Educational Reform in America

It is unquestionable and undeniable that a country with a leading educational system will wind up leading economically in the future. In today’s competitive market, every nation is competing for their chance on the leader board of wealth. Although the United States has been seeded number one in the economic field for the past few years, many countries in Europe and Asia are challenging that spot for the number one position, especially China. Many articles from news sources read, “Can China Compete?” and “Can the New Chinese Economy Compete with the US?” but not anymore. Now the articles read, “Can the US Compete with China’s New Economy” and “Can the US Keep Up?”

Of course economic stability has everything to do with how well the country will run and function, but if the educational systems lack the ability to support such a superpower of an economy like the United States, can it really compete with other nations in Asia and Europe? Those countries for the majority, all have superior educational systems when compared to the educational systems that are in the United States. So, can the infamous country with the world’s leading colleges also lead in the educational standards of the foreign competitors?

Majority of the candidates who run for presidency promise for educational reform, this promise, however, is not a promise that can be kept. Many presidents that came before President Obama has preached about educational reform in America and how many of the schools in the U.S. lack the ability to compete with schools in foreign nations. Much like the past presidents, President Obama has promised us an educational reform that would make the American schooling systems be able to compete competitively with the other nations. However, do not get your hopes up just yet. The economic problem and national security always come before any educational reform.

President Obama’s slogan is “Hope” and many people in America are still hoping for a miracle to occur. Unemployment is a disaster that strikes countless American families nowadays. Major companies such as Lehman Brothers and Washington Mutual are either bankrupt or merging with other large companies to prevent an entire collapse in the job market. Other major companies such as AIG, General Motors, and JPMorgan were provided bailout money by the government in order to stay afloat in the markets. The government told the American people that these companies were “too big to fail” and that the bailout was necessary in order to keep the United States economy healthy. Despite the bailout, the companies that were bailed out are still in turmoil and the majority of those companies did not recover well enough to hire more employees.

The availability of jobs is getting fewer every month. The more qualified a person is, the safer he or she is from losing his or her job. On the National Center for Education Statistics website (nces.ed.gov) it states “Workers who have a record of high academic achievements are unemployed less and earn more than workers with lower [academic achievements].” This is an obvious trend, but how does education directly affect how the economy will be? An example of a country with a high educational standard is South Korea. From the time South Korea was a country to the present day, Korea has made education an importance in every child’s youth. There are no laws that require students to attend high school or college in Korea, but if a student decides not to attend college or even high school, the chances of that student acquiring a job is very slim. Almost all of the unskilled jobs are taken by immigrants. For a Korean to earn enough to support his or her family, he or she must attend and graduate college. In Korea, the unskilled jobs are considered shameful, such as factory work. My grandfather used to own a factory where he would hire Pakistani immigrants instead of Koreans due to their cheaper pay. When my father and mother were planning to build a new house, they used Chinese laborers due to their cheap cost of labor. The United States is somewhat like Korea, where the majority of the unskilled labor has been taken my immigrants. This, however, does not give an excuse to accuse the immigrants of stealing a country’s jobs.

I have given a survey to my teachers and students of Wakefield High School in Massachusetts and asked them about the educational systems in the United States and what President Obama can do to fix it.
The first survey question asked “how important do you think higher education is now for students of this age?”

Majority of the student body and teachers answered that higher education has never been more important than it is now. Considering the fact that Americans without higher education are losing jobs left and right, it has become more important than ever to receive some degree of higher education. President Obama has stated on his webpage (barakobama.com) that “preparing our children to compete in the global economy is one of the most urgent challenges we face. We need to stop paying lip service to public education and start holding communities, administrators, teachers, parents and students accountable…” Even President Obama believes it’s a necessity to stop paying lip service to public education and start to compete competitively with the global economic powers.

Brian, a student in Wakefield High School, stated, “…even though having a degree doesn't necessarily mean that a person is intelligent, [a degree] is still needed” explaining how even students recognize the importance of a college degree. Even if it does not signify that one is intelligent, it has now become almost a necessity to earn a degree in order to live in what is considered the middle class.
I questioned another student, David, asking, “How important is higher education for students like us?” He replied quickly, “I don’t see why this is even a question… As is obviously known, students who have a college education are more successful at life and contribute to society and to the economy.” David is telling the truth. Although college does not guarantee a successful life, it does, however, increase the chance of being successful at life.



The second question I asked brought up the issue that President Obama addressed on his website. The issue stated, “After graduating high school, all Americans should be prepared to attend at least one year of job training or higher education to better equip our workforce for the 21st century economy.”

