I'm just going to post some good reading between now and the new year.
Let's start with this:
Cleveland Plain Dealer article, December 27, 2008.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Friday, December 26, 2008
Hmmmmm....
Want to see a sample of what the Beacon Journal is talking about? Click on the link to my proposal in the right hand column and page down to the per pupil spending charts. Not only are the inequities among elementary schools, you see there are many years the Cuyahoga Falls City School District spends less on our high school students than we do on particular affluent elementary schools.
Here is a link to the actual report: The Education Trust
I’d say more but you know my opinions on this subject. Until we have equity, we will not reach excellence as a district. Guess what school district configuration doesn’t have uneven distribution within them? Thank you Beacon Journal for highlighting the problem that has plagued this district for 40 years or more.
Hope you all had a Merry Christmas and Wishes for a Happy New Year!!
Here is a link to the actual report: The Education Trust
I’d say more but you know my opinions on this subject. Until we have equity, we will not reach excellence as a district. Guess what school district configuration doesn’t have uneven distribution within them? Thank you Beacon Journal for highlighting the problem that has plagued this district for 40 years or more.
Hope you all had a Merry Christmas and Wishes for a Happy New Year!!
Friday, December 19, 2008
Call Off the Witch Hunt
Wednesday night was something else. About 15 parents showed up to have their say about my presentation. The strange part is I don’t remember them being at my presentation. If they had been, or bothered to Email or call, the first thing they would have learned is this was my idea for what we could do. I’m flattered that they hold me in such high regard to actually think I myself have the power to make all that is in my proposal happen. In fact it pained me to have to tell them that I don’t. So to everyone that told me their kid was lying in bed crying in fear of their school closing, tell them to sleep well tonight. The wicked witch of Cuyahoga Falls holds no magical powers.
Needless to say, a majority of the speaking crowd Wednesday night were from Silver Lake. They mainly wanted to tell me that they love their neighborhood school, their small class sizes and their highly qualified teachers. Was that supposed to surprise me? I’m sure the people of CF would be as thrilled if we had the same. One compared Silver Lake Elementary to Hudson schools. Well I hate to break it to him but Hudson uses a grade level configuration almost identical to what I proposed.
Another parent said she would rather see this money go to hiring teachers. Somebody forgot to tell her that my proposal adds ten teachers. She added that she couldn’t see 800 kids fitting into the Roberts building. Well another news flash, almost that many did in 2005 and that amount and more did in the 70’s and 80’s. My proposal would fit that many kids and cap the class size at 25. That’s a max, not a given. Our current CF enrollment would actually put that building at around 650. Another lady suggested I proposed this because I have a stake in Newberry. Unless God has a big surprise in store for me, I assure you no Kindergarteners from my loins will be attending. So she must have been misinformed as well. So to set the record straight- again- Newberry is bigger than 4 of the buildings we currently use. And we wouldn’t lose the revenue from the lessees. There would be four other CFCSD buildings to choose from as per the lease agreement.
Another parent was concerned with start up costs. What were the start-up costs to move our kids in 2005? Because that’s what were doing- moving kids and furniture. We’re not starting something new. In fact we are doing what we’ve done since the 1800’s. The last concern from a parent I’ll answer is this one: How will I participate in my children’s activities if they are in different buildings? The same way I do now. You do stuff at one building one day, and you do stuff at another building another day. Or you can do stuff at two buildings on the same day if you plan well.
Another astonishing moment was when the union president accused me of saying “things” that she felt were insulting and maligning to teachers. But she never actually said what I supposedly said. So I asked her afterward. I imagine she was quite surprised to learn that those “things” that she attributed to me, were not said by me, but by herself and other district staff. She is the person that told me that the reason per pupil spending is so high in Silver Lake is because they have the most experienced and highly qualified teachers of the district. It was also district administrators that created the “Road Blocks to Excellent” document, not me. So please don’t try to credit me with the bullets listed.
