Comment Rescue: Calling Joanne Christian! Calling Joanne Christian!
May 15th, 2009 by RSmitty
Joanne…need your input!
Rescued comment from David A:
Art brings up a point that is not lost on voters. Most of the decisions are already made at the Department of Education. Local control is a talking point not a reality. Most of the budget is mandated down to the line. For only the second time that I was in town, I didn’t vote in the school board race. Quite frankly, I didn’t feel like any of the candidates represented me or had any proposals. If they had them, they didn’t present them to the paper or campaign. It all seem like beauty pageant stuff (except for Ms. USA no offense to CP). I didn’t even get a feel that they understood the problems. Now I was away and did not make the forum so I figured maybe someone said something there.
They may have been wonderful people with answers, but they didn’t respect me enough to share them and I didn’t feel like I needed to give one my endorsement over another.
Capitol school district has had over 1600 voters. This year it brought up the rear with 160 something. Is that really the voters’ fault or the candidates’ fault? Maybe that we didn’t demand answers.I have rarely been so underwhelmed that I intentionally decided to vote by not voting. I vote compulsively.
What is the solution? Maybe the people running realized how little control they actually have and what control they do have the current board has done a good job setting those priorities. A charter school board has more control than an elected school board. Some think the answer is to take control from the charters. I think it is to give control with mandatory transparency of funds to the school boards.
When school boards matter more, the elections will matter more.
OK, Joanne (or anyone else with board experience), my request is that you address what David A points out (the text that I put in bold). I currently disagree with him, but that’s from an outsider’s view. I want to know what you think and your commentary. Thanks!
Hold on–let me get thru the 3rd smelling salt and clear my head……
God made the idiot for practice. Then he made school boards.
OK–Interrupted by life.
The charter board I won’t even address, because that’s a whole ‘nother day.
Budget mandated down to the line–and local control “talking point” is where I will choose to focus.
I want to be kind. I really do. But for someone as plugged in, and attentive to the issues as yourself, this is an incredible apathetic and naive view of a school board’s role.
Yes, DOE does mandate allocation numbers, and lots of policy in regards to funding. However, 25% (and that # is up or down depending on the district), of your budget is still LOCAL money for boards to decide allocation, on top of the state allocation, that is not entirely line item.
This is what decides communities. This is where you LOCALLY input your priorities. I can only address Appoquinimink. And these are some of the things of recent memory we have underwritten LOCALLY, no thanks to state funding:
Increased ratio of counselors to students at the high school
Dedicated “career” pathway counselor at the high school to assist students and their parents with post-graduation choices, of college application, scholarship, military, vocational training
Provided emergency staffing of paras to our early childhood center, when we had to waiver class size due to space limitations
Administer and PAY for the PSATs to all 10th graders-”just in case” they may want to take the SAT later, and feel they weren’t discounted.
LOCALLY ran our referendums to EXCLUDE sports facilities as a separate item, so no one would feel they were co-erced into feeling they had no choice for the sake of education.
LOCALLY paid for a building to be renovated to be a large teacher training center to minimize disruption, and maximize outreach and participation.
LOCALLY set sports eligibility playing criteria in regards to grades, HIGHER than the DIAA.
LOCALLY have added sign language as a language choice, even though our DOE does not recognize it yet in this state as a language option–now that just gives you a smathering of what the “local reality” is and not the talking point you suggest.
However, that’s the plus side, both as policy, and fiscally.
The down side has to include (and again Appoquinimink only):
Redistricting feeder patterns to a new school amidst parent outcry
Making the decision not to spend school funds to fight our county government in court, choosing to access laws and leadership in Dover, amidst outcry from residents of this area to SPEND THE MONEY.
Provide summer school for students using our criteria, even though the state is not mandating it–we are.
I could go on and on if this is not enough. But with that rubber stamping attitude of DOE to the district it is lost. Yes, much is prescribed, and we make it clear as a board in those decisions publicly (tuition tax increase, class waivers, unit count), but by God, the things we have control of in behalf of the Smitty kids, and Geek kids, the Christian kids, the Nameless kids, and the Homeless kids, we will scrutinize and priortize those needs and act accordingly.
So before you dismiss the role of school boards as lame duck material, why not check out some that have grown wings, and then load your gun for what seems to be in Capital by your account, a fine day for duck hunting. And you know what? I wouldn’t blame you. I go to my assigned task force, and committee meetings and I CAN’T BELIEVE who some communities put forth–but then again, that’s their community AND they have to live with it. I’m living here, and working on it right here.
