| These are just a few of the places this site's readers call home. Except for sharing with you that both the Pentagon and--inexplicably-- all known branches of the military have been to my website, I will continue holding visitors' identities confidential. That said, have listed some general information in the greybar at right. Nice, and interesting, to know who our neighbors at this screen are, and also encouraging that it's been so well received. Best of all, though, is the fact that parents and taxpayers now have better information including how to be successful in dealing with their schools--and are starting to use it. |
| Curious about who reads www.PeytonWolcott.com? So was I, until two nifty new tools--reader logs and IP address lookups--came my way recently. Here's some general information: Departments of education at the state, federal and regional levels have come calling, as have every kind of education entity possible, including universities, from all over the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. Local school districts in North America. American politicians and their staffs, at all levels. Every major American newspaper. (Guys, please remember to attribute.) Publishers. Vendors. Consultants, financial houses. Plus lots of folks who because I don't speak their language are a mystery to me. For whatever reason Google and other search engine spiders appear to have recently found this website. Thank you, all. |
| While women have traditionally taken to the streets banging pots and pans in political protest, as with these two examples below left from Oaxaca and Venezuela, in my family we do this once a year, at midnight on New Year's Eve, not to protest but to ring in the new year. No cacerolazeros we, our pot banging is a custom borrowed from my sister-in-law who got it from an elderly German neighbor. Our neighbors here on a quiet street in the Hill Country have been nice about the noise; it's the only time all year they hear me raise a ruckus outside. While I admire the spirit and grit of these Latin American women (below left)--thanks to Hugo Chavez pot-banging protesting is now an offense |
| H o w w e t a k e b a c k o u r c h i l d r e n ' s e d u c a t i o n: o n e p e r s o n , o n e q u e s t i o n , o n e s c h o o l a t a t i m e Copyright 1999-2008 Peyton Wolcott |
| P E Y T O N W O L C O T T |
| Conservative Commentary - 2007: The year in review |
How we take back our children's education: one person, one question, one school at a time. |
| FAIR USE NOTICE: This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of education issues vital to a republic. We believe this constitutes a "fair use" of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C., Chapter 1, Section 107 which states: the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright," the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond "fair use" you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. |
| ATTENTION EDUCATORS AND ADMINISTRATORS: Every attempt possible has been made to verify all sources and information. In the event you feel an error has been made, please contact us immediately. Thank you. |
| Copyright 1999-2008 Peyton Wolcott |
| As of 01.04.08, 11% of all Texas school districts have voluntarily posted their check registers online; over 2/3 of all local TX school district dollars are posted on their websites. How to ask your local school district Flyer History 1st Anniversary San Antonio Triple Crown COPYRIGHT NOTICE: When borrowing / copying / citing from this roster please remember to attribute the source: www.PeytonWolcott.com |
| CALIFORNIA Capistrano USD - here Clovis USD - here ILLINOIS Carpentersville SD 300* Elgin U-46* Huntley CUSD 158* Naperville CUSD KANSAS USD 507 (Satanta) MICHIGAN Montrose CS - here MINNESOTA Milaca SD - ISD 192 St. Cloud ISD MISSISSIPPI Ocean Springs SD* here NEVADA Clark County SD**** S. DAKOTA Mitchell School District* TEXAS** (120) Allen ISD Alvarado ISD Anthony ISD Arlington ISD Athens ISD Aubrey ISD Avery ISD Bellville ISD Big Spring ISD Blackwell CISD Borger ISD Bremond ISD Bryan ISD* Caddo Mills ISD Canton ISD Cedar Hill ISD Center Point ISD Chester ISD China Spring ISD here Coldspring-Oakhurst CISD Colmesneil ISD Comal ISD Conroe ISD* Corpus Christi ISD* Cross Roads ISD Cypress-Fairbanks ISD* Dallas ISD Deer Park ISD* Denison ISD East Bernard ISD Ector Co. ISD Electra ISD Franklin ISD Friendswood ISD Galena Park ISD Galveston ISD Grandfalls-Royalty ISD Greenville ISD Gunter ISD Haskell CISD Hempstead ISD Highland ISD Holliday ISD Houston ISD* Howe ISD Hunt ISD Iola ISD Iraan-Sheffield ISD Katy ISD Kaufman ISD Keller ISD* Kerrvile ISD Lackland ISD Lago Vista ISD* Leander ISD Leonard ISD Livingston ISD Little Elm IS Little Cypress-Maur. CISD Llano ISD - here Lorena ISD Lovejoy ISD Lufkin ISD Mabank ISD Madisonville CISD Malakoff ISD Marble