When I asked the question “Do you think one year of job training/higher education is enough for a person to compete in the job market?” to the students and teachers of Wakefield High School, I received mixed opinions. Over 60% of the survey takers replied that one year of job training or higher education is not sufficient enough for a person in modern day America to compete nationally; given that the persons who have taken one year of the said educations do not compete globally. However, the issue of competing globally is not an idea that can be disregarded lightly. The remaining 40% of the survey takers replied that not all people are suited for college education. Such people include: people who cannot afford to attend college, people who do not want to work professionally, and people who just simply do not want to attend college or any level of education. Both answers are correct. However, the increasingly competitive global market has led to the idea that “no college degree = no work.” Many people just cannot live life working minimum wage in a factory job. The price of necessities for life has risen and the price of education has risen as well. Especially with the economy at a slump, the persons without a degree are suffering even more so than the people with degrees who have lost their jobs.

Inequality has been a major issue in education since the American educational system was built. I asked, “No Child Left Behind Act is providing almost $54.4 billion in 2001 in federal funding to schools in need of money. Do you think programs like these have done enough to prevent some schools from being “inferior” to others?”

Almost all of the faculty and students that I have surveyed concluded that there will always be inferior schools in America. One of the teachers commented, “…The demographics of Lexington are not the demographics of Harlem, for instance. That’s an uncomfortable reality we don’t always want to acknowledge. But we’re naïve if we don’t recognize the inherent inequities in our society or believe that they don’t somehow impact education.” Lexington is a town that is above average in their income. Even if we compare Lexington High School to Wakefield High School there is a noticeable difference. Many programs in Lexington, such as the core curriculums, athletics, and music, are better funded than in Wakefield. Inferiority is explained by Victoria, a student and a friend of mine, who now lives in Mount Prospect, Illinois. She mentions that, “In my high school, every teacher is provided with a Macbook (A laptop from the company Apple). Every classroom has their own computer projector.” She also mentioned that “they charge for everything here. This is the only public school I've been in that had a registration fee for attending.” Mount Prospect’s students pay to be superior while Lexington’s students have well providing funders. Two schools are equally superior, but one achieves its superiority through a different method than the next. I believe that the only way inferior schools will get equally superior is if that school somehow finds a way to charge students or take larger taxes from the residents in the town. One has to keep in mind that those inferior schools are usually in towns and cities with lower income rates, which means charging anything more than what they are charging now is not an option. Christopher, a student who also attends Wakefield High School, pointed out that, “Well… that’s just life” as I asked him about how he feels about the inferior schools in America.

Although Wakefield is a town of above average income rates, our school still struggles to find money for basic necessities, such as paper. Many teachers from last year have been cut due to shortage in the budget. Also, the school day has been changed in order to properly fit the current financial budget. I noticed that sometimes certain departments lack copy paper. I remember last year, our math department ran out of dry-erase Expo markers and some of the teachers from the math department had to buy their own. Another sad fact is that some bathrooms and classrooms are missing huge chunks of their ceiling. Some classrooms as well as the hallways leak when it rains and snows. I find it amusing to see the students avoiding the trashcans in the middle of the hallways that are put up to collect the dripping water. When I watch the students dodging the trashcans and buckets, it somewhat looks like watching a game of Frogger.

Moving away from the topic of inferior schooling, we get to the topic of “did the government do enough to change the educational system.” I asked multiple students and teachers the question, “Do you think President Obama’s administration has done enough over the few hundred days to revise the educational systems in America to become more feasible with the current economic troubles?” I also provided them with the statement from President Obama’s webpage stating, “We will recruit an army of new teachers and develop innovative ways to reward teachers who are doing a great job, and we will reform No Child Left Behind so that we are supporting schools that need improvement, rather than punishing them.” All survey takers responded, “A few hundred days are too short of a time period for any president to make a large enough impact on the nation.” This is true that it is too early to figure out what President Obama will do, but we are all hoping for a change and revamping of the educational system in America.

The controversial issue of high school students dropping out has become one of the leading topics of the current educational discussions. I asked this contentious matter to my fellow students and teachers of Wakefield High School. I stated and asked, “It says on the Department of Elementary & Secondary Education that ‘Statewide, 79.9 percent of the 74,380 students who entered high school as ninth graders in 2002 or transferred into the class graduated within four years. Of the remaining students, 6.4 percent are still in school, 1 percent completed high school without earning their competency determination, .8 percent earned a GED (General Educational Development), 11.7 percent dropped out and .2 percent were expelled.’ Do you think the high school drop rate is high?”



