Moscow Education (Idaho)

The following letter went out today to the MSD stakeholders.

My editorial got them rattled.

Watch for the following talking points to emerge over the next few days.

As my schedule lightens up, I’ll address each one of these.

From: mjhsteam-bounces@lists.fsr.com [mailto:mjhsteam-bounces@lists.fsr.com]
Sent: Tuesday, March 20, 2007 2:59 PM
To: Parent Group
Subject: [Mjhsteam] Parent and Staff help needed

In one week, patrons of the Moscow School District will vote about the proposed increase to our supplemental levy. Please lend your support to helping the levy pass.    - Susan Mahoney

We need immediate staff and parent help in the following areas:

Letters to the Editor: We need as many people as possible to write positive letters to the editor in support of increasing school funding, especially after last night's negative opinion editorial from Dale Courtney. All letters are due tomorrow (Wednesday) afternoon by 5:00 PM. They can be emailed in plain text format directly to letters@dnews.com and must be under 300 words including the tile. Take some time out this evening to write a letter if you haven't already done so.

Some ideas for letters to the editor supporting school funding:

• Enrollment decline doesn’t equate to staff reductions because it doesn’t happen all in one grade level. You can’t eliminate a teacher when enrollment declines by 20 students because that decline isn’t all in one class, it’s spread out across 13 grade levels.
• Use the following quote and write a piece to go with it: “If a doctor, lawyer, or dentist had 40 people in his office at one time, all of whom had different needs, and some of whom didn't want to be there and were causing trouble, and the doctor, lawyer, or dentist, without assistance, had to treat them all with professional excellence for nine months, then he might have some conception of the classroom teacher's job.” ~Donald D. Quinn
• Moscow School District has some of the highest per pupil expenditures in the state and also consistently scores higher than the rest of the state on the standardized ISAT and IRI tests. For reference on how Moscow students compare to the rest of the state look at the following url: http://www.sd281.k12.id.us/Test%20Scores/Test%20Scores.htm
• The average home owner in Moscow will pay a tax increase of around $15 per month, that’s less than one night of pizza for dinner or one evening at the movies. It comes out to an increase for the average household of 7 ½ cents per student per year.  Pretty cheap investment for providing quality education to over 2,400 local youth.
• Take a look at the information packet put out by the school district and pick something from there to write about. url: http://www.sd281.k12.id.us/Board_of_Trustees/VoterLevyInfo.pdf
• If you want to enjoy the qualities of a community like Moscow, you need to plan to pay for it with your taxes. If you don’t want to pay taxes, move to some podunk town in the middle of nowhere that has lower taxes and a lower standard of living.

Neighborhood Campaigning:  Be a part of the Support Moscow Schools Walking Team!

and this:

Would you like to walk around your neighborhood, get some exercise and help support Moscow Schools? We are in need of people to walk around and deliver brochures with information about the March 27 School Levy.

You just put brochures in doors or doorways; you don't have to ring doorbells or try to talk to people (unless you want to). It should take about an hour of your time or less. The dates we will be needing people to deliver will be March 22-25 (Thursday - Sunday), and you can pick a time convenient for you. High school students or groups would also be very welcome volunteers. We need to be done by Sunday, March 25. If you can help, please contact Diane Prorak, 882-3959 or dianep8@verizon.net

We will give you brochures and an area to deliver to. This effort is organized by the parent-organized group, Support Moscow Schools.

The teams are driving back to Moscow from Boise now.

I’ll post pictures tomorrow.

The following letter to the editor from Dr. Gerald Weitz appeared in today’s Moscow-Pullman Daily News:

Unfortunately, the Moscow School District averages the lowest graduation rates in Latah County, and it is not about the lack of money. It's philosophy. Certainly the Alternative High School has significantly reduced MSD's dropout rates, yet more must be done.

Among MSD's peers, the MSD budget's the least on Career and Technical Education.

With MSD's 168 instructional days students "drop out" because of the lack of CTE (votech), shortage of instructional days, and difficulty in arranging dual enrollment.

Moscow and Pullman have high academic outcomes. However, Pullman offers 12 advanced placement classes (five of which are filled), versus two for Moscow.

Pullman has a much higher quality and quantity of CTE, broader public support, and a thriving dual enrollment program.

Pullman has less staff per student. Pullman has been ranked one of the 100 best school districts in the nation. The district recently placed 1, 2, and 3 in a state welding competition and won the Washington/Oregon Regional Science Bowl.

Pullman has 180 days of instructional versus Moscow's compacted 168. Pullman's enrollment has been made stable, as MSD's has declined 360 with a total staff reduction of 1.74.

Basic questions:

1. When the $1.97 million maintenance and operation levy passes for a total of $7.57 million, the MSD will outspend Pullman by $400 to $700 per student for operations. Why not include in the package 180-190 days of instruction, boost dual enrollment at the University of Idaho, and focus on credible skills training as many Idaho districts do?
2. Coeur d'Alene's maintenance and operation override will be $8.83 million for an enrollment of 10,512 versus MSD's $7.57 million for an enrollment of 2,368.

Why not invest in a world-class votech facility and program as CdA has rather than a compacted school year, a limited curriculum and business as usual?

With passage of the levy, Moscow will have the funding advantage and must reverse its discrimination against students whot would benefit from vocational education.

Gerald Weitz, Viola

As reported in yesterday’s edition of the Moscow-Pullman Daily News.

New Saint Andrews College is ready to expand, but the Moscow City Council isn't sure it's ready to allow that to happen.

The classical Christian college located downtown was granted a two-year conditional use permit by the City Council in September. Under conditions of the permit, NSA was required to provide 42 parking spaces for its staff and students over the course of two years. NSA also was required to provide "progress reports" to the city every six months.

NSA submitted its parking mitigation plan to the city in February after acquiring 60 parking spaces. Because it met and exceeded the city's parking requirement, NSA believes it can increase its annual enrollment by 50 students.

