[Mpls] I love the Monte

[Annie Young]

I had my campaign volunteer party a couple of Sunday's ago in the back room
of the Monte Carlo because I wanted to start putting the tints of "green"on
the walls, mirrors and upholstery of the Monte Carlo.  Many, many political
aspirations, hopes dreams, failures and excrucating horrors have come out
the minds of the people that go to the Monte Carlo.  I think it only
appropriate that our 800 person group show a commitment and dedication to
the fact that there was politics and operating government long before us and
there will be long after us many more stories and memories of our
Minneapolis politics and we are just part of the story, and right now,
making history (as they say).
You don't have to eat meat there ( they have some wondereful salads), Sunday
brunch is family style all you can eat (oops, I forgot about all the church
goers), the bar rack is divine, bloody marys and martinis are the favorites,
and I really don't think the smoke has ever bothered me there (I don't like
smoke much anymore either!)
I think it would be cool for us to meet there and do our plotting for the
next four years.
It is pricey - but so is making history.
Annie Young
East Phillips


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Re: [Mpls] Lots of lakes AND one great river

[Annie Young]

Actually David Brauer did not make this statement.

Lots of employees, constiuents and commissioner said it all week long in the
"great" budget debates this week about theCity of Minneapolis.  Thank
goodness, clear minds prevailed and our agreements were alll kept and intact
by the time we left Thursday night.


However, Friday morning is the zoning vote on the Riverview about 9:30am.
When you see smoke rising from 26th and 27th in Seward neighborhood where I
will be working at one of my "regular" jobs (a consultant you know). Anyway,
it will be because the Upper River Falls plan will go up in dust - it will
certainly settle again and heaven knows what we will really get along the
northwest riverfront.  But as the old changes to the new, business is still
as usual and the City Council will change a code to the advantage of the
developer (it seems whenever possible).  You all know the story, you all
know the routine, and the citizens will be angry for a long time.  So be it!


Annie Young
A "pissed off" Minneapolis Park Board Commissioner about this whole
Riverveiw Supper Club debacle who really believed the Upper River Plan was
possible (and hope we can pick up the pieces in some way or another).
Living in East Phillips but trying to build an eco-city.



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[Mpls] School District COO & praise from the Star-tribune

[Gypsycurse7]

Comment on the Star-Tribune editorial of 13 December 2001, Minneapolis 
Schools: Jennings should serve district well.

The Star-Tribune expects Dave Jennings to "help the district weather 
challenging financial times" as chief operating officer, Jennings "...is well 
know and respected across political, business and community lines...[and] 
...has worked closely with the district to establish strict performance 
benchmarks and measure progress toward them."

Jenning's "unique insights about balancing business and education needs" are 
also valued by the Star-Tribune.  Presumably, the school district's job is to 
provide employers with workers who have just the right amount of education 
and the right kind of self-image and outlook.  The schools are preparing 
students to function in jobs and other roles for which their education 
prepares them.  Those are the goals to which the district's new 
accountability system is aligned.

And let's not forget that Jennings was also the CEO of the Minneapolis 
Chamber of Commerce, which provided some of seed money for the "better 
schools referendum" in 2000.  As COO, Jennings will no doubt use his 
industrial relations, public relations and marketing expertise to help the 
district administration sell its package of budget cuts to MPS employees and 
the larger school community.

Jennings is evidently not being picked for his expertise as a corporate COO, 
since his job experience in that area appears to be rather limited.  
Moreover, it seems that the district is already managing its finances pretty 
well.  According to the Star-tribune editorial, "A national group of school 
financial officials had awarded Minneapolis top honors for several years in a 
row, placing the district in the top 1 per cent of well managed schools 
nationally."

Can money be saved on administration costs?  Absolutely not!  "The 
Minneapolis district is not top heavy; it devotes 4 per cent of its budget to 
administrators -- well below the 10 per cent considered reasonable under most 
business models" says the Star-Tribune.

However, comparing the administrative costs of businesses, including private 
schools, to the administrative costs of a public school system is like 
comparing apples to oranges.  Administrative costs are generally much lower 
for public schools than for businesses. According to Berliner and Biddle, "In 
1990-1991 the average salary paid to central-office administrators and 
professional staff in the nation amounted to only 2.2% of school district 
operating budgets" [1995, Berliner, David C. & Biddle, Bruce J.; The 
Manufactured Crisis, page 81 // 1992, Robinson, Glen &  Brandon, David, 
Perceptions about American education: Are they based on facts? p. 17]. 

No confidence should be placed in the current board to resolve the current 
budget crisis without further weakening the public school system in 
Minneapolis.  The strategy of the current board, of attempting to "preserve 
excellence" for the few at the expense of the many should be rejected by the 
working class in Minneapolis.

-Doug Mann

Doug Mann for School Board

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Re: [Mpls] Land Trusts

[Gregory Luce]

Hey, a question for Cara and/or others:

It seems the biggest obstacle to establishing a CLT is the same that dogs any other 
housing proposal:  capital.  Where do you get the capital to purchase land, rehab a 
property, build a new one, etc.?  I suspect the same as anywhere else but would love 
to hear about how PRG/Seward and others involved in the Minneapolis effort are 
approaching this.

Also, commenting on myself:

Gregory Luce wrote:

I'll wager my most treasured knick knack that most families, in an incredibly tight 
market or in a distressed neighborhood (or both), would take affordability and 
ownership anyday over wealth-building through home equity, if that was the ultimate 
choice.
--

To whom shall I send my 1977 autograph of Muhammad Ali, signed on the back of my dad's 
personal check?
 
I think I should have said that most low-income families would take home-ownership 
sooner (through a CLT) than a fading hope for home-ownership later when the market or 
their circumstances may finally allow them to purchase.  Push comes to shove, I bet 
most folks would prefer outright traditional home-ownership with the potential to 
build more significant equity that way.  

