The JG reported that Pres. Obama may use FWCS as an example of a "high performance" school district with budget constraints that have prevented them from fixing/remodeling their aging buildings. "High performance"? Well, whatever that means, if Obama and Mark GiaQuinta say so it must be true.
Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan actually do deserve some credit in education reform. The "Race to the Top" initiative led to the revision of laws on teacher seniority, teacher evaluations and charter schools in many states, including Indiana, reforms that were panned by the GiaQuinta brothers. Proposing those reforms took some courage considering teachers' unions were Obama's biggest campaign contributors. In fact, Arne Duncan was honored with boos and jeers when he spoke about reforms at the National Education Association convention. That's the national teachers union that counts the ISTA and FWEA as affiliates. (I've only been booed by FWEA teachers at SSHS.) While we're doling out the credits we should include Tony Bennett, who held the gun to Wendy's and the FWEA's heads. Obama won't mention that.
GiaQuinta went on by whining about the age of Harrison Hill where he went to kindergarten and where I went to Jr High School before that. He might have added that Bishop Luers where he went to high school, didn't spend anything on it's building for fifty years. Somehow 90% of their kids pass the state tests every year. How does that compare to SSHS and NSHS where we spent $100 million? Oh yeah, they were almost converted to charter schools.
Whatever. The BS is never going to stop but if we can get money from the Feds, go for it.
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The persons you mention have not simply declared FWCS a high performance district. The State of Indiana has given FWCS an "A", because of the fact that they met state standards, the same standards for every district.
You mention Bishop Luers, but fail to add that BL has in recent years made exactly the same renovations proposed for some FWCS schools: they replaced all wall/window systems and added air conditioning.
You are correct about Bennett, he put some teeth and muscle into the IDE school expectations...but at the same time even you must acknowledge that SS and NS met those expectations. Not just "almost".
Code Blue, I respect your involvement but it seems that every time FWCS jumps over a bar, you want the bar set higher. Schools are simply collections of students and your SS and my Snider have very different demographics than when you and I attended. That doesn't mean a student can't get a very good education at either school...and some of that responsibility rests with the student.
Siesta-
Yes, they met the standards. Finally! But the constant hype we keep hearing doesn't mention that the changes had to be crammed down their throats. Without the IDE we would still be hearing the same excuses. So please just can the BS coming from the Canterbury parent.
As for the bar, it's being raised by NCLB and PL 221, not just by me.
"High performance" is relative. For our kids to have a chance in the future economy, the bar is going to have to go up to SAC levels. Is FWEA ready for that?
Yes, Luers spent a modest amount of money (I believe around $6/7MM) after fifty years to add air and better windows. And I didn't have a problem spending a modest amount on the FWCS buildings. But that's not what we got.
Yes, we got ZERO for buildings. So do I hear you right? You will support a modest building project to remodel FWCS buildings similar to what was done at BL?
As I have said before, you deserve some credit for refocusing FWCS on academics, not buildings. So whether it was crammed or not, the academics are being addressed, despite a very different demographic than BL...so are we now OK to include a focus on buildings?
What are SAC levels?
Should people believe what is written in the JG?
Siesta-
I would have applauded the increased passing rates if they had happened as a result of voluntary changes initiated by the district itself eight years ago. But the district culture didn't want to hear it until they were forced to listen by the IDE. I deserve no credit for anything. They listened to no one except themselves (and "like minded" supporters as you put it). They presented a different PR face after the remonstrance but they were still unwilling to make difficult choices. To keep improving the culture has to change. The way the increases came about indicates the culture is the same and the praise is undeserved.
I agree some money needs to be spent to fix what's broken although the district is aggravating their problem by clinging to their racial balance program and diverting money from the capital fund. Both issues need to be aired out.
I'll just have wait and see what's in the scope.
Siesta
For the record Evert was on board for spending a "modest" amount on our building programs. The night of the vote Evert, Lockwood, Mark, myself, and Steve were on board with dropping the bonding amount to $350 million. Had we done so Evert and Lockwood would not have supported a remonstrance and we would have likely won if there was one.
But Wendy was greedy. She got to weak minded board members like Pamela Martin Diaz and we could not get the votes to drop the amount from Wendy's 1/2 billion dollar boondoggle.
So yes...we got zero for the schools… because of the Superintendant’s greed.
Jon - I agreed to go away for $350million because I didn't want to do a remonstrance, not because I thought that number was justified. I didn't think it was.
But that was then and this is now. Now we have tax caps and referendums. A bad economy with many foreclosures and many more people who can't afford higher taxes. But foreclosures were were already up 50% (above historical levels) last time and it didn't stop her.
In my opinion she didn't want to settle for $350MM because that would have been an admisssion that it was enough and if she could get $500MM she could have gone for another $500MM later.
Siesta - Sorry but in a nutshell I just don't trust Wendy or any of her like minded board members. The line will now be that they're entitled to a building project because they turned the academics (passing rates) around practically overnight. That's just not possible, not even in the business world, or GM and Chrysler wouldn't have gone into Chapter 11.
As Tony Bennett said the other night we have liftoff. But it will take years to get to the moon assuming they can stay on course. All of our high schools were on probation but now they act like all that never happened, perhaps because they just forgot to mention it.
I agree 350 was not (and still isn't) justified, but it was better than 1/2 billion. At the time I wasn't 100% sure we would win the remonstrance and a compromise was better than a gamble on 1/2 billion.
The last project was really about air conditioning. The board voted that down twice so she conceived the grand project to cover it. Then she (and Sweet) got area contractors and FWEA to come up with $50K to elect the weak minded board members Jon mentioned, who voted for it. And got the taxpayers to pay $450K for the sales job. Pretty slick.
It might have been pretty slick on her part but she lost...and we both know whose side I was on. I had heard about that 350K compromise and FWCS is a loser because of the greed that you mention. And I agree it was about AC because I was there in the meetings.
But all that is history...the voting public will probably get a second chance to decide on what I hope is a much more modest project...based on needs not wants.
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