99% of the people I surveyed agreed that the dropout rate is extremely high. A teacher commented that “Any dropout rate is unacceptable.” The remaining 1% of the surveyed answered that “the dropout rate should be higher to encourage unskilled labor.” The last 1% commented that the unskilled labors would help the economy by funneling money from the bottom up. This idea, although clever, is still somewhat flawed. Another teacher commented, “The dropout rate is high but in other countries, they weed out students who are not so interested in school with tests at the end of junior high school. These countries usually direct these students into skilled trades. In Germany, companies actually work with high school students and train them to be skilled in particular jobs.” Maybe America can learn a few things from Germany. I believe that the ideas that are based around what the German companies think and use are logical. However, it does not guarantee that all those students who dropout will work in the said factories. The same teacher also commented, “To prevent dropout rates, there needs to be more after school programs to help [kids] with homework and to keep [them] busy and out of trouble.”

The follow up question to the dropout problem was “why do you think the students are dropping out at such high rates and what do you think the government can do to reduce the drop rate? What do you think the school systems can do to reduce the rates?”

Answering the question, “Why do you think the students are dropping out at such high rates?” A teacher provided me with an answer, “As long as there is poverty and there are ‘broken’ families, children will continue to drop out of school.” Adding to this answer, I think there are kids who just are not mature enough for education and feel as if learning is not needed in order to live in the current world.

The second part of the question asked, “What do you think the government can do to reduce the drop rate?” Some students and teachers answered that “the way of fixing this issue was to first fix the homes of the kids that are dropping out. Since the work ethic is reflected upon how the kids have been raised, the government should target homes of those dropouts in order to fix this reoccurring issue.” A student answered, “The thought of going somewhere to ‘learn’ for a quarter of the day seems stupid and unneeded for many students. Schools can do a better job to prevent this by offering ‘cooler’ programs and courses. This would provide more choices for the students and provoke more interest helping them stay in school.” The schools must spend money to provide the said “cool” programs. I believe what the student meant to say was that some students are not focused academically. This is cleared up by a teacher, who stated that “…students that are not academically gifted have been turned off to the idea of high school. These students are forced to sit in academic classes as opposed to learning job skills that students in the past have had the opportunity to.” These students may be more content if they were to attend a vocational school rather than an academically focused high school.
The next question that I asked was, “It says on President Obama’s website “We will continue to make higher education more affordable by expanding Pell Grants and initiating new tax credits to make sure any young person who works hard and desires a college education can access it” When the message reads ‘any young person who works hard and desires a college education can access the grants’, do you think initiating this new tax credit to help pay for college would motivate some high school students into further expanding their careers in the high education field?”

99% of the survey takers agreed that loans, grants, and scholarships may help to increase the number of students that attend college. However, they also agreed that students who are not already motivated enough for academic studies will wind up not attending college at all.

Do I think the overall educational system in America needs fixing? Of course I do. Do I think the past few presidents have done enough to reform the educational system? I have seen them try desperately to create legislation to help the system, but I did not see the action to an extent that the reforms dramatically impacted the system. I continuously notice that the competing countries rise in economic and educational power as the United States waits at the top without improving either attributes. I strongly believe that the government of the country as well as the people of the country must step up in order to reformat and transform both the fiscal and the learning systems of America so that the United States could once again be the forerunner of the economic and educational marathon. As I usually end my articles, all that we can do for now is to raise our voices to the cause and speak out for the changes that we desire. It is, however, up to President Obama and his administration to decide if it is time for America to step up and become the leader in education once again.

Thank you to everyone that participated in my survey. Even if you were not quoted in the article, your information did not go to waste.
I will further update this educational topic as the Obama Administration goes on.

Future of Abstinence Only Sex Education

NEW YORK – With the exit of the Bush administration, critics of abstinence-only sex education will be making an aggressive push to cut off federal funding for what they consider an ineffective, sometimes harmful program.

How quickly and completely they reach their goal is uncertain, however, as conservative supporters of abstinence education lobby Congress and President-elect Barack Obama to preserve at least some of the funding, which now totals $176 million a year.

And even if federal funding is halted, some states — such as Georgia — are determined to keep abstinence programs going on their own, ensuring that this front in the culture wars will remain active. - Yahoo!

All forms of sex education are a waste. Just look at 9th grade "health."

Survey Findings On Highschoolers

-Cheating in school is rampant and getting worse. Sixty-four percent of students cheated on a test in the past year and 38 percent did so two or more times, up from 60 percent and 35 percent in a 2006 survey.

-Thirty-six percent said they used the Internet to plagiarize an assignment, up from 33 percent in 2004.

