Our Public School System: Teachers Speak Out
We recently read an eye-opening magazine article titled: “Parents Behaving Badly”. The article highlighted horror stories of the problems created for teachers by today’s parents. Being a teacher in any school system is a thankless job, and that’s a major reason many college students are not becoming teachers.
There have been suggestions to reserve a section of our blog for our local teachers to express their opinions about the parent/teacher relationship, and conditions in our school system and how to improve them.
Some of the comments on our blog threads have, at times, been critical of our teachers, the school board, administration, and the system in general. We want to give our teachers a chance to perhaps present a different side of the situation.
A few people discouraged us from establishing this section, saying that teachers might be reluctant to comment. We don’t agree with that point of view, and decided to give our teachers a chance to voice their opinions. The confidentiality of our blog is one of the “protections” of free speech.
Here is our November question of the month for our teachers:
What would you encourage parents do to help improve the performance of our local public school system?
Please encourage teachers to visit our blog and give us their point of view.
posted by Blog Master @ 6:56 AM
88 Comments:
I would suggest that parents get more involved in observing the activities of our School Board at meetings. I think they will find it eye opening concerning how poorly they are being represented on this Board. In my opinion, only two members of the Board really understand the problems of parents and teachers. So parents, take an interest in School Board politics.
I’m not a teacher, but sure agree with the comment from the retired teacher. My children are in their 40s but I still have an interest in our school system. Parents need to be more active in assuring our school board members are serving for the right reasons.
At the end of each school week, ask your child to tell you the one most interesting thing they learned in class during the week and why it is important. Make this a routine event in your family activities. If you have more than one child in school, make it a group activity. This is a good way to determine what your children are learning and to show your interest in what they are doing. It takes only a small amount of time.
I suggest that parents put some pressure on the School Board to take a close look at our administrative staffing and payroll costs versus those for direct teaching staff. I'm among many teachers who believe the classroom is not getting it's fair share of the budget.
Anon . . .
That's always beena standard complaint: too many administrators per teacher. In my past life, I spent a lot of time looking at the issue and there are two sides to the argument, but I always came down on the side that it is not a problem.
--pwf
Now here is a REAL problem:
The Marion County school board last week voted to INCREASE the salary, not of teachers, but of themselves -- to a figure almost 20% higher than the salary they pay beginning teachers.
And school board members get almost twice the RETIREMENT benefit as any school employee other than the Superintendent.
The latest study I saw, about four years ago, showed that 50 percent of the states in America pay NO salary for school board members -- it is a PUBLIC SERVICE. Of the remaining 25 states, half of them pay less than $5,000 a year.
Meanwhile, Florida is the second or third HIGHEST pay for school board members -- a historical PART TIME job -- "for the children . . ."
IF I was a teacher (and I am not nor have I ever been), I would be enraged to watch as school board members cavalierly add almost 5% to their own pay, while as a teacher, I and many have to spend their own money for classroom supplies to do what they are there for -- to teach.
(And before anyone claims the state sets the salary, that simply is not true ... a state agency may SUGGEST "this is a reasonable pay" but NO state agency sets the salary. The school board members COULD say "even though it's only a few dollars, I will leave it for the children in the classroom" but they won't.
--pwf
A good way for parents to get a better feel for the problems of our teachers and education system is to work as a substitute teacher. I and several other parents have come away with a totally different attitude about education and teaching problems after doing this. Walk a mile in the other guy’s shoes.
When the community becomes intricately involved in the fabric of the school system, as
simple as, visiting your child's
teachers from K-12. Not asking,"
Do you have any homework"; instead,
"explain to me in details what you
are doing in your classes."
If all parents just took an observation tour of their local
school, it becomes apparent that
it takes a village to raise all
children.
Ruth Williams
Teacher, Columbia county
I have not really had any major problems with parents during my almost five years of teaching. My only issue is that parents who should be most concerned with the progress of their children often times aren’t; parents who should be the least concerned are the ones who are most involved and attentive.
I’m in my second and probably last year of teaching. I teach elementary children and am just amazed at the lack of respect for others and bad manners many of my young students have. My student teaching experience in Gainesville wasn’t at all like my current job here. I came into teaching with high hopes of making it my career. I have made a mistake.