Moscow city staff is confused as to whether the college can increase its enrollment to 200 students from the capped amount of 150 students without applying for a permanent conditional use permit.

Councilman John Weber said he recalled that the council's intent was to allow the college to increase to 200 students after meeting its parking requirement.

"Once they provide proof we would, at that point, give them a permanent conditional use permit," he said. "We owe it to ourselves, the city and New Saint Andrews to quit whipping this horse and move on. Every time we turn around it appears as if we have one more case to do one more thing to keep them from going about their business."

Councilwoman Linda Pall, who made the motion to require the progress reports and an enrollment cap during New Saint Andrews' conditional use permit hearing, said she doesn't believe this is the case.

"It was my intention to give plenty of time for mitigation," Pall said. "After this period New Saint Andrews can request a CUP for up to 200 full-time students. If NSA is successful (in mitigating) prior, they can request a permanent conditional use permit and go through the hearing process."

According to the conditional use permit, "The number of full time equivalent students shall not exceed 150 until 42 parking spaces are provided for at a location either inside or outside the Central Business (CB) Zoning District."

New Saint Andrews Executive Vice President Bob Hieronymus said the language in the conditional use permit couldn't be more clear.

"We have complied with the conditional use permit in every way possible," he said. "The plain reading of the CUP includes going up to 200 students once parking spaces are acquired. Our enrollment is currently at 150 (students) and it was at 150 when the conditional use permit was passed."

City Attorney Randy Fife said interim community development director Bill Belknap will make the final decision on the council's intent.

He said the next step is to talk to Belknap and City Planner Anne Clapperton about what they "gleaned" from the council's perspective and decide how to proceed.

The city still is reviewing NSA's six-month progress report.

NSA has been on South Main Street since 2002. Recent changes to city law require the school - and other educational institutions - to obtain conditional use permits to operate in the downtown business district.

The Logos Varsity team will proceed to the finals at 1:30 in the Idaho Supreme Court Building against St. Ambrose Classical school.

No surprise, but this will be fun to watch: the two classical schools going head-to-head.

The Idaho State Mock Trial Semi-finals are underway.

In the semi-finals is the Logos Varsity team against the Logos Junior Varsity team; and St. Ambrose Classical Christian School against Centennial High School.

Regardless of the outcome of the semi-finals, a Logos team will be arguing before the Idaho Supreme Court after lunch today.

The Idaho State Mock Trial championship is underway in Boise.

12 teams competed today to select the four teams going on to the semi-finals. Semi-finals are in the Federal Court Building here in Boise. The teams proceeding on are:

• Logos’ Varsity and Junior Varsity teams both are proceeding to the semi-finals on Tuesday morning.
• St. Ambrose Classical Christian School in Boise is also in the semi-finals.
• The fourth school is Centennial High School.

I think it is more than coincidental that three of the four Idaho State semi-final teams are from classical schools; and small schools at that.

You may recall that two years ago, Logos Varsity and Junior Varsity argued against each other before the Supreme Court justices (see Logos School State Mock Trial 2005, Idaho State Mock Trial Results, State Mock Trial Update, Back From Mock Trial in Boise, and Mock Trial).

I’ll give you an update tomorrow when we know who proceeds to finals in the State Supreme Court Building.

HT: Huckleberries

I wrote an editorial that ran in today’s Moscow-Pullman Daily News.

The editorial needed to be shortened in order to meet the 700-word requirement -- especially in points #3 and #4 below.

What follows is the full column. Important are the words levy, increase, $2 million, annually, and indefinite.

You can also find this over at the Moscow Levy website: http://moscowlevy.com/March2007.htm

On 27 March, Moscow citizens will vote whether to authorize a levy for $1,970,000 annually for an indefinite number of years to the Moscow School District. I want to provide six compelling reasons to vote no to this $2 million, annual, indefinite levy.

The first problem is that pesky word indefinite. This annual tax increase will last into eternity. The idea that we will pay $2,000,000 every year forever is scary.

Second is the plummeting MSD enrollment with skyrocketing staffing growth. While enrollment fell over 13% during the last ten years, MSD employees grew over 30%. Economists call that a “productivity crash.” Measured against the Idaho state funding formula employment caps, MSD has 29% excess administrative employees, 22% excess instructional employees, and 36% excess non-certified employees.

Here are the numbers:

• MSD enrollment is down over 13%,
• MSD staffing is up over 30%, and
• MSD expenditures have grown at 3.7 times the rate of enrollment growth (including inflation).
• For administrative spending per student, MSD is number one in Idaho.
• For actual instruction expenditures per student, MSD is in the bottom quarter of all Idaho schools, despite MSD's current spending already being $1,500 per pupil above state average (about $3.6 million every year).

Do we need to spend more money on declining enrollment while MSD increases staffing?

Third is fiscal responsibility. MSD already spends about $2,000 per student more than districts with similar enrollment—that's about $4.5 million per year. MSD’s non-certified pay scales are 27 percent higher than comparable districts, 17 percent higher than the state average, and even 19 percent higher than the Boise area. MSD's current property tax rate is three times that of comparable districts, arguably the highest in the state. Throwing more money at the schools does not guarantee we’ll get better schools; it does guarantee we’ll have more expensive schools—and we’re already too expensive. We need to first correct this extravagant spending before asking for more money.

According to the Idaho Office of Performance Evaluation (http://www.legislature.idaho.gov/ope/publications/reports/r0302.htm), MSD's total school property tax rate is already by far the highest among its peers (202%) and fourth highest in the state (out of 114 districts).  MSD's current school property tax rate (excluding bond and facilities levies) is also by far the highest among its peers (281%) and second highest in the state. Both MSD's total and current property taxes per student are already the second highest among its peers.

