We're getting closer to the truth.....

Six years ago, when the district was floating its $500MM bond issue, I went to a board meeting and told them the amount was excessive and if they persisted there would be a remonstrance. I told them that the remonstrance would also provide an opportunity to reveal what was going on in the district's classrooms which bears no resemblance to the happy talk in the board room. The talk did no good. The bond issue failed but unfortunately no significant changes resulted toward academic progress until the state threatened to start taking over their schools.

The last project was Wendy's roundabout way of trying once again to get the buildings air conditioned. Today the JG wrote that it will add air conditioning to 13 buildings, not "replace cooling systems" in 13 buildings that don't have AC as the district says on its website summaries. Of course the JG does not say that about $110 million of the project total is for HVAC and chillers. So in case you missed Krista Stockman babbling on "Midday Matters" last summer, it's still largely about air conditioning. The district claims that AC is being added because heating systems need to be replaced anyway but it could just as well be that they have to replace heating systems to allow the addition of AC. We have to take their word for it and admittedly I, personally, believe nothing they say.

They're in this situation because for over twenty years they've diverted $200 million of capital funds to "racial balance". They did that because funding racial balance was supposed to be "tax neutral". Obviously the "tax neutral" bill has come due. Without that diversion they could have done all of this on a pay as you go basis with no bond issue, no bond interest and no questions asked. And despite having no quantifiable academic benefit to show for it, they continue to do it.
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Don't let anyone tell you how to vote, least of all our newspaper editors. They're slanted and/or ignorant just as they are when endorsing candidates for office. Which ever way you vote just make sure you know what you're voting for. Plus this time it's a secret ballot so Bill Sweet can't go look at petitions to see how you voted.

An all boys SE charter school

Former SSHS (and Wayne) principal Thomas Smith has received approval from Grace College for an all boys charter school in SE Fort Wayne. As principal of SSHS and before that Miami middle school, Mr. Smith is fully aware of the difficulty in educating young black males. He is probably on the right track with an all boys school, since recent studies suggest they help boys do significantly better academically.

Of course Ms. Frisco at the JG objects to the religious connection with grace College. Then she questions if Mr. smith has the experience for such a venture. A decade as principal of SSHS apparently is not good enough for Ms. Frisco. What she's really questioning without saying so is Mr. Smith's competence. Funny she never questioned that while he was working for Wendy and SSHS (and all the other FWCS high schools) was going down the road to a state takeover. Actually she's opposed to anything except more of the same as FWCS

I had several conversations with Mr. Smith when I tutored at SSHS. My take, and his as well, was that he could do very little when he had no control over the kids he got (socially promoted) from the middle schools. He was well liked by the students and the teachers, many of whom tried to follow him to Wayne. He will have an opportunity to prove his administrative abilities with this charter school and we should all hope he succeeds where FWCS has failed.

Same thing in the land of cotton

Reading the papers during our winter stay in Bluffton, SC, it seemed like the only thing different surrounding the public schools was the scenery. In Bluffton and Hilton Head Island across the intracoastal canal the public schools are 60% black and Hispanic and "minority" passing rates on their state tests are around 40%. Business groups on the island are setting up learning centers to give kids access to technology and tutoring outside normal school hours. A good idea but probably way short of what's needed.

Four years ago Bluffton won a referendum for a new $150MM school complex. About 15% of registered voters showed up and it passed by less than 100 votes. Residents of the nearby SUN CITY, who were previously concerned only about their two overcrowded golf courses and maintenance fees are now complaining about their property taxes. Elections have consequences even if you don't vote. Improved test scores, unfortunately, were not a consequence.

Thirty minutes up the road in scenic Beaufort (setting for The Big Chill) the high school principal was forced to resign for altering 200 grades of 33 students. He explained he was trying to inspire unmotivated students to graduate and thought education was about nurturing and not testing. Changing grades was OK as long as he followed the prescribed procedure but he didn't, breaking the law, and giving the board no choice. Many students and parents were outraged that a "good guy" had to step down. Others wondered about the integrity of the whole system, calling it "academically bankrupt".

Over in Atlanta, they're still dealing with the aftermath of a cheating scandal. Eigth grade passing rates had risen by 14% over seven years under superintendent Beverely Hall. That's an average of 2% a year. After Ms Hall retired in 2009, investigative reporter Heather Vogell of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, questioning some of the numbers, got a statistician to examine the data. That led to an investigation which uncovered widespread, organized cheating by principals and (over 200) teachers who still haven't been fired.

Here in Indiana ISTEP+ scores jumped 5% statewide (6% in FWCS) when the state switched to spring testing two years ago. If 2% average increases are unrealistic, what does that say about a 6% jump at FWCS in one year. Lacking any investigative reporting into the difficulty of the new tests, it says we need to pop out the champagne, like Wendy and GiaQuinta did. And since Ms. Hall had received national recognition as superintendent of the year (Arne Duncan was extremely disppointed), nominate Wendy for superintendent of the century and give her a big raise.

Record graduation rates in record recession

What do the record high school graduation rates mean? Simply that more kids are staying in high school for four years. When unemployment especially youth unemployment is at record levels, what other options does a teenager have? Lack of jobs is also a major factor pushing up college enrollment. It's a way to postpone job hunting until the economy improves and perhaps improving one's prospects with a degree.

