From the Trenches of Public Ed.: Improving education vs. students' rights

Normally I find this blog (From the Trenches of Public Ed.) interesting and usually thought-provoking, but I have to say I disagree with the point of the following post (see link for entire article). Here's the part I take issue with:

"Education should not be considered a right. A "right" is something that government should not be able to take away from you, not something government is obligated to give you. As Philip K. Howard says, education is not a right, but a benefit provided by a democratic society. I believe that our democracy should provide education, but there are going to be a lot of places where we can't do it effectively as long as we look at it as a right."

Hmmm....What do you think of this?
From the Trenches of Public Ed.: Improving education vs. students' rights

Travell's New Library!

Travell is having an Open House on Wednesday 11/12 at 7:30 p.m. to officially open their new Media Center (aka Library). Everyone is invited to check it out. I can't wait to see it -- word "on the street" is it's quite nice! As you may (or may not) know, Travell's library was damaged last winter by a leaking pipe, so this summer it was completely renovated thanks to a fundraising effort by school leaders, parents, teachers, the Travell HSA and Travell Girl Scout troops. In addition to removing and replacing the damaged floor (and removing asbestos underneath), the entire room underwent an "extreme makeover," with new carpet, paint, shelves, electrical, tables, chairs, computer work stations, a circulation desk, flat screen TV and SMART Board electronic white board. Thank you to everyone who worked so hard coordinating, fundraising and rebuilding. The students of Travell will benefit from your efforts for years to come.

If you have a chance to stop by Wednesday night, check it out!

LOVE this video (and catchy song!)

Try and let the whole thing load before you start playing...it'll run more smoothly.

Post-Halloween Scare: The 09-10 Budget

One of the main topics of last Monday's Board of Ed meeting was the beginning of the process to develop the 2009-2010 budget. The calendar for creating the budget begins now, with our estimated enrollment officially just over 5,700 students. Throughout November, principals (and other managers for lack of a better word) will work on projections and create preliminary budget requests. Those requests/plans will be reviewed with staff at the Ed Center. In December and January, Dr. Fishbein and staff will create a recommended budget, and then the Board will discuss the proposed budget at meetings in February. Public hearings on the final budget will be in March, but if you want to comment at the public Board meetings in February, I'm always a fan of "the earlier the better."

But let's never mind the schedule for a moment. The real news is this: we are looking at an estimated budget shortfall of $1.9 million. How does that happen? It's painfully simple: On the expense side, take all the costs that we know will be rising and which we cannot change (mainly salaries, benefits, transportation). On the income side, assume money from the state will be flat (no increase), and then assume we increase our revenue from taxes at 4% (the maximum allowed by law). Right there, we're $1.9 million in the negative. Our costs are increasing at a rate higher than we can increase our revenue.

Monday night, Dr. Fishbein said, "As always, we'll try to keep cuts away from students, but this much money is going to come really close to, if not into, cutting programs."

Report from School Boards Workshop in Atlantic City

So Michele Lenhard, Sheila Brogan and I traveled to Atlantic City last week for the New Jersey School Boards Association annual Workshop. There were training sessions, "Action Labs," and other sessions, plus a general session with Jon Corzine and some other state legislators, and a special small session with Education Commissioner Lucille Davy. We were able to attend our state-mandated training as school board members. There was also a gigantic Exhibit Hall, with vendors offering info on just about any product you could possible sell to a school or district. From construction and building supplies to desks to school buses to computer data systems to playground equipment to auditorium curtains to insurance services to...it was truly amazing.

What sessions did I attend?

Well, I participated in an intensive "Engaging the Public" session that talked about the need to identify and speak to various "publics" and the need for trust. There was quite a bit of discussion on one of my favorite questions, namely, "what is the appropriate level of involvement for various stakeholders?" We talked about public involvement in Board committees -- some committees are more suited for public involvement than others and the key is ensuring that everyone (both the public members and the Board members) understand the expectations as to roles, powers, inputs, etc. This is an issue that I'll be the first to admit is more complicated than I anticipated, but I'm still committed to making something happen in this area. In due time.

I also attended a session on Evaluating the Superintendent...it may seem early (our guy just started!), but anyone who has worked in a company with good human resources policies knows that the best evaluation process actually starts with good preparation and communication up front, so that later when it's time to actually complete a written evaluation, there shouldn't be any surprises. The development of the Board's skills and the superintendent's skills is a process that is ongoing, forever, actually. (OK, maybe not "forever," but let's say many many years. :)

The other session I attended focused on School Board problem solving. It was subtitled "Working your Way Through the Maze" and that's obviously why I attended...I have felt lost in "the maze" many times over the past six months (hey, it was just my six-month anniversary last week, I just realized!). The primary job I've had so far is just trying to figure out just what it is I'm supposed to be doing, what I should be doing, what I legally CAN be doing...quite honestly it's been frustrating. But I'm making progress, I think.