I notice that so far there has been no mention of the infamous FCAT. Could this be because it is a bigger issue with parents than it is with teachers? I think the concerns with the FCAT are blown out of proportion.
Good observation about the FCAT. My experience has been that teachers, administrators and parents I know who complain the most about the test issue are mainly those who don’t like Governor Bush and/or the Republicans. Do I think politics has something to do with this? Yes I do!
Parents need to get administration to better address the longer range problems of teacher recruiting and staffing. Many of us will be leaving teaching within the next few years. I don’t see this getting the attention and money it should.
I offer an observation that may or may not mean anything. When I have conferences, very seldom do both parents of two-parent families attend.
I agree w/PWF wholeheartedly! While the actual amount of the school board's raise will have a negligible impact on the system as a whole, there simply is no justification for it. Or better yet, what is your justification board members?
Teacher responses to our question have been a bit light, so we are introducing a new thought on the subject. One of our teachers suggested looking at getting more budget money into the classrooms. This idea likely has much more merit than school officials may want to recognize.
There is a national grass-roots movement called “First Class Education”. This movement seeks to have each school district in America direct at least 65 cents of every dollar spent on education away from centralized administrators and into classrooms for more and better paid teachers, newer textbooks and computers, and a teaching environment that inspires better learning. Learn more about this movement at: www.firstclasseducation.org
So far, only two states have met the 65 cent goal: Maine at 67.1 cents and New York at 68.7 cents. By comparison, Florida is currently at 58.8 cents and ranks 41st. Redirecting 6.2 cents (to get to 65 cents) would result in putting an additional $1.0 billion into our Florida classrooms--without a tax increase. We are not sure where our local school system stands on spending in the classroom, but it probably comes close to mirroring the Florida state-wide statistics.
Is the First Class Education movement a good cause to support? You betcha!!! Parents get on the bandwagon.
Anonymous just above blogmaster agrees with me . . . and I am pleased. I fought this ridiculous salary system for school board members all the way to Tallahassee ten or 12 years ago, and even got George Albright (he was then a state rep) to agree to help change the system. Then he discovered the salaries of state representatives and all constitutional officers (he is now one of then as Tax Collector) are controlled by the same system, and dropped the issue. Then Stan Bainter, state rep from Eustis, picked up the ball and tried to run with it, but the leadership of the house blocked his every move.
Two years ago when they were moving the salary up again, I appeared at the school board and as I spoke I was greeted with the biggest smile the then chairman, Kurt Kelly, could muster, and when I finished, they went on to the next item and refused to even discuss the salary raise.
When I came to Ocala in 1958, school board members made $600 a year and beginning teachers got about $2,500 a year. Now beginning teachers get about $29,000 and school board members get about $34,000. The qualifications for teachers has increased tremendously, the qualifications for school board members? -- basically, that they be a registered voter.
And now for a question -- there is a group that wants to change the system and appoint the superintendent. Rather, I would ask why we even have a school board.
They basically must approve recommendations from the super unless they can show just cause, and other than talk, are almost useless.
Whatsay you?
--pwf
"First Class Education" is a great idea. Something like this is being supported by the Republicans in the Florida legislature. The Democrats have already said it won't work. Of course they always are against anything the Republicans suggest.
I bet all of those high-paid school administrators are going to gasp if this idea is pursued by the legislature. I say to Baxley, Argenziano, Cretul, Lynn, et al, go for it!!
The school board salaries are way too high. The historical comparison PWF provided of board and teacher salaries is very revealing. Any wonder many of us are frustrated with our salaries as teachers!
I checked out the First Class Education website. The goal of this program is very good. It will at least get our education systems looking at all that "extra" salary not contributing to improving student performance. Prepare to hear much whining from the education establishment and elite if this is brought up by our legislature!
i’m not sure i would do away with the school board, as suggested by pwf. however, appointing a school superintendent is not a bad idea. that way the board can pick from some qualified candidates from places other than just our county. we could probably get a much better superintendent than the one we have.
we need some changes on the school board. there will be a chance for that in the next election and I bet it happens.
Proposals that would allow voters to split large school districts are surfacing again in Tallahassee.