Higher graduation rates do not, unfortunately translate into a better educated workforce. Sitting in a classroom is not necessarily the same as getting an education. Yes, students take standardized tests in English and math early on in high school but they are not required to pass them to "graduate". They can graduate with a "waiver" and receive a diploma for sticking it out for four years. Or as Wendy put it a few years ago, "the tests are not an issue" keeping kids from graduating. In other words, any kid who doesn't drop out is guaranteed a diploma. The typical 50% remediation rate for college freshmen show what has happened to the value of that diploma.

All other things being equal, the higher graduation rates would be a good sign. But we'll have to see what happens when the economy recovers to see if the trend is real.

Ms. Frisco attacks Urban League charter school

Might as well attack the NAACP while you're at it Karen. If you're not careful what you say, someone might try to paint you as a racist. Weren't you part of the "silent minority" at one of the meetings?

Having replenished her venom from recent attacks on Brown Mackie and Imagine Schools before that, FWCS' fanged mouthpiece today went after the new charter school legislation and the new Thurgood Marshall Academy in particular. Among the highlights of her piece are the following gems with a translation:

The legislation creates unhealthy competition - government run monopolies including failing urban school districts are good and have to be preserved forever while privately run schools are bad. Any which make a profit are unconscionable. As Reagan said, the closest thing to immortality on earth is a government bureaucracy.

Legislation undermines local authority and the "ludicrous" suggestion of a state board member that those who didn't speak at the public hearing were a "silent majority" - Well perhaps. The only people who spoke at the meeting were the "local authorities" including FWCS board president Mark GiaQuinta, a Chevy salesman who drives Toyotas. He along with Wendy and other board members have been favoring us with ludicrous drivel for years. None of their drivel has EVER elicited any criticism from Ms. Frisco.

There is a direct connection between closing of Elmhurst, Pleasant Center and Monroeville and the opening of dozens of untried charters - Dozens? Please! Thurgood Marshall is a result of the closing of Harding in EACS. Harding was actually doing the same academically as the FWCS high schools south of Coliseum. It would also have escaped a state takeover. Why it took SE Ft. Wayne parents so long to wake up to the Harding fiasco is a mystery. I asked that question at one of the meetings but didn't get a good answer. But it's the same with the fiasco at FWCS.

As far as other charters, it's the chicken and the egg question.

Troubling baggage with American Quality Charter schools - perhaps. But then FWCS has a ton of baggage as well. It's just that Ms. Frisco has NEVER expounded on that. You don't rock a sinking boat.

Legislation was passed under the guise oYf the mantle of parental choice - Karen doesn't think this is a good idea unless "parents are capable of making the best choice". In other words they are incapable of making the best choice.

Karen, if you want to do the taxpayers a real service, go back to that $119MM project and give us the details that FWCS refuses to disclose for fear of losing votes on the referendum. Show us that transparency reigns at the JG, if not at FWCS.

Happy New Year!

State board approves SE charter school

The Thurgood Marshall Academy charter school proposed by the Urban League was unanimously approved by the state charter school board yesterday. FWCS board president Mark GiaQuinta predicted the school would ultimately fail because FWCS has a "better product" and those in charge of the new school "don't have a clue" how to run a school. Maybe he should wait until we see what the Thurgood Marshall "product" looks like before pronouncing the FWCS product better. Most of the FWCS board doesn't have a clue about how to run a school either. They don't have a clue about what goes on in a classroom. That's what determines the quality of a school, not what the Superintendent tells them.

We'll see. The first, key task will be to hire a principal. Then find a building with suitable "infrasructure" (air conditioning). Then, fortunately, parents will ultimately decide on the quality of the product. Not GiaQuinta.

In related developments FWCS has been sued to stop the transfer of the former Pleasant Center building to the Airport Authority. The building is supposed to be kept available for charters for four years. Apparently the Tomothy Johson Academy had expressed an interest. Nice try though, Wendy. And the voucher lawsuit had another day in court with a decision promised in thirty days. Nate Snellenberger, president of the the ISTA, whose mission is to preserve the separation of church and state, said they would take it to the Indiana Supreme Court if necessary.

What do we want? hvAC!!...and some other stuff.

Last night the board held the mandatory public hearing and voted unanimously to put a $119MM bond issue on the ballot in May. Well, actually, they only voted on the amount. Nothing was said about how it would get on the ballot. If you haven't been to a public hearing, that's where the public hears the board pontificate and then the board doesn't hear the public pontificate. Watching it on TV, it looked like the attendance was sparse. Only three members of the public spoke which was followed by a roll call vote. Much better than the circus Wendy orchestrated at Anthis last time. No bands or balloons either.

Each board member gave a brief explanation of their vote except of course GiaQuinta, who weighed in from the center of the podium sitting behind a banner with a big "A" on it. The mute button came in handy at that point. Then it was just his lips moving.

We're still waiting for more transparency in the details on the building breakouts. Don't hold your breath. They're probably thinking if voters see "AC" anywhere in there, it won't pass.

Later two administrators came in and were asked by GiaQuinta to report on the Thurgood Marshall charter school hearing they had just left. They gleefully related that a lot of the "Public" had expressed opposition to the new school. It later turned out that the "Public" who objected consisted mostly of EACS and FWCS officials, including GiaQuinta himself. How clever is that?