-Forty-two percent said they sometimes lie to save money - 49 percent of the boys and 36 percent of the girls.

Despite such responses, 93 percent of the students said they were satisfied with their personal ethics and character, and 77 percent affirmed that "when it comes to doing what is right, I am better than most people I know." - AP

Since learning about surveys, sampling, etc in Statistics, I have grown to distrust most surveys. For one, I am not included in this study that supposedly encompasses all HS students.

China Owns The U.S?

America outspends China on defense by a margin of more than six to one, the Pentagon estimates. [1] In another strategic dimension, though, China already holds a six-to-one advantage over the United States. Thirty-six million Chinese children study piano today, compared to only 6 million in the United States.[2] The numbers understate the difference, for musical study in China is more demanding.

It must be a conspiracy. Chinese parents are selling plasma-screen TVs to America, and saving their wages to buy their kids pianos - making American kids stupider and Chinese kids smarter. Watch out, Americans - a generation from now, your kid is going to fetch coffee for a Chinese boss. That is a bit of an exaggeration, of course - some of the bosses will be Indian. Americans really, really don’t have a clue what is coming down the pike. The present shift in intellectual capital in favor of the East has no precedent in world history. - Asia Times

It's not a competition! But yeah, Americans are dumb.

A Rant On Public Schooling

School sucks. Don't think that I say that because I don't like it or anything. It really does suck. Where is the structure? They say we should take math, science, English, social studies, and a foreign language. We ought to be allowed to choose what books we want to read and what courses we want to take. We should be able to pick our major as a freshman and take courses relevant to that major so that when we arrive at college we aren't scatterfucked with information that is unfamiliar to us. Math is cool, but it depends on the subject matter. Take  geometry and algebra, for example. Most of the bologna learned in these classes does not come back in any way, shape or form save an SAT or similar standardized test. Once you get to pre-calculus, you are trained to believe that what you are doing has some kind of real world value. It doesn't. I can't really speak for calculus, because I am not taking Advanced Placement, but what we've done in honors is just algebra with a few caveats. Statistics is an excellent class that is the most reasonable "math" that I've scene. You systematically go about sorting information. That's fun, but you must have it in you. If you don't then you shouldn't be required to ever take the class. The same rule applies with lower level high school maths (especially if you anticipate being a humanities major). Science is something that should cease being a requirement as well. If you naturally are interested in biology, chemistry, physics, anatomy, or any of the countless science electives, then by all means take these classes! If you aren't curious about said subjects, you shouldn't have to take them. I have to admit that I hated biology, chemistry, and physics at first, but I grew to appreciate them. I had an epiphany of sorts though: when I'm majoring in accounting, science won't matter. I like English, but it is too screwed up as a class. We read books that most of us have no interest in and have to do assignments related to them. For instance, I like to read, but only about topics that amaze me (politics, business, sports statistics). If we could only choose what books we read and do reports on them everything would work so much better. Instead, we are left to discuss the assigned text. I don't care about what other people have to say concerning a literary work because what they say is subjective. I would participate more...if, perchance, my opinion actually mattered. I've been asked before why I don't participate all that often and that honestly is my reason. Grammar, though, is a particularly effective element that needs to be studied by every writer. Social studies is a very broad term for a lengthy list of courses. You have your histories, politics, sociology, justice + crim, and psychology classes under the "social studies" umbrella. In order to take one of these classes, one should have a particular appetite. I think everyone should take a politics class to become familiar with governing institutions that have the potential to dissolve rights. Other than that requirement, one should be able to pick and choose. I've always been a history and politics guy, so taking these classes was naturally appealing. Joe Schmo, a to-be physics major, shouldn't have to. Finally, we have foreign language. Does anyone logically need to learn a language besides English? Nope. If you want to though, you should have that right. What am I trying to say? I am trying to say that public schooling is terrible. A college like system should be instituted that allows for greater concentration on certain subjects. Abolish the MCAS. Abolish requirements. Abolish the income tax, too, while you are at it. Now, I must go back to being the slave to the master I've served for the past twelve years.

Math Test For Kindergartners

NEW YORK (AP) -- The city is asking public school principals to consider giving math tests to kindergartners, a proposal that comes amid debate over the growing use of standardized tests nationwide.

The experiment could involve tests as long as 90 minutes and change reading assessments for kindergartners through second-graders in the nation's biggest school system, where Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration has embraced testing.

The approach dismays some parents and educators who see it as mechanizing education.

