tax hike
By Justina Wang
Staff writer
AURORA — The East Aurora School Board gave their approval Monday for a November referendum that will ask voters for a tax rate increase of 85 cents per $100 of equalized assessed valuation.
The hike, which will cost the owner of a $100,000 home an estimated $283 more in taxes the first year, is lower than earlier numbers proposed by administrators.
At a public forum this month, school officials presented four scenarios that would raise the tax rate by anywhere from 95 cents to $1.25 per $100 of assessed valuation and cost owners of a $100,000 home between $316 and $416 in the first year.
"We challenged the administration to come up with an even lower rate," Board Member Russell Pietrowiak said during Monday's meeting. "We have tried to come down and listen to people's concerns."
Several residents who attended Monday's meeting said they believe the district will still have a hard time passing a referendum in an area with many low-income families.
"The thing is, people here don't want to give you more money," resident Rayanne Carlson told Board members.
Carlson and another East side resident, Bruce Schubert, also questioned teacher and administrator salary increases, which make up large portions of the district's budget.
"Why not impart a salary freeze?" Schubert asked School Board members. "Where is the deficit reduction plan?"
School Board members responded that they cut dozens of positions in 2004, and that many of the larger pay raises were because of promotions to administrative positions. Board Vice President Dan Barreiro added that the district has to negotiate with teacher's unions and needs to offer a salary schedule that is competitive enough to attract top educators so that East Aurora will "stop being a training ground for other school districts" and "retain our best."
"We're being asked, I think, to look at making cuts, but we've made cuts and it's hard to make cuts when you have growth," Barreiro said. "We're going to have to ask voters to help us get over this hurdle."
School officials said a tax hike is needed to prevent a projected $21.9 million deficit by 2010, a year when a new state law requires all districts to have a balanced budget. The district's last operating fund rate increase passed in 1993.
If the referendum is successful, the new tax rate would be locked in for four years and would not be subject to tax caps. The hike would leave the district with a $15 million balance in all funds in the 2009-2010 school year.
East Aurora tax hike referendum
The district's proposed tax hike of .85 cent per $100 of equalized assessed valuation would cost the owner of a $100,000 home an estimated:
• $283 in the first year
• $306 in 2007
• $332 in 2008
• $359 in 2009
Monday, August 28, 2006
Are U.S. History Textbooks Still Full of Lies and Half-Truths?
The piece below by Ray Raphael appeared on the History News Network website.
Are U.S. History Textbooks Still Full of Lies and Half-Truths?
By Ray Raphael
Mr. Raphael is the author of PEOPLE’S HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, THE FIRST AMERICAN REVOLUTION, and FOUNDING MYTHS, which was just published.
It’s been a quarter century since Frances Fitzgerald in America Revised critiqued our history texts, and a decade since Jim Loewen in Lies My Teacher Told Me revealed many of the biases that lingered on. Where are we now? Have we gotten any better?
Textbooks in recent years have certainly become more inclusive, but giving the nod to multiculturalism is not synonymous with getting the story right. We’ve come a long way, baby — but we have a long way to go.
In conjunction with my latest book, Founding Myths: Stories that Hide our Patriotic Past, I have reviewed twenty-two current elementary, middle school, and high school texts. Fourteen were displayed at a recent National Council for the Social Studies convention, while eight are approved for use in California, which has among the strictest criteria in the nation. I compared the mythologies of the American Revolution discussed in my book with those perpetuated in these texts, and the results are startling. Although some texts fare better than others, all are culpable of some serious lapses.
Most texts do mention African American participation in the war, but they focus primarily on those who sided with the Americans. In fact, those who sided with the British were far more numerous, but you’d never guess it from reading the texts. When they offer numbers, they typically compare the estimated number of black patriot soldiers during the course of the entire war (5,000) with the number of slaves who sought freedom with the British in a single week (generally cited as 300).
Likewise, current texts include some mention of the Native American presence in the Revolutionary War, but their narratives display a serious bias. In chapters on the post-war period — right at the moment of the greatest white incursion onto Native lands in United States history— the Indian presence mysteriously disappears. Discussions of white conquest appear earlier and later in these texts, but not at the critical point of our nation’s founding, when it is most relevant but also most embarrassing. The pan-Indian resistance movements of the 1780s — again, the largest coalitions of Native Americans in our history — are entirely neglected. With nary a nod to the impact on indigenous people, the texts celebrate the ordinances of 1785 and 1787 — blueprints for westward expansion and death knells for Indian sovereignty.
To read the rest of the post go to the History News Network website.
Are U.S. History Textbooks Still Full of Lies and Half-Truths?
By Ray Raphael
Mr. Raphael is the author of PEOPLE’S HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, THE FIRST AMERICAN REVOLUTION, and FOUNDING MYTHS, which was just published.
It’s been a quarter century since Frances Fitzgerald in America Revised critiqued our history texts, and a decade since Jim Loewen in Lies My Teacher Told Me revealed many of the biases that lingered on. Where are we now? Have we gotten any better?
Textbooks in recent years have certainly become more inclusive, but giving the nod to multiculturalism is not synonymous with getting the story right. We’ve come a long way, baby — but we have a long way to go.
In conjunction with my latest book, Founding Myths: Stories that Hide our Patriotic Past, I have reviewed twenty-two current elementary, middle school, and high school texts. Fourteen were displayed at a recent National Council for the Social Studies convention, while eight are approved for use in California, which has among the strictest criteria in the nation. I compared the mythologies of the American Revolution discussed in my book with those perpetuated in these texts, and the results are startling. Although some texts fare better than others, all are culpable of some serious lapses.
Most texts do mention African American participation in the war, but they focus primarily on those who sided with the Americans. In fact, those who sided with the British were far more numerous, but you’d never guess it from reading the texts. When they offer numbers, they typically compare the estimated number of black patriot soldiers during the course of the entire war (5,000) with the number of slaves who sought freedom with the British in a single week (generally cited as 300).
Likewise, current texts include some mention of the Native American presence in the Revolutionary War, but their narratives display a serious bias. In chapters on the post-war period — right at the moment of the greatest white incursion onto Native lands in United States history— the Indian presence mysteriously disappears. Discussions of white conquest appear earlier and later in these texts, but not at the critical point of our nation’s founding, when it is most relevant but also most embarrassing. The pan-Indian resistance movements of the 1780s — again, the largest coalitions of Native Americans in our history — are entirely neglected. With nary a nod to the impact on indigenous people, the texts celebrate the ordinances of 1785 and 1787 — blueprints for westward expansion and death knells for Indian sovereignty.
To read the rest of the post go to the History News Network website.
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Unions Serve Teachers, Fail the Students
The following piece appeared on the Real Clear Politics website. No commentary needed the piece speaks for itself.
July 23, 2006
Unions Serve Teachers, Fail the Students
By Ruben Navarrette
SAN DIEGO -- After five years of trying to undermine the No Child Left Behind Act, the nation's largest teachers union has decided that it can live with the education reform law after all -- as long as the legislation is gutted, its standards lowered and its accountability measures watered down.
Great. So we're making progress.
This month at its annual conference, the National Education Association voted to launch a nationwide campaign to lobby Congress to radically change NCLB when the law comes up for reauthorization next year. The goal behind the changes seems to be to wrest power away from government and put it back where the union thinks it belongs -- with educators and those who represent them.
Call me cynical, but I never thought for a minute that the NEA was really concerned about, well, education. I never believed the organization was eager to find new ways to empower students or to hold schools accountable for the educational products they turn out.
