Schoolhouse Talk

Moving over to Wordpress

2008-09-16T10:49:00.003-05:00

Schoolhouse Talk has moved over to the Wordpress site. Update your bookmarks, RSS feeds, etc, for the new address:
http://schoolhousetalk.wordpress.com

Previous entries and corresponding comments have been transferred to the new site.

The site allows us to better track and organize our posts. Multimedia capabilities are stronger on the new site. We look forward to continuing the conversation.

Education: Gone To Far?

2008-08-15T12:54:00.002-05:00

A recent New York Times article said that students in Korea who fail to get in college have the option of attending a cram school to boost their chances of getting accepted to a college.

Cram schools are schools that help students prepare for college if they have previously failed to get accepted into a college. Korea, home to a such an institution, has schedules that consist of getting up at 6:30 a.m., eating breakfast and exercising, and then studying most of the day and night. Bedtime is at 12:30 a.m. unless people want to cram more studying until 2 a.m.

The article says that students forsake all the pleasures of a teenage life. Included in that list are the following:

No Cell phone.
No Fashion magazines
No Television
No Internet
No Dating
No Concerts
No Earrings
No Manicures

Students work for a better future. They are willing to make these sacrifices because their parents are making sacrifices to send them to such a school, according to the article.

Do you think students in America need a similar "regimen" to get them on a better track, putting more of an emphasis on education and eliminating distractions?

Or do you think this is cruel and unusual punishment?

Wade School Memories

2008-08-14T16:49:00.002-05:00

I have been working on an article about the Wade School that will appear soon in the Missourian. It's been difficult to find information on the history of the school. Reporter Elise Catchings and I searched through various archives and visited multiple historical societies, only to come up with many of the same articles and much of the same information. If you attended the Wade School and have memories of your time there, or if you are a history buff full of information on the Wade School, please share your thoughts with us!

The role of an interim

2008-08-14T12:44:00.007-05:00

Jim Ritter's situation as interim superintendent is not uncommon.

Employing an interim superintendent is becoming more popular, said Daniel Domenech, the executive director for the American Association of School Administrators.

The reason for increased popularity of interim superintendents is two-fold. Firstly, many superintendents retire at an early age and are young enough that they want to continue to work, but do not want to fully come out of retirement and lose their benefits or pension.

Working as an interim allows retired superintendents to go back to work for a short time, said Domenech.

"Interims are becoming more popular primarily because there's more availability," Domenech said. "It affords the district opportunities."

Secondly, districts can use the interim to set up the position for whomever is coming in full time.

"Interims have the opportunity to pave the way and set things up, so when the full time superintendent comes in, they're ready to go," Domenech said.

Domenech cites a lack of continuity as the main disadvantage of bringing in an interim, rather than seeking a permanent replacement for the outgoing superintendent.

"In general, a district prefers to hire someone full time, but sometimes the circumstances are such that it's not possible," Domenech said.

This was the situation when retiring Columbia Schools superintendent Phyllis Chase announced her retirement, leaving the school board with little time to find her replacement. In this case, Domenech said the school board made the best choice in choosing an interim, rather than scrambling to find a permanent superintendent. He said it would be worse to hire someone who is not right for the district.

"The circumstances are such that the board had its hands tied," Domenech said. "If she (Chase) had made her intentions known a year ago, the board would have had time to find a full time superintendent. But when the announcement is sprung on them, the right approach is to find an interim."

Domenech said that interims still hold as much power as a permanent superintendent would.

"They are still vested with the authority to make the decisions they have to make," Domenech said.

He noted, however, that it is unusual for a superintendent to work only part time, as Ritter has signed on to do.

"In that situation, we have to assume with his familiarity with the district that he's probably familiar with the assistants and pretty confident at their ability to carry on," Domenech said.

Ritter's appointment as interim begs the question: how much can an interim do in a year, especially if he's working part time? Do you think an interim can be effective?