Thanks, Joanne! I do hope for more, but yes, handle life first, this blog (any blog) comes after that.
Oh, and may I add to your response, but do note that it is MY opinion and not Joanne’s:
Arthur, you are a effing ass. Get an educated opinion next time. In your example, were you the practice dummy of God, then?
As I said, the current local board has set policy where they could pretty well, which may be why there were not a lot of issue brought up even in the debate and newspapers.
Less I give a misimpression by my own emphasis, I think the work done by the practical volunteers at the local school boards is important. They can and often are an important part of the education of our children. We would be worse off without them. Let me be clear that I am not diminishing the contribution of school board members, but I am saying without equivocation that the state doesn’t allow them to make the difference that they are capable of making.
Believe me, I think school boards are important, but not as important as they should be. They have so many limitations on where they spend their money, what they choose to do that local control is far less than the control at DOE. Then much of what is left is determined by multi-year union contracts. Change takes years and is limited when it comes.
I believe that more decision making needs to go to the level closer to the people..
Even though I was trying for effect, it is hard to overstate the lack of local control. The state not only controls 75% of the money but tells you how many people go for administrators, teachers, support staff, etc. The state does way too much. The line item control is next to insane. I know a lot of former board people and some current whose complaint is that the biggest obstacle to change has been DOE.
I expect that to change. The Markell administration has said almost exactly what I did and plans on doing something about it. If they follow through, then I will applaud their efforts. Thanks Joanne and Smitty, I think this deserves more discussion.
DA, your clarification certainly helped clear up what I thought you were saying, big time. It’s like the way I am railing on Rick right now, intent stays within the author, image is what the recipients take in. Thanks for taking that time to better explain and I feel I can say we are on common ground on this issue, taking it from the perspective discussed by Joanne above (and you in #5). I’ll even predict that this would be a bi-partisan stance, as well…save for Arthur, who’d just assume nuke the whole process.
As for the people who just ran, I knock their campaigns and their answers which avoided any thing resembling addressing the issues of security, achievement, and spending. I don’t know that the job won’t be done. Some people run lousy campaigns but are good at performing and others are just the opposite. If I have to choose between the two….
I have been involved for years in my local district. Quite frankly, I have wondered what’s the use at times, but other times I have seen many positives . Board people will tell you that they can’t do much of what they promised because of mandates. Many get discouraged themselves. I am supportive but my recent involvement in the district has been that of a voting citizen who may go to a fundraiser. This year, when I read my paper, I said what’s the use. There was nothing to choose beyond personalities. It was discouraging.
By and large, I have been relatively happy with the decisions in recent years and I hope to remain so. If not, i will find someone and support them next year. I have done it before until a new majority emerged.
I will also add some positives in local governing to Mrs. Christian’s list. Curriculum choice, reading and writing programs that work better, sex education that reflects local standards, citizen involvement committees, celebration of achievements, and responsiveness to community desires are just a few. Unfortunately some of those changes took 3 years or more to achieve. The process is slow and if you make a mistake it takes years to correct it unless there is a focused majority.
Well my friend, I take full responsibility for not providing more context for what I said, and I value the opportunity to give it.
The last thing I want to do is disrespect people who pour their souls into a job that pays what–ten dollars a month. What they do is important. I believe that they should be respected more by having more authority to act in the best interests of the children and the people who elected them.
BTW I am not disrespecting DOE either. There are a lot of smart, hardworking people in the department who want to better education. I think there role would be better served if it were less a role of micromanaging and more of a big picture and support role.
…who pour their souls into a job that pays what–ten dollars a month.
Hmmm….I think Appoquinimink is 100% volunteer (provided you get elected, of course). Joanne? Can you clarify that?
If somebody on a school board in Delaware is making 10 bucks a month, I’ve got some back pay coming!!!
True, DOE is top-heavy and resistant to change, but your local touch can make all the difference. I shudder at board members who retreat with “DOE won’t let us” or whatever phrase. DOE gives the framework–basic framework–you add, and address as the community is inclined. What freezes me more are all the “great idea” people who don’t understand the framework public education has to work in, and because their agenda items aren’t feasible for whatever reason, they drop the ball of commitment and responsibility–and essentially become poor sports. Sure, we all have great ideas, and school board candidates can share those ideas—but it doesn’t mean it can be funded, or is even LEGAL under education law. I think that’s a HUGE wake-up call for new board members.
Shoot Smitty–this is like my busiest weekend of the YEAR—prom, retirement dinner, sport banquet, education fair, state…..What are ya doin’ to me? Gotta run…chop, chop..