In the May Board Briefing, Trustees discussed how DISD spends waaaay more than its peers on outside legal counsel. The budget use to be $6M, but we exceeded it this year. Now it is $8M and growing - and we haven't even done a RIF. One Trustees compared this to Houston's $2M outside counsel budget. Good grief.
Now, consider that the Board of Trustees was told at the May Board Meeting that it would cost $7M to make a two-student change in the staffing ratios for middle schools (say, going from 27:1 down to 25:1). Also consider that DISD attorney Jack Elrod told the Board they could not make any amendments to the Staffing formulas they were being asked to approve.
First, if DISD is spending too much on outside counsel, take that out of the non-campus budget. It's been talked about a lot, but nothing has been said publicly about who or what is going to offset this cost, so by default, the students do.
Second, since when does the Board not get to make amendments to the staffing formulas? DISD council told the Board last Thursday that they couldn't make any amendments to the staffing formulas presented. What?! So, was it illegal when it was done in May 2009? Check it out here, go to time frame 8:08:00ish. Not one, but two amendments!
To be fair, another parent in attendance said he thought Mr. Elrod was speaking to changing the budget, not the staffing guidelines. Either way, the staffing could have been changed, but no one did it. Trustee Morath pointed out that $7M could be found just by going back to the Budget 4.0 plan of cleaning schools every other day instead of every day. (Other local districts already do that.) But, he didn't follow it up with any amendment to change staffing formulas.
The Board didn't have to tell the Administration how to fund the staffing formulas in order to change the staffing formulas. But, they chose not to. They voted to expand Pre-K (good) but funded it by cutting middle schools and high schools. The frustrating thing is they could have done right by both groups of kids, instead of choosing between them.
The Citizen's Budget Advisory Committee drafted a list of recommendations for cutting other places besides the classroom. Keep in mind, the Committee was tasked for finding cuts to help the District trim $120M. The recommendation also includes what to put back in if the cuts are not that big.
Guess what... they may not be. The latest numbers out put the likely cuts at $90M. $90M is what DISD's Budget 5.0 is based upon. The extra $30M went to expand full-day Pre-K and... the classroom, as the Committee suggested? No. DISD spent it elsewhere, and they didn't implement all the Committee's suggestions. Granted, they didn't have to.
Parents, are you out there? Do you want your Board to set staffing of middle schools to at least 25:1? You'd better act quickly - info on your best opportunity.
The vote to pass the Budget 5.0 Staffing Formulas with no changes was 6 -3. See how your Trustee voted (at the very end of the video).
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Other prosperous countries are having trouble funding education
Is it just me, or does it seem like once a culture "makes it," they slack off? Rising economies - China, India, South Korea - see education as the most valuable investment you can make for the future of your children. But, not all established economies see it that way. We think we do, but our actions are starting to say the opposite.
Here is a morbidly fascinating article from our neighbors to the north about college students who don't read - http://www.thestar.com/news/insight/article/994530--mallick-why-canadian-kids-can-t-read
Here is a morbidly fascinating article from our neighbors to the north about college students who don't read - http://www.thestar.com/news/insight/article/994530--mallick-why-canadian-kids-can-t-read
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Austin is fun and interesting
I went to the Capital on Saturday to join the Save Texas Schools rally. The Save Texas Schools rally was small (about 100 accumulative throughout the day) but very enthusiastic.
I don't know if I made an impact on anyone, but the experience made a huge impact on me! It was very interesting, and very educational. I talked to clerks in 7 different offices, 1 Democrat Rep & 5 Republican Reps and 1 Rep Senate. I went with my oldest daughter who graduated from SEM and my basic pitch was –
Don’t be fooled – my summary above is far more elegant than the actual messages delivered. I stuttered and rambled a lot, but the clerks were very kind and patient.
While riding the elevator, I overheard some clerks talking about a snarky comment a House Rep made about “those teachers” in the rally. I found out at the closing rally when they asked for a teacher show of hands, less than a third there were teachers. I suspect this is significant. I don't think our representatives are use to getting visits from ordinary citizens who are not associated with a union or a PAC.
Have you ever gone to Austin to visit your representative's office? You can do it anytime - just go down and walk in. You probably won't see your Rep, but you can talk to their friendly clerks and get your opinion logged. You can pick up cards with phone numbers and emails. You can sign their books to show you were there and why.
You can look at what other average citizens have signed the books, and be surprised like I was that there aren't that many. See? If you don't talk to your elected representatives to express your opinion, no one else will do it for you.
I don't know if I made an impact on anyone, but the experience made a huge impact on me! It was very interesting, and very educational. I talked to clerks in 7 different offices, 1 Democrat Rep & 5 Republican Reps and 1 Rep Senate. I went with my oldest daughter who graduated from SEM and my basic pitch was –
“I am here to plead for the life of my daughter’s alma mater, the #1 high school in America. It operates at less than the state average for high school cost/per/student, has a majority minority and low-income population, and was held up as a model for the nation by President George Bush (or, Secretary Arnie Duncan for the Democrat.) If the House funding levels for education go through, the program would basically disappear because we simply couldn't sustain the AP math & science classes. Isn’t there a way to think creatively about funding, and identify efficient, high-performance programs like SEM and copy them rather than ax them?”
Don’t be fooled – my summary above is far more elegant than the actual messages delivered. I stuttered and rambled a lot, but the clerks were very kind and patient.
While riding the elevator, I overheard some clerks talking about a snarky comment a House Rep made about “those teachers” in the rally. I found out at the closing rally when they asked for a teacher show of hands, less than a third there were teachers. I suspect this is significant. I don't think our representatives are use to getting visits from ordinary citizens who are not associated with a union or a PAC.