--Written by Ashley Dillon

Jim Ritter announced as interim superintendent

2008-08-13T09:49:00.004-05:00

In a press conference held this morning, Columbia School Board President Michelle Gadbois announced that the board voted unanimously to appoint former superintendent Jim Ritter to serve as interim superintendent for the 2008-2009 school year.

Ritter's contract begins Sept. 1 and will run through June 30, a typical contract for a superintendent Gadbois said. Though his term officially beings Sept. 1, Ritter will begin work as superintendent today at 9:30 a.m. when he meets with the administration staff.

Gadbois said that Ritter will voluntarily be working full-time until his official start date in September. Since retiring superintendent Phyllis Chase has used her sick-leave for the rest of the month, she is effectively gone from the district. Once his contract begins, Ritter will be working half-time due to family obligations and other personal reasons.

The board offered Ritter a salary that equaled what Chase would have made this year and adjusted it for his half-time status. Since Chase made $180,000 before her departure from the district, Ritter was offered $90,000. However, Ritter didn't accept that offer, instead opting for a salary of $50,000, which he believed to be fairly comparable to the average teacher's salary in the district.

Ritter's primary goal during his time as interim superintendent will be to restore the community's confidence in the board and administration.

"I think we have some issues we need to resolve, but all the ingredients for a great school district are there," Ritter said.

Do you think Ritter is the right choice? What changes to you hope and think he is capable of making. What advice to you have for him?

School board meets for annual retreat

2008-08-11T17:21:00.000-05:00

The Columbia School Board met this morning for a scheduled team-building retreat. The meeting’s primary focus was to improve communication both among the board members and between the board and the district.

The team-building session, which was lead by Sarah Reed, president of Communication Center, Inc., launched discussion and awareness of communication.

Reed began the session by asking each board member to state what he or she hopes for in the upcoming school year.

Tom Rose said he hopes “for an improved sense of trust in the district.”

Karla DeSpain said she hopes for a “clear vision” among teachers, board members, parents and administration.

Rosie Tippin said she hopes the board will “be able to select a body that will lead (them)” and is a fit for the district.

Michelle Gadbois, who is the board president, said there is “trust-building to do” and he board needs to convey that it has a solid foundation.

Board member Jan Mees hopes there will be forward progress in the upcoming year.

Ines Segert hopes for discussion as well as an “open frankness.”

Steve Calloway, board vice president, said that he “would hope for us to arrive at a process that is more of a dialogue instead of a monologue.”

As part of the session, the board members discussed different perceptions of situations and how to best approach those, in terms of communicating.

Reed said the norm in our culture to formulate a response as the other party is speaking, and she encouraged the board members to concentrate on listening.

Gadbois said that is one thing she will do differently after having attended this session.

The board meets again Tuesday evening in closed session, presumably to talk about who will lead the district on an interim basis. Phyllis Chase announced her retirement last week.

Education: Banning Bullying

2008-08-08T15:09:00.002-05:00

In a recent article, the New York state senate introduced a bill banning bullying in public schools. The bill includes harassment based on sexual orientation.

"The legislation is an important recognition that gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender students are often harassed at school," Alan Van Capelle said, the executive director of the Empire State Pride Agenda, a gay-rights organization.

The legislation would require training for school staff to correctly put it in effect.

Training would include:

Helping teachers recognize bullying
Helping teachers respond to bullying
Requiring schools to keep track of bullying cases, especially sexual orientation harassment

Do you think Missouri needs to pass a bill such as this? Should a bill such as this extend to harassment of young girls?

Or do you think Columbia school children do not suffer from bullying to this extent that a bill would be needed?

Tell us your thoughts.

As Chase leaves quickly, board discusses interim

2008-08-06T13:32:00.005-05:00

The Columbia School Board will meet tonight in a closed session to discuss potential candidates for interim superintendent in the wake of Phyllis Chase's announcement Tuesday that she will retire.

Board president Michelle Gadbois said that she could not disclose any names of the people the board is considering for interim superintendent, but that there were several the board had in mind.