Also according to the same report, MSD is the most inefficient and spending bloated school district among its peers. MSD has the:

• Highest General Administrative cost per pupil.
• Highest School Administrative cost per pupil.
• Highest Total Administrative Services cost per pupil.
• Highest Total Administrative costs as a percent of current expenditures.
• Second highest number of administrators per 1,000 pupils.
• Third highest Business and Central cost per pupil.

Is there any wonder that MSD school taxes are second only to Blaine County?

Fourth are the pressing economic issues facing Moscow taxpayers. Foremost, the University of Idaho’s Moscow campus has declining enrollment despite renewed recruiting efforts.

• Fall 2004: 11,541
• Spring 2007: 10,184

Henry Robison, Senior economist with Moscow’s Economic Modeling Specialists, stated that “if we lose 1,000 students, in the long run we can expect to lose about 800 jobs.” We’re already down 1,357 students.

Robison informs us that there are about 17,000 jobs in Moscow with 5,000 on the UI campus. UI also accounts for the creation of an additional 2,400 ripple-effect jobs. On top of that, student spending leads to another 2,400 jobs in the community. So 9,400 jobs are linked to the university, about 55% of the jobs in town.

Given our City Council’s hostility to local business growth, I have no confidence that UI’s malaise will turn around any time soon. Most students who come to Moscow are not independently wealthy. Many are looking for part-time jobs to supplement expenses. As long as the current City Council prohibits economic growth and opportunities for UI students, fewer students will come to Moscow. The word is out that no jobs are available in Moscow. A death-spiral has begun. Now it falls upon residential property taxes to make up the lost revenue from businesses.

Fifth is Moscow’s already insatiable appetite for more property taxes. Recall that a city’s revenues are a combination of the assessed value and the tax rate. According to Moscow Realty’s website, the average cost of a residential home in Moscow is over $235,000. If your assessed value has doubled, then you are already paying twice as much in property taxes even if your salary hasn’t increased.

While the rest of Idaho lowers rates, Moscow suffers increases. Other city councils realized that their coffers were overflowing with money just by having assessed values increase. In fall 2006, Kootenai County slashed their tax rate 30-50 percent. Not so in Moscow. Mayor Chaney increased property taxes 3% — the maximum allowed by state law. These property tax increases come alongside previous increases in water rates, sewer rates, and assorted fees and permits. Moreover, all of these increases fall squarely upon the shoulders of those who can least afford them: the poor, the elderly, those on fixed incomes, students, etc.

Sixth is the affordability of this levy. Tax support for MSD requires a thriving tax base. You cannot strangle the local economy without expecting that the tax base will suffer. With UI’s enrollment declining and Moscow’s city leaders busy chasing businesses out of town (or preventing new businesses from coming to town), the taxes fall squarely upon the residential property owners and the remaining businesses.

Moscow has champagne tastes on a beer budget. Moscow taxpayers shouldn’t have to foot the bill for MSD’s voracious appetite and expensive tastes now and to eternity.

Look at this last sentence in this article in today's Spokesman Review.

Voters in the Wallace School District will do something Tuesday they did last year and probably will do again next year: decide whether to give the district money for the coming school year.

Unlike most school districts, Wallace has been operating on one-year supplemental levies instead of two-year levies. The proposed levy amount for next year is $1.4 million, about $265,000 more than this year's levy.

"It's an increase based on necessities," said district Superintendent Bob Ranells. "It's not an enhancement levy. It's a maintenance-of-current-programs levy."

The increase will cover the inflationary costs of current operations and will make sure there's enough money to replace textbooks and give the raises the Legislature is expected to approve this year. The district has more staff members than the Legislature funds, Ranells said.

At least the Spokesman Review admits that Wallace School District is over-staffed. The Daily News never reports on the overstaffing at MSD.

See http://moscowlevy.com

From Dr. Jerry Weitz:

A few comments on MSD’s Public Forum for the Supplemental Levy Increase

 

First: There was little time for public input.  Second: There were inaccuracies at the recent meeting.

 

1)      A MSD official stated that Pullman High has 90-minute class periods. This is false. The school operates on a 6-period, A/B/C (3periods/day) block schedule.    Classes are 100 minutes long, with a 15-minute “nutrition” break and a 45-minute lunch period.  School begins at 8:30AM and ends at 2:35 PM.  The number of instructional days is 180. Pullman waived into100 minutes years ago and is considering waiving into 105 minutes.

 

100-minute periods come into importance with labs, vocational training, art, and dual enrollment at UI.   Moscow 9-12 classes range from 49 minutes to 71 minutes.  It takes 8-10 minutes to set up at the beginning and the same at the end for vocational training.  Thus 16 minutes subtracted from the 49 or 71 minutes for a Moscow class period nets 33 to 55 minutes.  Many vocational programs in Europe are from 90 minutes to four hours in length.  

 

2)      Blaming “Idaho” for its lack of support of k-12 education is an unwise position  (excuse) for school officials to take for the district’s lack of educational equality. Why? Idaho spends 45^th in the nation on K-12, however State and local taxes as a % of per capita income reveals a U.S. average of 10.10%.  Idaho and Washington are positioned equally at 10.00% of per capita income for state and local taxes.  Tax burden reflects what residents pay in state and local income taxes, property taxes, sales taxes, luxury taxes, gas, liquor, etc.  According to the U. S. Department of Commerce, Idaho per capita income is #45 at $31,031 while Washington is #15 at $39,705.  The difference is $8,674.