Gregory Luce
North Phillips (work)

North Phillips Press is a publication of Project 504, 
a housing related neighborhood organization based in 
the Phillips neighborhood.
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Re: [Mpls] Land Trusts

[Gregory Luce]

First off, I have a bias because I am a huge fan of CLT's and hope to see them here 
soon.  It's actually interesting that CLT's haven't taken off here more quickly, 
leaving it to St. Paul to develop a very active and successful program (the Rondo 
Community Land Trust).

Barbara Lickness wrote:

> The way the land trusts are structured (at least as I
> understand it) seems to deny people the opportunity to
> accumulate much wealth through homeownership. A
> non-profit owns most of the equity in the property and
> the homeowner gets a little bit on their way out.  For
> many people, the only way they  accumulate any wealth
> at all is through their property values.

But that's the critical and important point of a community land trust-- perpetual 
affordability (at least about 99 years in most cases).  It's a tradeoff a family 
obviously makes in purchasing a land trust home, even though they can pass the home to 
heirs and others, so long as if anyone sells the home the CLT either purchases it back 
or it remains affordable.  I'll wager my most treasured knick knack that most 
families, in an incredibly tight market or in a distressed neighborhood (or both), 
would take affordability and ownership anyday over wealth-building through home 
equity, if that was the ultimate choice.

> Could we accomplish homeownership for low income
> people by simply buying down mortgages? A direct one
> time pay-out to bring the mortgage down to what the
> family could reasonably afford.  The family then owns
> the home and gets to keep the wealth they accumulate
> over the course of time. I am not sure what the rules
> are with the Habitat for Humanity houses. If the
> person who gets one of their houses sells it, do they
> get to keep all the equity?  Does someone out there
> know?

Sure, but then the buy-down amounts to a one-time subsidy that will guarantee 
affordability for one family just once-- a good example of this is Portland Place, the 
development involving Honeywell, PPL and others.  While initially affordable, many of 
the homes are no longer affordable.  CLT's offer the perpetual affordability that all 
programs (and I believe Habitat included) typically lack.

> The cost to administer mortgage subsidies would be far
> less than establishing some non-profit to own all this
> land, suck out a big fee to manage it all and leave
> the low income homeowners barely better off than when
> they moved in.

But in the best case, as in most CLT cases, the COMMUNITY owns the land, usually a 
member-based non-profit corporation (such as many NRP contracting groups, for 
instance).  While I am sure some CLT's could technically charge a "management" fee, I 
think most do not, and the CLT typically has no involvement in managing/overseeing the 
actual land (that's the homeowner's job). In the end, the low-income family owns a 
home, which is better off then moving from one rental to another in search of a 
permanent home.  

> The other option is to buy these houses, and make them
> the property of the Minneapolis Public Housing
> Authority.

The most critical difference is whether you want to centralize such a program outside 
of the community (MPHA) or keep it within the community (a land trust).  Besides, 
you're talking mostly about additional scattered-site rental housing, not additional 
homeownership.

> What about the low income people who don't want to own
> a house?  I met many of them when I was working to
> stabilize the Whittier coops.  They just don't want
> the responsibility of owning a home.  How does this
> plan address more affordable rental units?

Actually, a CLT is not a cookie-cutter approach and can be flexible enough to include 
multi-unit rental housing, co-ops, condos, etc., if that's what the community believes 
that it needs.  Underlying it all (both figuratively and literally) is community 
ownership of the land.  I'm excited by it, though cautious about how some communities 
may misuse the concept to create subtly restrictive housing options.

Gregory Luce
North Phillips (work)


North Phillips Press is a publication of Project 504, 
a housing related neighborhood organization based in 
the Phillips neighborhood.
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[Mpls] City Council adopts 11 percent levy

[List Manager]

Amount on Truth-in-taxation statements will drop; 2001's city election
winners and losers provide interesting tax-levy debate backdrop...

http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/897605.html

David Brauer
List manager


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[Mpls] Land Trusts

[Barbara Lickness]

I have a few comments, ideas, questions about the Land
Trust idea. 

The way the land trusts are structured (at least as I
understand it) seems to deny people the opportunity to
accumulate much wealth through homeownership. A
non-profit owns most of the equity in the property and
the homeowner gets a little bit on their way out.  For
many people, the only way they  accumulate any wealth
at all is through their property values.  

Could we accomplish homeownership for low income
people by simply buying down mortgages? A direct one
time pay-out to bring the mortgage down to what the
family could reasonably afford.  The family then owns
the home and gets to keep the wealth they accumulate
over the course of time. I am not sure what the rules
are with the Habitat for Humanity houses. If the
person who gets one of their houses sells it, do they
get to keep all the equity?  Does someone out there
know?

The cost to administer mortgage subsidies would be far
less than establishing some non-profit to own all this
land, suck out a big fee to manage it all and leave
the low income homeowners barely better off than when
they moved in.   

The other option is to buy these houses, and make them
the property of the Minneapolis Public Housing
Authority.  They already manage lots of scattered site
housing throughout the city and have the mechanism in
place to do it without creating yet another
bureaucratic structure to manage what appear to be a
parallel type of housing.  

What about the low income people who don't want to own
a house?  I met many of them when I was working to
stabilize the Whittier coops.  They just don't want
the responsibility of owning a home.  How does this
plan address more affordable rental units?  With
15,000 homeless people, I think we might be able to
provide the increased housing quicker by concentrating
on construction of more high density-mixed use
developments than trying to buy up 15,000 city lots. 

Not sure. Just throwing it out there for discussion. 

Barb Lickness
Whittier
  

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Re: [Mpls] Re: Multiple intelligences

[Michael Atherton]

"Garwood, Robin" wrote:

> Could we possibly all make an attempt to leave hyperbole, unproven
> aspersions, and unhelpful insults aimed at those with whom you disagree out
> of future posts to the best of our abilities?  I know I've dabbled in that,
> too, but it really just serves to cloud the discussions with unnecessary
> emotionality and defensiveness.
>
> Now that that's out of the way...

Ok, let's leave the hyperbole and unproven aspersions on the sidelines
and allow you to cite ONE large scale study published in a peer reviewed
(or even an unreviewed) journal that shows that teaching methods using
multiple intelligences has a positive impact on student achievement.