Gadbois added that she anticipates another closed meeting before the week is out. She hopes the board will reach a decision about the temporary position by the end of this week and announce it then.

Though her last paid day is Aug. 31, Chase will be taking sick leave until the end of August, Gadbois said. Essentially Chase is no longer with the district, so an interim is needed soon.

Chase retiring from top schools job

2008-08-05T12:45:00.011-05:00

Phyllis Chase announced her retirement from her position as superintendent of Columbia Public Schools at a press conference today at 1 p.m. She will retire effective Aug. 31, she announced.

Read the news release here.

Read the Dr. Chase's letter to CPS staff here.

Watch clips from the news conference here.

What characteristics do you think the board should look for in the district's next leader? What do you hope the next superintendent will do the same? What do you hope he or she will do differently?

Education: Politics

2008-08-01T17:27:00.003-05:00

In a recent article, John McCain criticized Barack Obama on education.

McCain talked about a variety of changes to education he felt would improve it.

Changes:
From school choice
More local control
To direct public support to parents for tutoring

In each case, McCain said Obama came up short.

Education is becoming a hot topic. Which presidential candidate do you think is handling education in an ideal way?

2008 MAP Data Press Conference

2008-07-30T14:42:00.003-05:00

Columbia Public Schools will be holding a press conference Thursday at 1 p.m. at the Administrative Office Building (1818 W. Worley). They will be providing information on the 2008 Missouri Assessment Program results which will be released to the public Friday, August 1.

More on Vision Exams

2008-07-30T11:14:00.006-05:00

MU students just received an email including this information regarding the new law concerning vision exams. If your child still needs a vision exam, this may be something to look into.

$60 Kindergarten Special:
New Missouri law requires all children in kindergarten or first grade entering school for the first time to have a comprehensive eye exam.* The Mason Eye Institute is offering a "KINDERGARTEN SPECIAL" through September for these vision exams. Appointments for this special will be at Eye Institute East, 404 Portland Avenue (street behind Columbia Regional Hospital), with Dr. Wolak on any Monday from now through September 2008. To schedule, please call 882-8920 and mention the "$60 KINDERGARTEN SPECIAL". *For more information: http://som.missouri.edu/ophthalmology

Going green

2008-07-28T09:40:00.003-05:00

High gas prices and concerns for the environment have prompted some schools to consider condensed school weeks, especially in rural districts. The New York Times also reported a trend among colleges and universities to improve their green appeal.

Should Columbia schools do more to reduce their carbon footprint? A condensed school week may not be feasible here, but in what other ways can we make "green" a school color at every school?

Gifted Program in CPS

2008-07-26T13:30:00.002-05:00

John Hendel wrote an article in this weekend's Missourian about Gifted Programs for students in Columbia Publics Schools.

According to the article, elementary schools in Columbia have had gifted programs in place for many years, while Rock Bridge High School has one ten years and Hickman has had a program for two.

In the story, Hendel also addresses how the recent budget cuts may affect gifted programs.

You can read the article by clicking here.

Education: No Gender Gap

2008-07-25T12:12:00.005-05:00

An article showed a recent study about math performance between men and women. The article stated girls are just as good at math as boys. University of Wisconsin psychology professor Janet Hyde led the study. She and her team looked over SAT results and math scores from seven million students.

"Our country has a lot of stereotypes that boys are better than girls at math, and we have current evidence that both teachers and parents think that that's true," said Hyde. "But the data don't show that at all -- at least with these very current samples."

The article read Hyde's research team looked at gender differences at the highest levels of mathematical ability, and also tried to compare how well both girls and boys fared on questions requiring complex problem solving skills. In both instances, the study found little difference between the sexes.

The article also said women in science and engineering often blame their low numbers on society factors. Young women receive little encouragement, and few role models are available for them.

"I'm hoping that parents and teachers see this study and say, 'Gosh, what I've been thinking about boys being better at math, maybe it's not true," said Hyde. " I mean the data just don't show that's true -- so maybe people will revise their ideas."