Joint resolutions introduced in both chambers of the Legislature would put a constitutional amendment on the ballot next fall to allow counties with more than 45,000 students to split districts. The new districts would have at least 20,000 students, but even that change could result in a very different educational -- and political -- landscape. The constitutional amendment would not force any school district to split. Voters in each county would decide.
Some studies suggest that smaller districts do a better job of educating students.
Critics said splitting school districts would create political and educational chaos, and dividing districts would also lead to greater administrative costs.
Anyone out there who thinks this is a good/bad idea?
Anonymous suggests we have an appointed super. It works in large areas, but in Florida has had only mixed results, especially in counties like Marion.
Lake County went from elected to apppointed to elected to appointed and back to elected. Boards would hire someone, then fire them and buy out a big contract. Of course, now Lake would love to buy out Anna Cowin's elected contract and get rid of her and her cronies, but they can't until the next election.
Frankly, I am not willing to give this school board any more authority than they now have.
There is way too much posturing and pontificating with little results.
Florida went to non-partisan school boards to try and keep the politics at a minimum, but with the collapse of the Democratic Party and the take over of the GOP by the zealots, we are more partisan than ever before, to the detriment of education and good government.
IF and it is a big IF, we could get above partisan politics and go out and hire someone like the Marine (I think) general who took over Seattle schools and brought them from the muck to a solid system . . . well, that ain't gonna happen here for a while longer.
--pwf
Splitting the school districts makes no sense to me. Just double everything, including mostly costs. How would we find two school boards if this were ever done in Marion County? We can’t even find one good board.
If they are going to split adistrict, why not have the Democrats run one system and the Republicans the other one? Makes about as much sense as what is being proposed!
The splitting of districts is about as dumb as the class size ammendment. On second thought, it probably was introduced as a full employment plan by the same crowd that purchased class size.
I can not imagine doing a campaign for someone who was running for West Marion School Board, and then for someone else running for East Marion., We unified districts in Florida when the minimum foundation finance plan went into effect more than 50 years ago to get some centralized administration, and eliminate adm costs.
What we ought to do is consolidate about a dozen counties across north and central Florida and have unified districts large enough to attract solid adm people and eliminate the promotion of principals to posts they can not handle.
--pwf
Sounds like a plan by the FEA.
PWF,
I believe you will find that the FEA actually is strongly against this plan.
I am too. It takes money from the smaller districts and throws it to the large districts in south Florida--to be further wasted!
Betty, that was actually just a friendly "jab" to try and get some conversation started.
I would hope they would oppose, but I simply can not imagine any politician stupid enough to even suggest this.
--pwf
I agree with getting rid of the school board. How about using Marion County as a pilot project within the state to see how an independently functioning, elected superintendent would work without a school board?
The school budget could be reviewed by the county commission just like that of any of our other constitutional officers, (e.g., sheriff, tax collector, etc.). Frankly, I would trust the superintendent and our commissioners much more than I do our current school board.
The superintendent could appoint an advisory committee of parents, teachers and other interested citizens to advise him and his staff on important issues. He might even get better input than he does from the current school board, and citizens would not have to pay for it.
Politico has a great idea. However, remember we are in Florida and ideas like this would take decades to implement. I agree that a citizen board would give better advice than the current highly paid board.
I like the 65 cent program for improving getting more money into the classrooms. I'm amazed that we could divert over $1 billion from administration to the classroom using this approach. I would also encourage legislators to further look at this approach.
Two high schools near San Jose, California are exhibiting a disturbing trend. Both of these schools are among the academically elite, and have high populations of Asian students.
However, the disturbing part is that white students are moving out of the school system. Why? Because parents feel the two schools are too academically driven and too focused on subjects such as math and science at the expense of liberal arts, sports and other personal interest activities. Additionally, the white students leaving are having a very difficult time competing with the Asian students from a “grades” perspective.
Is this the American way, if you can’t compete just run away? No wonder we are losing jobs to Asian countries and others with better school systems than ours. Wake up parents!
What's the names of the two schools in California?
The two California schools I mentioned are: Monta Vista High in Cupertino and Lynbrook High in San Jose.
The California high school situation is not surprising to me as a teacher. It is easy to explain why the Asian students are doing so well: the Asian students’ parents are more involved with their childrens education.