 

Idaho is not as wealthy. Washington does not spend more by %.  In fact according to the National Education Association, Washington is #32 in spending for k-12. Recapping: Washington is #15 in per capita income and #32 in k-12 spending.  Idaho is #45 in both. “Where the heart is willing it will find a thousand ways, but where it is unwilling it will find a thousand excuses.” Dayak Proverb

 

3)      Idaho school districts are advantaged by a 50% majority vote for M&O passage versus Washington’s 60% requirement.  Washington’s graduation rate for 2005 was 79%.  Idaho’s rate was 87% (88% for the MSD).   Idaho places slightly higher in standardized tests than the U. S. average. Idaho does support k-12 proportionately. “Alone we can do so little: together we can do so much.” Helen Keller

 

4)       Moscow officials stated that both districts couldn’t be compared. They can. Both districts are about the same size and share similar demographics.  Pullman’s enrollments have been stable and Moscow’s has declined 360 students.  During MSD’s decline, there has been a total staff reduction of only 1.74 FTE.  Note:  Moscow’s enrollment decline exceeds the total student populations of each rural district in Latah County except Potlatch.  Why has staff reduction not occurred? Or, how is this justified in light of the lack of vocational education, a compacted school year, and an increase to the supplemental levy?

 

5)      Funding of both districts demonstrate very close numbers in M&O revenues per student ADA.  When the $1,970,000 M&O passes, the MSD will spend per student about $400 to $700 more than Pullman.  Why not include in the package 180-190 days of instruction and more CTE (voctech)? “People mistakenly assume that their thinking is done by their head: it is actually done by the heart which first dictates the conclusion, then commands the head to provide the reasoning that will defend it.” Anthony De Mello

 

6)      Substitute days (2006):  MSD-- 2124 days.  Pullman-- 860 days.  Why?   There have been many more added items to the teacher’s plate with no compensation in time.  It is commonly known that if workers are asked to increase performance without compensatory measures, then stress related illness increases.  168 days of instruction is a throw back to the industrial model of producing more in less time.  Other advanced industrial nations (with the exception of some the Asian countries) do not stress their teachers nor their students by “packing each day full to obtain a short school year.”

 

7)      Sleep science is coming of age and is researching student/worker performance.  Sleep researchers have identified that many of our 10-20 aged youth are sleep deprived.  Research has shown that the 10-20 age decade to be the decade that requires the most sleep.  Sleep deprivation results in the lack of concentration, memory loss, increased drug use and abuse, and a number of other health problems.  Perhaps the lack of US performance in science and math could be attributable to the over stress of compacting a curriculum into the agrarian 180 day school year.  Our major international trading partners average 211 days of instruction, many with less seat time per day.  Canada is at 200 days and out performs US counterparts. MSD’s instructional days are 168 with the highest drop out rates in the area. “Idleness may be sweet, but its consequences are cruel.” John Quincy Adams

 

8)      Both Pullman and Moscow have strong academic outcomes. However, Pullman has exceptional vocational outcomes. Moscow does not.  Pullman students recently placed 1, 2 and 3 in a State welding competition. One of the judges was a Pullman grad who took four years of welding, received an industry certification and a high school diploma on site.  She works at Hanford making a good living. With 38 separate CTE offerings, Pullman has about three times the vocational enrollment (FTE) as Moscow. Pullman has a very active award winning FFA program coupled to its Ag program.  “ A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.”-Oliver Wendell Holmes

 

9)      As Moscow, Pullman has award winning academic distinctions. For example, Pullman recently won the Washington/Oregon regional Science Bowl. Pullman offers twelve Advanced Placement classes (five of which are operational versus two for Moscow.  Pullman has 150 students enrolled in AP versus 70 for the MSD.  Pullman exceeds MSD in graduation rates.  Although improving, the MSD has the lowest graduation rates in Latah County.  Pullman has 85% of its graduates enroll post secondary versus 76% for the MSD. Pullman offers three foreign languages versus two for Moscow.  Pullman operates with fewer teachers/staff per student with more days of instruction. (The trade off: MSD’s condensed the school year with smaller class size, less offerings, and more staff versus Pullman’s longer school year with slightly larger class size and a wealth of vocational offerings). The MSD could make a difference and should try.

 

10)   It was stated at MSD’s public forum that Schweitzer Engineering helps Pullman; therefore Pullman cannot be compared. There was a time when talks were occurring with Schweitzer, the National Guard, Latah County for a new fair grounds, the school-to- work committee, the Chamber, LCSC, UI, a land owner, the Governor’s Office, Senator Craig’s Office, Albertson’s Foundation, Idaho Division of Professional Technical Education, the other County school districts, and the community at large for a skills center. Willard Daggett, Albertson’s facilitators, the Strategic Planner for Microsoft (trainer and consultant to School-to-Work committee chairs) and a wide community involvement partnered for change.

 

Despite hundreds of thousands of dollars of grant monies targeted for change management, this effort competed for Joseph Street play fields rather than funding land for a skills center, with the trustees voting for Joseph Street. Trustee Fazio voted for the play fields and the opportunity slipped by. However, that is the past.  The future is before us since our students are the living messages we send to a time we will not witness. Life is short. “It is today we must create the world of the future.” Eleanor Roosevelt

 

11)   Attendees desired comparisons with other Idaho Districts such as Boise or CDA.   The comparison is difficult due to size and difference in demographics. CDA’s supplemental levy, when passed, will be $8,828,687 for a fall enrollment of 10,512 students with strong enrollment increases anticipated. Moscow’s supplemental will be $7,570,000 for a fall enrollment of 2368 assuming no declines.  Graduation rates for 2005: State-87%, MSD-88%, CDA-84% with both districts improving.

 

CDA has an extensive list of electives for academic choices.   It supports summer school, advanced learning programs, an International Baccalaureate Program, the Riverbend Professional Technical Academy, a strong music program, remediation programs, School within a School at Middle and High Schools (Teams) and a number of vocational programs.

 

High School based professional technical programs are:  forestry, computer aided drawing, Certified Nurses Assistant, Architecture, Technology (Includes many common computer related offerings), business, carpentry, food management and more.   Additionally, the Riverbend Professional Technical Academy is shared between CDA, Lakeland, and Post Falls School Districts.  The Academy offers dual enrollment opportunities at NIC, industry certification and exams, internships, work-study credit.  Visit or call the Academy for its extensive list of options  (208-769-5960).