I always assumed that the NEA was focused primarily on what any union tends to focus on: the interests of its members. And since the education establishment has been trained to believe that it is not in the interests of teachers to demand more from them or tie them to the performance of their students, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that groups such as the NEA have reacted with hostility to No Child Left Behind.
That's exactly what's been happening since 2001, when the law -- perhaps the most significant domestic policy achievements of the Bush administration -- took effect.
According to a recent report by Education Sector, a Washington-based think tank, the NEA has given more than $8 million to various education, civil rights and public policy groups that opposed or criticized No Child Left Behind. Lead researcher Joe Williams says that what the union did wasn't illegal, but it is clear that it "actively pursued partnerships'' with groups intent on fighting NCLB. And questions remain about whether the funding that was given to some of these groups influenced the research some of these groups produced -- research that was, to no one's surprise, critical of the education reform law.
Not that the law doesn't have its critics. When I hear from teachers, or even school board members -- some of whom have accepted campaign contributions from the NEA and other teachers unions -- I get an earful about how NCLB is single-handedly destroying the public education system due to its emphasis on testing, its punishing of underperforming schools and its one-size-fits-all approach.
And yet, knowing all that, it's still frightening to get a peek behind the curtain at the specifics of what the NEA, if it had its druthers, would do to make NCLB more palatable to its members -- or at least, some of them, as the more hard-line members won't be satisfied unless the law is repealed.
Convinced that there is too much emphasis on regular testing, and that low-performing schools are being unfairly punished when students come up short, the union would prefer a broader-based accountability system that relies on "multiple measures of success.'' Whatever that means.
The union is also queasy about the requirement in No Child Left Behind that schools test students in math and reading and then report scores according to race, disability, English proficiency and economic background. The NEA instead wants benchmarks that take into account students' differing abilities and demographics. It seems that many educators are less than confident in the job they've done when it comes to teaching minorities, those with limited English proficiency and the economically disadvantaged, and they're not eager to broadcast their failures.
It's outrageous. If these people get their way, the practical effect would be a lower bar for students of different racial, ethnic or economic backgrounds -- and by extension, those who teach them. And they would do all this not for the good of students but for the professional welfare of those who are supposed to be teaching them and who have, for too long, been coming up short.
And why does the nation's largest teachers union want to make all these changes in No Child Left Behind? It's so the truth does not come out about whom the public schools serve and whom they sacrifice.
ruben.navarrette@uniontrib.com
(c) 2006, The San Diego Union-Tribune
July 23, 2006
Unions Serve Teachers, Fail the Students
By Ruben Navarrette
SAN DIEGO -- After five years of trying to undermine the No Child Left Behind Act, the nation's largest teachers union has decided that it can live with the education reform law after all -- as long as the legislation is gutted, its standards lowered and its accountability measures watered down.
Great. So we're making progress.
This month at its annual conference, the National Education Association voted to launch a nationwide campaign to lobby Congress to radically change NCLB when the law comes up for reauthorization next year. The goal behind the changes seems to be to wrest power away from government and put it back where the union thinks it belongs -- with educators and those who represent them.
Call me cynical, but I never thought for a minute that the NEA was really concerned about, well, education. I never believed the organization was eager to find new ways to empower students or to hold schools accountable for the educational products they turn out.
I always assumed that the NEA was focused primarily on what any union tends to focus on: the interests of its members. And since the education establishment has been trained to believe that it is not in the interests of teachers to demand more from them or tie them to the performance of their students, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that groups such as the NEA have reacted with hostility to No Child Left Behind.
That's exactly what's been happening since 2001, when the law -- perhaps the most significant domestic policy achievements of the Bush administration -- took effect.
According to a recent report by Education Sector, a Washington-based think tank, the NEA has given more than $8 million to various education, civil rights and public policy groups that opposed or criticized No Child Left Behind. Lead researcher Joe Williams says that what the union did wasn't illegal, but it is clear that it "actively pursued partnerships'' with groups intent on fighting NCLB. And questions remain about whether the funding that was given to some of these groups influenced the research some of these groups produced -- research that was, to no one's surprise, critical of the education reform law.
Not that the law doesn't have its critics. When I hear from teachers, or even school board members -- some of whom have accepted campaign contributions from the NEA and other teachers unions -- I get an earful about how NCLB is single-handedly destroying the public education system due to its emphasis on testing, its punishing of underperforming schools and its one-size-fits-all approach.
And yet, knowing all that, it's still frightening to get a peek behind the curtain at the specifics of what the NEA, if it had its druthers, would do to make NCLB more palatable to its members -- or at least, some of them, as the more hard-line members won't be satisfied unless the law is repealed.
Convinced that there is too much emphasis on regular testing, and that low-performing schools are being unfairly punished when students come up short, the union would prefer a broader-based accountability system that relies on "multiple measures of success.'' Whatever that means.
The union is also queasy about the requirement in No Child Left Behind that schools test students in math and reading and then report scores according to race, disability, English proficiency and economic background. The NEA instead wants benchmarks that take into account students' differing abilities and demographics. It seems that many educators are less than confident in the job they've done when it comes to teaching minorities, those with limited English proficiency and the economically disadvantaged, and they're not eager to broadcast their failures.
It's outrageous. If these people get their way, the practical effect would be a lower bar for students of different racial, ethnic or economic backgrounds -- and by extension, those who teach them. And they would do all this not for the good of students but for the professional welfare of those who are supposed to be teaching them and who have, for too long, been coming up short.
And why does the nation's largest teachers union want to make all these changes in No Child Left Behind? It's so the truth does not come out about whom the public schools serve and whom they sacrifice.
ruben.navarrette@uniontrib.com
(c) 2006, The San Diego Union-Tribune
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Illinois is a high-tax state
The following letter to the editor appeared in the Daily Southtown Newspaper.
In McHenry County School Districts must adopt referendum questions on or before September 5th. The last day to file in this office is September 7th. Will you be voting to increase the tax budern of your fellow Illinois residents?
Illinois is a high-tax state
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Despite the claims of some government employees and pro-tax political activists that Illinois is a "low-tax" state, the latest statistics from the non-partisan Tax Foundation headquartered in Washington, D.C., show that Illinois is a high-tax state; Illinois, in fact, has some of the highest tax burdens in the nation (www.taxfoundation.org/research/show/336.html).
The Tax Foundation measures tax burden by taking taxes as a percentage of income. In 2000, Illinois' combined state and local tax burden was 10 percent, ranking 30th in the nation. By 2004, Illinois' state and local tax burden had climbed to 10.4 percent, the 16th in the nation. Two years later, in 2006, Illinois' tax burden for state and local taxes had increased to 10.9 percent, the 14th highest in the nation. Only 13 out of 50 states had higher state and local tax burdens than Illinois in 2006.
When the federal tax burden is added to Illinois' state and local figures, Illinois has the 10th highest total tax burden in the nation for 2006 — 32.7 percent (taxes as a percentage of income).
Illinois' economic growth and tax increases have resulted in a flood of taxpayer dollars pouring into state coffers. For Illinois' fiscal year 2006, ending June 30, tax revenues were nearly $4 billion higher than in FY 2005. Illinois' total state revenue growth was more than twice the 3.3 percent rate of price inflation for the same period (www.ntui.org/itef/ITEFComment12-3/index.html).
Unfortunately, in fiscal year 2006, the Illinois General Assembly and Gov. Rod Blagojevich were responsible for accelerating the growth of spending. Total state expenditures increased by a huge amount, $5 billion, nearly $1 billion more than revenues — a spending orgy that threatens the long-term financial health of the state.