The 65% plan would be good for classroom teachers. However, there is a big IF: if the plan does not cut back on the most important support services teachers need to be good teachers in the classroom.
Here is a great suggestion for handling teacher salaries:
"No school administrator should ever receive a percentage raise greater than the raise teachers get. Neither should state legislators."
From Newsweek magazine.
Marion County Schools are somewhat within the Newsweek suggestions. They just agreed to increases as follows:
Teachers 5.15%
Support Staff 3%
School Board 3.5%
In my opinion the School Board should have been no increase!
How about this idea for facing some of our local teacher recruiting problems? This is from an article in the News-Press on teacher recruiting in Florida.
“Florida colleges and universities aren't producing enough education majors to fill classrooms. The Florida Department of Education forecasts the need to hire 31,791 new teachers for the 2006-07 school year. However, public and private colleges in the state will only supply between 5,000 and 6,000 teachers. The rest are from colleges or districts in other states, or land jobs through alternative certification programs.
Enrollment growth is forcing Lee County to broaden its recruiting efforts beyond the 50 states. The district especially needs certified teachers in math, science, foreign languages and exceptional student education.
The University of Puerto Rico, where Lee plans to recruit, is recognized by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, meaning it offers a curriculum that matches U.S. standards and graduates are able to start work right away.
Tapping into Puerto Rico would not only help place qualified teachers in Lee classrooms, but allow Lee County to overcome its struggle hiring minority teachers. Hispanic students now make up 25 percent of the district's total enrollment, but only 4 percent of teachers are Hispanic.
Lee County wouldn't be the first Florida district to try its luck abroad. Palm Beach County schools have lured more than 65 teachers from the Philippines, Spain, Mexico, Venezuela, United Kingdom, Bahamas, Canada, Republic of Georgia, New Zealand and Nigeria.”
Overseas recruiting is already effective for hospitals to address the shortage of nurses. Perhaps it would also work for teachers.
Citizen Advisory Board -- not a good idea in Marion County. Remember the Library Advisory Board? The moment Randy Harris hears of an idea that does not adhere to his limited view of "the way the world oughta be" -- the advisory board would be GONE. It is unfortunate Marion County has this type of leadership at the helm.
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maybe we could have an advisory board to look at talk radio in marion county -- review the accuracy, and bullying of anyone who disgrees with their view, and the slurring of those they dont like. at least half of the stuff spewed forth by lund, harris and the guy from belleview is bunk; some down right untruths.
Liz, can you imagine how the various teacher associations may react to this? That said, I think it is a very good idea. It does work for hospitals.
Mr. Harris was not the only one who voted to get rid of the library board. If you don’t like him then work to get him out of office next year—it’ll never happen!
The pursuit of excellence is what is needed in our public schools..This must come from Parents,students and teachers.All play a big role.None should run from their responsibility and blame the other.
Teachers being paid to teach ought to take great pride in their work and try to get the most out of the students even if the parents are not doing their job.Teachers can make a big difference in the lives of students if they are there for more then a paycheck..
I agree with the comment above about teachers and money. I teach at a CFCC and know that good teachers are after more than money. Pride in seeing your students progress, associating with other professionals, and leadership like Dr. Dassance gives are very important to me.
How in the heck did Randy Harris name get on a column about education? His name and the word education just don't go together!
Beg to differ with Anon about Harris. Cuss him all you like, but Randy is one of the most read and educated people ever to serve in public office in Marion County in the past 50 years to my personal knowledge. Take the Phd's, the masters degrees, the lawyers, the doctors, take them all regardless of which board, and Harris has more knowledge in his his head than all of them.
Now, if you want to argue about how he uses it, or disagree with him on a specific issue, as I do frequently, that's something else. But don't ever fall for the idea that he is ignorant. My father did not have a college degree either, but he taught higher math at a college and was the actuary for the Workman's Compensation Fund in West Vurginia for a number of years.
Education is more than attending college and completing a prescribed course of study.
--pwf
I agree with PWF about Harris. He is a very, very smart man. The problem is that he surrounds himself with too many idiots (especially the do-what-you’re-told types) who aren’t even close to being in the same intellectual league as him. Get more good (smart) people working for/with him and he would be a much better commissioner.
