Chanting their version of a Randy Newman tune the JG is still singing "Don't want no charter schools 'round here". Naturally they're opposed to making empty schools like Elmhurst available to charters because it would draw money from FWCS. It especially galls them that the charter might be run by a for profit company like Imagine. So what's the problem? If Imagine fails it will go out of business and disappear. FWCS has failed south of Coliseum but there's virtually no way to make them disappear.
We no longer have an academically viable public high school on this side of town. SSHS, NSHS and Wayne can't be fixed by this district. In the words of Abilgail and Stephan Thernstrom in "No Excuses", union dominated public districts "can't solve the problem because they are they problem". Fixing them will require a state takeover and/or competition which will force changes or put them out of business. Otherwise they will only preserve the status quo for the benefit of district employees.
At the end Ms. Frisco says Mitch's proposal will put a "long term burden on the taxpayers". When did the JG suddenly become sympathetic to the plight of the taxpayers? What is this long term burden assertion based on? Nothing more than the need to fill in some space at the end of the editorial. The ultimate burden on the taxpayers is the 50% of the kids coming out of FWCS high schools with an eighth grade education.
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17 comments:
Ms. Frisco's comment that if a school board decides to close a school,"it's usually because enrollment has dropped or the building requires too much work to make an investment worthwhile", just doesn't apply to the Elmhurst or Pleasent Center closings. They were closed because of the board and administration using tax funds to pay for non-educational items like bus trips running kids all over town or hiring teachers to be academic coaches to remediate supposed veteran teachers (that can't be fired for failure to perform effectively because of an unnecessary union)instead of paying for the necessary educational system.
Some of us are all for providing the additional competition for our failing school system so that it HAS to improve itself! And we believe that Governor Daniels has the right idea about these "already-paid-for" facilities! We also believe that our resent FWCS board and administration is the "long-term burden to taxpayers" that should be corrected on election days in the very near future!
John B. Kalb
John,
I read your comment and I am very disappointed that you have bought into Wendy Robinson's propaganda in regards to the hiring of academic coaches. Do you really believe that Wendy hired these "coaches" to remediate veteran teachers? In many cases these "coaches" are no better, and probably worse, than the teachers that they are suppose to be helping. This is another huge waste of money, but for some reason people are not complaining about this. I also love how you pile on the union. Don't you understand that the union has no power and that Wendy is pulling all the stings. Quit blaming the weak union and start putting the blame on Wendy's shoulders where it belongs
Vernon-
Sorry but I didn't read anything into John's comment that he bought into Wendy's propaganda. And I'm confused by your statement that the union is powerless. It seems like their primary concern is keeping her in her job. All the candidates the union supported in the last election were Wnedy loyalist. When I interviewd with the union Al Jaquay wanted to be sure I didn't have it in for her.
Code Blue,
You know as well as I do that Wendy is the major problem with FWCS today and not the vast majority of teachers. Hiring "coaches" was nothing more than a huge waste of money. The problem with the union is that it is controlled by Wendy Robinson. That is what I am trying to get people to understand. End social promotion, establish a large school to house the students that don't want to learn and insist on making sure other students cannot as well, and stop allowing parents to have a free ride. Am I asking to much.
Spencer - I have been working with FWCS teachers 3 days a week as a volunteer in classrooms - I agree that the teachers are not the major problem. IMHO, the major problems lie with:
1) The teacher's union
2) The School Board
3) Non-involved parents &
4) The administration, including Wendy Robinson
John-
Agreed, the way teachers do their job is not the main problem. But their collective support for a union which resists change and defends the worst of them is a major problem.
Ok...I know that I have been away for awhile and keeping out of the argument as the newspaper has either had Frisco working on something else or she has been out on medical (mental help) leave as she has left the Charters alone for quite awhile. Most of these comments miss the mark on Code Blues article on the Gov wanting the abandoned schools sold to charters if they want them. I would want the abandoned school in my neighborhood being used rather than sitting empty. Wouldn't you? I am quite sure that Frisco and her BFF Wendy are concerned about the newest charter possibilty on Pontiac St. so we will be enlightened once again on the "horrors" of the Charter School System.