> I think the idea that people learn in different ways is nearly self-evident,
> an effective teaching practice, and has not been utilized as uniformly or
> religiously as Mr. Swift and Atherton would have us believe.

I didn't say that it had been utilized uniformly. I said that I don't
think that anyone can come out of a college of education without
knowing about these methods.

> My mother is a
> teacher in the St. Paul public school system, and uses these ideas to good
> effect in the classroom.  She is one of few teachers who subscribes to and
> practices the theory, and (perhaps coincidentally) is one of the better
> teachers in her school.

Testimonials are not strong evidence.

> Pamela is not supporting the theory of multiple learning styles in order to
> keep parents on the outside.  When I read her post, I see it as an
> expression of hope for a more personal teaching/learning paradigm.  A fairly
> dramatic shift from attempting to put round-children into square-hole
> curricula towards flexibility of teaching methods.

Chasing the golden educational bullet prevents the implementation
of reforms that will really help students.

> We wouldn't necessarily add to bureaucracy by training teachers to be more
> flexible to their students.

True, you wouldn't necessarily be adding to the bureaucracy, but you
would be cheating students out of effective instruction with another
popular fad.

> And as to "avoiding accountability through measurable means."  When I read
> this, I read "standardized testing."  I have little faith in the efficacy of
> testing, and disagree that we should make our decisions about schools based
> solely or mostly on their data.  Testing proves one thing beyond a doubt:
> the student's ability to take that particular test.  Unfortunately for this
> system, there are plenty of intelligent students who grasp the content and
> know how to learn who just don't test well.  My sister is among them.

We're not talking about your sister, we're talking about millions of students
across the country.  Even if you include all the students who perform poorly
on tests, effective teaching methods will show a huge effect if given to large
numbers of students. Education liberals don't like tests because their methods
don't have any effect on student achievement.  It really isn't that hard to design
simple tests to verify that students can read short passages and do simple math.

> To expect a teacher to be fluent in one type of learning and familiar with
> others is not some pie-in-the-sky notion, and not worth the pejorative cry
> of "expertism."

Sure it is reasonable to expect a teacher to be fluent in more than one type
of teaching method, IF (and only if) the methods can be shown to be effective.

> I think we could all agree that a math teacher should be
> fluent in the mathematical type of learner, and that a music teacher should
> be fluent in musical learning.  But what of the art kid in the math class?
> And the math kid in music?  The metro Arts high has, I understand, come up
> with fairly inventive and effective methods for teaching geometry to
> students who do not learn mathematically.  And the best sort of music
> teacher knows how to discuss music in its mathematical components-beats,
> steps, intervals-for the benefit of those who don't just "feel it."

Why is it such a great discovery that some students will be better at
some subjects than others.  Why does this fact require separate
"intelligences?"  Perhaps you could explain how one would go about
teaching a student with high intrapersonal intelligence mathematics.

> One last point.  Part of learning is teaching one's mind to be flexible.  To
> process information in different ways, to give oneself a toolkit of
> different methods for solving intellectual problems.  Kids need to learn at
> least a basic proficiency in most if not all of the forms of learning to be
> truly successful in and out of school.  Should we expect less of their
> teachers?  And why does the suggestion that the system and curriculum meet
> kids halfway meet with such resistance?

Because it's a waste of time and energy?

> It is, after all, easier to change
> an object's velocity in a non-destructive way when one works to match it
> than when one hits it at sixty miles per hour.

Re: [Mpls] Meet Natalie Johnson Lee by Dwight Hobbes in Pulse

[Eva Young]

Shawn, thank you for posting this article on Minneapolis Issues.  I've been
rolling on the floor laughing reading it.  

The article states:  

This ironic turn of events prompted a degree of fallout in predominantly
black North Minneapolis where the over-riding sentiment was that
Cherryhomes had ignored the public good for the sake of elitist, very
white, downtown corporate interests, and the perception is that Rev.
Randolph Staten and Bill English, lead figures respectively at CBC and
AALS, had ties to Cherryhomes’ political fate. Before you could say “Animal
Farm,” the fur was flying. As quoted in the Star Tribune, English
threatened to “bring legal action” if Lee continued to claim his
organization endorsed Cherryhomes in violation on its nonprofit status. 
==
EY:  

I think a recent City Pages article said more about the connections between
Bill English and Jackie Cherryhomes.  It's worth reading.  Go to
www.citypages.com and search on Bill English.  This whole thing reminds me
of Jackie Cherryhomes husband threatening list member David Strand with
litigation to get him to retract statements he made on the list about
Cherryhomes and her husband.  

Randy Staten embarrassed himself and the whole legislature when he was a
member be writing bad checks.  Now maybe he just should have waited until
he got in congress to do that.

Bill English has also been active in the DFL a long time.  He is known for
his virulently anti-gay views.  I remember getting a good laugh years ago
when he would pop off every once in a while with rather poignant blather
about the evils of those danged homosexuals (he used rather more colorful
language as I recall).  Then he throws his weight around threatening to sue
people for criticizing him and the Council of Black Churches.  

The article continues:  

At the Nov. 13 Insight News/KMOJ Public Policy Forum, there was an
accusation from the audience that English and Staten were “snakes” who
should’ve supported Lee whereupon a hollering ruckus ensued.

EY:  The real point to this is it seems that the opinions of Rev Statten
and Bill English don't seem to matter to many rank and file black voters.
Both of these guys might have very good reasons to have supported
Cherryhomes.  However what was odd about that was that both these guys
regularly exploit racial tensions to their advantage.  They also like to
sell themselves to idiotic non-African American politicians as
representatives of the Black community.  

The article continues:  
>To be sure, little love is lost in the matter of Lee versus Staten and
English. She feels they should have had her back or, at the very least,
seriously considered her viability as a candidate. “Not once,” says Lee,
“did they sit down and talk to me about my platform.” Staten was not
available for comment. Calls to English were not returned. 
EY:  Not surprised.  