I don't agree with Harris on quite a few issues, but would never question his intelligence. He is a thorn to many of the intellectual elites in our community, including those at the Star Banner.
Now I can call Harris one of those "educated idiots" he talks about. Glad to know he is so educated and intelligent. Too bad he doesn't use it.
Let’s get back to important education issues and not Randy Harris’ education/intelligence. His education is not related one way or another to his ineffectiveness as a commissioner in representing us. He could have completed only the second grade or have three PhDs and would still not get my vote.
Here is an observation of mine to mull over about parents:
My neighbors moved from India to the U.S. about 15 years and are just normal working class people like me. However, their two kids (6th and 9th graders) are smart as can be. Their kids are very serious about school work and the parents are really proud of their kid’s school record. That’s all I hear about when I talk to my neighbor. We have become much more aware of our own children’s school activities since meeting them. It is just about the only way we have anything to talk to him about. So maybe there is something to the parental involvement argument.
Your "observation" is so correct. I have much experience with Asian parents and they are much more into their children's education than most American parents. I don't mean to profile, but this is what I have seen.
I noticed a comment about the Library Advisory Board. So what if it was eliminated? Many other County Advisory Boards have also been eliminated over the years. I served on one that was recently terminated. If they no longer are serving a useful purpose, they don’t need to be continued. I haven’t noticed the Library falling apart without an Advisory Board. It's probably even working much better without all the turmoil.
Marion County is not alone in school board voting itself an increase. Duval County’s school board has raised its salary to $38,643. A new teacher receives $32,000. The county teachers union is not happy with the situation. For once I agree with a union!
I agree with pwf that Harris has immersed himself in much information during his years in government. The library is an exception.
In his involvement with the library over the years, Harris has produced a string factual misrepresentations and misunderstandings and impractical proposals. Every time this has happened, I have queried Library Director Julie Sieg as to whether Harris has discussed it with her in advance. Every time she has given me an emphatic “no.” Sieg is the head library professional in the county government and designated in county codes as the chief professional advisor to the county commission on library matters. The failure of Harris to consult her at all on these matters before floating them in the media or proposing them at county commission meetings does not reflect the sort of careful study that pwf describes. It does reflect ignorance.
The Library Advisory Board our county commission abolished was not operational in nature. It was oriented toward policymaking and long range planning. The highly publicized role of the library board in handling appeals of book challenges was a notable exception. The library board never selected individual books for the library. It is far too soon to measure the effect of not having a library advisory board, and the story has yet to be written on whether we will have one.
At the time of its abolishment, the library board had members ranging from an unabashed liberal retired educator to a fundamentalist Baptist preacher and everything in between. This diverse group produced a nearly unanimous (9-1) policy overhaul recommendation on one of the most controversial matters in the history of Marion County.
This remarkable feat took place in meetings remarkable for their comity. I know because I attended all of them as a member of the public. These meetings took place after the departure from the library board of the Harris crony from whom the above referenced turmoil sprang. Members of both political parties on the library board spent years behind the scenes trying to get the county commission to remove her. They did not. She finally left on her own when her first term ran out.
If you don’t like the turmoil, blame the programmers on the county commission. They are busy programming more by deviating from the recommendations they were given and encroaching on the operation of the library by the county’s head library professional.
Don’t fret, the library will be here long after those reading the blog are dead. No politician will do away with it. I have said many times, Harris and other commissioners need to stay out of managing books and get more involved in managing the library’s budget…that’s what I elected them for.
I’m not as confident as Brian Creekbaum in the skills of the library director. A librarian is one thing, a manager is something else.
Do we need a library advisor board? Many other county departments impacting our citizens don’t have one. Many of these operations are equally or more important than the library. I really haven’t seen but a few advisor boards that work well. Maybe the library needs a board, but I would sure do it differently than the last board(s).
How did a discussion about the library get on a section about teachers?
I agree that the Library is likely to have a long-term life. However, the way it is funded, and perhaps managed, may have to be very different in the future.
Taxpayers, including me, are becoming very “unsettled” by the trend to higher assessments, impact fees, road taxes, school sales tax, and on and on. Every time you turn around there is something new being added to the tax menu.