Illinois is a high-tax state plagued by runaway spending. This is a deadly combination for individual taxpayers and businesses alike. The high state and local taxes, combined with the state's irresponsible spending, are hurting its economy, driving small businesses out of state and enriching government employees at the expense of productive workers in the private sector.
Dennis Constant
Research director
Illinois Taxpayer Education Foundation
In McHenry County School Districts must adopt referendum questions on or before September 5th. The last day to file in this office is September 7th. Will you be voting to increase the tax budern of your fellow Illinois residents?
Illinois is a high-tax state
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Despite the claims of some government employees and pro-tax political activists that Illinois is a "low-tax" state, the latest statistics from the non-partisan Tax Foundation headquartered in Washington, D.C., show that Illinois is a high-tax state; Illinois, in fact, has some of the highest tax burdens in the nation (www.taxfoundation.org/research/show/336.html).
The Tax Foundation measures tax burden by taking taxes as a percentage of income. In 2000, Illinois' combined state and local tax burden was 10 percent, ranking 30th in the nation. By 2004, Illinois' state and local tax burden had climbed to 10.4 percent, the 16th in the nation. Two years later, in 2006, Illinois' tax burden for state and local taxes had increased to 10.9 percent, the 14th highest in the nation. Only 13 out of 50 states had higher state and local tax burdens than Illinois in 2006.
When the federal tax burden is added to Illinois' state and local figures, Illinois has the 10th highest total tax burden in the nation for 2006 — 32.7 percent (taxes as a percentage of income).
Illinois' economic growth and tax increases have resulted in a flood of taxpayer dollars pouring into state coffers. For Illinois' fiscal year 2006, ending June 30, tax revenues were nearly $4 billion higher than in FY 2005. Illinois' total state revenue growth was more than twice the 3.3 percent rate of price inflation for the same period (www.ntui.org/itef/ITEFComment12-3/index.html).
Unfortunately, in fiscal year 2006, the Illinois General Assembly and Gov. Rod Blagojevich were responsible for accelerating the growth of spending. Total state expenditures increased by a huge amount, $5 billion, nearly $1 billion more than revenues — a spending orgy that threatens the long-term financial health of the state.
Illinois is a high-tax state plagued by runaway spending. This is a deadly combination for individual taxpayers and businesses alike. The high state and local taxes, combined with the state's irresponsible spending, are hurting its economy, driving small businesses out of state and enriching government employees at the expense of productive workers in the private sector.
Dennis Constant
Research director
Illinois Taxpayer Education Foundation
Restitution?
The following story appeared in the Chicago Tribune.
Ex-school official must pay $40,000
Published August 24, 2006
SAUK VILLAGE -- A former Sauk Village school administrator was ordered to pay $40,000 in restitution this week after pleading guilty to one count of theft from the district. Former maintenance manager Edward Bernacki, who had been accused of stealing more than $100,000 from Elementary School District 168, also was sentenced to a year of probation.
Bernacki's plea comes on the heels of two other high-profile cases in the financially troubled district.
Former Supt. Thomas Ryan is serving 8 years after pleading guilty to theft in November. He paid $400,000 in restitution.
Former school board president Louise Morales pleaded guilty to official misconduct in February. She was sentenced to 18 months of probation and was forced to pay $350 to have her name removed from one of the district's buildings.
Copyright © 2006, Chicago Tribune
Ex-school official must pay $40,000
Published August 24, 2006
SAUK VILLAGE -- A former Sauk Village school administrator was ordered to pay $40,000 in restitution this week after pleading guilty to one count of theft from the district. Former maintenance manager Edward Bernacki, who had been accused of stealing more than $100,000 from Elementary School District 168, also was sentenced to a year of probation.
Bernacki's plea comes on the heels of two other high-profile cases in the financially troubled district.
Former Supt. Thomas Ryan is serving 8 years after pleading guilty to theft in November. He paid $400,000 in restitution.
Former school board president Louise Morales pleaded guilty to official misconduct in February. She was sentenced to 18 months of probation and was forced to pay $350 to have her name removed from one of the district's buildings.
Copyright © 2006, Chicago Tribune
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
The solution: School vouchers
The following letter to the editor appeared in the Daily Southtown Newspaper.
Letter to the Editor: The solution: School vouchers
8/21/2006
By Timothy A. Van Eck, South Holland
Phil Kadner's column (Aug. 15) contends that the educational system in Illinois for some of the poorer districts is analogous to "a plane with an incompetent pilot at the controls."
His analogy is a ringing endorsement for school vouchers.
After deregulation, the airlines had to compete. Fares went down; service went up. New airlines began to compete with the established airlines and gave the passengers economic power they lacked before.
The same rang true for the telephone companies. We are no longer impressed when someone receives or makes a long-distance telephone call.
Once government got out of the way, costs were reduced and better service was demanded. The same can be done with the schools. Let the money follow the child, and let the schools compete for each student. Schools currently cannot succeed because their focus over the past 20 years has been on indoctrinating political correctness into the children, not on education.
One problem with the analogy is that with an airplane, there is a known destination. With the current educational system, we do not know where the children will end up.
According to Dr. Bruce Shortt, "If we have our children in public schools, the public school is indeed our children's teacher and, effectively, their parent. The federal courts agree. In Fields v. Palmdale, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals candidly stated that public-school parents ' ... have no constitutional right ... to prevent a public school from providing its students with whatever information it wishes to provide, sexual or otherwise, when and as the school determines that it is appropriate to do so.' "
This is a main reason why a faction in the Southern Baptist church has repeatedly, with an ever increasingly favorable vote, tried to pass a resolution at its conventions to remove its members' students from the public schools.
If that resolution passes, the question then will be: Will Sen. Meeks continue to pursue his political agenda, or will Rev. Meeks follow the dictates of his denomination and abandon the public education platform that has given him so much media attention?
Letter to the Editor: The solution: School vouchers
8/21/2006
By Timothy A. Van Eck, South Holland
Phil Kadner's column (Aug. 15) contends that the educational system in Illinois for some of the poorer districts is analogous to "a plane with an incompetent pilot at the controls."
His analogy is a ringing endorsement for school vouchers.
After deregulation, the airlines had to compete. Fares went down; service went up. New airlines began to compete with the established airlines and gave the passengers economic power they lacked before.
The same rang true for the telephone companies. We are no longer impressed when someone receives or makes a long-distance telephone call.
Once government got out of the way, costs were reduced and better service was demanded. The same can be done with the schools. Let the money follow the child, and let the schools compete for each student. Schools currently cannot succeed because their focus over the past 20 years has been on indoctrinating political correctness into the children, not on education.
One problem with the analogy is that with an airplane, there is a known destination. With the current educational system, we do not know where the children will end up.
According to Dr. Bruce Shortt, "If we have our children in public schools, the public school is indeed our children's teacher and, effectively, their parent. The federal courts agree. In Fields v. Palmdale, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals candidly stated that public-school parents ' ... have no constitutional right ... to prevent a public school from providing its students with whatever information it wishes to provide, sexual or otherwise, when and as the school determines that it is appropriate to do so.' "
This is a main reason why a faction in the Southern Baptist church has repeatedly, with an ever increasingly favorable vote, tried to pass a resolution at its conventions to remove its members' students from the public schools.
If that resolution passes, the question then will be: Will Sen. Meeks continue to pursue his political agenda, or will Rev. Meeks follow the dictates of his denomination and abandon the public education platform that has given him so much media attention?
