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!!

7 comments:

rl said...

Ouch!

Careful, ma'am...you might just get yourself banned from the Falls for having too much "pit bull" in your lineage whether you wear lip stick or not-ha!

suspicious_mind said...

why hasn't anyone asked them if the figures you've released on spending are accurate?

shouldn't the falls press ask about that?

Kellie Patterson said...

The figures I've released are from the Ohio Department of Education which I've cited several times.

suspicious_mind said...

Why don't they print them then?

Kellie Patterson said...

They who? Everything and anything you want to know is on ODE's web site. The district doesn't print them because it's an embarassment. The news papers don't print them because they are lazy (Beacon) and muscled (Falls News). These spending habits aren't new, it's been going on for over 40 years.

Colleen said...

The data on the ODE site does have some significant disadvantages. Kellie, have you had the opportunity to drill down the data a little more? The problem with the Education Trust methodology is that it assumes that fiscal equity is the same as equity of opportunity and/or effective instruction. Did you look at staffing (FTEs, type of positions, staffing ratios, support staff, etc.)? It would also be helpful and more compelling to factor in student demographics such as ESL, free/reduced lunch, special needs, etc. That also has a huge impact on per pupil expenditures even though it may have nothing to do with overall quality or equity issues. It would also be interesting to factor in instructional effectiveness data such as value-added and HS remediation rates.

beckym said...

Molly's blog said that the state may force districts to fund buildings fairly.

Are the schools ready to do this if the state makes them? How much will it cost to make changes the way the state says to? Wouldn't it be better to do it on our own terms before we're forced to do it on someone else's?