When a taxpayer revolt occurs, and it will in the voting booths, our politicians are going to have to start better prioritizing expenditures. Is the library more important than funding basic services like roads, utilities, police and fire protection, etc.? Most taxpayers, even those who are supporters of our Library, will likely be forced to say no.
So what is the answer for the Library? Perhaps something similar to what many communities do for community hospital services. Some money is received from the taxpayers, but private donations, volunteer support and seeking other funding are going to be needed in more impactful ways for Library “survival”. Not a pleasant thought, but it seems closer and closer to reality in today’s financially stressed governments.
I suggest those supporting the Library on the blog spend much less time criticizing Randy Harris, and rehashing the past history of the Library; start doing the advance thinking and planning, including community support, to develop a different way to operate our Library in the future.
Just some thoughts from an “immigrant” to Ocala.
I saw an article about redistricting and the first class education program in today’s paper. I think expanding the number of school districts is a bad idea. It will just take away more money from the classroom teachers. We don’t need more school boards.
This is a neat website.
Can you imagine our county having two school boards at some point in the future? Let’s suppose one of them decides to raise taxes and the other one doesn’t. I can’t believe this is ever going to work. Also seems to me that splitting school districts has many flaws.
I saw this blog mentioned in a Star Banner article. I really don't think dividing school districts is the answer to our education problems. Only adds more complications.
Interesting development with the reopening of five public schools in New Orleans. They all reopened as charter schools, independent of a city school system that has been one of the worst in the U.S. The reasoning is to help improve the quality of the schools and to become eligible for millions in federal aid designated for charter schools. Makes sense to me. Making it work may be a different story.
Stan’s prediction of a dire future for government financing of our local library system reminds me of his similar prediction a couple of years back when Gov. Bush was trying to cut back funding for the State Library and hand its collection over to Nova University -- a private university. That didn’t come to pass. I think I even read something about Gov. Bush adding a library on to the governor’s mansion after the State Library "controversy," but I’m not sure about that. I don’t think that Stan’s prediction for Marion County, which sounds much like what Randy Harris has been pushing for years, will come to pass either.
According to the latest figures from Florida’s Bureau of Library Development, compared on a per capita basis to peer libraries in terms of population served, the annual operating expenditures of Marion County’s public library system are in the bottom half. Our cumulative capital outlays for the most recent four years don’t even crack the top third even though that period includes the flagship project of the county’s construction program. Clearwater spent five times on their new headquarters what we spent on ours in Marion County. The idea that Marion County’s very modest expenditures on the public library will help drive a “taxpayer revolt” is ridiculous.
I agree that a discussion of the public library doesn’t belong on the teacher discussion but it is interesting to note that there are many parallels between the Christian Right’s attack on the teaching profession and their attack on the library profession.
I agree with Mr. Creekbaum's comments regarding the taxpayer revolt and the survival of the library. The comments from Stan are chapter and verse of Randy Harris' "talking points" regarding libraries.
It amazes me that when considering what is "important" for tax money. Libraries (schools?) are often on the bottom of the list.
I guess it is easier to keep the populace ignorant, unable to think, so they will follow instructions like good little peons.
God forbid anyone would want a citizenry in search of knowledge or a brain that would dare question the "powers".
A few weeks ago, the Texas Supreme Court declared that educational “adequacy” is not synonymous with “more money.”
Why don’t more people in Florida understand that?
Following up on a comment I made earlier. Here is something I discovered on the 100 Innovative Ideas website:
Many Asian countries have very nationalized/centralized curriculums, especially in math. In fact, all of the nations beating us in education have some form of a nationalized curriculum. However, when people hear this, they throw out the word "socialism" out of fear, without actually knowing what “education socialism” is and is not. It is quite OK to look at other nations and see what they are doing right and adapt a solution for the U.S.
Smaller class sizes are also not a primary solution to increasing our educational competitiveness. In Singapore, for example, the average math class size is 33.5. The Singapore children well outscore the U.S. in math.
Good for Brad Rogers! His article on Sunday says it all. The idea of doing away with the school board is beginning to look better and better. This board is not doing the job. Maybe its time for some citizen advisors to take over.