 

Large and small school districts throughout Idaho offer dual enrollment programs that result in Associate Art degrees, industry certification, and recently up to two years of university credit. 

 

“We cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.” Abraham Lincoln

 

12)  Why not designate money for the M&O and money for a 9-12 skills center similar to Pullman’s within the levy increase?  The cost of a similar skills center equipped would be about $3 Million.  How much would it cost modify to a 9-12 using the Jr. High and build the skills center near the facility and have a 7-8 Jr. High at the present High School? Could this be accomplished for less than $29 million?  Of course!  “Impossible is a word found only in the dictionary of fools.” N. Bonaparte. The district could strive for excellence for all students college bound or not. “Strive for big accomplishments. The mere act of aiming at something big, makes you big.” Jawaharlal Nehru

 

Let’s step up to the plate and reverse MSD’s shameful discrimination against students that would benefit from vocational education.  Money (M&O) is not the issue since the MSD will outspend Pullman, facilities could be switched, a skills center could be built, days of instruction could be added, and more dual enrollment instituted. “The wealth of a country is its working people.”  Theodor Herzel

From Dr. Jerry Weitz. This is a letter to the editor that he submitted to the Moscow-Pullman Daily News.

Unfortunately, the MSD has the lowest graduation rates in Latah County and it is not about the lack of money.  It’s philosophy. Certainly the Alternative High School has significantly reduced MSD’s dropout rates, yet more must be done.  For similarly sized Idaho districts, the MSD budgets the least on Career and Technical Education.

 

With MSD’s 168 instructional days students “drop-out” because of the lack of CTE (Voctech), shortage of instructional days, and difficulty in arranging dual enrollment. 

 

Moscow and Pullman have high academic outcomes.  However, Pullman offers twelve Advanced Placement classes (five of which are filled), versus two for Moscow.  With        higher graduation rates, Pullman has a much higher quality and quantity of CTE, broader public support, and a thriving dual enrollment program. Pullman has less staff per student.

 

Pullman has been ranked one of the 100 best school districts in the nation.   The District recently placed 1,2, and 3 in a state welding competition and won the Washington/Oregon regional Science Bowl.  Pullman has 180 days of instruction versus Moscow’s compacted 168. Pullman’s enrollment has been stable, as MSD’s has declined 360 with a total staff reduction of 1.74

 

Basic Questions:

 

1)      When the $1,970,000 M&O passes for a total of $7,570,000, the MSD will outspend Pullman by $400 to $700 per student for operations.  Why not include in the package 180-190 days of instruction, boost dual enrollment at UI, and focus on credible skills training as many Idaho districts do?

2)      CDA’s M&O override will be  $8,828,687 for an enrollment of 10,512 versus MSD’s $7,570,000 for an enrollment of 2368.  Why not invest in a world-class protech facility and program as CDA has rather than a compacted school year, a limited curriculum, and business as usual?

 

Let’s reverse Moscow’s continuing discrimination against students that would benefit from vocational education.

From today's Spokesman Review.

Lawmakers took a first step toward setting up a big new scholarship program for low-income Idaho college students Friday, over the objections of a few legislators.

"I'm going to vote no on pretty near all scholarship bills," said Rep. Dick Harwood, R-St. Maries, who cast one of four votes against the legislation in the House. "I'm not sure that taxpayer dollars should go to support that kind of stuff."

Rep. Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d'Alene, chairman of the House Education Committee and lead sponsor of House Bill 217, said Idaho offers little in the way of needs-based scholarships for students.

"We rank third from the bottom in the 50 states in this country in providing educational opportunity and scholarships to college-bound students," Nonini told the House. "We're just ahead of Hawaii and Wyoming. That's something I am not proud of and I hope this body is not proud of."

Gov. Butch Otter this year called for setting up a $38 million endowment for need-based scholarships. The earnings from the endowment would pay for about $2 million worth of scholarships a year, but lawmakers haven't come up with the money; the bill that passed the House on Friday includes no funding.

The reaction is despicable.

The following story of interest was in today's Spokesman Review (subscription required).

Coeur d'Alene Police are investigating death threats against a part-time North Idaho College English instructor who made disparaging remarks against Republicans, including a facetious suggestion that Republicans be put to death.

…

In the messages that were subsequently sent to Bryan, she was threatened numerous times with death and variously derided as a communist, a traitor, a parasite and a Leninist radical.

A writer from California referenced past South American dictators who executed liberal intellectuals: "Pray that there's never a right-wing coup d'etat in this beautiful nation … you'll be one of the first ones floating in a river like your cronies did in Argentina and Chile."

More bad news for the University of Idaho.

As reported in yesterday’s edition of the Moscow-Pullman Daily News.

Brian Johnson knows the slate roof on the Life Sciences South Building at the University of Idaho needs to be replaced, but there isn't much he can do about it.

"It's been on a list of known needs since before I came to the university five years ago," he said.

Johnson, UI's assistant vice president for facilities services, is facing a to-do list that has scores, if not hundreds, of projects on it like the one to replace the leaking roof.

At the same time, the UI is carrying more than $200 million in deferred maintenance costs. Johnson said the amount of deferred maintenance "reflects the value of the facility or building infrastructure needs that you haven't been able to address in a given year so you've put them off."

Like many public universities, the UI is doing its best to catch up.

"I would acknowledge that the University of Idaho is not alone," Johnson said. "It's an issue for higher education all around the country. Many state-supported schools are finding their relative portion of state support going down over the years and Idaho is no exception to that."

Johnson said that out of its local budget, the UI spends roughly $5 million per year on routine maintenance and repairs for campus buildings and utility systems. This figure is augmented by another $2 million per year from the state's Permanent Building Fund for alteration and repair projects, which are typically major capital repairs of campus buildings and utility systems.