The article continues:  
>Hardly much ado about nothing, this nonetheless is not proven to be
cataclysmic circumstance. Based on available information, the worst that
can be said is that these public figures are not on the same page.
Northside resident Anthony Porter comments, “It’s news just because
corporate media view black people as monolithic. It’s really a racist
notion that we’re all the same. That’s why when black people disagree it
gets in the paper. They expect all of us to think alike.”

EY:  Anthony Porter puts it well...

The article continues:  

>She reached communities at large and the general black community in
particular, addressing among other paramount concerns, the incidence of
racial profiling by police. Not having been identifiably in step with that
community puts a certain amount of egg on the faces of Staten and English:
both have vehemently spoken out on behalf of affordable housing and against
racial profiling, but neither, apparently, felt Lee was the one to get the
job done. They didn’t, as it were, back the right horse. It happens.

EY:  LOL -- and their political capitol is greatly diluted because of this.
 Somewhat in the same way Rick Stafford's political capitol as a major
power broker able to deliver gay votes was shown to be very weak.  

I'm wondering when both of these guys decide to switch to the Republican
Party. If they went over to the Sullivan campaign, they could probably
sell campaign manager and former GOP ED Tony Sutton on how "racist" the DFL
is, and how they are the ones who can deliver African American votes to the
Republican party.  Heck, Lucky Rosenbloom tried that tactic with his ward 9
race.  

Something missing in the Pulse article:  the big role the Property Rights
group played in the Johnson Lee - Cherryhomes race.  

Eva
Eva Young
Central

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[Mpls] Re: Mpls digest, Vol 1 #586 - 18 msgs

[ArthurTHimmelman]

Among the many positive observations that can be made about Natalie Johnson Lee's campaign and victory is that she has taken her place among those who are leaders in the African-American community, or in any community of color, and in the broader community as well.  Natalie's courage, intelligence, hard work, and respect for the diverse people of her community has also demonstrated that social justice can be a stronger force for change than more narrow, self-serving politics.  Those of us who applaud her must now work with her to ensure that her victory marks only the beginning of the transformation of existing power relations in Minneapolis.

Arthur T. Himmelman

Re: [Mpls] Re: Multiple intelligences

[Thomas Swift]

--- Pamela Taylor <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> The Downtown Inter-District School, of which the MPS
> is a part of, was engaging in this method.  It has
> been used in other parts of the country as a
> credible means of school reform.


Thank you for bringing this up Pamela. You're right;
there has indeed been ongoing experimentation with
this theory. Saint Paul public schools introduced "The
Discovery Method" in 1999 with the stated goal of
measuring multiple intelligences to identify gifted
and talented children for enrollment into Capitol Hill
Magnet School, which offered advanced academic
curriculum.

If the goal was truly identifying gifted and talented
children it was an unmitigated disaster. Teachers
quickly complained that the newly identified children
were in need of remedial, not advanced instruction.
Their inclusion was not only harmful to the advanced
students already present, but to the newcommers
themselves.

I personally spoke with screeners whose job it was to
employ these new methods. They reported that it was
impossible to objectivly make informed evaluations of
these kids.

But in fact, the goal was never to increase the
enrollment of gifted children; it was to increase the
enrollment of the "right sort" (based on
socio-ecomomic as well as ethnic criteria) of minority
children without regard to how gifted they actually
were.

The first documented use of this "technique" was as a
smoke screen and as such it works wonderfully. Such it
is, and such it remains.

> Multiple Intelligence would actually involve the
> parents more instead of putting them on the
> defensive.

Well, I agree that many angry and confused parents did
show up to a well reported school meeting to discuss
the failure of Discovery at Capitol Hill, but I doubt
that is the kind of involvement we should be courting.


> It would give our teachers more "expertise" to teach
> the subjects they are experts in.  Sort of like
> football practice.  In order to get to the Superbowl
> you use various plays and techniques within the game
> itself to create the winning team that gets there.

I'm sorry, but this analogy is completely and utterly
specious. Can you identify any football teams that use
a players talents for anything that does not directly
relate to the playing of football? 

Dance lessons may indeed increase a players agility,
but what I wonder how much teams would value a player
who rendered wonderful paintings in oil but could not
identify a football from a watermelon? 

> The parents, children and the school system would
> become more like partners in the education process. 
> They would share the "expertise."  It would decrease
> your so-called cryptoclastic bureaucracy.

How do you come to this conclusion? In what way would
the use of "multiple intelligences" increase parental
involvement? With all due respect, I believe you're
arguement lacks merit on it's face. 

> As in any system you develop credible means of
> accountability and methods of evaluation.  You just
> don't try to compare apples to oranges.>

You do if your grading the quality of fruit! And
employers to whom our kids will eventually apply
themselves are going to be using a VERY measurable set
of standards when deciding whom they will hire...for
instance, can they read?


TJSWIFT
Saint Paul
[EMAIL PROTECTED]


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[Mpls] RE: land trusts

[Bruce Gaarder]

David Wilson's "Final question.  Can your daughter afford to buy a house in your
neighborhood?  If not, then I'd say we have an afforable housing problem."

This is certainly not valid in every case.  If a couple is making a good living
after 30 years in the job market and chooses to purchase a house in an
expensive area, why would their high-school graduate child be able to live in
the same neighborhood?  What happened to the idea of moving on up?  I couldn't
have bought a house in my current neighborhood after I graduated from college.

Bruce Gaarder
Highland Park  Saint Paul
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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Re: [Mpls] Land trusts and Minneapolis

[Craig Miller]

Not quite apples to oranges.

In the Condo Association or the Co-op, the members own the land
conjunctively or in joint tenancy. With interest disposal mechanisms in
place.

The land trust will own the land.  The homeowner could be notified to vacate
structure and person at end of lease.  The land could become so valuable
that the trust may not justify one house on the land.  Too many
uncertainties compared to Co-ops,Condos, and single family homes.

Craig A. Miller

> This is a response to a point that Craig Miller raised about Land Trusts.
>
  It is  the same species like a condo or a coop.  I
> don't think you would have any objections to those forms of real estate
> property ownership.  Would you Craig?