Falls ISD - here Marion ISD Meadow ISD McKinney ISD Medina ISD Medina Valley ISD* Miami ISD Mount Vernon ISD Natalia ISD Nazareth ISD Nederland ISD New Caney ISD Nordheim ISD North East ISD North Forest ISD Northside ISD No. Zulch ISD* Ore City ISD Palestine ISD Pasadena ISD Pearland ISD Port Neches-Groves ISD Pflugerville ISD Quinlan ISD Reagan County ISD Richardson ISD Robert Lee ISD Roby CISD Rosebud-Lott ISD Round Rock ISD * Royse City ISD San Angelo ISD San Antonio ISD Schertz-Cibolo-U.City ISD* Seminole ISD Somerset ISD* South Texas ISD Southwest ISD* Spring Branch ISD * Stanton ISD Sundown ISD Teague ISD Texas City ISD Timpson ISD Tomball ISD Trent ISD Valentine ISD Van Alstyne ISD Wharton ISD Wilson ISD Wimberley ISD Winona ISD Ysleta ISD UTAH Davis School District* WISCONSIN Sun Prairie SD |
COMMITTED El Paso ISD (TX) Harlandale ISD (TX) Miami-Dade CPS (FL) Midway ISD (TX) (Jan.08) Murchison ISD (TX) Southside ISD (TX) Temple ISD (TX) STATE DOE ONLINE Texas Education Agency MIDDLE EDU-LAYER St. Clair County RESA (MI) HONORABLE MENTION *** Michigan Intermediate School Districts WHERE PARENTS, TAXPAYERS, TRUSTEES ARE ASKING: Cedar Rapids PS (IA) ChippewaVall.SD(MI) Cleburne ISD (TX) Eanes ISD (TX) Lake Travis ISD (TX) Lancaster ISD (TX) LA USD (CA) New York CPS (NY) Omaha PS (NB) Rochester CS (MI) Santa Cruz CPS (AZ) Water Valley ISD (TX) Updated 01.04.08 * No check numbers. ** Source for all Texas numbers: TEA PEIMS (most recently reported actuals, 2005-06) *** For online numbers including budgets, salaries, lobbying, PR, legal, autos, more **** Purchase orders . (Source for names of Texas districts: Houston Chronicle (6), San Antonio Express-News (6) ) |
| Heads up to grassroots school reform activists: Be smart, be effective By Peyton Wolcott Updated 12.02.07 |
| Most parents and taxpayers are rational beings whose lives work because we operate in them rationally. When we experience a precipitating incident which warrants our dealing with our local school districts, most of us generally approach them armed with facts and the same rational thinking that enables us to pay for our houses and cars and the property taxes that fund our local schools. Generally this is our first mistake. If we compound our mistake by also being angry, we might as well go stand in front of the administration building and shake a big bag filled with rattlesnakes; no good acting surprised when the rattlesnakes react by hissing and trying to bite us. Watching pushback from schools, especially here in Texas, escalate over the past few years (more at right) leaves me troubled; I believe based on my own experiences and observation of others' that many of the difficulties parents and taxpayers are experiencing can be avoided by changing our approach. |
| Heads-up to citizen journalists, bloggers The Internet is a tremendous gift. We've seen changes here in Texas public education in the past five years which I do not believe would have been possible without the Internet. Many parents and taxpayers are finding themselves pressed into service as citizen journalists who have no formal journalism background. Most often, it is these well-intentioned folks who appear to be getting into the most trouble. We've seen here in Texas in the past two years alone one SLAPP suit filed and another on the way, plus an amicus curiae by a third district. Worse, we've had onerous anti-sunshine legislation encumbered on all of us as a result during this past Lege. Citizen journalism 101: |
| How to change rattlesnakes into teddy bears It starts with changing our mindset. After trying rational thinking, facts and figures, reports and studies with our local administrators, all to no avail -- including a memorable detainment by three armed public school district police officers for taking photos in an administration building during summer with no schoolchildren present -- I realized a new way of doing things was necessary. Because of my experiences over the years as a volunteer organizing other volunteers for charity fund raisers, it was a natural next step for me to organize friends into a group. |
| 5. Who are you? Put your photo and your goals on your home page along with an easily accessible email address. One site I looked at recently posted email addresses for all of the school district's trustees and top administrators -- then made visitors to the site fill out an obnoxious form in order to send an email to the site. What's good for the goose is good for the gander. A group in another state prides itself on its integrity -- yet operates completely anonymously whereas the people the group attacks (constantly) have all been willing at some point to come forward with their names and contact information. 6. Mind your manners. Attribute everything, and properly. 