--============_-1241232485==_ma============
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed"
Karen Collier of Linden Hills posted on Friday:
"I have to say that I am against the (referendum) on schools.
Unless it has completely slipped by me, I have not seen any evidence
that school test scores have improved and that students
are any better off."
Actually, overall test scores are up. For more detailed
information, check out the web site:
http://www.mpls.k12.mn.us/district/referendum_update.shtml
If you just look at the test scores in the newspaper and
watch the news on TV, you could easily think the schools are a
disaster. Our poorer students and new immigrants are struggling--as
they do everywhere, suburb or city, public or private--we just have a
much higher concentation of these students than those other places.
In Minneapolis, middle-class kids in Linden Hills and similar
neighborhoods are testing as high if not higher than their
counterparts in Edina, Minnetonka and so forth.
One thing that continually amazes and frustrates me is the
difference between public perception and reality when it come to
public schools. It's stark and dramatic.
I live in Karen Collier's neighorhood. Last night, I was in
her neighborhood school, Lake Harriet (formerly Fulton, now combined
with Audubon for a K-8 program on two campuses). It 's gorgeous, the
teachers are top-notch and the curriculum is amazing. We were
listening to the presentation on the new math curriculum and my
husband and I came away thrilled. Minneapolis is using some of the
toughest, most innovative curriculum around---we'd match it against
anything being used in any private school and my husband teaches in a
vey good private school.
Are the students better off from low class size? Are you
kidding?!?!?!? The difference between 19 kids per class in grades K-2
and 29 is huge. Ditto for 25 kids in the older grades and 35 kids.
The referendum is the single, smartest tax I pay, the one that gives
me the most bang for my buck--and I'd say that even if I didn't have
kids. Because it allows teachers to do their job and really teach
kids--which has plenty of direct and indirect effects on us all.
Small class size is the single, most effective way to improve
education. It's not trendy. It's not idealogical. It's not phonics
versus whole language. It's just common sense., Which is why both
Democrats, Republicans and Independents are calling for small class
size around the county If we have small classes, we don't need a
zillion extra specialists running around, trying to support the
teachers.
Minneapolis public schools are on the right track--why pull
the rug out of a public resource whose future is looking up?
So here's why would I vote for this extra tax even if I
didn't have kids? Pure self-interest.
1) Property values. Let's review that basic real estate math:
a nice house + a safe street + good public schools = a great return
on what is for most of us, our single biggest investment. If the
referendum fails and we zoom up to 35 kids in a classroom, most
families with chidren will be hunting in the 'burbs. Sure you'd still
have single professionals, childless couples and colorful drag
queens, but unfortunately not enough to create a hot seller's market.
2) Quality of Life--overall city vesion. I've lived in New
York, Detroit, Washington, D.C. and a bunch of points in between.You
wanna see big-time middle-class flight? It's pretty easy. Just ruin
the schools. Once the middle class takes off, they are awfully hard
to lure back. And then slowly--or very quickly--the city becomes
almostly completely poor. I've lived with this up close and personal.
It ain't pretty. And it's surprisingly easy to set it in motion.
3) Quality of Life--Take II. In Linden Hills, if the schools
go bad, the property values will stagnate and eventually decline. And
we lose a terrific way of forming community. If everyone's going to
private schools, the kids scatter in a dozen directions. We now have
a neighborhood school (this Lake Harriet school is already enormously
popular) again and we're just beginning to see what it looks like
when most of the kids on the block go to the same school. It's pretty
wonderful. It's pretty old-fashioned. And it works. If you live in
Linden Hills, you basically have a great K-12 education, all within a
walk or a bike-ride away. Talk about quality of life!
4) Long-term economic growth. These short people are going to
be looking for jobs and running the infrastructure pretty soon. A
good school system really is an investment in the economic future of
a city.
So forget the kids. On Nov. 7th, just think of yourself and
your self-interest. And vote yes.
Lynnell Mickelsen
Linden Hills.