> Final question.  Can your daughter afford to buy a house in your
> neighborhood?  If not, then I'd say we have an afforable housing problem.
>
> David Wilson
> Loring Park
>
My daughter just got off training wheels.  I couldn't afford Fulton til my
late 20's.  My new neighborhood doesn't cater to college educated entry
level workers.  I like it like that.  Homeownership it the brutal filter to
middle class.  It's not meant for everyone.  Especially the young and
restless.

Craig Miller
Former Fultonite
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>
>


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Re: [Mpls] Burnt Animals, the Monte, etc.

[Clark C. Griffith]

I've been out of town for a while. Where and when is the party??? Can I
bring cigars? Clark Griffith, Seventh Ward, on the lee side of the Monte
Carlo.
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[Mpls] MPS hires Chamber CEO Jennings

[Tim Bonham]

But referendums do NOT raise taxes for businesses -- that's one of the tax 
changes they slipped through the legislature recently.  Tax increases from 
voter referendums only affect residential property!   That's why we are 
seeing the business lobby pushing to keep basic school funding low, and 
then do a referendum to provide the additional funds that are needed to 
educate our kids.  This has been incredibly successful for them -- look at 
the number of referendums this fall.

Since businesses have been exempted from paying for referendum levys, it 
would seem only fair that they ought to stay out of the campaigns for these 
levys.  But that isn't the way it works.

Tim Bonham, Ward 12
>This in marked contrast to the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce which urged
>its membership to
>oppose or remain neutral to school referenda this fall.  Admittedly,
>raising taxes is a tough sell to business interests whose main goal is
>to cut taxes.
>. . .
>Jim Grathwol
>MPS Lobbyist

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Re: [Mpls] Re: Multiple intelligences

[Pamela Taylor]

Thomas and Dave,

I would argue that the curricula we are using today in
school is claptrap.  Who's to say whose claptrap is
better?  You could use that same quote when talking
about politicians.  Same logic applies.  

Multiple Intelligence would actually involve the
parents more instead of putting them on the defensive.

It would give our teachers more "expertise" to teach
the subjects they are experts in.  Sort of like
football practice.  In order to get to the Superbowl
you use various plays and techniques within the game
itself to create the winning team that gets there.

The parents, children and the school system would
become more like partners in the education process. 
They would share the "expertise."  It would decrease
your so-called cryptoclastic bureaucracy.
 
As in any system you develop credible means of
accountability and methods of evaluation.  You just
don't try to compare apples to oranges.  

The Downtown Inter-District School, of which the MPS
is a part of, was engaging in this method.  It has
been used in other parts of the country as a credible
means of school reform.

You may wish to read "7 Kinds of Smart."  Good book.

Don't be intimidated.  It took people a while to
convert from horse and buggies to cars, too.

Pamela Taylor
(Who considers herself an expert after raising two
well-adjusted children, and never let any school
system treat her like an amateur)


--- Thomas Swift <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> --- Dave McCoy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> 
> > This reminds me of the definition of an "expert":
> > One who learns more and
> > more about less and less until he finally knows
> > everything about nothing.
> 
> Amen to that Dave. In my opinion, this kind of
> pseudo-intellectual clap trap is designed for
> nothing
> so much as:
> 
> 1. Keeping "expert consultants" in business.
> 
> 2. Keeping parents on the defensive by creating the
> illusion that the education of their children is a
> highly scientific endeavor that is best left
> unquestioned by amateurs.
> 
> 3. Contributing to the increasingly cryptoclastic
> bureaucracy that the schools have become.
> 
> 4. Avoiding accountability through measurable means.
> 
> Personally, when confronted with such nonsense, I
> take
> it that the speaker believes it is a miracle members
> of the target audience manage to get their shoes on
> the right foot every day.
> 
> TJSWIFT
> Saint Paul
> 
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RE: [Mpls] Re: Multiple intelligences

[Garwood, Robin]

Could we possibly all make an attempt to leave hyperbole, unproven
aspersions, and unhelpful insults aimed at those with whom you disagree out
of future posts to the best of our abilities?  I know I've dabbled in that,
too, but it really just serves to cloud the discussions with unnecessary
emotionality and defensiveness.  

Now that that's out of the way...

I think the idea that people learn in different ways is nearly self-evident,
an effective teaching practice, and has not been utilized as uniformly or
religiously as Mr. Swift and Atherton would have us believe.  My mother is a
teacher in the St. Paul public school system, and uses these ideas to good
effect in the classroom.  She is one of few teachers who subscribes to and
practices the theory, and (perhaps coincidentally) is one of the better
teachers in her school.  

Pamela is not supporting the theory of multiple learning styles in order to
keep parents on the outside.  When I read her post, I see it as an
expression of hope for a more personal teaching/learning paradigm.  A fairly
dramatic shift from attempting to put round-children into square-hole
curricula towards flexibility of teaching methods.

We wouldn't necessarily add to bureaucracy by training teachers to be more
flexible to their students.  

And as to "avoiding accountability through measurable means."  When I read
this, I read "standardized testing."  I have little faith in the efficacy of
testing, and disagree that we should make our decisions about schools based
solely or mostly on their data.  Testing proves one thing beyond a doubt:
the student's ability to take that particular test.  Unfortunately for this
system, there are plenty of intelligent students who grasp the content and
know how to learn who just don't test well.  My sister is among them.

To expect a teacher to be fluent in one type of learning and familiar with
others is not some pie-in-the-sky notion, and not worth the pejorative cry
of "expertism."  I think we could all agree that a math teacher should be
fluent in the mathematical type of learner, and that a music teacher should
be fluent in musical learning.  But what of the art kid in the math class?
And the math kid in music?  The metro Arts high has, I understand, come up
with fairly inventive and effective methods for teaching geometry to
students who do not learn mathematically.  And the best sort of music
teacher knows how to discuss music in its mathematical components-beats,
steps, intervals-for the benefit of those who don't just "feel it."
  