7. Curb your anger. Anger's a funny emotion. It permeates everything we do, renders our best-intentioned work useless, and leaves us worn out. If your administration's done something truly outrageous, sleep on it before posting an angry response. Remember: In order to accomplish anything you're going to have to organize however small a group which means being positive enough in your approach and outlook that people will be drawn to you and your cause. Negativity repels. Positive enthusiasm is a magnet. 8. No community comments. Several reasons. You may run hot for a while but when things start winding down and your local administrators see (0) comments again and again they will assume you have no community support. Also, a lot of anonymous venting can occur. Let your local newspaper handle this -- they can afford lawyers -- or talk to each other in the parking lot of your local barbeque joint or over the produce section at the grocery store. Venting is a form of gossip, and may or may not support your goal. Anything that takes away from your goal is a distraction and to be avoided. 9. Be nice. People will like you more and you'll sleep better at night. 10. Be friendly. Treat your administrators and/or board members and/or any other opposition as you'd like to be treated. I didn't make this up; it's called "The Golden Rule." |
| Rattlesnake (L), Teddy bear (PHOTO--Steiff) |
| Back then there was a real feeling of community participation about the erection of the new school; without the townspeople's pitching in and helping out there was no school; today, we are charged property taxes on our houses to pay for our schools, and most often have little or no control over how our tax dollars are spent. We all love that feeling of being part of something larger than ourselves, some greater good. In order to accomplish anything, you're going to have to have broad-based community support, and this only occurs with positive goals and campaigns. asdf Your good name The name of your group is more important than you can imagine. I do not recommend including any of the following in your name: Watchdogs, Concerned (as in "Concerned Citizens of Clearwater"), Watch (as in "We're watching you and we're never going to be happy with anything you do"). "Accountability" and "responsible" are also good ones to avoid. Same for "taxes" and "taxpayers." Better to choose an innocuous name that your district can't slam you on for being negative, something like "Friends of Clearwater Schools." Your district will learn what you're about soon enough. Here's something that I had a very hard time accepting: While a few people will give you a thumbs-up for your negative campaigns, most people want to associate with something they perceive as being positive and will run from anything they perceive as being negative. Handling your anger There is a general consensus among reporters, politicians, attorneys and business and community leaders with whom I speak off the record that so many folks who become involved in their local schools are just plain angry; for this reason, the establishment discounts what the angry folks have to say -- no matter how justified their comments. Here's one example: Last spring when I visited legislators' offices to lobby against two pieces of anti- sunshine legislation (SB 889, which failed, and HB 2564, which is now law) resulting, legislators testified, directly from too many public records requests filed by parents in suburban Austin school districts (Lake Travis ISD and Eanes ISD) it was interesting to watch legislative staffers respond to telephone calls from parents and taxpayers railing against this bill. I wish those callers could have seen the staffers holding the phone away from their ears and making faces while at the same time responding in a soothing tone to the callers. It's important to not confuse face or phone time with achieving results |
| How we view our public schools: Then vs. now Remember the scene from the musical, "Oklahoma!" in which Curley gives up his horse and his saddle -- everything he owns -- in order to buy Miss Laurey's box dinner? "It's for the new schoolhouse," says the auctioneer, Auntie Eller. Like the new school Auntie Eller was helping raise funds for a century ago in northeastern Oklahoma's rural Claremore, when our small towns were first established in the American wilderness one of the first things to be built was the schoolhouse, a simple one-room building on par with the farmhouses and cabins families built for themselves -- all a far cry from today's Taj Majal high schools with their natatoriums and indoor practice fields. |