The Department of Education unveiled the $400,000 program in an e-mail Monday inviting elementary school principals to participate. About 65 principals have expressed interest, and as many as 12,000 pupils may ultimately be involved, said James Liebman, the department's accountability chief.

Start 'em early. We're already lagging behind the likes of India.

Randy Pausch Dies

Randy Pausch, a terminally ill professor whose earnest farewell lecture at Carnegie Mellon University became an Internet phenomenon and bestselling book that turned him into a symbol for living and dying well, died Friday. He was 47.

Pausch, a computer science professor and virtual-reality pioneer, died at his home in Chesapeake, Va., of complications from pancreatic cancer, the Pittsburgh university announced.

When Pausch agreed to give the talk, he was participating in a long-standing academic tradition that calls on professors to share their wisdom in a theoretical "last lecture." A month before the speech, the 46-year-old Pausch was told he had only months to live, a prognosis that heightened the poignancy of his address.

Originally delivered last September to about 400 students and colleagues, his message about how to make the most of life has been viewed by millions on the Internet. Pausch gave an abbreviated version of it on "Oprah" and expanded it into a best-selling book, "The Last Lecture," released in April. - Chicago Tribune

He lived much longer than expected, but still too short a life. I posted his last lecture in June.

Picking the President: Education

John McCain

Vouchers	Yes
Charter Schools	Yes
Merit Pay for Teachers	Yes
NCLB: Reform or Abolish	Neither
Voluntary School Prayer	Yes

Barack Obama

Vouchers	No
Charter Schools	Yes
Merit Pay for Teachers	Yes
NCLB: Reform or Abolish	Reform
Voluntary School Prayer	Unknown

I'm giving two points to Obama. Vouchers are diverting government money from where it should really go - the painfully under-funded public schools. NCLB, like much of the Bush administration's work, is a good-intentioned but imperfect act, and some revision would help the students a little more.
And since I'm just so damn moderate, I'm also giving a point to McCain. The key word in "Voluntary School Prayer" is the first one. America was founded by those who sought religious freedom, and this nation's citizens should be able to pray.

MIT students drop piano off roof

A cookout this afternoon at an MIT dormitory was typical for students at the science mecca: grilled chicken, veggie burgers, and hot dogs. Fruit punch and lemonade. And a piano was hurled off a seven-story roof onto another piano.

That's awesome. Hooray for pointless destruction! Anyone heading to MIT out there?

No More Private Loans From B of A

CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Bank of America said Thursday it plans to stop issuing "private" student loans -- or loans not backed by the government -- because the turmoil in the bond market has made the debt hard to sell to investors.

The Charlotte, N.C.-based bank plans to continue issuing government-backed student loans.

Most loans in the $85 billion student loan industry are issued through government programs. The federal government grants subsidies to lenders under these programs and reimburses banks for most losses when students default on their loans.

Because the cost to attend college has grown and the size of the government-backed student lending programs is capped, a "private" student loan industry -- in which banks lend money directly to students without the aid of any government program -- has sprouted. - Boston Globe

Silly Bank of America

Huckabee to speak at Cornell

Mike Huckabee, former Republican presidential candidate and governor of Arkansas, will visit Cornell University on Tuesday. Huckabee will deliver a speech, "In God We Trust: The Role of Faith in Politics," at 6 p.m. in the Bailey Hall auditorium.

Looks like one Étudiant writer will be visiting New York. But seriously, the guy's an ordained Southern Baptist minister. That's just a little too religious for the most important demographic of them all: the moderates.

Darfur update

While visiting campus Monday, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof discussed the horrific images he witnessed while visiting Darfur in 2004 — orphans crying for their dead parents, mothers having to choose which of their children would survive and sons trying to bury the bodies of their slaughtered families.

“I just looked around and it was really at that moment the tragedy and scale of atrocities really hit home,” he said.

Kristof, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, spoke as part of the Dream for Darfur: A Two-Day Academic Symposium on the World’s Darkest Olympics, an event sponsored by Ithaca College’s chapter of Students Taking Action Now: Darfur and Cornell University’s anti-genocide group, STARS.

Saturday’s event began with a presentation by Mohamed Yahya, the executive director of Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy. Yahya, a Darfur refugee, was studying in Cairo in 1993 when Janjaweed troops invaded his village in Darfur. He said he did not allow the distance to stop him from helping the people of Darfur.

Yahya worked in Cairo while writing his first academic articles about the genocide.

“I invited my friends and we got together at a meeting and we talked about how we could do something to help,” he said. “We could no longer stay at school when our people were being killed.”

Since the genocide began, Yahya has lost 21 members of his family. Now, he is only certain that his mother and two of his siblings are still alive.