In fact although a lot of rumor and innuendo was thrown around, no one actually attempted to back up what they were saying. No one ever said schools were closing, yet apparently kids were at home crying. Class sizes would be smaller, teachers would be added, and money would be saved. But instead of researching any of the realities of this proposal, people preferred to gossip, lie and spread fear. They took the time to come to the meeting and admonish me but couldn’t find the time to look at the problems facing the district, the inequities we deliver to our Cuyahoga Falls students, or what this proposal actually offered.
At the end of the board meeting I made this statement. I was then admonished for “attacking” fellow board members. I was actually retaliating for the attacks on me. Two weeks ago I was attacked immediately following my presentation and Wednesday night I was attacked for the first 45 minutes of the board meeting, and at various intervals in between. I was also accused of interrupting. Which I did. I can’t allow people to make statements about me that are not true.
I’ll leave you with a few points the Summit County District configuration chart showed me. Most of the grade level configured schools were OK in the eyes of the State of Ohio. None of the neighborhood schools did. In fact the top 10 scorers on the performance index have a grade level configuration similar or identical to what I propose.
Needless to say, a majority of the speaking crowd Wednesday night were from Silver Lake. They mainly wanted to tell me that they love their neighborhood school, their small class sizes and their highly qualified teachers. Was that supposed to surprise me? I’m sure the people of CF would be as thrilled if we had the same. One compared Silver Lake Elementary to Hudson schools. Well I hate to break it to him but Hudson uses a grade level configuration almost identical to what I proposed.
Another parent said she would rather see this money go to hiring teachers. Somebody forgot to tell her that my proposal adds ten teachers. She added that she couldn’t see 800 kids fitting into the Roberts building. Well another news flash, almost that many did in 2005 and that amount and more did in the 70’s and 80’s. My proposal would fit that many kids and cap the class size at 25. That’s a max, not a given. Our current CF enrollment would actually put that building at around 650. Another lady suggested I proposed this because I have a stake in Newberry. Unless God has a big surprise in store for me, I assure you no Kindergarteners from my loins will be attending. So she must have been misinformed as well. So to set the record straight- again- Newberry is bigger than 4 of the buildings we currently use. And we wouldn’t lose the revenue from the lessees. There would be four other CFCSD buildings to choose from as per the lease agreement.
Another parent was concerned with start up costs. What were the start-up costs to move our kids in 2005? Because that’s what were doing- moving kids and furniture. We’re not starting something new. In fact we are doing what we’ve done since the 1800’s. The last concern from a parent I’ll answer is this one: How will I participate in my children’s activities if they are in different buildings? The same way I do now. You do stuff at one building one day, and you do stuff at another building another day. Or you can do stuff at two buildings on the same day if you plan well.
Another astonishing moment was when the union president accused me of saying “things” that she felt were insulting and maligning to teachers. But she never actually said what I supposedly said. So I asked her afterward. I imagine she was quite surprised to learn that those “things” that she attributed to me, were not said by me, but by herself and other district staff. She is the person that told me that the reason per pupil spending is so high in Silver Lake is because they have the most experienced and highly qualified teachers of the district. It was also district administrators that created the “Road Blocks to Excellent” document, not me. So please don’t try to credit me with the bullets listed.
In fact although a lot of rumor and innuendo was thrown around, no one actually attempted to back up what they were saying. No one ever said schools were closing, yet apparently kids were at home crying. Class sizes would be smaller, teachers would be added, and money would be saved. But instead of researching any of the realities of this proposal, people preferred to gossip, lie and spread fear. They took the time to come to the meeting and admonish me but couldn’t find the time to look at the problems facing the district, the inequities we deliver to our Cuyahoga Falls students, or what this proposal actually offered.
At the end of the board meeting I made this statement. I was then admonished for “attacking” fellow board members. I was actually retaliating for the attacks on me. Two weeks ago I was attacked immediately following my presentation and Wednesday night I was attacked for the first 45 minutes of the board meeting, and at various intervals in between. I was also accused of interrupting. Which I did. I can’t allow people to make statements about me that are not true.