| Pick a goal, any goal Find a goal you and your small group can agree on, and distill it into one sentence. This is useful because when reporters come calling you'll already have your sound byte ready. Your goal should be important to you and your group and your community and one you can easily and quickly accomplish in a short period--two or three months and no more than six. If you're not sure where to begin -- the list is so long -- or can't agree among yourselves, a good first goal might be to ask your school district to post its check register online if it hasn't already. (How to here) It's an easy, quick goal. Think of yourselves more as guerrillas than Rotary. No fixed meetings every Tuesday, no announcing how many members you have or who they are, no lists of members, no lapel pins. Instead of meeting at meetings, communicate via email and phone. When you accomplish your goal, your community will sit up and take note, favorably. Then disband and take a breather for a while until you figure out what you want to accomplish next. Your next goal will likely mean different participants because not everyone will be interested in participating in everything. One more thing about goals Many times we want to start big and large, at the state or national level. Better to start small, start simple, start local. Prove that your idea can work locally and others will pick up on it, copy it. This is how ideas spread. |
| Oklahoma movie poster |
| 1. You can be angry and upset -- however righteously so -- OR you can be effective. You can't be both. 2. Using a carrot is more effective than using a stick. Think about it. Would you rather have someone come after you with a carrot or with a stick? Don't you become defensive when somebody shakes a big stick at you? 3. Our school districts -- including administrators, board members and those profiting from friendly relations with them -- may say they want more parental involvement. For some of them this is true. For too many others, what they mean by parental involvement is "Come write checks and say nice things about us and don't question anything we say or do." 4. Our school districts may say they want to improve; here again, some really do want to hear from us; for many others, they don't really welcome your helpful suggestions even when you know you're right and they're wrong. As my wise school board trustee friend told me years ago: "When you criticize them, you're calling their baby ' ugly.' " Your administrators and trustees and their minions will take your factual comments and questions personally and attack you personally in response. 5. Our public schools are essentially socialist models. Their engine and currency is the realm of emotions and people skills. 6. The world of public education is a world of feelings. Think about how often you've sat through a superintendent's budget presentation to his/her board and/or the community and at the end the supe says, "I feel good about this budget." For many of us who live in the rational world we're not much interested in our supe's feelings about the budget. We want to know that based on his expertise with budgets (too often, too little) he has presented a budget which will make ends meet. When you talk with educators, talk about your feelings about a topic rather than your thoughts about a topic. 7. In any endeavor, it's always a good idea to consider your opponent. Really look at them. If the product your company produces is packaged ice, you're not going to head north to Alaska to sell it. No matter how nice you are, they're not going to be interested up there. Along these lines, keep in mind that most school districts today are well-oiled (with your tax dollars) PR machines. The average parent wading in to engage with them armed with facts lubricated by some degree of righteous indignation stands little or no chance of winning. It is like watching lambs marching into the slaughterhouse. Further, public schools are generally the largest budgets in our counties; for this reason they have access to resources such as money and legal help. IMPORTANT: Because your schools can dominate any playing field available to them, you must pick and choose a different playing field. Emotions win over facts every time. No matter how well prepared your spreadsheet is -- you Spreadsheet Dads know who you are -- if you do not have some compelling facts to present to your community, facts which will grip their imaginations and hearts, your spreadsheet will accomplish little. 8. No matter how powerful you may be in your world, your work arena, school is a different arena. You're playing on someone else's turf and it behooves you to pay attention to how they play the game. Your rules don't work in their arena. The sooner and better you can master their rules including their jargon the sooner you can be effective. 9. The broader your base, the broader your focus, the more you want to serve rather than get (get something for yourself and/or your family -- or get even) the more likely you are to succeed in your goal of helping your district. 10. Let go of the idea you're a victim or that you've been wronged. Both will hinder your efforts. So long as you speak the language of woundology (thank you, Carolyn Myss), your community and the press will largely discount what you have to say. We are a nation of sturdy pioneers who overcome our difficulties. |