According to the Save Darfur campaign, up to 400,000 people have died from the violence in Darfur. The conflict, which is between the Janjaweed militia group and a number of rebel groups, began in February 2003.

Freshman Gamy Wong attended Yahya’s presentation and said Yahya’s descriptive accounts conveyed the strong truth of what the genocide is truly like. Wong said Yahya’s presentation was a good opportunity to hear horrific tales of the genocide from a Darfur refugee.

“The images that he tried to implant in our minds were more powerful than if I just heard these stories from someone else,” Wong said.

The event emphasized the role that China, Sudan’s chief diplomatic sponsor and major weapon’s provider, could play in the ending of the genocide. The speakers told of international pressure on China and the possibility of boycotting the 2008 Summer Olympics in China.

Kristof said though China would feel pressure if many nations boycott the opening and closing ceremonies, it may also lead to more problems. Kristof said his suggestion is to wait until closer to the start of the games to make a decision about boycotting.

“People … not going to the opening and closing ceremonies would be a huge embarrassment to China,” Kristof said. “My fear will be that a boycott of the opening and closing ceremonies will tend to boost Chinese nationalism, push China into a corner and create less cooperation.”

Freshman Rachel Merkin and senior Amanda Kessler, co-presidents of STAND, began the planning for the symposium in the beginning of the fall semester.

Let's wait a few months, and then decide to mess with China!

School board recommends cutting almost $1.8 M from budget

WAKEFIELD - A motion was passed at last night’s School Committee meeting to follow Superintendent of Schools Joan Landers’ recommendation to cut $1,791,152 from the FY’09 budget.

Ouch.

Mr. Boyd to retire

WAKEFIELD - It is a little after 10 o’clock in the morning and a string of second-graders file past James Boyd, principal of the Woodville School, on the way to their classroom.
“Good morning, Mr. Boyd,” says one child after the other in a tone befitting British boarding school students.
James Boyd stands tall among these school children. It’s evident in the respect given him and the smiles on their faces. Clearly, these children feel safe and secure with Mr. Boyd at the helm.
But all that will change at the end of the school year - June 30, to be exact - when he retires from a job he has loved.

This guy was principal at my alma mater, Montrose School, for a few years. May his retirement be enjoyable.

Think This?

Excessive use of computers in the classroom can actually hinder learning, is the
conclusion of a report put out Tuesday by the Frontier Centre for Public Policy,
a conservative think tank based in Winnipeg.

The key term here is "excessive." Take everything in moderation.

Mary Jean Gallagher, director of education for the Greater Essex County District
School Board, said the report's assumptions are out-dated and make sweeping
generalizations.
"I guess what I can say about computers is they are this
generation's TV sets of 40 years ago," Gallagher said. "It's an aid. Computers
now bring the real world into the classroom in a way that you can't bring
students into the world. It's not about teaching a kid to use a computer, it's
about using the computer to enrich learning."

School Department proposes budget

WAKEFIELD - After the School Department presented its proposed FY’09 budget to the Board of Selectmen last night, at least two selectmen challenged school officials to explain how they planned to fund the $28,123,670 budget without asking for a Prop 2 1/2 override.
“There is no way to fund this budget without an override,” Selectman Albert Turco admonished school officials.
Superintendent Joan Landers, School Committee Chairman Christopher Callanan and Assistant Superintendent for Personnel and Finance Peter DeRoeve presented the budget. An overflow crowd of Wakefield teachers also packed the first-floor Town Hall meeting room to hear last night's presentation.
Turco explained that the School Department controls roughly 65 percent of the town's budget, with about 35 percent under the selectmen's control. Turco pointed out that under the Town Administrator's FY’09 forecast, the town's anticipated budget is more than $1 million out of balance.
“We can't balance our budget,” Turco said, “unless we make a cut, town-wide, of a million dollars.” In an effort to reach that target, Turco said, the selectmen intended to cut an aggregate 2 percent out of the operating budgets that they control.

Whatever the budget, I hope it can provide Wakefield's kids with the good education they deserve.

Stressing that no final decisions have been made, Landers said that if forced to level fund the School Department budget, the results could include: The loss of 25 positions; increased class size across all grades; increased user fees for sports and possible reduction of extracurricular activities; loss of course offerings; increased tuition for all-day kindergarten; increased bus fees and consolidation of bus routes; and loss of technology usage due to lack of lack of computers and staff training.