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Newspapers not giving full details of District 158 contract.
Below is a partial post from Cal Skinner's Blog. We hope it is clear to District 158 voters that the referendum they passed two years ago was for the school employees and not the students. Shame on you who supported this referendum, which has frivolously spent your neighbors tax dollars against their wishes.
Christmas in August for Huntley Teachers
Now that teachers are learning some of the details of what's in the contract, many of them are jumping for joy.
The $4,500 "bonus" that negotiators agreed to give high school teachers for teaching a sixth class, (for work most do already) jumps to $6,750 in the 2nd year of the contract.
If a high school teacher made $45,000 last year, then this teacher would receive a 4% pay increase--$1800--plus $4,500 for teaching a 6th class.
That's a $6,300 increase or a 14% increase to $51,300.
In the year after this, their $46,800 base salary would go up by another 5%, a comfortable $2,340 increase.
But, they would also receive a $6,750 bonus for teaching a 6th class.
That would bring the total salary to $55,890.
In 2 years, the $45,000 high school teacher will be making $55,890.
That's a 24.2% pay increase.
To view the rest of Cal Skinners post visit McHenry County Blog.
We also suggest you read his post on the contract titled Huntley District 158 Teachers’ Contract: Payback Time.
Christmas in August for Huntley Teachers
Now that teachers are learning some of the details of what's in the contract, many of them are jumping for joy.
The $4,500 "bonus" that negotiators agreed to give high school teachers for teaching a sixth class, (for work most do already) jumps to $6,750 in the 2nd year of the contract.
If a high school teacher made $45,000 last year, then this teacher would receive a 4% pay increase--$1800--plus $4,500 for teaching a 6th class.
That's a $6,300 increase or a 14% increase to $51,300.
In the year after this, their $46,800 base salary would go up by another 5%, a comfortable $2,340 increase.
But, they would also receive a $6,750 bonus for teaching a 6th class.
That would bring the total salary to $55,890.
In 2 years, the $45,000 high school teacher will be making $55,890.
That's a 24.2% pay increase.
To view the rest of Cal Skinners post visit McHenry County Blog.
We also suggest you read his post on the contract titled Huntley District 158 Teachers’ Contract: Payback Time.
Monday, August 21, 2006
A warn for those thinking of supporting future referenda. This too will happen to you.
A note from one of our email subscribers who unsuccessfully tried to defeat a referendum in her community last spring.
FYI - here in Waterloo, Illinois, as you may recall, the tax referendum passed last spring. Already the education fund portion of the referendum has been added retroactively to this year's tax bill! People in the community are up in arms about it. They didn't think they'd get hammered with higher taxes until next year. The community didn't listen to us when we fought the referenda -- now all the sudden when it hits their wallet they're questioning the original sales pitch of the school board. The increase in taxes is much higher than they were told it would be. We tried to warn them . . .
Karen
The following letter to the editor appeared in the August 20th edition of the Northwest Herald.
Fat raises, fewer teachers
[published on Sun, Aug 20, 2006]
To the Editor:
Re: District 15 administration raises.
I recently read an article stating that the District 15 administrators gave themselves 4 percent increases in their salaries.
To me, this is truly unacceptable. I can't help but feel duped. I voted yes to the referendum so more teachers would be hired to alleviate the high student-to-teacher ratio; to bring back programs that were cut or would have been cut; and to keep the buildings and their property open so students would be able to benefit from after-school activities.
I did not vote yes to give the administrators raises.
The school board is not accurately reflecting the feeling of the community by doing this.
I now can see them hiding behind closed doors, wringing their hands and twisting their evil mustaches while congratulating each other on their recent coup.
I am personally happy that my kids will be eating peanut butter-and-jelly sandwiches for dinner so the already-overpaid administrators of District 15 can further fatten their wallets.
I never will vote yes again. Sorry District 15, you messed up big time.
Marjie Lullo
McHenry
FYI - here in Waterloo, Illinois, as you may recall, the tax referendum passed last spring. Already the education fund portion of the referendum has been added retroactively to this year's tax bill! People in the community are up in arms about it. They didn't think they'd get hammered with higher taxes until next year. The community didn't listen to us when we fought the referenda -- now all the sudden when it hits their wallet they're questioning the original sales pitch of the school board. The increase in taxes is much higher than they were told it would be. We tried to warn them . . .
Karen
The following letter to the editor appeared in the August 20th edition of the Northwest Herald.
Fat raises, fewer teachers
[published on Sun, Aug 20, 2006]
To the Editor:
Re: District 15 administration raises.
I recently read an article stating that the District 15 administrators gave themselves 4 percent increases in their salaries.
To me, this is truly unacceptable. I can't help but feel duped. I voted yes to the referendum so more teachers would be hired to alleviate the high student-to-teacher ratio; to bring back programs that were cut or would have been cut; and to keep the buildings and their property open so students would be able to benefit from after-school activities.
I did not vote yes to give the administrators raises.
The school board is not accurately reflecting the feeling of the community by doing this.
I now can see them hiding behind closed doors, wringing their hands and twisting their evil mustaches while congratulating each other on their recent coup.
I am personally happy that my kids will be eating peanut butter-and-jelly sandwiches for dinner so the already-overpaid administrators of District 15 can further fatten their wallets.
I never will vote yes again. Sorry District 15, you messed up big time.
Marjie Lullo
McHenry
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Lawrence Miller is voting no on the District 225 referendum. Are you?
District 225 is going to referendum in November to issue $94 million in bonds. They have said what they want the money for, but have not answered the question, “why is a referendum necessary?”
The question arises because it is not necessary to obtain voter approval to issue bonds for building additions and repairs to existing schools, or for refunding bonds -- things the District says it wants to do with the $94 million. District 225 has built huge additions to schools without asking voters if they approved. Refunding bonds were issued in 2003 without voter approval. The fact is, referendum approval is only required for building bonds to build separate new schools, and there is no hint of that here.
The answer to the question, “why a referendum?” is that taxes levied to pay bonds approved by referendum are not subject to the tax cap limitation. And bonds issued in the future to refund referendum approved bonds will also be exempt from the tax cap limitation. This $94 million referendum is a scheme to bust the tax cap.
Tax revenue to pay bonds that were part of the district’s total bond debt as of March 1, 1995, when the tax cap law came into effect, or replacements for those bonds, is also excluded from the tax cap.
In 2005, the District reported long term outstanding bond debt of $ 44.7 million which it proposes to pay off with part of the new $94 million referendum bond proceeds. The proposed refunding will add the “referendum-approved-bond” tax cap exemption to the “existing-debt” tax cap exemption to allow the District to issue approximately $139 million in debt outside the tax cap and triple current taxes for bond debt service and related allowances to approximately $6.4 million annually. This increase will be on top of annual tax increases allowed by the tax cap.
The tax cap law is designed to limit increases in total property taxes billed. The limitation slows the growth of property tax revenues to taxing districts when property values and assessments are increasing faster than the rate of inflation. As a whole, property owners have some protection from tax bills that increase only because the market value of their property is rising rapidly, as it has in District 225. The tax cap law is a good law, and it is working.
Taxpaying homeowners should vote No in November and save the tax cap.
Lawrence T. Miller
Glenview, IL.
The question arises because it is not necessary to obtain voter approval to issue bonds for building additions and repairs to existing schools, or for refunding bonds -- things the District says it wants to do with the $94 million. District 225 has built huge additions to schools without asking voters if they approved. Refunding bonds were issued in 2003 without voter approval. The fact is, referendum approval is only required for building bonds to build separate new schools, and there is no hint of that here.