Do you think a gender gap exists? According to this article, it doesn't. What are your thoughts?

Vision in Schools

2008-07-24T21:24:00.007-05:00

Columbia Public Schools are now requiring vision exams for students enrolling in kindergarten or first grade. Parents can object the mandatory exam only if the "appropriate school administrator" issues them a written request.

When I was writing my Pre-K Summer School story last week, I saw a student in the class with glasses--and a few other students in different classrooms. It reminded me of when I went to Shepard and finally got glasses. I was amazed that I could clearly see the chalk board and my notes reflected that.

The benefit to early eye exams are finding out if children really can see. If they have poor vision and it is corrected before entering school, they will be on the same playing field as their fellow classmates in learning because they will be able to see just as well.

The negative that jumps out to me? Eye exams can be expensive. With the economy as it is, some families may not be able to afford exams if they have multiple children entering school or are moving into our school district.

My question to you: Do you think there should be alternate forms of vision exams for students? Should the district set up some sort of program through the schools that doesn't require parents to go out on their own to get their child an eye exam?

Protection: Expect the Unexpected

2008-07-22T13:16:00.005-05:00

For a second year in a row, Columbia Public Schools will participate in intruder training. This training is a practice exercise where teachers and staff, along with law enforcement officials, will conduct potential scenarios in which a dangerous intruder is on school premises.

"It is imperative that our employees and law enforcement officers are prepared for a variety of possible crisis situations that could occur," Superintendent Phyllis Chase said.

According to a Columbia Public Schools' press release, Columbia Public Schools' staff and local law enforcement will be involved in three ten-hour training sessions. The sessions will consist of classroom instruction, an overview the history of school violence, and building intruder simulations.

75 teachers and administrations from the district and 100 to 120 police department officers from the following towns will participate:

Columbia
Ashland
Hallsville
Centralia

Missouri State Highway Patrol and Columbia Fire Department also slated to participate.

Sessions to be held on Wednesdays. They will be held on July 23 at Jefferson Junior High School, July 30 at Rock Bridge High School, and Aug. 6 at Fairview Elementary School. Buildings will be closed to those not involved with training.

Some participants will get a refresher and some are new to this experience. Officer John Warner says this is a continuation of training for teachers and officers.

"This type of pre-planning and training will make us better equipped to handle emergency situations proactively rather than reactively as the safety of our students and staff is of the utmost importance," Chase said.

"Getting a B is OK..."

2008-07-22T11:29:00.005-05:00

On May 24, 2008, The Wall Street Journal posted an article online about the stresses of high school students today. It focuses on juniors, calling junior year "the worst year." The article talks about how students feel so much pressure in high school, from parents and themselves, that they may choose to attend a less prestigious college, or not attend college at all, to avoid the stress that comes with it.

Do you think parents put too much pressure on their children to get perfect grades? Does the amount of homework high schools give their students prepare them for college or scare them away from the idea of a university? Give us your thoughts!

School Board Invites Feedback

2008-07-21T13:04:00.004-05:00

The Columbia School Board has posted a survey on the CPS website inviting community members to provide insight on the board's communication. The survey can be found under the "Hot Topics" section on the homepage.

The survey, comprised of 37 questions or sections, seeks to gather information on the perception of the school board in the community, as well as where most people choose to find news about the district. Though the majority of the survey asks yes or no questions, the end of the survey has several sections for participants to enter comments.

Communication between the school board and the community is not a new topic as there has been concern about it in the past. In the final meetings of the board this summer, the topic was raised and board president Michelle Gadbois said members were looking at improving communication between the district and the community.

Do you think the board is making the right move by posting this survey? Do you think it will help (or hurt) the relationship between the board and the community?

Columbia Independent School student attends Missouri Chamber leadership program

2008-07-21T10:58:00.002-05:00

Amanda Selby of Wooldridge, a student at Columbia Independent School, recently attended the Missouri Chamber of Commerce Leadership in Practice program at Stephens College in Columbia, Mo. The students were sponsored by the Missouri Press Association, to participate in the program that selects future leaders from schools across the state. More than 130 high school students attended this year’s program.