One last point.  Part of learning is teaching one's mind to be flexible.  To
process information in different ways, to give oneself a toolkit of
different methods for solving intellectual problems.  Kids need to learn at
least a basic proficiency in most if not all of the forms of learning to be
truly successful in and out of school.  Should we expect less of their
teachers?  And why does the suggestion that the system and curriculum meet
kids halfway meet with such resistance?  It is, after all, easier to change
an object's velocity in a non-destructive way when one works to match it
than when one hits it at sixty miles per hour.

Robin Garwood
Marcy Holmes

P.S.  Perhaps this breaks my own no-more-hyperbole rule, but I really
haven't read more uses of the word "liberal" as a harshly pejorative term
since the Reagan era than I have on this listserve over the past week.
Makes me wonder if this is the same 

1. Keeping "expert consultants" in business.

2. Keeping parents on the defensive by creating the
illusion that the education of their children is a
highly scientific endeavor that is best left
unquestioned by amateurs.

3. Contributing to the increasingly cryptoclastic
bureaucracy that the schools have become.

4. Avoiding accountability through measurable means.

Personally, when confronted with such nonsense, I take
it that the speaker believes it is a miracle members
of the target audience manage to get their shoes on
the right foot every day.

TJSWIFT
Saint Paul

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Re: [Mpls] Land trusts and Minneapolis

[David Wilson]

This is a response to a point that Craig Miller raised about Land Trusts.
He said (I'm paraphrasing) that a land trust would be an added cost to non
landtrust tax-paying properties.

My adnswer to this objection is they would pay the same amount of tax that
they would be assessed without the land trust.  Craig's objection is the
same type of objection that can be leveled at the mortgage interest
deduction.  How fair is that tax item?  it ain't fair, but it is part of
the American financial landscape.  If anyone tried to eliminate this they
would be roundly denounced for attacking mom, the flag, and apple pie.

"Fairness" is a relative concept.  Land trust is a tool to save on the
cost of the land.  It is  the same species like a condo or a coop.  I
don't think you would have any objections to those forms of real estate
property ownership.  Would you Craig?

Final question.  Can your daughter afford to buy a house in your
neighborhood?  If not, then I'd say we have an afforable housing problem.

David Wilson
Loring Park




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[Mpls] Lots of lakes AND one great river

[Mary Jamin Maguire]

David Brauer said, 
"Two four, six, eight; save our parks, save our lakes."

I'd like to add, A, B, C, D; save the Mississippi.

Mary Jamin Maguire
Marshall Terrace

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[Mpls] Re: Shrinking Neighborhood (Was: Legislative Redistricting)

[Gayle Bonneville]

In response to Loki A. wondering why Waite Park had such a significant
population decline, my strictly unprofessional, uneducated observer's guess
as a resident is that it has to do with people with children moving out of
the neighborhood and people without children (or, at least, with smaller
families) moving in. If my own block in Waite Park is any indication,
several houses that were occupied by multi-member families when I moved in
seven years ago are now occupied by single-person families or couples. Also,
even if the parents remain in the house/neighborhood (which also seems
typical around here -- longer-term residents, that is), the kids may have
grown up and moved on to college, marriage, their own residence, etc., since
the last Census. In addition, since long-term residency seems in my
observation to coincide with increasing age, I would guess some of the Waite
Park decrease might be due to higher than average number of deaths of
residents due to old age (i.e., just because there might have been more
seniors here in the first place).

I can only speculate on why people with kids  are moving away, if indeed
that's what Census statistics indicate. It's reportedly one of Minneapolis'
safest neighborhoods, yet I've heard the familiar refrains about people
seeking "better schools" by moving out of Minneapolis and "bigger houses and
lots" by moving to the 'burbs. On the other hand, the people who DO move in
seem to specifically say they are seeking the smaller "urban-sized" lots and
older houses that go with city living.

Other than that, I can't think of anything we've done in Waite Park to scare
people off. We're really quite nice here most of the time.

I wonder if any attempt has been made by the Census folks or the city to
actually track what DID really happen to all the people who no longer live
in this neighborhood.


Gayle Bonneville
Waite Park (of Northeast Minneapolis)
Trying Not to Be Paranoid About Mass Neighborhood Exodus

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Re: [Mpls] Re: Multiple intelligences

[Thomas Swift]

--- Dave McCoy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> This reminds me of the definition of an "expert":
> One who learns more and
> more about less and less until he finally knows
> everything about nothing.

Amen to that Dave. In my opinion, this kind of
pseudo-intellectual clap trap is designed for nothing
so much as:

1. Keeping "expert consultants" in business.

2. Keeping parents on the defensive by creating the
illusion that the education of their children is a
highly scientific endeavor that is best left
unquestioned by amateurs.

3. Contributing to the increasingly cryptoclastic
bureaucracy that the schools have become.

4. Avoiding accountability through measurable means.

Personally, when confronted with such nonsense, I take
it that the speaker believes it is a miracle members
of the target audience manage to get their shoes on
the right foot every day.

TJSWIFT
Saint Paul

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Re: [Mpls] School District COO

[Gypsycurse7]

Why wasn't this job opening (school district Chief Operating Officer) 
announced before it was filled?  Mr. Jennings has some experience as a highly 
compensated executive, but how much as the chief operating officer of a 
company?  I think it is possible to find a better qualified candidate for the 
job who is willing to work for less. (I know someone with more than a decade 
of experience as a corporate COO.)  

As the saying goes, what you know is less important than who you know.  I 
very much doubt that Mr. Jennings is being hired for his COO-related 
expertise.  There wasn't even the formal search process that was done for the 
diversity director post, filled by Steve Belton, hubby of the mayor (now 
ex-Mayor) of Minneapolis.  If job related qualifications were all important, 
the job opening would have been advertised in order to create a large pool of 
qualified candidates to chose from.  Of course, if that had been done, it 
might have been tough to justify the hiring of Mr. Jennings over a number of 
other qualified candidates, much tougher than was the case with Steve Belton. 
 