Finally, one of the main benefits of the NJSBA Workshop for me, personally, was the opportunity to meet and speak casually with school board members from all over the state. In some cases it was reassuring to hear that our issues and challenges are shared by many, many boards and members. In other cases it was heartening to realize how lucky we are in Ridgewood...we have a community of very smart, committed people, well-intentioned, enthusiastic (yes, yes, I'm generalizing), but at least we don't have fist fights at the Board table, name-calling and shouting, defamation lawsuits, behind-the-scenes soap operas...KNOCK WOOD!

Friend, can you spare some CHANGE?

Oh thank goodness. There's hope yet. Congratulations, America.

And can I just say, NBC's computer-generated set was pretty cool.

And, boy do I miss Tim Russert.

Congratulations!

Side note from a Mom:
Congratulations to Marya Goodman, elected to the Executive Board of Chi Omega sorority, Mu Alpha chapter, at the University of New Hampshire. Good job!

Candidates' Education Positions and...FREE COFFEE!

So here was my path tonight...I clicked on the "I Support Strong American Schools" box on this blog (look right), feeling a little bummed that the candidates never really did talk much about education (regardless of my "ED in 08" buttons, oh well)...then I saw a link to a Wall Street Journal article comparing the candidates on several education issues. It is a nice clear comparison which you can read here and will probably not sway your vote tomorrow but might make you feel even better about what you're going to do. Here is the link to the article CLICK HERE.

But wait! As I was reading that I got distracted by some truly groundbreaking news: Starbucks is giving away FREE COFFEE on election day! Woohoo! They started out promising a free tall coffee to anyone who votes, but then I guess they got a little worried about breaking election laws, so anyone who shows up at Starbucks on Election Day can have a free tall coffee, regardless of whether they vote or not (but, please oh please, VOTE!).

Have a good one!

Voting at Schools: Update

In response to parent concerns at some schools, Federated HSA has arranged for police presence at the following schools tomorrow:
Glen
Travell
Hawes
Orchard
Dr. Fishbein has said that the district will split the cost with Federated.

The district had already arranged for police presence at Willard, and for the police to walk through all other schools throughout the day.

The remaining schools' administrators, in discussion with their HSAs, feel their set-up is fine and they don't need police.

Remember, all of our schools (except Willard) have direct access to voting places so voters will not be walking through the hallways. Parking restrictions will be lifted to ease possible traffic issues.

A little extra info: when this year's calendar was set (two years ago), Election Day was discussed and it was decided not to close the schools. There are 4-5 elections every year...we can not afford to close schools on all 4-5 days, every year. This summer we began discussing election day again, mostly because some Willard parents were concerned. We attempted to get the polling place moved out of Willard to Ridge, and the election commission said "no." The use of schools as polling places is not up to the district or the town. We do not make that decision, and we cannot decline the use of schools. So, to meet the concerns of the Willard parents, we secured Officer Chris McDowell to keep watch at Willard. All of our schools will be employing regular security measures throughout the day -- locked doors, buzzing to get in with school business. If a voter buzzes at the office to enter for voting, they will not be admitted but will be directed to the polling place entrance.

It is certainly every parent's prerogative to keep their child home if they are concerned, but my personal opinion is that that our schools are and will be safe.

GO VOTE!

Topics at the BOE meeting 11/3

As always, the full agenda is posted here. But if you want to know the highlights, here's a snapshot of some of the items on the agenda for tomorrow night:

We'll be reviewing the calendar for developing the 09-10 budget. This will be of particular interest to me since I've never gone through the process before. The work on budget actually begins this week, in order to have a final budget proposal for the election next April. Tomorrow's agenda also says we'll be discussing "budget what ifs". Hmm...sounds depressing.

We'll have a first reading of the proposed Nepotism policy. This is something mandated by the state, that we must update in our district policy manual. Basically, no relative of a Board member or Superintendent may be employed by the district. Currently, there is no prohibition on the employment of relatives.

We'll get an update on the Math Planning Team and the public input meeting which was held last week. And by the way, there is still time for you to email your input on elementary math. PLEASE email your thoughts to KKiedaisch@ridgewood.k12.nj.us before November 10.

Oh I just remembered...I should give a little report of my time in Atlantic City last week. Some of us were there for the New Jersey School Boards Association annual Workshop. It was definitely interesting. More to come...