Despite this seemingly high appropriation, Johnson estimates that the university is underfunded for maintenance and repairs by approximately $13 million to $15 million a year.

"It's substantial," he said.

As reported in today's edition of the Moscow-Pullman Daily News.

Moscow School Board members approved a reconfiguration that will combine West Park and Russell elementary schools. Kindergarten through third-grade students will be at West Park, while fourth-grade through sixth-grade students will be at Russell.

This was done as promised.

How about considering shutting down Russell? There are only 161 kids there. That could easily be absorbed by the other elementary schools.

Think of the cost to keep an entire school complex open for 161 kids when they could be relocated elsewhere in town.

The Chronicle of Higher Education: has an excellent article that compares higher ed with American Idol 

“In a world full of people rating themselves highly, audiences seem to long for the enforcement of standards of taste and judgment.”

I recall reading about a softball game where the coaches decided not to keep score so that no one’s feelings were hurt. Yet everyone was keeping score on their own: the players were, the kids were; everyone knew what the score was even when the coaches pretended that no one cared.

Later in the article, Christopher Ames asks, “What lessons about popular attitudes toward grading and evaluation emerge from American Idol's auditions?” His answers: 

1. A belief in genuine standards
2. A respect for expertise
3. Individuals are often not good judges of their own ability

Will government education even consider an approach to objective standards being provided?

The following letter to the editor appeared in today’s Moscow-Pullman Daily News:

In early February, the Greater Moscow Alliance sponsored a forum called "A greater Moscow for the University of Idaho." The purpose of the meeting was to find out what Moscow residents can do to promote the success of the UI. The forum was well attended and a dialogue has been established between UI officials and interested local residents. Working together, we can help assure the prosperity of Moscow's largest employer.

On March 29 and 30, the UI will host an event they call "Vandal Friday." On those dates, more than 1,000 prospective students and their parents will be in Moscow to "kick the tires." The GMA is asking all businesses to recognize this important event. If you have a reader board at your business, use it to greet the UI visitors. If you don't have a reader board, consider putting a banner in the window. Let's put out the welcome mat and help the UI increase enrollment.

Steve Busch, president, Greater Moscow Alliance, Moscow

The following story of interest was in today's Spokesman Review (subscription required).

North Idaho College will refund the course fee paid by a student who claimed her instructor spent more time bashing Republicans than teaching.

Longtime GOP supporter Linda Cook said she's "thrilled to death" that NIC Vice President for Instruction Barbara Hanson decided to refund the $379 she paid for English 102 with part-time instructor Jessica Bryan.

"I was pleasantly surprised," Cook said. "It wasn't strictly about the money, but the fact that they said, 'She deserves to get her money back' means that they heard me."

Cook withdrew from the English class Feb. 16, 11 days after the college's cutoff date for course refunds, and sent a letter to Hanson asking that the course fee be refunded.

She claimed Bryan made disparaging remarks about Republicans during every class, including comments such as, "George Bush was elected president because people in this country can't read" and "I believe in the death penalty. … First we line up everyone who can't think, and right behind them, anyone who's ever voted Republican."

I’m still surprised at Cook’s innocence at what’s going on in the colleges. Did she expect to have a conservative teaching her classes?

OK, I have to tell you that I was shocked — shocked I tell you! — that the teachers union would be against the proposal to add more accountability.

And I just have to ask again: why are teachers given life-long tenure after just four years of teaching? You can’t get tenure that fast even at a university.

This whole tenure mentality being applied to K-12 is beyond me. Why does a kindergarten teacher need tenure? To protect his/her academic freedom? Give me a break.

The following story of interest was in today's Spokesman Review (subscription required).

Idaho teachers oppose a proposed salary plan allowing them to trade tenure for more pay, and they want a role in considering alternatives, educators told lawmakers Wednesday.

Several school administrators said they support the alternative model, which offers at least $3,000 more to teachers to give up their rolling contracts, because it will help them attract better employees. But teachers said they have been conspicuously absent from crafting the legislation, which they see as complex and unjust.

…

House Education Committee Chairman Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d'Alene, said elected officials, not teachers or administrators, are stakeholders in the issue because they set the nearly $1.4 billion public schools budget.

"I get frustrated when I hear the IEA – and somewhat of the administrators – refer to themselves as the stakeholders," he said. "They are the employees of the people of Idaho. When we spend that kind of money in a system, we can make those decisions. If the decisions we make aren't the right decisions, then we can be challenged in elections every two years as many of us are."

…

Bill proponents say firing teachers is difficult and costly.

"I'll bet every teacher in this room can think of three chronic underperforming teachers in their building or in their system, and that the system, as currently constituted, protects," Bedke said.

But John Rumel, an attorney for the IEA, said "continuing contract status doesn't mean a job for life. We're talking about a system of fair employment" that requires good reasons to fire teachers, he said.

I posted before on how you fire an incompetent teacher. I’m putting up the flowchart again. Tell me if firing an incompetent teacher is difficult and costly. It’s so painful to do that the easiest thing is to let them live to retirement.

The following story of interest was in today's Spokesman Review (subscription required).

Voters in and around Harrison overwhelming rejected a levy proposal from the Kootenai School District that would have given the district $540,000 over the next two years.

Of the 280 voters who turned out Monday, slightly more than 41 percent voted for the levy, according to results announced late Monday. It needed a simple majority to pass.

"It bombed big time," said school board member John Kraack.

…

The levy represents about 8.5 percent of the district's budget. Two-year levies like the one rejected have been part of the school district's budget for more than 20 years.

District Superintendent Ron Hill called the levy's defeat "difficult and disappointing."

"It's been an essential part of our education process," Hill said.