In a message dated 12/12/2001 12:27:36 PM Central Standard Time, 
[EMAIL PROTECTED] [Audrey Johnson, Minneapolis BOE director) writes:
> 
>  First, about the Chamber's role in the referendum, the Minneapolis Chamber
>  opposed the referendum in 92, was neutral in 96 and was a supporter in
>  2000.  Mr. Jennings was Exe. Director in 2000.  This year the state chamber
>  opposed the metro area referenda, not the Minneapolis Chamber.  Mr.
>  Jennings was personally involved with the Measuring Up report, and is very
>  serious about fiscal accountablitity of the district.
>
It seems to me that the Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce is more supportive of 
the MPS board and administration because the MPS board and administration are 
trying harder to please the Chamber of Commerce.  The "measuring up" report 
and the new accountability system are public relations gimmicks.  What else 
can you call a school report card that says a school is a success story, yet 
most of the kids in that school are not expected to pass the Minnesota Basic 
Standards tests and complete their high school education?  

And if you believe that Dave Jennings was hired to help the district save 
money as far away from the classroom as possible, there's a bridge on the 
market that I want to tell you about.  

>  ...In the most recent audit received from
>  Deloitte Touche last night, MPS is running very lean on administration, the
>  district admin costs are at a little over 4% of expenses.  Deloitte Touche,
>  McKinsey Group and EDS are all outside business consultants, 2 of which
>  have provided analysis of finances for MPS pro bono (for free).  All 3
>  firms have stated emphatically that the district is running too lean in
>  this area.  Deloitte Touche has been saying this for at least 3 years prior
>  to this year as well.  Most non-profits run at about 9-15% in admin costs,
>  private schools run at about 8%.  

All of the business consultants say that the district is running too lean on 
administration.  Is the hiring of Dave Jennings in line with a recommendation 
to run less lean on administration, that is, to increase the district's 
administrative costs?  Is the answer to the districts financial problems a 
doubling of its administrative costs?

The Minneapolis School District may be running lean on administration by 
comparison to the average business, but I doubt that it is running lean on 
administration by comparison to the average school district.  According to 
Berliner and Biddle, "In 1990-1991 the average salary paid to central-office 
administrators and professional staff in the nation amounted to only 2.2% of 
school district operating budgets [1995, Berliner, David C. & Biddle, Bruce 
J.; The Manufactured Crisis, page 81 // Original source: 1992, Robinson, Glen 
&  Brandon, David, Perceptions about American education: Are They based on 
facts? p. 17]. 

>  The Mpls School District is in serious financial
>  trouble.
>  
>  This is true.  In this fiscal year, the district had a budget cut of $30
>  million.  Next year's budget is projected to be about another $30 million.
>  The school district is the 13th largest employer in the state with an over
>  all budget for this year @ $660,000,000.  I can think of no business this
>  large that operates without someone to oversee and have direct oversight of
>  all finances.  But the difference here is that in the private sector, the
>  COO of the CFO makes a lot more than $125,000.  
>  
The serious budget problems facing the Minneapolis Schools didn't come about 
because the district didn't have a Chief Operating Officer to keep track of 
the district's use of chalk and paper clips.

In a recent City Pages article by Britt Robson, the budget shortfall is 
attributed to rising costs for health insurance premiums paid for by the 
district and rising transportation costs.  

However, it 

Re: [Mpls] Land trusts and Minneapolis

[Cara Letofsky]

Let me take a shot at answering the second part of Craig's post:

The community-based board will develop eligibility criteria for CLT 
homebuyers -- usually there is an income requirement and some 
consideration of family size compared to the size of the home, including 
others.  If someone's close relative or friend fits the criteria, then 
they are eligible to buy the CLT home.

I will ask CLTs that are up and running about the issue of 
"side-payments".  I have never heard about it being an issue, but hey, I 
suppose it could happen.

However, the ground lease usually gives the CLT first option to buy the 
home when the seller is ready to move on.  Because the CLT is the expert 
at explaining how the CLT works, and because the CLT usually has a list 
of interested buyers already lined up, this eases the buying/selling 
process rather than having the seller do it.

The issue of how CLT transations affect CMAs will have to wait for 
another time!  I've gotta go talk about land trusts with another 
incoming councilmember!

Keep the questions coming!  (Both you, Craig, and others!)

Cara Letofsky
Ward Nine
Seward
etc


Craig Miller wrote:

>Thanks to Cara for bringing a close knowledge to the subject.  I am better
>informed because of it.
>
>One of my original points still is unanswered.   What's to prevent the
>selling of these homes to close friends and relatives?  What about the "side
>payments" or unknown transactions that will occur between the buyer and
>seller? When I am selling something for less then it is worth.  People will
>pay more then the posted price for it.
> If you don't believe me, check out what happens to rent controlled
>apartments when they change hands in NY NY.  Lock and key fees of over
>$10,000 per year are common.
>
>Also.  The basis of any adjustment of accessed value is comparative sales.
>Known as "comps".  There will always be discrepancies that assessors and
>busy city hall types might not catch.  Houses that would sell for 200k that
>but go for 125k will still gum up the accessing and challenge process.
>
>
>Craig A. Miller
>Former Fultonite
>[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>
>
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Re: [Mpls] Re: Multiple intelligences

[Pamela Taylor]

David,

Couldn't hurt to try it.  Sure beats the system full
of "experts" we have now.

Pamela Taylor

--- Dave McCoy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Pam Taylor wrote:
> 
> > When they are training to become teachers, we need
> to
> > mandate that they become "proficient" in Multiple
> > Intelligences (i.e Lingual, Spatial,
> > Bodily-Kinesthetic, Mathematical, Interpersonal,
> > Intrapersonal, Musical, etc.).  Then require that
> they
> > become "fluent" in at least two styles.
> This reminds me of the definition of an "expert":
> One who learns more and
> more about less and less until he finally knows
> everything about nothing.
> 
> Dave McCoy
> Seward resident
> 
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Re: [Mpls] Re: Affordable housing.....freedom of choice...Welfare...reading

[Michael Atherton]

Pamela Taylor wrote:

> When they are training to become teachers, we need to
> mandate that they become "proficient" in Multiple
> Intelligences (i.e Lingual, Spatial,
> Bodily-Kinesthetic, Mathematical, Interpersonal,
> Intrapersonal, Musical, etc.).  Then require that they
> become "fluent" in at least two styles.  That way you
> develop a staff that is well rounded and able to
> assist each other in dealing with various educational
> challenges.  This, coupled with materials that are
> equitably distributed among ALL the Minneapolis
> schools, will help all kids succeed.