I’ll leave you with a few points the Summit County District configuration chart showed me. Most of the grade level configured schools were OK in the eyes of the State of Ohio. None of the neighborhood schools did. In fact the top 10 scorers on the performance index have a grade level configuration similar or identical to what I propose.
Friday, December 12, 2008
A Must See!
Academic Challenge
Saturday, December 13, 2008
7 PM
WEWS News Channel 5
Starring:
The Cuyahoga Falls Black Tigers!!
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
You Might Think I'm Crazy- Part Two
One definition of insanity is this: doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results. Sound familiar?
Several people have asked me for a copy of my proposal to the district. For those less computer savvy, you can click on the above link and print it, save it, or just simply view it. You have mastered E-mail therefore I think you can master this task.
Let’s talk a little more about my proposal. I’ve decided it will be easier to explain many of the questions I’ve been asked here rather than to continue repeating the info over and over. I do plan to continue the push for grade level reconfiguration. Regardless of the naysayer’s that have not offered any ideas other than tax increases, I believe this is a viable option for this district.
Some questions have arisen regarding building closures. I left names out of the proposal for a reason. This proposal is about effective delivery of curriculum, and equitable allocation of tax dollars. The buildings utilized in this proposal were selected based on capacity and nothing else. We currently use 9 district buildings. Under my proposal we would use 7.
You will notice that one district building (E) is not used yet has more space than 2 other buildings used. This is for several reasons. Number 1 being that building E has already proven to be the 2nd most inefficient building to operate, (building J is number one in inefficiency), reason two- its condition, unless you don’t mind the tree growing through the foundation into the hallway, and the last reason is when I was preparing this proposal, there were interested buyers. I think the tree might have been a deal breaker.A few more items need a quick explanation. The documents “Road Blocks to Excellent” and “Wish/Gift list” are not mine. These are documents created by district employees last year. These were items that they saw as either standing in our way (roadblocks) or items that would help (wish list) our district reach an “excellent” district wide. I have highlighted the items on each that Grade Level Reconfiguration would affect. Lastly, all per pupil spending, revenue, enrollment and performance numbers come straight from the Ohio Department of Education. Building statistics, bussing statistics and employee numbers were all provided to me courtesy of the Cuyahoga Falls Board of Education offices. I would like to take this opportunity to thank both governmental offices for making this invaluable information available to me, a mere member of the tax paying public.
Now let’s talk about some of the advantages of my proposal. Smaller class sizes district wide. Under this proposal K-2 class size max would be 20 students. Grades 3-8 max would be 25. It’s very simplistic how it works. The district divides CF students evenly into classrooms, and then fills in any open spots with open enrollment if necessary. This plan can do this by hiring 1 additional classroom teacher. The next benefit is extended day kindergarten with the ability to offer before and after school programming. The kindergarten day would be from 9:15 thru 2:15. But we would be employing full time teachers. I suggest that we utilize the extra time by offering some before school programs that start at 8AM and after school programs that end at 3PM. Resulting in a longer K day than we currently have, but not so long that we need nap mats. In addition the before and after school programs will benefit working parents as well as children that need an academic boost. Akron currently offers after school programs that are on the surface fun and games, but are actually core curriculum studies disguised as arts, games, and sports. This part of the proposal requires adding 9 classroom teachers. So how can saving money on top of adding teachers, smaller class sizes and an extended kindergarten day be a bad thing?
To listen to some you would think it is. I read that my proposal is "overly simplistic and unrealistic". I will admit the presentation is simplistic. That was on purpose. I do possess more complicated spread sheets and have the ability to throw in all kinds of educational acronyms if that would please anyone. But I wanted to keep it simple. I wanted it to be a work in progress, a foundation to build on. But most importantly, I wanted it to be understandable to everyone. Because I know it faces an uphill fight. But just as I have provided documentation backing up my assertions, I will expect the same from detractors.
Be wary of comments made with no basis. Such as “several inconsistent figures presented as savings” and “an increased expense to our budget by $2 million to 3 million” with no explanation as to why. Besides the fact I never claimed that there wasn’t cost involved. But the overall monetary savings on top of the academic benefits more than negate the costs involved.