Property owners in the district would have paid $24.40 for every $50,000 of assessed property value – an increase of about 8 cents per $1,000 over the two-year levy passed in 2005, Hill said.

The 2005 levy amount was $454,000 over a two-year period. The additional money in the defeated levy would have covered inflationary costs of current operations and built a savings pot for the district to use on upcoming facilities upkeep and maintenance.

Yesterday we discussed the case of twenty-nine-year-old Colorado teacher Carrie McCandless who was arrested in November of 2006 for having a sexual affair with a 17-year-old student.

This case is very similar to the Debra LaFave case we discussed a year ago. You may recall that LaFave pleaded guilty to having sex with a 14 year-old student of hers.

If these had been male teachers, the cases would have been handled 100% differently. Many commentators note the differences: a) LaFave and McCandless are drop-dead gorgeous and b) their victims are boys.

Hannity & Colmes had Chris Barge of the Rocky Mountain News on their program on 3 Jan. Here is a partial transcript of that interview where Sean Hannity notes that same thing. From Fox News:

HANNITY: You know what? I guess something I just can't figure out is was this happening for a long time, Chris, and we just didn't know about it? It seems now it's a growing phenomenon.

You have these attractive, good-looking teachers having — female teachers — having sex with these young students. And it's almost in every single case they seem to be getting away with it. It seems to be a huge double standard.

What — have you been reporting on all the different cases, the Debra LaFave case and onwards?

BARGE: No. I have not become the teacher sex scandal reporter on a national level as of yet. Just been focused on this story outside of Denver.

HANNITY: Well, but there's certainly something to this, though.

BARGE: There seems to be a lot of them in the news.

HANNITY: There's certainly something. It's spectacular inasmuch as there is case after case after case. You don't find that worthy of some type of coverage? Why is this happening?

BARGE: Well, you're on the national scene. I charge you with that task.

HANNITY: All right. That's my job as the — well, that's actually part of what we're doing this week. It's only because, in each and every case — we even had a case we were doing on the program last night. And the judge in the case said that if this were a male teacher and a 17-year- old girl, that that male would be in jail. And, yet, these female teachers, it seems to be if you're attractive, you're blonde, if you're good looking and it's a girl versus — a female teacher — you get away with it. That seems to be.

More on the teacher sex scandal from Denver’s Channel 7 News.

Every time someone hollers about homeschoolers needing to be in the government schools, I immediately wonder if they are not safer at home.

A Brighton Charter High School student who said he was romantically involved with a teacher at the school told his story to a national television audience Tuesday morning.

Tommy Clay was interviewed by NBC "Today" show host Matt Lauer. He appeared with his parents and a lawyer and voluntarily allowed his name and image to be shown.

Clay is at the center of a scandal involving former teacher Carrie McCandless, the wife of the school's principal.

…

When the relationship became known, Clay's parents said they were asked to take him out of the school by the principal. The principal did not report the contact to police and McCandless wasn't disciplined until later. She has since been fired but her husband remains the principal.

Clay told Lauer that he and McCandless talked about what would happen if anyone found out about their relationship and agreed that "it's over if it ever comes out."

Clay said he offered to take the blame for what had happened, saying he wanted to protect McCandless.

When another teacher discovered the relationship, "I told Mrs. McCandless that I would take the fall for it. I didn't want her ending up losing her job and I figured I had a lot less to lose than she did," Clay said.

Clay was 17 and McCandless was 29 at the time. She was a social studies teacher and cheerleading coach.

…

The allegations against McCandless came to light after a reporter contacted authorities about them.

The president of the charter school's board, David Mundy, faces charges of failing to report child-abuse allegations and tampering with a witness in connection with the case.

From WISC TV:

The superintendent of Warren Township schools in Indiana will talk to parents next week about allegations that two students had sex in a middle-school class while a teacher was in the room, a spokeswoman said Friday.

Parents and students told the news media, and Associate School Superintendent Dr. Jeff Swennson confirmed this month that two sixth-graders had sex in a class at Raymond Park Middle School in November. The district acknowledged in a statement Thursday that the students "were involved in inappropriate conduct in a lab class last semester" and added that it investigated and took "appropriate action."

On Friday, a spokeswoman said the superintendent would speak about the matter at Tuesday's regularly scheduled parent-teacher-student association meeting at 6 p.m. at the middle school.

Attendees will be able to ask questions, according to the spokeswoman, Myra Borshoff.

Parents of students in the district said they are upset that the school system hasn't revealed how the students were disciplined or whether the teacher was reprimanded.

The scandal broke after an Indianapolis TV news station released an investigative report alleging the incident occurred. Swennson then confirmed that the district had knowledge of the alleged incident, saying it happened almost four months ago in an industrial arts lab with the teacher present.

Swennson said another child acted as a "lookout," disputing an insider’s claim that as many as 13 children may have witnessed the act.

Parents, community members and national talk show host Bill O'Reilly questioned why the school didn't notify parents or acknowledge the situation publicly until now.

I’ll let you know what shakes loose at the PTA meeting tonight.

“Our kids cannot read; they cannot write; and they cannot do simple math. But we’ve set our expectations too high. We’re going to graduate them anyways — even if they cannot read their own diplomas.”

Every time someone tries to put teeth into our failing education system, the politicians get cold feet.

Yes, America will continue its downward spiral in education. We will continue to be the most expensive educational system in the world with the worst First World results.

From Northwest Public Radio:

OLYMPIA, WA - Washington State lawmakers are backing away from a requirement that students pass the WASL test in order to graduate from high school. On Monday night the House and Senate overwhelmingly passed separate WASL reform bills. The details are different, but the general themes are similar: students will have more testing options and the math and science graduation requirements will be delayed. Senator Janea Holmquist, an Eastern Washington Republican, was among those voting yes.