As if teachers aren't already overexposed to this type
of liberal progressive teaching methodology.

> All subjects can be taught in all these ways.  By
> teaching in a different mode at various times during
> the weekly school day, you can reach more children.
> All children come to school ready to learn.  Even the
> ones who are arriving under less than ideal
> situations.  They are sent home from SCHOOL and told
> that they are not.  One reason is because schools have
> set curricula and children have to fit into IT.

Yes, all subjects can be taught poorly in these ways.

> Adults need to recognize the styles in which they
> learn as well.  This will help us learn how to deal
> with each other, and relate to our children and
> communal youth better.

I guess everyone needs to be converted to the
progressivist religion.

> I also feel that there needs to be peer teaching.  If
> we had two teachers per class (elementary school) it
> gives them time to teach, then have individual time to
> do lesson plans, etc.  They don't have to feel so
> overwhelmed, act as babysitters, and be so underpaid.
> They can actually teach, which is why they entered the
> field in the first place.  We all know it wasn't for
> the big bucks.  Then we can develop a real plan for
> merit pay because our teachers might be more inclined
> to stay.

If we had two teachers per class, then the labor costs
would double; might as well cut class sizes in half.

> Teachers currently in the system would be mandated to
> take those continuing education classes on periodic
> basis to upgrade their skills.  And doing more than
> going to a weekend lecture and getting a certificate
> would be required.  If they are smart enough to teach,
> they are smart enough to learn, too.  We don't want
> any child left behind, nor do we want any faculty left
> behind.

In case anyone missed being indoctrinated in progressive
liberal education doctrine we can "reeducate" them as
well.

> My sister, a 1st grade teacher, just retired from the
> MPS last June.  I have a niece who entered the school
> system (an Augsburg graduate) this fall.  Even I was
> willing to put my butt where my mouth is, and I
> considered going back to school to become a teacher,
> but did not want to work in the current system.  It
> sucks.

Well at least we agree on something.  I hope you are
aware that, as far as I know (and you are welcome to provide
me with evidence), the teaching techniques you have
mentioned have not been shown to improve student
achievement; they're "feel good" techniques.

Michael Atherton
Prospect Park

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[Mpls] Re: Multiple intelligences

[Dave McCoy]

Pam Taylor wrote:

> When they are training to become teachers, we need to
> mandate that they become "proficient" in Multiple
> Intelligences (i.e Lingual, Spatial,
> Bodily-Kinesthetic, Mathematical, Interpersonal,
> Intrapersonal, Musical, etc.).  Then require that they
> become "fluent" in at least two styles.
This reminds me of the definition of an "expert": One who learns more and
more about less and less until he finally knows everything about nothing.

Dave McCoy
Seward resident

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Re: [Mpls] Minneapolis Financial Snapshot

[Barbara Lickness]

Can anyone detail what is contained in the "culture
and recreation" line of Victoria's budget report? 
More importantly, why is it so much higher than
economic development and housing?

Barb Lickness
Whittier

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[Mpls] Minneapolis Financial Snapshot

[Victoria Heller]

According to the City’s published financial reports for the year 2000:

Revenues were $304 million (excluding money from other government sources).
Expenditures were $480 million.
Debt was $1.2 billion ($1.7 billion with interest)

Revenue Breakdown:
$195,224,000 from taxes
$19,429,000 from licenses and permits
$35,122,000 charges for services and sales
$8,555,000 from fines and forfeits
$45,632,000 from special assessments, interest, and miscellaneous

Expenditure Breakdown:
$52,081,000 for general government
$149,636,000 for public safety
$35,846,000 for highways and streets
$20,718,000 for health and welfare (Note: this is the County’s
responsibility)
$66,585,000 for culture and recreation
$21,692,000 for economic development
$35,232 ,000 for urban development and housing
$97,997,000 for debt service (Note: it’s a good thing that interest
rates are low)

Footnotes:
The City relies heavily on money from other government sources. Shortages of
money at all levels make this source difficult to predict.

The effects of property tax reform, passed by the MN legislature last year,
are not reflected in these numbers. These numbers are from last year – 2000.

Chopping off a few zeros will make this scenario equivalent to a family with
annual income of $30,396, expenses of $47,979, and debts of $116,403.


Vicky Heller
St. Paul
Minneapolis property owner - Ward 2
[EMAIL PROTECTED]


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[Mpls] HRA Levy - Here's a fast, painless way to get the $6 million

[Victoria Heller]

Get rid of the MCDA!

Its payroll last year was $8.2 million.

The 160 employees who work there (more than the Minnesota Department of
Trade and Economic Development) are such experts in the real estate
business, they would have no problem finding lucrative employment in the
private sector.

The MCDA's bonding authority (the ability to incur debt on the backs of the
taxpayers) could easily be moved to the City Planning Department - where is
belongs anyway.  That way, the people we elect will actually call the shots.

This plan would leave an extra $2.2 million for others to whine and beg for.

Vicky Heller
St. Paul
[EMAIL PROTECTED]




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[Mpls] city budget

[Steven Froemming]

Hello Minneapolis how are you doing? I have a question for the list. I know 
that there will be no money for the state projects this year and there is 
going to be a long battle over state funds. Is there any thing to worry 
about regarding the city budget? When does the City of Minneapolis have to 
turn in there requests to the Mayor? When are the citizens going to be going 
down to city hall to lobby for more city funds. How much does the city have 
now? Is the city in limbo like the state is with not having any money? If 
any one knows the knowledge when this might take place.  Please let me know.

Steven Mac.Donald Froemming
63A 11-6
Windom



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