Yesterday the Star Tribune ran an article titled "Downsizing schools, increasing segregation?" The plan, approved last year by the school board, is to close four schools and transform four magnet schools to neighborhood schools. The changes are reported to save the district more than $6M a year. I understand many of us hear million and think chump change as our Congress grows our debt to $13T. In an age where Americans have become increasingly dependent on the government it is no wonder that parents in the school district claim the changes will restrict their choices of schools. School Board member Chris Stewart is quoted in the article as saying, "Doing things like restricting access to [better schools] and closing off doors with the promise that we're going to make the ghetto better is not what parents want to hear."
Mr. Stewart, who voted for the closings, what are you talking about? I understand that tough choices were made and with Minnesota's open enrollment program, how is this decision "restricting access"? What I am hearing is that parents are concerned that "poorer" schools will be left behind and that will have disparate treatment toward minorities. Parents need to get involved. Get involved with the school, the district, and your child's own learning process. 2010 needs to be a year that we hold ourselves accountable and not push blame off on someone else. And it starts with not placing blame on the school board for making the choices they did. The article discussed that "school board members have pressured administrators to correct inequities among high schools" because the school board has reduced the number of choices for parents in the district.
First off, school board members live up to your decision and not place stipulation or attempt to spread the blame to others in the district. Secondly, what do you mean by correcting inequities? I know the article alludes to the number of advance courses offered at Southwest vs. North. Parents, school board members and administrators need to understand that basics are all that is required and if those are proving inequities between schools in the district then those inequities ought to be changed. Correcting the inequities in advance courses is not something to be considered. If student demand is there, meaning if the school is limiting the learning power of their more intelligent students then looking into the cost/benefit of adding the course is required. At the same time, parents can assist their intelligent children by doing more at home.
At the end of the day, do not hide behind limited choices or the fear of segregation to "handicap" your child. Be accountable, be involved and assist your child in their learning regardless of their surroundings. Where I live my children have one choice of public school unless I want to drive them to a nearby community or enlist them in private school. That being said, I won't allow my kids to use that as a crutch for not learning the basics that they need to be productive members of society. I hope that those in the Minneapolis school district understand that the savings realized will open up dollars to update school material and needs that will ensure their students will learn the basics. And if their child wants to learn more either drive them to another school that offers the classes your child needs or show them where the public library is. It is amazing how much one can learn from the books that line the shelves at a library.
First, I do agree that more parental involvement is needed.
ReplyDeleteThese schools are being closed to save money. It won't free up money to buy anything.
I think you oversimplify open enrollment. I don't think those most impacted just have the ability to drive their kids to a suburban school. If they have a car, it's needed to get to work. It's not that simple. It's also difficult to focus on education when you are wondering where your next meal is coming from and if the heat is going to be on at home. I
The savings by closing these schools will, in future school budgets, allow for greater allocation of funds. Plus, as the property taxes increase it will increase the funds for the district as well.
ReplyDeleteAs for open enrollment. It is simple for the Minneapolis school district since there is a law on the books, enacted about 10 years ago, that puts the State on the hook for busing minorities in the Minneapolis school district to other schools that border the district. So it is that simple, well that is if the student is accepted by the other school.
Why do you feel more Americans are increasingly dependant on the government and what do you feel is the reason for that dependance?
ReplyDeleteAmericans have allowed the government to increase in size and scope while striping away freedoms at every turn. The removal of freedoms has created a system that enslaves the masses to the government.
ReplyDeleteFor instance, Americans have allowed the Government to intrude into the issue of life partnerships and in essence defining marriage. Instead of demanding less government with the abolishment of the marriage license, gay and lesbian couples are seeking for equal rights under the marriage license. There in lays the problem.
By issuing a license and establishing a tax class, via the IRS, the government has essentially established the definition marriage even though the definition of marriage is based in religious dogma. This is just one example but I think it illustrates the point the best. If Government was not in the business of issuing a license or giving a tax break then citizens would not be dependent on the Government to have access to basic rights of covering a loved one on their health care or being able to make medical decision for a life partner. Instead issuing a marriage license or giving a tax break for married couples, the Government would do neither. Rather the average citizen would be free to choose their life partner and look to their religious dogma to dictate the rite/ceremony of marriage.