Have you ever gone to Austin to visit your representative's office? You can do it anytime - just go down and walk in. You probably won't see your Rep, but you can talk to their friendly clerks and get your opinion logged. You can pick up cards with phone numbers and emails. You can sign their books to show you were there and why.
You can look at what other average citizens have signed the books, and be surprised like I was that there aren't that many. See? If you don't talk to your elected representatives to express your opinion, no one else will do it for you.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
The Health Magnet's Dental Clinic - Can DISD afford it? YES
UPDATE, 5/22/11: Per discussion I heard at the Citizen's Budget Advisory Committee, I think CATE funds do go through the General Fund, but they can only be used for CATE-qualified expenses. I am not sure it really changes the focus of my posting below, but I did want to mention that. It is also possible that the teacher is paid with General Funds, and program costs with CATE funds. Sigh - hard to tell, this stuff is still being sorted out in a way that we the public can understand.
(original post)
Jack Lowe asked a very pointed question at the last Board Meeting. Putting kids through a dental certification program is great - they can go out and get a good job in a good field - but can DISD afford to do it in these lean times?
Mr. Lowe had recently visited the student-run dental clinic at the Health Magnet High School. He asked how many kids were in the program, and was told "ten". Mr. Lowe - God bless him! - doesn't waste time beating around the bush, saying what he's thinking straight out. This meeting was no exception, and it's a question that needed asking - can we afford to spend money on a great program for only ten kids?
The nice thing about saying these kind of things out loud is that IF parents are listening, they can participate in the discussion. I am happy to report that there WERE parents listening, both in the audience and watching the podcast. One of those parents got right on it!
Here's what she found out:
YES! DISD can afford it because DISD doesn't have to pay for it!
First, the program and the teacher are both funded through CATE funds (Career and Technology, from a special grant). These funds do NOT come out of the General Ledger fund, which is where the cuts have to come from. So, if this program were cut, it would not save the District any money. CATE funds cannot be moved to the General Ledger fund. Use 'em or lose 'em (I think).
Second, each class has 10 students, but the whole program actually prepares 30 a year for certification. The class size is capped by the State, so the Health Magnet offers more classes in order to serve more students.
Third, the clinic serves teachers and DISD staff (whom they charge) and also DISD students who don't have insurance (I don't think they are charged). Last year, they had 249 appointments with 525 procedures performed. A DISD teacher who had her teeth cleaned there said she paid $50 for the service, which included x-rays. She said the students did a great job, and she was happy to save money!
How many other grant-funded programs are out there? Can we replicate them on other campuses?
(original post)
Jack Lowe asked a very pointed question at the last Board Meeting. Putting kids through a dental certification program is great - they can go out and get a good job in a good field - but can DISD afford to do it in these lean times?
Mr. Lowe had recently visited the student-run dental clinic at the Health Magnet High School. He asked how many kids were in the program, and was told "ten". Mr. Lowe - God bless him! - doesn't waste time beating around the bush, saying what he's thinking straight out. This meeting was no exception, and it's a question that needed asking - can we afford to spend money on a great program for only ten kids?
The nice thing about saying these kind of things out loud is that IF parents are listening, they can participate in the discussion. I am happy to report that there WERE parents listening, both in the audience and watching the podcast. One of those parents got right on it!
Here's what she found out:
YES! DISD can afford it because DISD doesn't have to pay for it!
First, the program and the teacher are both funded through CATE funds (Career and Technology, from a special grant). These funds do NOT come out of the General Ledger fund, which is where the cuts have to come from. So, if this program were cut, it would not save the District any money. CATE funds cannot be moved to the General Ledger fund. Use 'em or lose 'em (I think).
Second, each class has 10 students, but the whole program actually prepares 30 a year for certification. The class size is capped by the State, so the Health Magnet offers more classes in order to serve more students.
Third, the clinic serves teachers and DISD staff (whom they charge) and also DISD students who don't have insurance (I don't think they are charged). Last year, they had 249 appointments with 525 procedures performed. A DISD teacher who had her teeth cleaned there said she paid $50 for the service, which included x-rays. She said the students did a great job, and she was happy to save money!
How many other grant-funded programs are out there? Can we replicate them on other campuses?
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Speaker Straus sends nice reply
I've been emailing State representatives about how State budget cuts are endangering effective and efficient Dallas ISD programs. I received a very nice response from an unexpected place:
Thank you for contacting me with your concerns regarding proposed educational budget cuts. I appreciate having your perspective on the issues that affect the citizens of our great state.
The Legislature is facing serious challenges this session in balancing the state budget, and I agree that we must make items like public education a priority. The reductions to which you refer are simply proposals at this time. They are only a starting point, not a foregone conclusion. Before any final action is taken and the budget for the 2012-2013 biennium is adopted, there will be a thorough examination of all recommendations in both chambers, with ample opportunity to hear from all interested parties.
I encourage you to stay involved with the budget process by visiting Texas Legislature Online at www.capitol.state.tx.us or by calling the Texas Bill Status Hotline at 1-877-824-7038. The website includes My TLO, a helpful tool that allows you to track the status of particular bills by creating custom watch lists. You can also receive alerts when significant actions are taken on the bills in which you have an interest.
Again, thank you for writing, and for your kind invitation to visit the Science and Engineering Magnet High School in Dallas. I will keep your concerns in mind as the legislative session progresses and we work to craft a budget that meets the state's needs but also lives within its means. If I can be of further assistance to you on this or any other issue, please do not hesitate to contact my office at (512) 463-3000.
Sincerely,
Joe Straus
Speaker
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