"Walk softly and carry a big stick." -- Teddy Roosevelt "Trust but verify." -- Ronald Reagan |
| Some basic things to think about: |
| When his newspaper's Mexico City bureau chief, Philip True, was killed, Rivard led a highly visible challenge to the Mexican judicial system. He personally was instrumental in finding True's remains and has relentlessly sought to bring his killers to justice. |
| Robert Rivard, editor San Antonio Express-News |
| It's pretty safe to say Bob Rivard and I will never be political allies; in addition to the SAEN having taken a fiercely anti-Iraq war stance, it also refers to "illegal immigrants" as "immigrants." However, he is also fiercely loyal to the causes he adopts -- and to his employees, two qualities to which we all can relate. An excerpt from his 2002 Cabot Prize bio: |
| In 2004 the Jalisco state supreme court returned a final verdict of guilt and ordered the two Huichol brothers-in-law who killed True to serve 20-year prison terms. Both men fled before Mexican authorities could detain them, having been released from custody earlier by a Mexican judge under questionable circumstances. (Ibid,) |
| Rivard's coverage of True's murder led to his writing a book, "Trail of Feathers." Here's an update regarding the outcome of his pursuit of justice: |
| Rivard also played a pivotal role in bringing New York Times reporter Jayson Blair's plagiarism to light: |
| In April 2003, it was Rivard's email to the New York Times that provoked an investigation into plagiarism charges by a reporter named Jayson Blair. Blair had lifted reporting and writing from San Antonio Express-News reporter Macarena Hernandez's published work and presented it as his own. The subsequent investigation led to what became known as the Jayson Blair debacle, with Blair and the Times' executive editor and managing editor tendering their resignations. (SOURCE--RobertRiva rd.com) |
| Hats off to Bob Rivard and his SAEN staff (more at left) for the pivotal role they played in San Antonio school districts posting their check registers online, and for setting such a great example for their fellows in the newspaper business to emulate. |
| HATS OFF: Bob Rivard, The San Antonio Express-News By Peyton Wolcott Tue., Nov. 27, 2007-10 a |
| ONLINE CHECK REGISTERS +++ 4 new TX districts Nov. 12-16, 2007! +++ Northside ISD - John Folks, superintendent Students: 78,154 Annual: $ 1,039,950,123 Per student $ 13,306 North East ISD - Richard Middleton, superintendent Students: 59,556 Annual: $ 806,762,147 Per student $ 13,546 San Antonio ISD - Robert Duron, superintendent Students: 56,371 Annual $ 557,143,973 Per student $ 9,884 Gunter ISD - Rick Cohagan superintendent Students: 861 Annual $ 23,440,928 Per student $ 27,225 (As of 11.28.07) |
| San Antonio's Triple Crown here |
| Edgewood ISD 08.02.06 |
____
| However righteous or correct your cause, too often parents and taxpayers don't stop to consider the resources of their opposition. Our local school districts are well-oiled and well-funded, all with our tax dollars, PR machines. Our superintendents and administrators attend education conferences and trainings and seminars where they are coached in how to deal with disapproving parents and taxpayers. Our local schools also have apparently unlimited access to lawyers, whom they have demonstrated time and again that they will use all legal assistance available. Are you willing to take out a loan to pay your legal bills? |
| What's your motive? Are you taking action because you're offended that the district is violating rules and/or someone there is stealing? Are you motivated by the principle of the thing or do you want to achieve results and make real changes in your district? |
| School district check registers are now online in 135 districts, 11 states! with $39 billion in annual transparency! ----------------------- 1ST & ONLY ROSTER OF ONLINE SCHOOL CHECK REGISTERS |
| 1. No adjectives. They tend to be inflammatory. 2. Ask questions rather than make accusations. 3. Be very sure of your facts before publishing -- have a paper record in hand. Wishing doesn't make it so. 4. Give your opponents an opportunity to respond. Note in your blog that your phone calls to the district were not returned, etc. Ask the person about whom you're writing if they disagree with any facts you're publishing and if so and can they please provide a paper record or some such supporting their factual disagreement. |
| More questions... |
| NOTE: We are not asking school districts to post salary or HIPAA-related dollars. |