Leadership in Practice is a three-day program designed to provide young Missourians – students between their freshman and sophomore years in high school – with the opportunity to learn the characteristics of leadership.

Leadership in Practice is part of a youth leadership educational program that was created by the Missouri Chamber of Commerce in 1962. It is funded through scholarships provided by Missouri businesses and civic organizations. The Missouri Chamber of Commerce (www.mochamber.org ) was founded in 1923 and is the largest business organization in Missouri, representing almost 3,000 employers providing more than 425,000 jobs for Missourians. The chamber’s mission is to preserve and advance a positive business climate in the state.

Splashing Around

2008-07-21T09:08:00.006-05:00

With the first day of school just a month away, youngsters all around town are soaking up the summer fun while temperatures run high.

Stephens Lake was teaming with kids and families this weekend. And if you know you're going to get wet, why not bring an umbrella?

Teens promote donations of school supplies

2008-07-18T15:39:00.003-05:00

In an effort to help underprivileged Columbia youth get the supplies they need for going back to school, Staples is partnering with DoSomething.org and American Idol winner Jordin Sparks to encourage teens to make a difference in the lives of others.

DoSomething.org is an organization that inspires teens to spark change in their community by serving others.

“By teaming up with Do Something and most importantly, teens from across the country, it is truly inspiring to see what can be accomplished for thousands of youth unable to afford basic school supplies,” said Demos Parneros, president of U.S. Stores at Staples. “With help from celebrities like Jordin, we will be able to arm teens with the tools and resources they need to make a difference in their community.”
(As stated in a press release)

From now until August 31, the Staples store located on 115 Conley Road will be accepting donations for the Columbia area. Other Staples locations accepting donations include:

• 2500 Missouri Blvd., Jefferson City
• 3534 Highway 54, Osage Beach

The donations made to Staples in Columbia will be given to the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Columbia Area. Donations received in Jefferson City and Osage Beach will be given to either:
o The Boys & Girls Club of The Capital City
o The Tri-County YMCA of the Ozarks
For more information go to dosomething.org or dosomething101.com

School Bus Drivers Voting on New Contract

2008-07-18T13:03:00.005-05:00

First Student bus drivers will be voting on a new contract tonight at 6 p.m. at Carpenter's Union Hall off of Bernadette Drive.

First Student Manager Denise Apperson said the new contract is between the drivers and First Student. She would not provide any other information except for the contract concerns Columbia Public Schools and the contract for next year. First Student does not release the names of their bus drivers and in a past Missourian article, "Lynn Barnett, assistant superintendent for student support services, said the district does not have the names of school bus drivers and would not ask ask First Student for such a list."

Carpenter's Union Hall is located at 404 Tiger Lane.

Education: A New Vision

2008-07-18T11:30:00.003-05:00

A New York Times article talks about a woman's plan to make education an all encompassing force.

Randi Weingarten was elected for presidency of American Federation of Teachers (AFT), a national teachers union. She criticized the No Child Left Behind law as "too badly broken to be fixed."

She outlined "a new vision of schools for the 21st century." She spoke about community schools that serve the neediest children bringing together all services and activities they and their families need.

Services such as:

Child care
Dental care
Medical care
Counseling clinics
Recreational activities
Homework assistance

The article mentions that if she becomes president of the union, Weingarten would continue standing up for teacher's interests and trying to engage in education reform.

"The last eight years of the Republican presidency have really been a threat to the middle class and to public education," said William Gallagher, a high school social studies teacher for 33 years. He said Ms. Weingarten would "work hard to make sure the new president, whoever he is, puts education on the forefront of issues in this country."

"We all have to work tenaciously to eliminate the achievement gap and to turn around low-performing schools," Weingarten said. "but the folks who believe that this can all be done on teachers' shoulders, which is what No Child tries to do, are doing a huge disservice to America."