Plus, in the event dissolution was be required, in the eyes of Government it would be handled no differently than when a business partnership breaks up while the religious dogma would dictate terms and conditions on the spiritual side of things. I have other examples, but as I said this one hammers home the point to your question.
Viper, really that is quite the weak argument. If you have others please post them so the debate can be forwarded.
ReplyDeleteHowever, your original post is about the MPLS school system and I just saw that single line that gives the indication that Americans are increasingly dependent on their government. I do not want to go off on a tangent if others want to repond to your original post.
Future budgets? Greater allocation of funds? Property taxes increasing? All three of these ideas posited by The Ardent Viper are misleading.
ReplyDeleteThe money being "saved" by closing schools is not going to be spent. The school district is trying to stay afloat. How far out are these "future budgets" where the Mpls. Schools will have $6 million to toss around? In addition, I have a feeling that there's little chance of that $6 million, if it ever does come back, being able to match the production, however poor it may have been, of the schools that are being closed.
How exactly do you have a "greater allocation of funds" when you have less money to allocate?
Finally, the idea that property taxes will be a cash cow for the city is absolutely ludicrous. I don't know where you live, but my assessed value just dropped by 20% after a 15% decline the last assessment. All tax receipts are down, from property taxes to sales taxes. There's no way that a modest increase in the tax rate would make up for the value lost in people's homes.
Like the other anonymous poster suggested, avoid the overly simplistic arguments and declarative statements. Sometimes, it's just not as easy or as simple as it seems. Walk a day in the life of a single parent raising two kids on one hourly wage income living in a rough part of town with no child support because the other parent is a deadbeat and get back to me on how "easy" or "simple" it would be.
And busing? Sure, we'll bus you to any school of your choice; so long as it's within your attendance area. Just a minor detail which may be important to consider. Depending on where you live, there may be only one school to choose from. Here's a link which you may find helpful: http://schoolchoice.mpls.k12.mn.us/attendance_areas_2.html
Anon..The article did not give a great detail breakdown nor am I in the Minneapolis School district but I am willing to bet that $6M is savings can be re-allocated and even the Star Tribune article hints toward that as well. Remember part of the $6M saved are from the salaries paid, maintenance costs, sinking funds, and other repair accounts that can be used for the other sites in the district.
ReplyDeleteI did not imply that property tax is a cash cow for the city in the definition of cash cows. I agree that assessed values have dropped all over the state and that is part of our problem. School districts got drunk on the money and now are faced with tough budget decisions has the slush fund came back to reality.
I was a single parent of two children at one time that had find housing that had three bedrooms, being that one child is male and the other child is female, while paying child support on my wages to a person that did not work. The street goes both ways, as just as you berate my simplistic and declaration you make a similar statement in your...walk the life statement. Hypocrisy.
Busing is available to any minority in the Minneapolis school district to ANY district that borders the school district. That means that a minority student on the northeast side of the district could attend a suburban school, i.e. Wayzata or Edina, on the southwest side.
As for other examples of dependency on Government I will keep that for an entirely new blog entry. To keep the integrity of this entry, I will stick with the wise decision of the other anon about staying on topic. Sometimes the answers and the situation is not overly complex, this is the case in the decision made by the Minneapolis School Board.
According to the Wayzata School District, "Non-Residents and Intra-District Transfer Students may ride the bus by going to an existing stop in the attendance areas of the school they attend. Wayzata does not send buses outside the district to pick up non-resident students."
ReplyDeleteAccording to Minneapolis Schools, "Based on the state’s open enrollment law, families still have the option to enroll at any school in the city provided there is space available and they provide their own transportation." Furthermore, "Students attending a community school who live outside of their school’s attendance area will be able to continue to attend if space is available, but must provide transportation."
There's also some interesting language in the state statute which addresses transportation for open enrollment (124D.03, Sub. 8): If requested by the parent of a pupil, the nonresident district shall provide transportation within the district. The resident district is not required to provide or pay for transportation between the pupil's residence and the border of the nonresident district. A parent may be reimbursed by the nonresident district for the costs of transportation from the pupil's residence to the border of the nonresident district if the pupil is from a family whose income is at or below the poverty level, as determined by the federal government. The reimbursement may not exceed the pupil's actual cost of transportation or 15 cents per mile traveled, whichever is less. Reimbursement may not be paid for more than 250 miles per week.