| After surrounding themselves with hand-picked "yes" men/women, superintendents often seem genuinely perplexed when community opposition surfaces for any reason. Chris B. comments in the Capistrano Dispatch, "Nearly anyone can tear something down, and it takes a real leader to influence a community to come together to build." Chris B. is right. Too often when we bring legitimate questions and complaints to our public schools we do not at the same time present a clear solution, making it easy for supes and our community to see and hear "attack." What's our positive vision for our schools? Our end game? Mine's simple: Better education for less money. |
| "What do you people want?" |
| Welcome to the National School District Honor Roll Est. 10.01.06 |
| U. S. R O S T E R |
| How to find your district's check registers: If there's no link on the home page, first try the district's business or finance page, or it may be listed under links or technology or community news. If the district is paying for TASB's BoardBook software, online check registers are a free feature, and can usually be found in the board packet for the most recent regular board meeting. |
| About www.PeytonWolcott.com I started this website as a means of sharing information no one else at the time would. Three or four years ago, stories about public schools were slim pickings indeed, most of them gussied up versions of schools' press releases. I work as a full-time volunteer to give parents and taxpayers the tools they need to make the changes which need to be made, and turn down kind offers of donations to this site in order to do this work free of ties and obligations. Making this information available in a user-friendly and attractive format is a continuing challenge, and I appreciate your patience. |
| 2007 in Review |
| Thank you, 2007 . . . and hello, 2008! By Peyton Wolcott Updated Friday, January 4, 2008 - 9:28 a.m. |
| A model for the nation: More about the San Antonio Triple Crown here _____ How 3 major school districts put their checks online . . . in 1 week! |
| New Texas Commissioner of Education Robert Scott (R) at Dec. 4, 2007 swearing in; Gov. Rick Perry (L) |
| Pot banging protesters in Venezuela (top) and Oaxaca (PHOTO CREDITS--AP (top) and John Gibler) |
| protesting is now an offense punishable by three months in jail in Venezuela--it's not necessary for women in the U.S. to do this in order to right what we believe to be wrong in our culture. One, we live in a representational republic rather than a dictatorship or a corrupt republic. Two, unlike Latin America where the Napoleonic Code still rules and you |
| have to prove your innocence--yes, Virginia, there are profound differences between the U.S. and our neighbors to the south--here we're innocent until proven guilty. Three, we now have the gift of the Internet, for which I always say, "Thank God and Algore." So, here, then, is a fond and grateful look back at some of the education world's significant issues and occurrences in 2007 along with a glimpse at what likely lies ahead. |
| About the online school district check register project After many years in the grassroots school reform trenches and being involved in a number of FOIA-related issues with many districts in many states, I started the National School District Honor Roll here on my website on Oct. 1, 2006 as a means of encouraging school districts across America to voluntarily open up their books by putting their checkbooks online on their websites. By putting a name on this movement and compiling the national roster, I introduced PR to the notion of accountability. The roster at left has grown from this modest beginning in October 2006 to, as of this week, 134 districts in 11 states. Reluctantly, I have just recently posted a copyright notice over the school district check register roster; I think in all fairness to the newspaper reporters and think tank employees who have "borrowed" from my website without attribution this past year that they apparently assumed I'd gotten the roster full-blown from another source. For the record, there is no official source of any kind anywhere keeping track of which districts in which states have posted their check registers online. This roster at left is my work product; I started it 15 months ago with the names of 3-4 tiny Texas districts, in order to give form and function to what had been until that time a vague, occasionally suggested idea. Have added the names you now see one by one and will continue to do so. It has recently been brought to my attention that at least a couple of think tanks are giving themselves credit for the popularity of the online school district check register movement. When you Google "online school district check register" without quotes, there are 205,000 results -- with my site the first two listed. Please borrow as much information as you want and need from this site--and attribute your source, as I do others.' |