Happenings at budget hearing

WAKEFIELD - How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.
State Rep. Mark Falzone (D-Saugus) used this old adage to make his final point after fielding questions from concerned citizens and School Committee members at last night’s public budget hearing in the high school’s John A. Volpe Library.
Joining Falzone was Senate Minority Leader Richard R. Tisei (R-Wakefield).
Superintendent of Schools Joan Landers said that the turnout of more than 100 people validated the community’s commitment to quality education in the town’s schools. “I’m thrilled that so many are here to show their support,” she said.

We don't have a bad school system in this town. I've been going to Wakefield public schools since preschool, and I've had fine teachers and gotten a fine education. We just happen to be in something of a financial muddle.

The two legislators were asked questions ranging from whether they support closing corporate loopholes to what they thought about introducing casinos to the Commonwealth to increase revenue stream. The Chapter 70 account, the major line-item of state aid to public elementary and secondary schools, also was heavily discussed. In addition to providing state aid to support school operations, Chapter 70 also establishes minimum spending requirements for each school district and minimum requirements for each municipality’s share of school costs.
One mother, whose child is a first-grade student at Greenwood School, said she is extremely concerned about the school budget. “Oil alone has seen a 70 percent increase,” she said. “We cannot run schools under these conditions. MCAS scores have gone down. Money needs to be invested in curriculum and staff. There’s no one to fix computers when they go down. I want to see the school budget get the same respect the quieting of train horns in the town is getting.”

Yeah, how about that technology department? Oh, and remember this post about train horns?

Another mother, whose children are students at Galvin Middle School, objected to the elimination of library aides. “Good libraries impact literacy, academic achievement and technology skills,” she said. “A library without aides is a just a collection of materials. Someone needs to help students understand the material.”

A library without librarians? That's just ludicrous.

Peter DeRoeve, assistant superintendent for personnel and finance, offered reassurance that positions recently cut from the budget would be reinstated. “We’re looking at $300,000 in adjustments,” he said.
The total bottom line budget is $28,123,670 for fiscal 2009, which begins this year on July 1 and ends June 30, 2009.
Though this was welcome news, it did nothing to dispel Jim Sullivan’s concerns about his child not having access to a computer lab. “Kids aren’t another piece of equipment we can get another year out of. Whatever dollars we get need to be spent appropriately,” he said.

No comp lab in G-wood? Wow, that school's in even worse shape than I thought!

The most vexing problem of all - where will the money come from - remained largely unsolved, though both Falzone and Tisei said they are doing everything they can to see that the town gets its fair share of money. “We fight tirelessly for Wakefield,” said Falzone.
Tisei said that he and other legislators are hearing the same concerns expressed at last night’s meeting all over the state. “Communities that have been well run are the ones hitting the wall,” he said. Tisei added that the town does a good job managing the budget but that alarm bells are going off.
“The universal health care bill could bankrupt the state,” he said. “We’re in for a tough budget year.”
Gov. Deval Patrick will disclose his budget today but Tisei said he didn’t know if state aid for the town had been factored in. If it is, the School Department could expect between $180,000 and $300,000 in new Chapter 70 money.
Tisei also said there are 97 communities throughout the state that have not had local aid restored when there is a fiscal crisis. Wakefield, he said, is one of the 97.
“A return to level funding would require about $31 million and $121,000 would be Wakefield’s share,” he said.
A rainy day account funded by lottery money currently has $2.2 billion that could be spread among communities to stabilize underfunded school budgets. Tisei commented that it’s “pouring locally,” but considering Tuesday’s actions in the marketplace, he thought it would be unwise to tap this fund for a one-time fix. “We’re facing a $1.5 billion deficit this year,” he said. “If a recession continues for more than a year, we’ll need those funds.”

Be wary of the recession. Someone's gotta pay for all that.

School Committee member Carmen Urbonas said that if Chapter 70 is not reformed, the gap will only widen. “Wakefield cannot continue to sit here and be grateful for what we get. We keep hearing next year is going to be worse - there’s no light at the end of the tunnel.”

I just hope the students of future years will receive the education they deserve from the great school system in this town. But it's gonna take money.

Tisei lobbies for funds for Greenwood School

Wakefield - When Wakefield learned at the end of November that the Massachusetts School Building Authority had denied its funding requests for priority projects at three of the town’s public schools, many people were disappointed, to say the least. And though the needs are great at the Galvin and the high school, nowhere is funding for repairs and improvements needed more than at the Greenwood Elementary School, built in 1897 and housing 278 students in grades K-4.

At a cost between $15 and $16 million, the systems that need attention include roofing, HVAC, electrical distribution, plumbing, fire alarm system, technology and accessibility.