It’s sad that everyone was prepared to tell me it wouldn’t work before it was presented. What’s worse is that no one can tell you why it wont work, just that it wont. People told Abraham Lincoln that giving slave’s freedom wouldn’t work. They told Christopher Columbus he was crazy to think the world wasn’t flat. They are telling me that I’m unrealistic, but at least I have a vision of what we could be if people would step outside the box they’ve lived in for 150 years.
Thursday, December 04, 2008
You Might Think I'm Crazy, But Baby It's Untrue
Frustrated doesn’t even begin to describe how I’m feeling right now. I put a proposal on the table at tonight’s board meeting. A proposal, that with some input and adjustments, could have saved our district a considerable amount of money over the next two years in addition to putting dollars into a permanent improvement fund. I did not expect it to be met with open arms. In fact I knew it would be picked apart like the carcass at a pig roast. But I figured compared to the other proposals that were offered…
Wait- there are no other proposals at this time. There is a valiant effort to garner community input. In fact tonight (Thursday, 12-4) is the last one. It’s in the high school library if you’re interested. But as far as cost cutting ideas, it appears mine is the only input so far. And not to disparage the good will of the district by asking for input from you, the covert intent is clear. An explanation of how school funding works (I uses that term loosely) in Ohio, followed by and explanation of how we spend money, and then the taxing proposals. Because it never really is the question of question of “do we have to ask you for new money?” The question really is “in what form do you want us to ask you for new money?”
So back to my proposal. I did it Power Point and actually thought I had too much information included. You see, I actually started this with improving academics in mind. I hoped that at some point the board of education would be experienced enough to start taking a serious look at how our district is configured and how it affects our academic outcomes. Financial goals have always been a priority with me, but I could not get a majority of board members to add these goals to the BOE’s official list of board goals until…
The Five-year Forecast showed up on our doorsteps with red on it. Then someone said “we should probably add financial goals to our list”. That kind of thinking has been the problem with school boards everywhere. Spending and financial goals are not a priority until expenditures begin to exceed revenues. Then make cuts and spend light for six months so you can laud to the public how frugal you have been while the levy signs are printed.
So seeing that our finances were finally becoming a priority with this board, I went back to my reconfiguration proposal and saw the economic benefit my original academic improvement plan offered. So I tweaked it. And it was no easy task.
The district bussing department was hard at work for the board president and her bussing committee. A committee that took a lot of time and effort and did a ton of information gathering, printed a document as thick as any good romance novel but in the end, changed absolutely nothing and offered no economic impact. So I scraped up some maps and basic bussing population information and went to work. I soon realized that the best I could do on my own was come up with rough estimates. Estimates that turned out to be fairly accurate though. So I patiently waited for the bus committee that went nowhere to finish up and worked with my estimates. I eventually went back to the bus department employees and gave my assumptions and stipulations and asked for a simulation of bussing with a new grade level reconfiguration with two separate mileage requirements. The first was 1.25 walk limit and the second was a 2 mile. The document they produced for me was more than I could have hoped for. I can’t thank them enough for taking the time to put it together. And now I had exact numbers. I spent weeks on this aspect alone and I know I have produced a document that can back up the numbers I claim in this proposal.
I am focusing on bussing at this point because it was, much to my surprise, seemingly the biggest irritant to the board. I want to make a few more comments on the bussing part of this proposal and I will post the sequel to this saga tomorrow.
Bus drivers were a sticking point. Some were perplexed as to why I would add only two bus divers when four new busses are needed. When asked why, I explained that we currently have some part time drivers. We would make them full time drivers. They are 4 current part time employees that would cost us 50% of four new employees. The member raising the question then informed me that we do not have part time and full time drivers. He stated that what we do have are 3 hour and 6 hour drivers. I don’t know about you, but, even if a 3 hour driver actually makes for a four hour day, it’s still part time in my book. If the member would like, I can rewrite the presentation and call them 3 hr drivers rather than part time drivers.