| 2. Online school district check registers-- an idea whose time is now I can't think of anything more fundamental to improving our schools than first being able to look at all of the individual |
| 4. Collapse of voucher efforts in Utah & Texas Although we've learned that throwing money at public education doesn't work, well-meaning and well-funded folks have been slow to learn that throwing money at public education reform doesn't work either. Utah has had $3 million of Patrick Byrne's money (Overstocks.com) and Texas $50 million-plus of Jim Leininger's (specialty hospital products) yet both states still lack vouchers. Utah and Texas are good examples of why change must start small, start local and start simple, and with lots of community support. The public school lobby is strong and entrenched and savvy, and to counter it takes a smarter effort than has yet been mounted. Despite Jim Leininger's having spent, God bless him, a reported $50 million of his personal |
| 5. Conservative leadership in place at 3 key points in Texas With Rick Perry as governor, Don McLeroy as State Board of Education chair, and Robert Scott as commissioner of education, Texas is finally poised to start climbing out of the abyss into which we fell in the 90's. Probably the most significant single act the SBOE has undertaken was to veto McGraw-Hill's Everyday Math last November; this is the math program widely agreed by teachers to be among the fuzziest. Here's from veteran educator Nikonia Hayes' report, published in Education News: |
| to administrators, often they are advised by the district's attorneys when dealing with errant employees to write a nice letter of recommendation and send them to their next job rather than risk hundreds of thousands of dollars on lawsuits. It really is that simple. The problem is just as bad when your child is not on the sending-school end but on the receiving-school end. "But the coach's personnel file is clean," your supe can say in all honesty. Last month the Sarasota Herald-Tribune recently expanded the ground-breaking statewide database it posted on the Internet last March to a national database as the result of obtaining a |
| required to post. Indeed, I make the joke that since prior edu-missioner Shirley Neeley invited supes to help rewrite the NCES formula Gov. Perry stipulated in RP 47 in 2005 which would have allowed any district failing to spend 65% in the classroom by 2010 to post their check registers online--and not until 2010--any district not making the 65% mark would |
| Rick Perry, Shirley Neeley (PHOTO--Dallas Morning News) |
| Leininger-funded pro-voucher rally at Texas Capitol - Feb. 2007 |
| of his personal fortune educating poor San Antonio schoolchildren this past decade, the foundation he funded for many years missed opportunity after opportunity to tell the story of how voucher funds have changed those children's lives. It would have been so easy. We're not going to have a successful vouchers program anywhere until (1) that state's populace is sufficiently aware on a per-dollar basis exactly how their local districts are spending their money and educating their kids and (2) the Byrnes and the Leiningers of this world find a way to climb down from their lofty perches and mix it up with the commoners. |
| Having spent several days reviewing the 3rd grade curriculum of Everyday Math and writing a report on my review, and having retired in 2006 as an elementary principal after being a middle and high school math teacher, I can tell you the Board decision was a correct one....The curricula does not meet the TEKS expectations. Everyday Math's reputation has been highly bought and paid for with support from the National Science Foundation, starting in 1991 with $5.4 million dollars for its production and piloting, while our children have been used guinea pigs in the company's "research." As a middle and high school teacher, I received a lot of those students and it was shameful to see their deficiencies in basic math knowledge and skills.....According to Entrepreneur Magazine, the fastest growing franchise is for the "Mathnasium" tutoring business. A new office is opening about every five days. The outsourcing of tutoring sessions to third-world countries such as India via the Internet is now a multi-million dollar business....The final data that can be offered against Everyday Math and other reform programs, such as Investigations, is the fact that up to 70% of our college students are having to take remedial math courses. That problem starts at the elementary school level. That's why I became an elementary principal. |
| No need to "demystify" Singapore Math (R) |
| $19.95 |
| $8.50 |
| 1. Do you live in Beijing? Or Russia? Milano? How about Seoul or Chile or Cairo? Or the Caribbean? KL? Paris? Melbourne maybe? |