Holmquist: "I know that I was definitely aware as the WASL graduation requirement loomed closer for the class of 2008 - that especially in regards to the math WASL - it became really clear that our current evaluation system is broken. And students are failing the WASL, but more importantly the WASL is failing our students."

Under both the House and Senate proposals, the class of 2008 would NOT have to pass the math portion of the WASL in order to graduate. Also, students would be able to take any number of alternative exams in lieu of the WASL. These could include the S-A-T and Advanced Placement tests. Because of differences between the House and Senate bills, details still need to be worked out. (Austin Jenkins)
 

The following letter to the editor appeared in today’s Lewiston Tribune:

My published letter on the proposed expansion of the Kibbie Dome (March 3) was edited to remove all references to the large number of out-of-state athletes on full scholarships who have been recruited to play varsity football and basketball for UI.

Obviously, the editorial staff thought that Idaho taxpayers would not be interested in the UI's hiring of non-Idaho jocks to represent Idaho in college athletics, just how many of them there are, and where the money to fund their tuition and expenses comes from. I think you are wrong.

Don Kaag, Moscow

Don, can you send me that info?

In today’s article in the LMT, notice the difference between how LSD and MSD handle declining enrollment. LSD is talking about decreasing the number of teachers via attrition (the right way to do cut-backs, by the way).

Instead, MSD increases its staffing. Back in 2005, Jack Wenders wrote:

Between 93/94 and 98/99, the number of students attending MSD (in average daily attendance) fell 6.47%. Over this same period, the total number of MSD's employees increased by 31.0%, and total full time equivalent (FTE) employees were up 14.54%. By the end of this period, MSD had 109.5 more employees than had MSD maintained the same ratio of students to employees in 93/94. Similarly, MSD had 54.5 more FTE employees then too. (FTE calculations artificially underestimate the true number of employees by assuming that each employee works 260 days per year. At MSD only about 10% of employees are year around and work about 240 days maximum. Most employees work 170-190 days/year.)

Most of this bloat came in non-certified employees which were up 69.42% in total and 36.02% in FTE. (Non-certified employees are primarily staff.) Most of the increase was in employees outside of the classroom, as total non-certified employees other than instructional aides were up 82.9%. Few of these additional employees were used to reduce class size, as certified employees, who are mostly teachers, increased by only 5.83%. All this while student numbers were falling.

Since 1998-99, the officially reported data on MSD's employees have been muddied by the inclusion of MSD's charter school(s). In 2002-03, Moscow's charter schools had 8.4 students (in ADA) per FTE employee, or 6.788 students for each employee. Knowing the charter schools' ADA, allows us to estimate MSD's total employees net of the charter school employees (see Table MSD Excess Employees). This table shows that MSD in 03/04 still employs about 14% more employees than it did in 93/94, even though over this period student numbers fell 13.56%

MSD now has somewhere between 80 and 90 more employees than if it maintained its 93/94 ratio of students to employees (8.45).

The following article ran in yesterday’s Lewiston Tribune (subscription required).

 The refrain is becoming rote: Enrollment in rural Idaho schools is declining.

But enrollment is declining in larger population areas too.

Lewiston School District's elementary schools have seen a decline in the past seven years, Superintendent Joy Rapp said. With those classes now hitting seventh grade, the district is looking at decreasing certified staffing at junior high schools by three for the coming year.

"We have not had to lay off or RIF (reduction in force)," Rapp said. The cuts should be absorbed through retirements and resignations.

Rapp said there may be 0.2 of a full time position to cut not covered through attrition.

The district has historically had about 400 students per grade level, Rapp said. In recent years, that number has dipped to as low as 330.

U.S. News & World Report has two incredibly good education articles in their 12 March 2007 edition. The first is on measuring how much value has been added by a university.

But the question remains: What should a student learn in college? And whatever that is, which colleges teach it most effectively? With the average cost of private college soaring-and with studies consistently showing American students falling behind their peers internationally-it's a question being asked more and more. And it's one that colleges are at a loss to fully answer. "Every college tries to do what it says in the brochures: 'to help students reach their full potential,'" says Derek Bok, former Harvard president and the author of Our Underachieving Colleges. But, he says, "most schools don't know what that means. Nor do they know who is failing to achieve that full potential."

It's called "value added," an elusive measurement of the thinking skills and the body of knowledge that students acquire between their freshman and senior years. In other words, how much smarter are students when they leave college than when they got there? [DMC: And how much did the college add to that learning?] Trying to quantify that value-and assessing how effective each of the nation's 4,200 colleges is at delivering it-is at the heart of one of the most ambitious and controversial higher-education reforms in recent history.

Later this month, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings will meet with college leaders to discuss the findings of her Commission on the Future of Higher Education and its plan to assess college learning through one or a number of standardized tests. "For years the colleges in this country have said, 'We're the best in the world; give us money and leave us alone,'" says Charles Miller, the chairman of the commission. "The higher-ed community needs to fess up to the public's concerns."

Along with the parents footing the bills, the federal government has a vested interest in knowing how the nation's colleges are doing their jobs. Although the government provides only 10 percent of the funding for all K-12 schools, it is responsible for 24 percent of all money spent on higher education. Despite this inflow of public money, colleges have largely escaped the accountability movement that has been shaping policy and curricula in the early grades.

Those who pay the piper call the tune.

If the taxpayers are going to foot 24% of higher education spending, then they have a right to expect and know how much they are getting for that incredible amount of money spent. And the educational-industrial complex should not be surprised when we ask for objective measures of value added.

How about having students take the SAT/ACT again after they graduate, seeing if they do better four years later on the foundational knowledge?

Or testing Education Majors on the ability to do 12th grade math at the end of 4 years of college.

Or test Philosophy majors on the ability to do 12th grade math at the end of 4 years of college.

Parents want to know where to send their kids for the biggest bang-for-the-buck, not where to send $65,000 for four years and have their kids come out dumber then when they went in.