Do you believe "community schools" are a possible idea? Or do you think it's too outstanding to ever be put in effect?

Do you agree with these thoughts about the No Child Left Behind law?

What do you think about this overall?

Amount of pressure on students?

2008-07-17T22:06:00.002-05:00

In an article I have been working on this week, I went to Shepard Elementary School and stayed with a kindergarten summer school class for the day. The students (who were 4 and 5 years old) amazed me by how much they knew already and how well they behaved.
Debi Kupferer, the teacher, said students are now expected to be reading entire books by the end of kindergarten otherwise they cannot graduate. I don't know about you all, but I was not reading full books until about half-way through my first grade year. One of the parents I talked to while writing the article said students are sometimes being expected to learn "too much too soon" and their brains aren't ready for that information.

Do you think that school districts (Columbia specifically) are pushing children to learn at too early of an age? Is this accelerated learning right for all students?

Back-To-School Health Fair

2008-07-17T11:29:00.003-05:00

Columbia Public Schools' website published the following information on an upcoming back-to-school health fair:

"A back-to-school health fair will be held on Saturday, August 2, from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm at Calvary Baptist Church, 606 Ridgeway Avenue. Grades K-12 are welcome. Children must be accompanied by a parent/guardian to receive services. The following services will be provided at no cost: dental, hearing, and vision screenings for children; adult screenings; refreshments, food, entertainment, and more; and free backpacks and school supplies while supplies last. Call 874-2273 for more information. The event is sponsored by the Voluntary Action Center, Boone Hospital Center, American Red Cross, Calvary Baptist Church, Columbia Police Department, Rainbow House, Columbia Mall, Sterling Dental, KOMU-TV 8, and Columbia Parks and Recreation."

Catching the reading bug

2008-07-12T11:30:00.004-05:00

What more could young story-lovers ask for than comdedic park ranger-turned-storyteller Bobby Norfolk? St. Louis native Bobby Norfolk told stories to summer school students at Mill Creek elementary school during a morning assembly on Friday. Norfolk's visit was made possible by a grant from the Daniel Boone Regional Library to encourage reading among children. The libraries at two elementary schools, Mill Creek and Blue Ridge, will keep special hours through August 5 this summer for children and families. Mill Creek's library is open Mondays from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and the library at Blue Ridge is open from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Tuesdays.

Principals: Getting More Involved

2008-07-11T11:04:00.004-05:00

In a recent article of the St. Joe News, it talked about principals getting more involved in classrooms through deciding what happens in them.

The article reads that principals' skills and talents have steered towards managing school operations for too long. However, in recent years, principals are combining management with "instructional leadership"

Doug Flowers, director of human resources for the St. Joseph Public Schools, notes principals are focusing on class instruction.

The result was 30 district teachers placed on "improvement plans".

"Would I want that teacher (on the improvement plan) teaching my child?" Mr. Flowers wondered.

Some teachers could have their pays cut or lose their jobs for not meeting standards. Of course, just because the teachers are on "improvement plans" doesn't mean they haven't improved.

Should principals, a part of the Columbia Public School district, start "instructional leadership"?
Do you think this kind of leadership in Columbia Public Schools would benefit the district?

Grant Elementary to Add Crossing Guard

2008-07-10T13:48:00.002-05:00

At the July 7 City Council meeting, the City Manager authorized an agreement with the Columbia School District to provide a crosswalk guard at Grant Elementary for the 2008-2009 school year. The cost is $3,500 and the district will have to pay the City back before the end of service period.

Here is a link to the R 147-08 bill if you want to read the legal documentation. Make sure you scroll down to see all of the information.

Do you feel enough crossing guards are protected in the district to keep your children safe before and after schools? Do more schools in the district need to hire additional crossing guards regardless of the added cost?

Education: Equality and Reform

2008-07-10T12:48:00.003-05:00

We ran an article in the Missourian on Tuesday talking about the focus needed for education - especially by presidential candidates.