--
--============_-1241232485==_ma============
Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii"
<!doctype html public "-//W3C//DTD W3 HTML//EN">
<html><head><style type="text/css"><!--
blockquote, dl, ul, ol, li { margin-top: 0 ; margin-bottom: 0 }
--></style><title></title></head><body>
<div><x-tab> </x-tab></div>
<div><x-tab> </x-tab>Karen
Collier of Linden Hills posted on Friday:</div>
<div> <x-tab>
</x-tab>"I have to say that I am against the (referendum) on
schools. Unless it has completely slipped by me, I have not seen any
evidence that school test scores have improved and that students</div>
<div>are any better off."</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><x-tab>
</x-tab>Actually, overall test scores are up. For more detailed
information, check out the web site:
http://www.mpls.k12.mn.us/district/refer<span
></span>endum_update.shtml</div>
<div><x-tab> </x-tab>If you
just look at the test scores in the newspaper and watch the news on
TV, you could easily think the schools are a disaster. Our poorer
students and new immigrants are struggling--as they do everywhere,
suburb or city, public or private--we just have a much higher
concentation of these students than those other places. In
Minneapolis, middle-class kids in Linden Hills and similar
neighborhoods are testing as high if not higher than their
counterparts in Edina, Minnetonka and so forth.</div>
<div><x-tab> </x-tab>One
thing that continually amazes and frustrates me is the difference
between public perception and reality when it come to public
schools. It's stark and dramatic.</div>
<div> <x-tab> </x-tab>I live
in Karen Collier's neighorhood. Last night, I was in her neighborhood
school, Lake Harriet (formerly Fulton, now combined with Audubon for
a K-8 program on two campuses). It 's gorgeous, the teachers are
top-notch and the curriculum is<u><b> amazing.</b></u> We were
listening to the presentation on the new math curriculum and my
husband and I came away thrilled. Minneapolis is using some of the
toughest, most innovative curriculum around---we'd match it against
anything being used in any private school and my husband teaches in a
vey good private school.</div>
<div><x-tab> </x-tab>Are
the students better off from low class size? Are you kidding?!?!?!?
The difference between 19 kids per class in grades K-2 and 29 is
huge. Ditto for 25 kids in the older grades and 35 kids.<u><b> The
referendum is the single, smartest tax I pay, the one that gives me
the most bang for my buck--and I'd say that even if I didn't have
kids.</b></u><b> </b> Because it allows teachers to do their job
and really teach kids--which has plenty of direct and indirect
effects on us all.</div>
<div><x-tab> </x-tab>Small
class size is the single, most effective way to improve education.
It's not trendy. It's not idealogical. It's not phonics versus
whole language. It's just common sense., Which is why both Democrats,
Republicans and Independents are calling for small class size around
the county If we have small classes, we don't need a zillion extra
specialists running around, trying to support the teachers.</div>
<div><x-tab>
</x-tab>Minneapolis public schools are on the right track--why pull
the rug out of a public resource whose future is looking up?</div>
<div><x-tab> </x-tab>So
here's why would I vote for this extra tax even if I didn't have
kids? Pure self-interest.</div>
<div><x-tab> </x-tab>1)
Property values. Let's review that basic real estate math: a nice
house + a safe street + good public schools = a great return on what
is for most of us, our single biggest investment. If the referendum
fails and we zoom up to 35 kids in a classroom, most families with
chidren will be hunting in the 'burbs. Sure you'd still have single
professionals, childless couples and colorful drag queens, but
unfortunately not enough to create a hot seller's market.</div>
<div><x-tab> </x-tab>2)
Quality of Life--overall city vesion. I've lived in New York,
Detroit, Washington, D.C. and a bunch of points in between.You wanna
see big-time middle-class flight? It's pretty easy. Just ruin the
schools. Once the middle class takes off, they are awfully hard
to lure back. And then slowly--or very quickly--the city becomes
almostly completely poor. I've lived with this up close and personal.
It ain't pretty. And it's surprisingly easy to set it in motion.</div>
<div><x-tab> </x-tab>3)
Quality of Life--Take II. In Linden Hills, if the schools go bad, the
property values will stagnate and eventually decline. And we lose a
terrific way of forming community. If everyone's going to private
schools, the kids scatter in a dozen directions. We now have a
neighborhood school (this Lake Harriet school is already enormously
popular) again and we're just beginning to see what it looks like
when most of the kids on the block go to the same school. It's pretty
wonderful. It's pretty old-fashioned. And it works. If you live
in Linden Hills, you basically have a great K-12 education, all
within a walk or a bike-ride away. Talk about quality of life!</div>
<div><x-tab> </x-tab>4)
Long-term economic growth. These short people are going to be looking
for jobs and running the infrastructure pretty soon. A good school
system really is an investment in the economic future of a city.</div>
<div><x-tab> </x-tab>So
forget the kids. On Nov. 7th, just think of yourself and your
self-interest. And vote yes.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><x-tab>
</x-tab>Lynnell Mickelsen</div>
<div><x-tab> </x-tab>Linden
Hills.</div>
<div>-- <br>
</div>
</body>
</html>
--============_-1241232485==_ma============--