The answer to the question, “why a referendum?” is that taxes levied to pay bonds approved by referendum are not subject to the tax cap limitation. And bonds issued in the future to refund referendum approved bonds will also be exempt from the tax cap limitation. This $94 million referendum is a scheme to bust the tax cap.
Tax revenue to pay bonds that were part of the district’s total bond debt as of March 1, 1995, when the tax cap law came into effect, or replacements for those bonds, is also excluded from the tax cap.
In 2005, the District reported long term outstanding bond debt of $ 44.7 million which it proposes to pay off with part of the new $94 million referendum bond proceeds. The proposed refunding will add the “referendum-approved-bond” tax cap exemption to the “existing-debt” tax cap exemption to allow the District to issue approximately $139 million in debt outside the tax cap and triple current taxes for bond debt service and related allowances to approximately $6.4 million annually. This increase will be on top of annual tax increases allowed by the tax cap.
The tax cap law is designed to limit increases in total property taxes billed. The limitation slows the growth of property tax revenues to taxing districts when property values and assessments are increasing faster than the rate of inflation. As a whole, property owners have some protection from tax bills that increase only because the market value of their property is rising rapidly, as it has in District 225. The tax cap law is a good law, and it is working.
Taxpaying homeowners should vote No in November and save the tax cap.
Lawrence T. Miller
Glenview, IL.
Saturday, August 19, 2006
llinois not identifying weak teachers well enough: feds
The following article appeared in the Chicago Sun Times. We have a problem in Illinois with teachers who are not highly qualified to teach. School districts and unions insist we must pay more to get qualified teachers. This is absurd, because tenure and the unions refuse to let go of under-qualified teachers to hire more qualified teachers.
Anyone doubt this is happening? Crain's Chicago Business reported that "city schools this year got 18,000 résumés for 1,500 positions - a 12:1 ratio that any employer
would covet". Schools could hire more qualified teachers but unions
prefer protecting union members to serving the very children they are pledged to educate. The city of Chicago employed 25,501 in 2005, only 31.7% of students met or exceeded state goals. 41.7% of students met or exceeded state goals in reading. A humiliating 27.5% of students met or exceeded state goals in math. These teachers and the district are clearly failing to educate these children. There is no doubt that weeding out poor teachers and hiring new teachers from the pool of 18,000 resumes received could improve student performance. Heck even the threat teachers losing their jobs if they do not educate our children would improve performance. But Chicago teachers once tenured are nearly impossible to remove from the district. They have no motivation to improve their performance because their job and pay increases have nothing to do with how they perform in the classroom.
Will legislators change this so school boards can hire the most qualified teachers to teach our children? No way! They receive too much money from the unions, they are more interested in retaining their office and pandering to the unions. For more information on how unions influence legislators we direct you to Scott Reeder's Teacher unions' clout keeps tenure strong.
Illinois not identifying weak teachers well enough: feds
August 17, 2006
BY KATE N. GROSSMAN Education Reporter
Most states, including Illinois, don't do a good job of highlighting concentrations of the weakest teachers in the neediest schools and aren't doing enough to direct highly qualified teachers to those schools, federal education officials said Wednesday.
Each state gave the feds plans for ensuring a "highly qualified teacher" for every student by next June and, for the first time, "teacher equity plans" to ensure that poor and minority students don't get an unfair share of unqualified and inexperienced teachers.
These are elements of the 2002 No Child Left Behind law.
Federal officials said most states put forth a good faith effort but "the message we want to send to states is that the work is not done," said Rene Islas, chief of staff in the office of elementary and secondary education.
Just nine states produced good data and plans. Four missed the boat completely. Another 39 partly met federal requirements, including Illinois. All but nine must resubmit plans by Sept. 29 or face intense scrutiny, and, eventually, potential loss of federal funds. Plans were reviewed by 31 experts.
The feds cited Illinois for failing to document courses not taught by qualified teachers. Illinois also failed to identify schools with significant numbers of teachers who were not highly qualified, except in Chicago.
High marks for data system
Illinois also failed to specify when its professional development programs helped teachers in general versus helping teachers who lack the credentials to rank as highly qualified, the evaluators said.
But the feds noted a new data collection system in the works that will remedy many of these problems. It also said Illinois' plans to help direct highly qualified teachers to needy schools had "sufficient input and research involved to expect some success."
Elements include a "Grow Your Own Teacher" program, which supports residents and parents in becoming teachers in hard-to-staff schools and an "Administrator's Academy" targeted for high-poverty, low-performing schools.
"We are pleased that the U.S. Department of Education has recognized the work we have done so far to accomplish this mandate, and we look forward to working with them as we move closer to achieving the goal of a highly qualified teacher in every classroom," Illinois Board of Education Assistant Supt. Ginger Reynolds said in a statement.
The Education Trust, a Washington-based advocacy group, said most state plans fell short. It chastised the Education Department for failing to gives enough guidance.
"This is a move in the right direction," said Heather Peske, an Education Trust expert on teacher quality. "The department has been way too lax on the teacher-quality front for the last four years. Our hope is that they use this opportunity to take teacher quality seriously. The educational future of poor and minority students depends on it."
kgrossman@suntimes.com
Anyone doubt this is happening? Crain's Chicago Business reported that "city schools this year got 18,000 résumés for 1,500 positions - a 12:1 ratio that any employer
would covet". Schools could hire more qualified teachers but unions
prefer protecting union members to serving the very children they are pledged to educate. The city of Chicago employed 25,501 in 2005, only 31.7% of students met or exceeded state goals. 41.7% of students met or exceeded state goals in reading. A humiliating 27.5% of students met or exceeded state goals in math. These teachers and the district are clearly failing to educate these children. There is no doubt that weeding out poor teachers and hiring new teachers from the pool of 18,000 resumes received could improve student performance. Heck even the threat teachers losing their jobs if they do not educate our children would improve performance. But Chicago teachers once tenured are nearly impossible to remove from the district. They have no motivation to improve their performance because their job and pay increases have nothing to do with how they perform in the classroom.
Will legislators change this so school boards can hire the most qualified teachers to teach our children? No way! They receive too much money from the unions, they are more interested in retaining their office and pandering to the unions. For more information on how unions influence legislators we direct you to Scott Reeder's Teacher unions' clout keeps tenure strong.
Illinois not identifying weak teachers well enough: feds
August 17, 2006
BY KATE N. GROSSMAN Education Reporter
Most states, including Illinois, don't do a good job of highlighting concentrations of the weakest teachers in the neediest schools and aren't doing enough to direct highly qualified teachers to those schools, federal education officials said Wednesday.
Each state gave the feds plans for ensuring a "highly qualified teacher" for every student by next June and, for the first time, "teacher equity plans" to ensure that poor and minority students don't get an unfair share of unqualified and inexperienced teachers.
These are elements of the 2002 No Child Left Behind law.
Federal officials said most states put forth a good faith effort but "the message we want to send to states is that the work is not done," said Rene Islas, chief of staff in the office of elementary and secondary education.
Just nine states produced good data and plans. Four missed the boat completely. Another 39 partly met federal requirements, including Illinois. All but nine must resubmit plans by Sept. 29 or face intense scrutiny, and, eventually, potential loss of federal funds. Plans were reviewed by 31 experts.
The feds cited Illinois for failing to document courses not taught by qualified teachers. Illinois also failed to identify schools with significant numbers of teachers who were not highly qualified, except in Chicago.