| One of my favorite stories is the fellow who'd been a thorn in his local school's side for the past dozen years with not much to show for it; he agreed to adopt the approach suggested here and to his great surprise when he asked his supe to voluntarily post the district's check register online, the supe said "yes" on the spot; that district is one of the 134 on the roster at left. How great is that: Everybody wins, everybody's happy. |
| individual dollars at the local level. Because for any change to happen, it must start small, start local and start simple, getting our local schools' checks posted on their websites is the best and easiest place to start. Although some Texas districts might have been required to post their check registers online by 2010, based on past experiences with our powerful superintendents and their paid professional lobbyists, I have been concerned that they would have been able, working as they do behind the scenes, to have sufficiently diluted legislation such that by the time 2010 rolled around very few districts would have actually been |
| 1st Texas major superintendents to voluntarily post their districts' check registers online: Duncan Klussmann/Spring Branch ISD (top); Michael Hinojosa/Dallas ISD; Abe Saavedra/Houston ISD (at podium, 2005 Mexican-American School Boards Ass'n reception at TASB/TASA convention) |
| district not making the 65% mark would have to have pickup trucks leaving the district filled with either copper tubing or cash. Since starting this project 15 short months ago, we already have 134 districts in 11 states on the roster (left), with $38 billion in annual transparency.Here in Texas, because so many of our large districts have come on board, this means that over 2/3 of our local school district dollars are now online. |
| 3. More transparency: A first important step to ending "pass the trash," plus making supes' contracts and educators' salaries public Parents and taxpayers have long complained about the school district practice of "passing the trash." In fairness to |
| Fred / Frederick Deussing (PHOTO--NBC) |
| Here in Texas, school superintendents' contracts are supposed to be made available to the public and to many districts' credits they are being posted on the districts' websites; here's Llano ISD's Dennis Hill's and here's Alamo Heights ISD's departing supe, Jerry Christian, In Illinois the Champion Foundation has published a database of that state's educators' salaries on its website. |
| list compiled by the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification, a non-profit group made up of education officials and school districts in all 50 states; while the Herald Trib admits to flaws in the list due to reporting formulas varying from state to state--for instance, searches for both Mesa HS teacher/coach Gay Turley, arrested last month for sex with a student, and for longtime educator and foster parent Fred/Frederick of Alaska, arrested last January for possession of baby porn, all show "no reports"--it's still a big first start. |
| Former Mesa HS teacher / coach Gay Turley, arrested Dec. 2007; Dennis Hill |
| As conservative radio host Lynn Woolley, author of Clear Moral Objectives, says, "It is the obligation of government, absent the issue of national security, to be forthright and transparent in all things--and particularly in the area of spending taxpayers' money. In no part of government is this more important than in our schools." More about Lynn's radio show here. |
| Lynn Woolley |
| 6. Is No Child Left Behind falling into a grave of its own making? |
| Former SBOE chair Tincy Miller (L) of Dallas watches Commission for College Ready Texas chair Sandy Kress's final report at Nov. 2007 SBOE meeting |
| 7. Some of the reasons why Robert Scott was the right candidate to be named Texas Commissioner of Education Come, let us quantify the ways: o Got rid of personal car and driver--again; this also was one of his first official acts during his 2003-04 stint as interim commissioner. o Got rid of education foundation. o State plane usage by the education commissioner has dropped dramatic- ally; where previous commissioners were reportedly the most frequent users of state planes, Scott has used a state plane only once this year, and then with Higher Ed 's Raymundo Paredes, to make a 10 a.m. meeting in Laredo when there were no commercial flights available. |
| Robert Scott (L) conferring with Sandy Kress during Nov. 2006 SBOE meeting; during the same meeting Scott also made a point of thanking Kress for his work from the podium |
o Is holding TEA employees accountable for their actions: No more honorariums for speaking at conferences as TEA officials, etc. o TEA's website is already much more responsive to outside users; here's my favorite example, the alpha drop-down on the PEIMS 2006-07 actuals. Before, you had to know the 6-digit school code, which meant a side trip to the Comptroller's School District Watch List. o Reorganized TEA to make it more respon |