Very disappointing! Take a look at a report on the readiness of U.S. college students to deal with life in the real world: www.air.org.
More than 50% of students at four-year schools cannot: interpret a table about exercise; understand editorial arguments; compare credit card offers; summarize survey results.
How about some back to basics in our curriculum design? Forget evolution and intelligent design, just re-introduce some common-sense skills in our public schools.
Give teachers domestic partner benefits and academic performance of students will improve.
A Teacher's Interview
After being interviewed by the school administration, the eager teaching prospect said:
Let me see if I've got this right
You want me to go into that room with all those kids, and fill their every waking moment with a love for learning, and I'm supposed to instill a sense of pride in their ethnicity, modify their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse and even censor their T-shirt messages and dress habits.
You want me to wage a war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, check their backpacks for weapons of mass destruction, and raise their self esteem.
You want me to teach them patriotism, good citizenship, sportsmanship, fair play, how to register to vote, how to balance a checkbook, and how to apply for a job.
I am to check their heads for lice, maintain a safe environment, recognize signs of anti-social behavior, make sure all students pass the state exams, even those who don't come to school regularly or complete any of their assignments.
Plus, I am to make sure that all of the students with handicaps get an equal education regardless of the extent of their mental or physical handicap.
I am to communicate regularly with the parents by letter, telephone, newsletter and report card. All of this I am to do with just a piece of chalk, a computer, a few books, a bulletin board, a big smile AND on a starting salary that qualifies my family for food stamps!
You want me to do all of this and yet you expect me
NOT TO PRAY
The teacher's interview is so correct in today's school situation.
Bamboozled again!!! Here's the plan -- develop the FCAT for students, then apply test results to the schools, then schools can "fail" and be punished by cutting the funding. With less funding it becomes more difficult to improve and begins a cycle of cuts and failure. Introduce VOUCHERS! A system using tax dollars to send students to private schools. Now we have a two tier school system. One for the "deserving rich" and one for the undeserving poor".
And this my friends is the "No Child Left Behind Act". -- or is it the "Destruction of Public Education Act"?? But if it was named appropriately - who would have voted for it???
RIGHT ON!!!
FCAT is destroying our education system.
FCAT is not the problem. Actually, I would like to see it broadened and the standards for passing made more stringent.
A recent letter to the Star Banner stated it very well: ….the “No Child Left Behind” concept should only be applied to groups hiking in the woods.
Perhaps leaving a few more kids behind would give them and, more importantly, their parents motivation to do better. All this social engineering our schools are attempting is causing us to fall behind the rest of the world in important areas of knowledge. Life is tough but realistic; if kids can’t compete, they are going to have difficulty.
We are saving like mad to be able to move our kids to private schools. I think more parents are going to be doing the same. The public system is just not cutting it.
To the individual who criticized school vouchers:
Get your facts straight.
Researchers from the Manhattan Institute, Harvard and Cornell have independently studied Florida’s private school choice programs. All three studies concluded that the threat of vouchers actually creates the greatest improvement in struggling schools. Given the choice between losing students and raising the quality of education, schools rise to the challenge and make tremendous gains.
Unfortunately, activist court rulings in Florida have threatened the educational future of the many low-income, minority and disabled students who currently use the vouchers. The very groups the voucher program could help the most.
The choice programs are to give low-income parents the same private school options that wealthier families have when it comes to educating their children. Not the other way around as you have stated
The Marion County School board isn’t the only Board lacking backbone. Check out the letter from one of our neighbors in Alachua County. Perhaps it is time for a re-examination of whether or not we need School Boards in their current form....that has been suggested elsewhere on the Homeless Blog. Even “hiring” a Superintendent doesn’t seem to make any difference. Maybe the problem is School Boards not vouchers or “No Child Left Behind”?
Article published Jan 29, 2006
School Board Needs Some Backbone'
For all of the 24 years that I have lived in Gainesville, I have wondered at the gutless school boards that supposedly are in charge of our public education system. Time and again they fall back on "we only set policy" when confronted with any controversial issue vital to the operation of the schools they supposedly direct. They repeatedly demonstrate this attitude each time board member Eileen Roy questions operations of the system. She speaks on behalf of the voters who elected her. This is how democracy is supposed to work.