The article read; Rev. Al Sharpton has begun to work for school reform with a new coalition trying to challenge allies for the cause of black and brown children.

Sharpton is helping to head a growing national coalition to focus attention on real issues facing education reform.

The coalition includes:
-Educators
-Politicians
-Academicians

The Education Equality project hopes to frame education as a basic human right.

"How can America boast of equal opportunity when so many black and Latino children are denied a good education," Sharpton asks.

The group points out many flaws of the education system that need addressing.

Sharpton wants:
...To bring reason to teacher contracts
...To revamp policies sending poor kids to the worst schools
...To give parents more choice of the schools to which they send their children

The group aims to encourage the presidential candidates Obama and McCain to debate on these issues.

The group thinks the candidates have an opportunity to discuss what makes sense for the nation's schools.

Questions:
-Do you think the Columbia Public Schools system needs to focus more on equality?
-Do you think presidential candidates need to focus on education?
-Do you think schools around the nation suffer from lack of community involvement leading to inequality and poor education policies?

Catholic High School Update

2008-07-08T16:04:00.006-05:00

Back in June, the Missourian did a story on the progress of Columbia's first Catholic high school . Recently I got in touch with project manager Ray Beck for an update on the school. As of now, the architects Peckham & Wright are in the process of finalizing the site/building plan, said Beck. This will include the whole development plan for the building process. A couple of weeks ago, Mary Gene Wepfer from the Steier Group, met with the leadership team in charge of the project to begin discussing fundraising. The finalized plan will hopefully be ready to present to the Columbia Planning and Zoning Commission for approval by the end of July. Keep checking the Missourian online for future updates.

2008-2009 School Year Budget Online

2008-07-08T09:33:00.004-05:00

The budget for the upcoming school year is now posted on the CPS website. You can find a link to the document under the "Hot Topics" section.

This is the final version of the budget, which was approved unanimously by the board on June 30. In this document you can see first-hand how the cuts are broken down.

Take a look through it. If there is something you see that you would like to know more about, let us know.

K-5 mathematics draft follow-up

2008-07-07T13:17:00.004-05:00

Mentioned last week, Columbia Public Schools have posted the K-5 mathematics curriculum draft on their website. Eventually, it will be used during the 2009-2010 school year. It is currently open for public comment up until July 15.

Linda Coutts, CPS K-5 mathematics coordinator said “Parents, teachers, community members, representatives from the education department at MU and Columbia College, and principals….” are responsible for creating the K-5 mathematics curriculum draft for the 09-10 school-year. Click here for a complete list of writing committee members.

Coutts said the draft will be presented to the Columbia Mathematics Community Advisory Committee on September 3 for feedback. After receiving suggestions and comments from the community mathematics committee, the CPS K-5 writing committee will make revisions based on their suggestions and submit the finalized draft to the school board sometime in September.

Coutts said many documents were taken into consideration when developing this draft, including national standards set by the National Mathematics Advisory Panel.
“You will find components of the state draft, the GLEs version 2, (Grade Level Expectations)the Achieve document and other documents that we used to create our draft K-5 math curriculum.” Coutts said.

To view the complete draft click here (The six specific documents that helped guide this draft can be found on the first page.)

Education: What's in its future?

2008-07-07T11:46:00.004-05:00

In the PARADE, Former Labor Secretary William Brock answered a few questions regarding these issues. The article is at the bottom of this page.

Brock leads the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce. The commission is to report on the state of U.S. education. He questions and answers three aspects of education.

The three questions:
- How can we fix American education?
- How are we failing our teachers?
- Why isn't education a bigger political issue?

To fix American education, he thinks we have to admit it has its problems. He says in the last 25 years, educational spending increases while educational performance decreases. A little more than half of high school students are graduating, he says, and many states' diploma requirements are lax. He says they only require eighth-grade reading and math skills.