And to leave you on a somewhat happy note before I go to bed, I want to clue you in on a little more of what my proposal offers before you start hearing how utterly preposterous it is. Smaller class sizes district wide. 10 additional classroom teachers. Extended day kindergarten with the ability to offer before school programming. The ability to sell excess properties gained through reconfiguration and gain significant revenue as an alternative to a levy. All that in addition to a $1, 797,856 savings over two years.
Check back soon for the rest of the story.
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
In the Spirit of Change
I know you've missed me. Wondering where I've been? I've been holed up at home, locked in my family room, doing some heavy duty research. Wednesday night I will give a presentation to the board regarding my findings. I have put together a proposal that will save our school district over 2.5 million dollars over the next two years.
Is it perfect? No. After all it was me, myself and I that put this together, and as much as I'd like to say I have all the answers, I don't. But it is definitely a good place to start. I know I haven’t given much notice, but to be honest I wasn’t sure I would have it together in time. But my offer is this:
I will post my Power Point presentation sometime Wednesday night or Thursday morning. Anyone that wants to get together a group of 6-10 people and have a chat about it should Email me at KPforCFSB@aol.com
I do my best work when coffee, cream, and sugar are provided. We can discuss my proposal and make your input a part of it. I am willing to discuss the methodology and madness behind it. This offer extends to everyone, regardless of motive. I know there are plenty of people out there that will want to string me up and flog me for some of the suggestions I am proposing. I am more than willing to sit down with those people and explain the reasons why we need to look at this proposal not only for the financial impact, but the academic benefits. In fact, I feel safe in saying that the academic impact far outweighs the two year monetary savings.
Once again, I apologize for the late notice of the board meeting presentation. Check back soon for the Power Point.
A quick Congratulations! to Mr. Hofer. He is what is known to us old school peeps as the shop teacher. You know, woods, metal..I’m sure it has a much more technical name now. He has been nominated for an award for the work he does with our kids. More on this after he wins it...;0)
And thank goodness it’s almost December 13th. That’s the magical day when the Academic Challenge airs the competition that our awesome Cuyahoga Falls High School students participated in.. I can’t tell you who won ‘til it airs. I think I can brag about how professional our students looked and acted. They and their instructor wore matching shirts, didn’t mumble or stutter, appeared confident and calm. I was so proud to be a Tiger!
Is it perfect? No. After all it was me, myself and I that put this together, and as much as I'd like to say I have all the answers, I don't. But it is definitely a good place to start. I know I haven’t given much notice, but to be honest I wasn’t sure I would have it together in time. But my offer is this:
I will post my Power Point presentation sometime Wednesday night or Thursday morning. Anyone that wants to get together a group of 6-10 people and have a chat about it should Email me at KPforCFSB@aol.com
I do my best work when coffee, cream, and sugar are provided. We can discuss my proposal and make your input a part of it. I am willing to discuss the methodology and madness behind it. This offer extends to everyone, regardless of motive. I know there are plenty of people out there that will want to string me up and flog me for some of the suggestions I am proposing. I am more than willing to sit down with those people and explain the reasons why we need to look at this proposal not only for the financial impact, but the academic benefits. In fact, I feel safe in saying that the academic impact far outweighs the two year monetary savings.
Once again, I apologize for the late notice of the board meeting presentation. Check back soon for the Power Point.
A quick Congratulations! to Mr. Hofer. He is what is known to us old school peeps as the shop teacher. You know, woods, metal..I’m sure it has a much more technical name now. He has been nominated for an award for the work he does with our kids. More on this after he wins it...;0)
And thank goodness it’s almost December 13th. That’s the magical day when the Academic Challenge airs the competition that our awesome Cuyahoga Falls High School students participated in.. I can’t tell you who won ‘til it airs. I think I can brag about how professional our students looked and acted. They and their instructor wore matching shirts, didn’t mumble or stutter, appeared confident and calm. I was so proud to be a Tiger!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)