High marks for data system
Illinois also failed to specify when its professional development programs helped teachers in general versus helping teachers who lack the credentials to rank as highly qualified, the evaluators said.
But the feds noted a new data collection system in the works that will remedy many of these problems. It also said Illinois' plans to help direct highly qualified teachers to needy schools had "sufficient input and research involved to expect some success."
Elements include a "Grow Your Own Teacher" program, which supports residents and parents in becoming teachers in hard-to-staff schools and an "Administrator's Academy" targeted for high-poverty, low-performing schools.
"We are pleased that the U.S. Department of Education has recognized the work we have done so far to accomplish this mandate, and we look forward to working with them as we move closer to achieving the goal of a highly qualified teacher in every classroom," Illinois Board of Education Assistant Supt. Ginger Reynolds said in a statement.
The Education Trust, a Washington-based advocacy group, said most state plans fell short. It chastised the Education Department for failing to gives enough guidance.
"This is a move in the right direction," said Heather Peske, an Education Trust expert on teacher quality. "The department has been way too lax on the teacher-quality front for the last four years. Our hope is that they use this opportunity to take teacher quality seriously. The educational future of poor and minority students depends on it."
kgrossman@suntimes.com
Friday, August 18, 2006
School tax increase again going to voters
The article below describes how the school district is going to the taxpayers yet again for a tax increase. Like a spoiled brat these board members just do not understand the word "NO". 70% of the voters said no to a tax increase in March. In essence, taxpayers told the board "You have enough of our money, now balance the budget!". Note that they have not had a tax rate increase in 39 years. That does not mean that tax dollars to the school district have not increased every year. The district has received more funding every year. The problem is their spending out paces their revenue.
Fiscally responsible pay increases would have avoided the budget shortfall. But the board has continually approved contracts that far outpace the CPI. This is an important distinction that must be considered before supporting a referendum. The tax rates are such that growth, appreciation and CPI increases account for increased tax dollars to the school without increasing the tax rate. Schools receive an increase in tax dollars every year without increases in tax rates. School districts are counting on their failure to properly educate people in the difference between the two so voters will blindly support their referenda.
The following article appeared in the Chicago Tribune.
School tax increase again going to voters
Janice Neumann
Published August 18, 2006
OAK LAWN -- Undeterred by the defeat of their last effort to pass a tax increase, Community High School District 229 officials have decided to resubmit the measure to voters on the November ballot.
The board voted unanimously Wednesday night to ask voters for a 22-cent increase in the education tax fund rate. The hike, which would take effect in the 2006 tax levy and affect taxpayers in 2007, would add about $102 per year to the tax bill on a $200,000 home, according to projections.
With a $2.1 million deficit looming this year, the $2.3 million the increase would add is sorely needed, Assistant Supt. Rick Hendricks said.
"It's been 39 years since the taxpayers approved a tax rate increase in the education fund," Hendricks said. "We understand it's a lot of money, but at the same time, we're trying to do our best to get enough money to cover our deficit."
Nearly 70 percent of district voters turned down a similar referendum question in March, but Hendricks said that doesn't change the need for the funding. The district has kept down costs in all its departments and doubled student registration fees to $300 and technology fees to $75, he said.
Fiscally responsible pay increases would have avoided the budget shortfall. But the board has continually approved contracts that far outpace the CPI. This is an important distinction that must be considered before supporting a referendum. The tax rates are such that growth, appreciation and CPI increases account for increased tax dollars to the school without increasing the tax rate. Schools receive an increase in tax dollars every year without increases in tax rates. School districts are counting on their failure to properly educate people in the difference between the two so voters will blindly support their referenda.
The following article appeared in the Chicago Tribune.
School tax increase again going to voters
Janice Neumann
Published August 18, 2006
OAK LAWN -- Undeterred by the defeat of their last effort to pass a tax increase, Community High School District 229 officials have decided to resubmit the measure to voters on the November ballot.
The board voted unanimously Wednesday night to ask voters for a 22-cent increase in the education tax fund rate. The hike, which would take effect in the 2006 tax levy and affect taxpayers in 2007, would add about $102 per year to the tax bill on a $200,000 home, according to projections.
With a $2.1 million deficit looming this year, the $2.3 million the increase would add is sorely needed, Assistant Supt. Rick Hendricks said.
"It's been 39 years since the taxpayers approved a tax rate increase in the education fund," Hendricks said. "We understand it's a lot of money, but at the same time, we're trying to do our best to get enough money to cover our deficit."
Nearly 70 percent of district voters turned down a similar referendum question in March, but Hendricks said that doesn't change the need for the funding. The district has kept down costs in all its departments and doubled student registration fees to $300 and technology fees to $75, he said.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Boards should be educated in self-restraint over perks
The following article appeared in the Northwest Herald. Mr. Lyons column speaks for itself, bravo Mr. Lyons.
Kevin Lyons
Boards should be educated in self-restraint over perks
[published on Thu, Aug 17, 2006]
One of the most interesting stories to me in Wednesday's Northwest Herald was Tom Musick's piece about Huntley School District 158's Human Resources Committee, which is taking a look at administrative perks.
They're taking a look into lots of things over there, including a forensic audit, payroll mismanagement, and who hid the chalk, but I'm glad that they also are taking a look at the administrative perks.
Administrators' salaries and benefits are things taxpayers do and should care about. They often are incorrectly blamed for all the ills in education funding because they're easy targets.
The committee recommended cutting vacation days from 20 to 15 for new administrative hires. That's a start. They already get 14 paid holidays and 14 sick days on top of the vacation days.
It took me about 10 years in the private sector to get 20 vacation days. I don't know how many sick days I get, because, knock on wood, it hasn't been an issue. I know from my pay stubs that I have several hundred hours of accumulated sick time that I can enjoy in the afterlife because, unlike a school administrator and like most of the rest of the world, I can't take them with me.
New Superintendent John Burkey didn't squawk too loud and likely is shrewd enough to pick his battles, but he did caution the committee not to cut such perks too deeply so that the district can remain competitive when recruiting new administrators.
"Whether it's right or whether it's wrong, we will be on the low end with 15 days," Burkey said.
Burkey's assessment is on the money. Some districts fork over 25 days with no questions asked.
How many regular people get offered 25 vacation days during a job interview?
You have the right to know what's going on with the tax dollars you've already forked over, and especially when school officials ask you to dig deeper. You have the right to expect the school board members you've elected to be good stewards of your tax dollars and not fret over whether some mid-level school administrator might not take up any desk space if he can't take that cruise in the South Pacific in year one on your dime.
In the private sector, 20 days of vacation isn't an unreasonable offer for a well-experienced high-level manager, as a negotiating point. But in District 158, it's a standing offer to any kid who just walked out of grad school.
So while I'm glad that members of this committee are examining this issue, don't you wonder why school board members across Illinois have allowed this environment where you have to give away the store to entice people to take well-paying jobs that already come with 14 or more paid holidays?
There is no alternative answer other than that if school board members weren't offering lavish job perks across the state, such perks wouldn't make this a competitive issue when looking for new candidates. So knock it off. Use a little self-restraint.
– Kevin Lyons is the news editor for the Northwest Herald. He can be reached at (815) 459-4122 or via e-mail at kelyons@nwherald.com.
Kevin Lyons
Boards should be educated in self-restraint over perks
[published on Thu, Aug 17, 2006]
One of the most interesting stories to me in Wednesday's Northwest Herald was Tom Musick's piece about Huntley School District 158's Human Resources Committee, which is taking a look at administrative perks.