I also wonder about the rest of the board automatically agreeing with the superintendent on any and all issues. Has nobody every told them that one of their prime duties is the hiring and firing of superintendents? He is not their boss.
The lack of civility among elected officials, be it in Congress or on local boards has become a national scandal. I trust the voters will correct the situation here in the next school board election.
Harriet Ludwig,
Gainesville
Want to know why we are behind the rest of the world in education and even economic growth. Here is a quote from Jeffrey Immelt, CEO of General Electric speaking to the Economic Club of Washington:
“If you want good manufacturing jobs, one thing you could do is graduate more engineers. We had more sports exercise majors graduate than electrical engineers last year. If you want to be the massage capital of the world, you’re well on your way.”
All part of the dumbing down of America.
Do you know how much is spent on education?
A recent poll indicates that Floridians underestimate how much money is spent on K-12 public education. In this poll of 1,200 Floridians, sponsored by the Collins Center for Public Policy and the James Madison Institute, half (50 percent) of those polled think that Florida spends no more than $4,000 per student on the operating costs of K-12 schools, not including school construction. Additional findings indicate that almost two thirds (62 percent) think Florida spends no more than $6,000. Only 5 percent gave the correct response – between $7,000 and $8,000 – and 7 percent said it spends more.
These findings contrast with the results of a recent study by the Milton & Rose D. Friedman Foundation that indicates Florida spent $17.6 billion or $6,931 per student on education in 2003-2004. This figure consists mostly of day-to-day expenses. According to the study’s author “There is widespread confusion on how much is spent, where it comes from and where it goes.” “This new Friedman Foundation study and our survey of Floridians gives us a reality check, as we move into the 2006 legislative session,” stated Bob McClure, president of The James Madison Institute.
Among the Floridians polled, 36 percent describe themselves as “very familiar” with public education in Florida, another 36 percent describe themselves as “somewhat familiar,” and 28 percent describe themselves as “not at all familiar.”
According to Mark Pritchett, executive vice president of the Collins Center, “This survey also demonstrates that our government could do a better job of communicating to the general public how much money is actually spent on K-12 education.”
The poll was conducted by Susan Schuler, president of the Tampa polling company Susan Schuler and Associates. Dr. Schuler has more than 25 years’ experience in public opinion research.
A good source for information about Florida education issues:
www.jamesmadison.org
Checked it out. Conservative leaning but some good articles and discussion.
Below is an interesting idea from the “100 Innovative Ideas” website worth some further consideration and discussion. I’m going to put some effort on being sure this idea gets some legs. Hope others will join me.
Combine district school boards and county commissions into one governing body with two major divisions and two appointed administrators (a County Administrator and a Superintendent of Schools).
A single governing body would be responsible for countywide growth management planning and school concurrency thereby forcing a coordinated response / plan. Finger pointing and blame shifting would be replaced with a single source of accountability. Combining resources to coordinate and enhance infrastructure benefits all residents and taxpayers.
By merging the Boards, duplication of services (finance, purchasing, payroll & benefits, facilities construction and operations, Information Management, personnel, risk management, etc.) could also be eliminated creating efficiencies and cost savings.
The new consolidated County Commissions could be expanded to seven members where they are currently at five.
Very good idea. But the political turf wars would be difficult to overcome to make this work.
Great idea that will never get off the ground. Just to far out for most politicians and a citizen thought of it.
Well, something I'm not against!
Might be a good way to get a couple of females on the county commission. Sue Moseley?
Big damn deal! We'd just have 7 Republicans instead of 10.
Sounds like a good concept, but it would depend on how much "hands-on" attention would be needed for each segment.
My experience on the school board not only involved setting policy to be followed by the administration ( superintendent ), which is primarily responsible for the day to day operation of the system, but in-depth studying of funding alternatives and physical needs, strategic planning, labor negotiations, community issues, etc. Many of these issues need to be addressed in a timely manner just because of the fluid nature of education. Whether the commissioners could give the necessary attention to these issues with all of the other county issues they have to deal with would require some study.
There certainly should be savings on administration expenses, but there might be some new labor relations issues.
An idea that wouldn't even be on the list if we had more cooperative s. boards and commissions.
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