Wakefield, along with Melrose and Saugus, is one of 11 communities north of Boston that submitted proposed school projects but are not in the mix for the first wave of potential funding by the state School Building Authority. (Seven others did make the cut.) The authority categorized the projects submitted from these towns in the “hold” or “planning” stages, meaning that it may be a while before state money is available.

Following a Dec. 20 walk through at the school with representatives from the school and finance committees, principal Deborah Collura, Superintendent Joan Landers and the candidates for state representative, state Sen. Richard Tisei wrote a letter to the Massachusetts School Building Authority executive director Katherine Craven asking the authority to release state funds to pay for renovations and an addition to the Greenwood.

Thought Wakefield High was in bad shape? Read what Greenwood's like.

Although the building itself is structurally sound, Tisei noted that “teachers and administrators are trying to educate 21sth century students in a 19th century facility that was constructed 111 years ago and does not conform to today’s educational standards.”

“Climate control is a major problem,” Tisei wrote. “During the winter months, the heat must constantly be turned off and on throughout the day for proper temperature regulation, leaving some classrooms very cold and others extremely warm, and creating uncomfortable conditions for both students and teachers that are not conducive to learning.”

The Cost of High School

Excerpted from Guaranteed A+ Plus Learning System:

"Let's about money once more. At first glance, high school seems to be "FREE" if you attend a public school. However, the old adage is true: "There is no such thing as free lunch." What you may perceive is a "free" education actually costs a big chunk of tax money from your parents. In fact, in most recent data available (year 2002-03), the United States spent $388 billion dollars on all students in public elementary, middle, and high schools. It may be hard to imagine such a big number as 388,000,000,000 dollars and see what it really means. There are 48.2 million students in the United States. So, if we do the math, the average cost of one year of your public education in high school is approximately $8049.79. In hourly terms, you end up paying $7-8 per hour of class...The average cost of one day of your high school experience is about $50.

The purpose of that passage is to convince students to get motivated and attend class or else they are throwing away money. Up until the ninth grade, I always thought that public school was truly free. In fact, a lot of high school age kids still probably think that school is free. If you are one of those kids and if you just read this post, you should now have a better understanding of how things work.

The Teacher Controversy

I've been sifting through the Wakefield Item lately only to read a bunch of articles in the opinion section of the paper regarding what seems to be teachers' salaries. Many of the letters that are published are actually very funny. Selectman Phyllis Hull's writing contains very obvious anti-union themes. Hull, if I am reading her letters correctly, believes that teachers should not be parents or baby sitters. In other words, she doesn't think that they should help out in after school activities. If they dare help out after school (oh no!) that may mean that they deserve more money (oh no!). All hell will break loose and taxpayers will have to pay even more in taxes (oh no!). The teachers, Ms. Marsh and Mr. Brennan just to name two, have spoken out against Hull. Obviously. They are trying to convince her that their day doesn't end at 2:05 pm. And it doesn't. Teachers have stacks of papers to correct and many teachers also help out with extra curricular activities (oh no!). I think that Hull said in one of her letters that the salary of teachers should be merit based. Teachers getting paid the same amount of money (oh no!) sounds a lot like socialism to me. I know that many teachers have jobs on the side which serve as adjuncts to their base teaching salary. If these teachers want a higher teaching salary, they should go to school for a Master's and other certifications. Another part of me thinks that teachers do deserve to be paid more simply because they are instructing others (and preparing them to earn a good salary).

One fellow on answerbag.com brings up a some what intriguing point:

I don't believe that public school teachers are underpaid. I base this upon a comparison between my pay and my sister's pay. I am an Accounting Manager, with a bachelor's degree and fourteen years experience in my field. She is a high school Math Teacher with a bachelors degree and 10 years experience in her field. I work an average of 240 days per year, and she works an average of 180 days a year. I usually work 9 hours a day, and at certain times of the month/year work 10 to 12 hours a day. She usually works 8 hours a day including prep time at home. Based on this, I estimate that I work about 2400 hours a year. She works about 1440 hours a year. As a result, her hourly wage scale works out to be about $6.00 an hour more than mine. In addition, she rarely has to work nights, never has to work weekends, gets the entire summer off, gets a week off in February, gets a week off in April, gets 10 days off at Christmas, gets 4 days off at Thanksgiving and never has to work a holiday. The last time she complained to me about how much more people in the private sector were making, I did this calculation for her. I haven't heard her complain since then.

In addition, since the majority of teachers are paid with tax money, higher pay for teachers means higher taxes for the general public. I am pretty liberal, but I still would think twice about voting to increase my tax burden so a teacher who makes $6.00 per hour more than me could get a raise.