They're taking a look into lots of things over there, including a forensic audit, payroll mismanagement, and who hid the chalk, but I'm glad that they also are taking a look at the administrative perks.
Administrators' salaries and benefits are things taxpayers do and should care about. They often are incorrectly blamed for all the ills in education funding because they're easy targets.
The committee recommended cutting vacation days from 20 to 15 for new administrative hires. That's a start. They already get 14 paid holidays and 14 sick days on top of the vacation days.
It took me about 10 years in the private sector to get 20 vacation days. I don't know how many sick days I get, because, knock on wood, it hasn't been an issue. I know from my pay stubs that I have several hundred hours of accumulated sick time that I can enjoy in the afterlife because, unlike a school administrator and like most of the rest of the world, I can't take them with me.
New Superintendent John Burkey didn't squawk too loud and likely is shrewd enough to pick his battles, but he did caution the committee not to cut such perks too deeply so that the district can remain competitive when recruiting new administrators.
"Whether it's right or whether it's wrong, we will be on the low end with 15 days," Burkey said.
Burkey's assessment is on the money. Some districts fork over 25 days with no questions asked.
How many regular people get offered 25 vacation days during a job interview?
You have the right to know what's going on with the tax dollars you've already forked over, and especially when school officials ask you to dig deeper. You have the right to expect the school board members you've elected to be good stewards of your tax dollars and not fret over whether some mid-level school administrator might not take up any desk space if he can't take that cruise in the South Pacific in year one on your dime.
In the private sector, 20 days of vacation isn't an unreasonable offer for a well-experienced high-level manager, as a negotiating point. But in District 158, it's a standing offer to any kid who just walked out of grad school.
So while I'm glad that members of this committee are examining this issue, don't you wonder why school board members across Illinois have allowed this environment where you have to give away the store to entice people to take well-paying jobs that already come with 14 or more paid holidays?
There is no alternative answer other than that if school board members weren't offering lavish job perks across the state, such perks wouldn't make this a competitive issue when looking for new candidates. So knock it off. Use a little self-restraint.
– Kevin Lyons is the news editor for the Northwest Herald. He can be reached at (815) 459-4122 or via e-mail at kelyons@nwherald.com.
ILLINOIS LOOP ANALYSIS OF 2006 ACT TEST RESULTS
The following piece is brought to you by Kevin Killion of the IllinoisLoop.org.
ILLINOIS LOOP ANALYSIS OF 2006 ACT TEST RESULTS
WOW -- Look at what a good PR effort can produce! Here's how the this year's release of ACT scores was headlines this morning:
Tribune: "Illinois ACT Scores Up Across Board"
Sun-Times: "City, State ACT Scores jump, Still Lag"
Daily Herald: "A Tough ACT to Follow / Test Scores Rise Across State ..."
Where the "good" news came from
Yesterday, the ISBE, our state's education bureaucracy, sent out a carefully worded press release selecting specific numbers from the ACT results, which they got to see in advance of the official release. As all good bureaucrats do, the news was spun to highlight the best stories possible.
Here are the key "good" stories that the ISBE managed to extricate from the ACT:
-- Illinois' "composite" score was higher than the previous year,
going from 20.3 to 20.5
-- Illinois' Reading score is 20.6 (which is up from 20.3 the previous year)
Now, the REAL story
But today the results are available to everyone, and the story about Illinois is less impressive than those headlines suggest.
It turns out that the ACT scores are up nationally, not just in Illinois.
The new composite ACT score is 21.1, up from 20.9, an "increase" of 0.2. So, Illinois' "increase" by the same 0.2 (from 20.3 to 20.5) turns out to be merely keeping pace with the national score!
So, can Illinois at least claim that it's improving along with the rest of the nation?
Well, we'd like to think that the whole country is improving. But we have to wonder: has the country improved, or has the test gotten a little easier? A rising tide raises all boats. If you see boats going up, that tells you more about the tide than about boats.
So, I looked at results for the 50 states plus the District of Columbia. It turns out that 45 -- 45!-- of them had ACT composite scores that were either improved (37) or unchanged (8). Only 6 states had drops!
Wow -- that means that just about EVERY state had a headline to crow about!
What about specific tests?
Illinois educrats will (no doubt) be cheering about results in each of the areas of the ACT. Illinois scores are up in English, Math and Reading. Only in Science were results flat.
But again, this "rising tide" MUST be compared to the national changes:
Composite English Math Reading Science
National +0.2 +0.2 +0.1 +0.1 0
Illinois +0.2 +0.3 +0.1 +0.3 0
The modest Illinois "math" improvement turns out to be the same as the national change.
Ah, but what about those English and Reading scores, that ARE better than the national changes?
For that, we really need to look at longer trends.
In Reading, the Illinois "improvement" this year (+0.3) is largely a recovery from a drop (-0.2) the year before. The English score is a more consistent increase. Here's the trend:
--Reading-- --English--
Rpt year Ill Natl Ill Natl
2002 20.3 21.1 19.4 20.2
2003 20.4 21.2 19.6 20.3
2004 20.5 21.3 19.7 20.4
2005 20.3 21.3 19.9 20.4
2006 20.6 21.4 20.2 20.6
So, the trends ARE up, and Illinois is at its best score in the five-year series. But once again, notice the "tide" effect: the national scores are up as well.
Finding Good News
The ACT results are a playground for eager public relations people looking for "good" news to crow about. With four subject areas plus a composite score, and then a "rising tide" of scores nationally in the ACT, wow, just about ANY STATE can find something good to announce!
I explored this a little further ...
As reported early only 6 states had declines in their composite scores, so everyone else gets to announce "Overall gains" or at least "Keeping pace".
When we break it out by subject, the spinnable good news (largely thanks the to national score increases). We find:
States that get to announce
Subject "improvements" or "keeping pace"
--------- --------------------------------
Composite 45
English 43
Math 46
Reading 44
Science 41
In another way of looking at the data, I found that 44 states would be able to announce "increases" in one or more of the test results! Only TWO states (Alaska and Rhode Island) were unable to announce even a "keeping pace" in one of the results.
Finding the Pony in the Bad News: The Woebegone Effect
A good PR effort doesn't stop even when it's hard to find the good news.
I wondered about that in looking at the results for our neighbors in Indiana. Poor Indiana! Down in English (despite national increases), flat in Reading and in the Composite (despite national increases), and math and science track at the national rate. Yikes, what can the Hoosier educrats crow about?
Well, I searched, and found that Indianapolis did indeed pull a rabbit from an empty-looking hat:
"Indiana ACT Scores Top National Average for 16th Year"
(See their whole PR release at http://www.doe.state.in.us/reed/newsr/2006/08-August/ACT081606.html)
Yup, when all else fails, shout, "We're better than average!"
So, who IS better than average in the ACT? I found that Lake Woebegone is thriving at the ACT! We have 32 states that have composites better than the national average. Moreover, 36 states get to claim they are at the national average or better in Reading!
FOR ALL THE DETAILS
I have included all of the details behind these conclusions on an Excel workbook that is available for download on the Illinois Loop website: IllinoisLoop.org.
Kevin Killion
ILLINOIS LOOP ANALYSIS OF 2006 ACT TEST RESULTS
WOW -- Look at what a good PR effort can produce! Here's how the this year's release of ACT scores was headlines this morning:
Tribune: "Illinois ACT Scores Up Across Board"
Sun-Times: "City, State ACT Scores jump, Still Lag"
Daily Herald: "A Tough ACT to Follow / Test Scores Rise Across State ..."
