NEAT - info about SPPS budget: http://tinyurl.com/3gt66 _________________________________________ Hello,
Thanks for your comments Tom. Your comments raised more questions than answers for me. I've identified some of my questions below and I hope that those closest to the issue including teachers, administrators, students, and parents with children in the schools will share what they know. You (Tom Swift) state, "People who leave the system do so for a variety of reasons, but the fact is that they are leaving; and if we really do care about public education, we must be willing to examine the system as it stands with a critical eye." I am interested in knowing how many people are leaving the system. How many people are satisfied with the education that is being provided? Have any surveys been conducted to determine the incidence of students fleeing St. Paul schools in the last few years? You questioned the legitimacy of spending money on two health and social service programs. How do reproductive health and social services such as "Out for Equity" impact child and adolescent development? What will happen if they are eliminated? Is this an issue based on values, rather than on data? What do the health teachers say about the impact of these programs? You (Tom) claim that "SPPS budget woes stem from several issues, however lack of funds is not one of them." Many factors influence how well the budget dollars impact the classroom. For example, rising health care costs and an increase in the number of teachers high on the salary scale are factors that impact whether dollars make it into the classroom. What are the factors, and how can they be controlled? How much money is needed to facilitate a productive, engaged learning experience for students? You state that, "As Mr. Hill correctly pointed out, district 625 has made its political partnerships a budgetary priority." What are the benefits and drawbacks of a school district engaging in political partnerships and hiring political lobbyists? Who benefits? Who loses? You state, "District 625 spends approximately $3,000,000.00 per year for its 5 Area Superintendents, their support staff and overhead." You identify this expenditure as a "tactical financial extravagance." Given that each school has a Principal in charge of daily operations, what would be the impact on schools if the area Superintendant positions were eliminated? What do area Superintendants do? How would we be able to determine whether these positions are worthwhile if we do not work in the system? Your last line mentioned an "elephant in the room"--the "blue-collar teacher's union." You say that you will be addressing this soon. Whether or not one supports unions is, of course, value-laden. Teacher's unions have an interesting history--they arose from, among other things, poor working conditions, low pay, and gender discrimination. What can our history tell us about the benefits and drawbacks of teacher's unions? I look forward to hearing responses from the members of the forum. Terri O'Brien Menke Como Park ===== Terri O'Brien Menke __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail SpamGuard - Read only the mail you want. http://antispam.yahoo.com/tools _____________________________________________ SPPS Budget Reduction Forum - Feb. 23-27 Co-Sponsored By NEAT: http://www.stpaulneat.org/ _____________________________________________ NEW ADDRESS FOR LIST: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, modify subscription, or get your password - visit: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/stpaul Archive Address: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/private/stpaul/