If I were her I would be a little bit more concerned as to why The JG and NS are becoming the same paper. Same stories and even using the same pictures? hmmm Which paper will get to stay and who will go?
The empty school buildings and what to do with them should not be the decision of Dr. Wendy and God forbid The Journal Gazette...the people than own them should be able to decide. That would be "us" the taxpayer's.
The Governor is citing the example of Gary, which has about 20 schools standing empty but is stalling on disposing of the buildings, probably for fear of seeing charters move in. They recently decided they had to keep the lights on at night in the empty buildings because they were being vandalized.
We'll be seeing more schools closed on this side of Fort Wayne in the coming years.
I’m not sure what the solution for our educational woes is. I know that public education has some major flaws that need addressed. I also believe that many of these flaws are due to a mandated system of standards and evaluation brought on by the federal government. Charter schools are entirely paid for with taxpayer money, but they get a pass on regulations and standards regular public schools must abide by. From what I understand in reading your blog, you think that given the freedom that the charter schools have, they’re a better bet for education. But I don’t think you’re factoring in the other side of that. While they may not be mandated to adhere to the same regulations that traditional public schools are, they are also under such lax oversight that they are plagued with issues such as mismanagement of funds, low test scores, high turn-over of staff, discrimination practices, questionable board practices, etc.
I agree that charter schools (if given a certain measure of oversight), may prove a worthy alternative to our traditional public school system, but to blindly support and throw tax payer money at any entity simply because it’s NOT a traditional public school is reckless. If you google “Imagine Schools” it doesn’t take long before you find stories about serious issues with the company. Many supporters of charter schools see Imagine Schools as a liability to the charter school movement.
I know your answer to this will be something along the lines of “competition takes care of itself, if Imagine doesn’t produce it won’t be around for long.” You’re unhappy with the traditional public school system. How long has it been around for? And what kind of damage can be done before the Imagine house of cards comes tumbling down?
-Jennifer
Jennifer=
I agree it makes no more sense to throw money at failing charter schools than to throw it at failing goverment run schools. But there are successful charter schools like the KIPP schools that are truly a viable alternative. Unfortunately, Imagine is the only game in town right now, and so far I have not been impressed with them either. Academically they are currently no better than FWCS, although I think they will prove to be more cost effective.
I think the traditional public schools that I went to were doomed when teachers unionized. They were already resistant to change, but when they added union contracts to legislative restrictions there was no way urban schools could adapt to changing demographics.
Urban district need to make some radical changes to succeed. If they can't adapt, we need to start working to minimize the damage to our wallets. The spending per student has doubled in the last three decades (adjusted for inflation) but we have nothing to show for it. That suggests we can cut it in half without detrimental effects on academics.
I am assuming that Jennifer worked at the Imagine Master Academy...sounds like the Jennifer that is taking them to court? Maybe not...everyone needs to keep in mind that the low test scores such as ISTEP at Imagine are the kids that FWCS doesn't want. Their test scores would have affected the scores at FWCS as well. NWEA scores are above average at Imagine. Let's face the facts that not everyone will agree with all of the issues and whenever you use tax payer dollars someone will always be upset. This does give the children and the parents a neighborhood school with the Imagine schools and choice is important.
Cold Blue,
Unions have hurt education, but I think the Federal takeover of education, the lack of family structure, and the flight of the middle class out of urban areas has hurt FWCS (and other urban school districts) more than anything else.
Spencer- True the changes in demographics have made it very difficult to succeed in urban districts. But union contracts have also made it even more difficult , even impossible, for traditional schools to adapt to a changing culture.
Without flexibility, urban schools can't work. But they will keep saying they can't succeed because of a lack of money, even though more money has never been the answer up to now. If they want to continue the way they are, fine, they will eventually become irrelevant. But in the meanwhile they will also continue to piss away our tax money.
Code Blue,
What urban schools need is discipline and we both know that this is a dirty word in education.
Discipline is a dirty word in FWCS! There are other schools within Allen County where there is discipline. And in the southern states, they still utilize the belt with students.
That is why East Allen County Schools refused to sell the old Village Woods site to a charter school. The charter would be competitive and draw away students. I agree with Mitch; why should a facility that has already been paid for by taxpayers be sold to another government entity? That means that taxpayers are buying the facility twice.
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