Where the "good" news came from
Yesterday, the ISBE, our state's education bureaucracy, sent out a carefully worded press release selecting specific numbers from the ACT results, which they got to see in advance of the official release. As all good bureaucrats do, the news was spun to highlight the best stories possible.
Here are the key "good" stories that the ISBE managed to extricate from the ACT:
-- Illinois' "composite" score was higher than the previous year,
going from 20.3 to 20.5
-- Illinois' Reading score is 20.6 (which is up from 20.3 the previous year)
Now, the REAL story
But today the results are available to everyone, and the story about Illinois is less impressive than those headlines suggest.
It turns out that the ACT scores are up nationally, not just in Illinois.
The new composite ACT score is 21.1, up from 20.9, an "increase" of 0.2. So, Illinois' "increase" by the same 0.2 (from 20.3 to 20.5) turns out to be merely keeping pace with the national score!
So, can Illinois at least claim that it's improving along with the rest of the nation?
Well, we'd like to think that the whole country is improving. But we have to wonder: has the country improved, or has the test gotten a little easier? A rising tide raises all boats. If you see boats going up, that tells you more about the tide than about boats.
So, I looked at results for the 50 states plus the District of Columbia. It turns out that 45 -- 45!-- of them had ACT composite scores that were either improved (37) or unchanged (8). Only 6 states had drops!
Wow -- that means that just about EVERY state had a headline to crow about!
What about specific tests?
Illinois educrats will (no doubt) be cheering about results in each of the areas of the ACT. Illinois scores are up in English, Math and Reading. Only in Science were results flat.
But again, this "rising tide" MUST be compared to the national changes:
Composite English Math Reading Science
National +0.2 +0.2 +0.1 +0.1 0
Illinois +0.2 +0.3 +0.1 +0.3 0
The modest Illinois "math" improvement turns out to be the same as the national change.
Ah, but what about those English and Reading scores, that ARE better than the national changes?
For that, we really need to look at longer trends.
In Reading, the Illinois "improvement" this year (+0.3) is largely a recovery from a drop (-0.2) the year before. The English score is a more consistent increase. Here's the trend:
--Reading-- --English--
Rpt year Ill Natl Ill Natl
2002 20.3 21.1 19.4 20.2
2003 20.4 21.2 19.6 20.3
2004 20.5 21.3 19.7 20.4
2005 20.3 21.3 19.9 20.4
2006 20.6 21.4 20.2 20.6
So, the trends ARE up, and Illinois is at its best score in the five-year series. But once again, notice the "tide" effect: the national scores are up as well.
Finding Good News
The ACT results are a playground for eager public relations people looking for "good" news to crow about. With four subject areas plus a composite score, and then a "rising tide" of scores nationally in the ACT, wow, just about ANY STATE can find something good to announce!
I explored this a little further ...
As reported early only 6 states had declines in their composite scores, so everyone else gets to announce "Overall gains" or at least "Keeping pace".
When we break it out by subject, the spinnable good news (largely thanks the to national score increases). We find:
States that get to announce
Subject "improvements" or "keeping pace"
--------- --------------------------------
Composite 45
English 43
Math 46
Reading 44
Science 41
In another way of looking at the data, I found that 44 states would be able to announce "increases" in one or more of the test results! Only TWO states (Alaska and Rhode Island) were unable to announce even a "keeping pace" in one of the results.
Finding the Pony in the Bad News: The Woebegone Effect
A good PR effort doesn't stop even when it's hard to find the good news.
I wondered about that in looking at the results for our neighbors in Indiana. Poor Indiana! Down in English (despite national increases), flat in Reading and in the Composite (despite national increases), and math and science track at the national rate. Yikes, what can the Hoosier educrats crow about?
Well, I searched, and found that Indianapolis did indeed pull a rabbit from an empty-looking hat:
"Indiana ACT Scores Top National Average for 16th Year"
(See their whole PR release at http://www.doe.state.in.us/reed/newsr/2006/08-August/ACT081606.html)
Yup, when all else fails, shout, "We're better than average!"
So, who IS better than average in the ACT? I found that Lake Woebegone is thriving at the ACT! We have 32 states that have composites better than the national average. Moreover, 36 states get to claim they are at the national average or better in Reading!
FOR ALL THE DETAILS
I have included all of the details behind these conclusions on an Excel workbook that is available for download on the Illinois Loop website: IllinoisLoop.org.
Kevin Killion
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Private students have public options - They can officially take part in Geneva schools’ activities
The following story appeared in the Daily Herald. Gee how nice of the "public" (government) school to let district children use the school facilities. Parents who homeschool or send their children to private schools DO pay property taxes, essentially paying tuition twice. Private schooled children are a bonus to government schools that receive taxes without the expense of these students. The policy below should not even have to exist. Parents should be able to use the schools as they see fit. School districts should not be regulating how property tax-paying parents use these schools.
Private students have public options
They can officially take part in Geneva schools’ activities
By Gala M. Pierce
Daily Herald Staff Writer
Posted Tuesday, August 15, 2006
What has been practice in Geneva’s public schools turned into policy Monday.
Geneva school board members unanimously adopted a policy that would allow district students who are home-schooled or in private schools to enroll in any curricular, co-curricular or extracurricular activity in District 304.
A committee of staff members will draft guidelines that will accompany the policy in the next couple of months, Superintendent Kent Mutchler said.
“This is really an effort to come closer to compliance with state legislation,” school board President Dean Kilburg said.
It’s a growing trend, school board member Timothy Moran said.
“I think this policy gives a great deal of enlightenment to parents who might otherwise not know what this district is willing to do for those students,” Moran said.
Jane Gazdziak, assistant superintendent for curriculum, said the district already has allowed students to enroll in its programs and most of her requests relate to band activities.
Families often turn down the invitation, though, when they realize they have to provide transportation.
The policy will accommodate private students only if there’s space available and if they pay any relevant participation, tuition or materials fees. If a waiting list exists, students enrolled full time in the school will be given first priority.
It’s possible that on Geneva High School varsity teams for which students try out, such as basketball, that a private student might win a spot on the team and not a student at the high school, Kilburg said. However, the athletic director will give input on the guidelines.
gpierce@dailyherald.com
Private students have public options
They can officially take part in Geneva schools’ activities
By Gala M. Pierce
Daily Herald Staff Writer
Posted Tuesday, August 15, 2006
What has been practice in Geneva’s public schools turned into policy Monday.
Geneva school board members unanimously adopted a policy that would allow district students who are home-schooled or in private schools to enroll in any curricular, co-curricular or extracurricular activity in District 304.
A committee of staff members will draft guidelines that will accompany the policy in the next couple of months, Superintendent Kent Mutchler said.
“This is really an effort to come closer to compliance with state legislation,” school board President Dean Kilburg said.
It’s a growing trend, school board member Timothy Moran said.
“I think this policy gives a great deal of enlightenment to parents who might otherwise not know what this district is willing to do for those students,” Moran said.
Jane Gazdziak, assistant superintendent for curriculum, said the district already has allowed students to enroll in its programs and most of her requests relate to band activities.
Families often turn down the invitation, though, when they realize they have to provide transportation.
The policy will accommodate private students only if there’s space available and if they pay any relevant participation, tuition or materials fees. If a waiting list exists, students enrolled full time in the school will be given first priority.
It’s possible that on Geneva High School varsity teams for which students try out, such as basketball, that a private student might win a spot on the team and not a student at the high school, Kilburg said. However, the athletic director will give input on the guidelines.
gpierce@dailyherald.com
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