Finally, it's not as if any student can just show up at a school outside their district and be enrolled automatically. There's an application, review and approval process for intra-district transfers. School administrators, principals and even superintendents may review an application.
Yes, you are correct that students cannot just show up and demand admittance. Schools control the rate of their open enrollment allotments. The kicker too is that the amount of money that a school is allocated from the State is based on enrollment so it is in the best interest of the school to keep their enrollments up. Just like anything else it is a balancing act between budget $$'s and educational offerings.
ReplyDeleteOne of the local schools out my way touts their small class sizes yet several, I think the number is around 100, students choose to go to another district.
At the end of the day, the educational pursuits of our children fall on the shoulders of the parents that raise them. We as a society cannot rely on the government to do this, yet another example of how Americans have become dependent on government to solve their problems.
Why can't we rely on the government to educate? No parent has sufficient knowledge in every necessary subject to pass on to their kids. Nor the time to do it while working full time to provide for their family. School districts are able to bring in subject matter experts to teach. They can provide the supplies needed to teach science and other subjects. We hardly can expect parents to set up science labs in their basements.
ReplyDeleteCan you teach your kids physics, calculus, history, geography, woodworking, and English literature at an indepth level?
Would you prefer all private schools? The government and society has a strong interest in an educated population.
Parents aren't in a position to teach their children everything.
Don't get me wrong. I think schools do server a purpose and while our education system is perfect it does a pretty decent job at preparing our youth for adulthood. Where I find trouble is when parents do not do their part in the child education and rely solely on the government run education system or expect a hand out when the school closests to them doesn't offer the same luxuries that another school system does.
ReplyDeleteTo answer you question above..I could teach my kids all of the topics you mention but woodworking. I know several parents in my and surrounding communities that home school and for the most part their children outperform the public school children.
Right now the State has an opportunity to receive Federal funds that would go towards schools but the Teachers Union is poised to block it because the Federal Government stipulates the manner of teacher pay be tied to the performance of their students. Imagine that, a teacher get paid based on performance. But there are some cracks in the Federal requirement because it leaves the merit pay up to the discretion of the Superintendant and not based on actual results.
67% of americans could be dependent on federal gov't by 2019.
ReplyDeleteNearly 40% of American currently depend on the Gov't for Healthcare, not to mention SS, Disabilty, unemployment, gov't pensions, VA disability, When you are dependenmt on Gov't "goodies", Which party are you going to vote for?
http://www.usnews.com/money/blogs/flowchart/2009/11/09/how-the-government-is-swallowing-the-economy
I did not realize that the percentage was so high and the expectation is to get higher. I should have. Do we not learn anything from history? Big Government restricts freedoms and ultimately will crumble in upon itself. We are not to far from that as our fiat money policy will bury us. I have been reading "End the Fed" by Ron Paul and he makes some very interesting points about the Fed. I plan to write more about the book soon.
ReplyDeleteWhat are you basing your statement that parents don't do their part on? Have you asked those parents of Minneapolis students what they do? Is it based on a general sterotype that you hold of people who reside in Minneapolis?
ReplyDeleteTo clarify, the article says that %67 percent of Americans could depend on the government for their livelihood. Which includes soldiers and teachers and every other person who holds down a government job. Not just people receiving assistance. And the current percent today is less than 1980.
It also says that the share of government workers grew over the Bush administration. So much for small government Republicans.
I have not quizzed the parents of Minneapolis; rather from ready the articles in Tribune and Pioneer Press that have dicussed how the two-parent household and/or the single parent household is challenged, mainly due to time, to assist their children education needs. I know that speaking from experience that I can do more to assist my children in school.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that Bush did not act, especially during his second term, as a fiscally conservative Republican. That should not excuse the out of control spending that is going on now though.
I wonder, I didn't see it mentioned in the article, if the they took into account all of those employees that work for companies that were nationalized by Obama last year?
Can you tell me again which companies it was that the administration appointed members to the board of directors or installed CEOs? Or which ones they are controlling day to day operations of? Is it Obama or Emanuel that schedules production lines? Which companies did the forcefully take over against the wishes of the various boards?
ReplyDeleteReally? You didn't hear about the CEO of GM being told he had to quit by the Obama administration? If not..check it out:http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/20625.html
ReplyDelete