He says we need:
- Early childhood education to improve
- More great and dedicated teachers to educate
- Standardized tests not to strip analytical thinking, imagination, originality, and cooperation from students

He says we obtain new teachers to do demanding jobs in schools requiring large amounts of attention and work for little pay. When students do not meet our standards, we blame the teachers and tell them to work harder. Teachers feel voiceless. We should not disrespect professionals this way.

Since there are no fast solutions to fixing our education problems, he says education fails to be a bigger political issue. He says education issues are too complicated to fix immediately. He thinks no one wants to accept we leave millions of children behind.

He says education is the key...
...To better jobs
...Higher incomes
...Greater economic growth

He thinks nothing trumps education's importance. Nothing.
What do you think? Do you agree?

Japan Program Added Photos

2008-07-05T20:15:00.005-05:00

Here are more photos courtesy of Clint Darr from his Japan Trip

A New Future For No Child Left Behind Act

2008-07-04T12:46:00.003-05:00

Advancing Accountability 2008 National Tour

U.S. Secretary Margaret Spellings has traveled the country to speak with stakeholders about helping students reach their potential. She's visited 22 states and has spoken with a number of government and state officials, superintendents, parents, and communities.

In her visits, she discussed how to change and improve the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). The discussions led her and others to agree poor performing schools the most assistance. They agreed these schools are different, and the assistance needed various with each school.

Spellings announced a new program under the NCLB called "Differentiated Accountability".
This program is to help states distinguish between under performing schools needing drastic help and those needing the least amount of help. The goal is to provide assistance with this new program at every stage of improvement.

She invited 10 states to apply for this program. She hopes to acquire information from these schools to further extend use of the program. She believes the more information she has, the better she will be able to demand future improvement.

Survey Use: Positive or Pointless?

2008-07-03T20:50:00.001-05:00

In an article I read yesterday in the “New York Times,” parents were given a survey to discuss their satisfaction (or dissatisfaction) with the state of schools in New York City.

Numbers were up from last year concerning everything from how safe the children felt in the hallways of their school to how well teachers feel their schools are promoting student academic growth.

This particular survey cost $2 million to conduct, but it seems like something people feel strongly about.

Do you think Columbia Public Schools should set up a survey system to get parent input? If this happened, what do you think the district’s response would be to your answers?

Bugs invade library for learning experience

2008-07-03T17:46:00.009-05:00

This summer, the Daniel Boone Regional Library in Columbia is holding its annual summer reading program. The program's theme is "Catch the summer reading bug." Several events are scheduled throughout the summer to encourage kids to learn about insects and continue reading during their time off from school.

As I was clicking through the different events listed on the library's website, I noticed that there was an event scheduled for today called "Bug Talk." This presentation, lead by MU graduate student Jen Hamel, showed children how bugs communicate. At the Missourian we have been discussing the different ways we can use multimedia to enhance stories, so as soon as I read this it seemed like a great sound bite opportunity.

When I pitched the idea to my editor, I assumed she would pair me with a convergence journalism student and we would go from there. What I didn't expect was her to hand me an armful of unfamiliar equipment and have me run with it.

Now, I am not the most tech-savvy person by any means, nor am I a photographer. Both of these things I will happily admit. So, when I realized that all of the multimedia for this project would be left up to me, I was a tad nervous. It was mostly for a learning experience though, and one I was (mostly) happy to dive in to. From my experiences on the paper so far, I've discovered that the best (though not always the most pleasant) way to learn is by diving in head-first and just doing it.

Given what I had to work with and my (very) limited knowledge of the equipment, I think the result was actually decent. I didn't anticipate that this little learning project would end up online, but we agreed that there was enough to stick something up there.

The slide show can be found on the Columbia Missourian website in the multimedia section at the bottom of the page. In it Hamel explains the different sounds bugs make and even plays a few recordings. She even brought in her own group of live thornbugs so kids could listen first hand. With a small device attached to trees standing in the front of the room, the vibrations of the insects could be heard. The recordings she played were definitely odd sounding. Many of them didn't even sound like bugs! There were a few that sounded like the singing of a whale. Another almost sounded like an old printer running off pages.

Overall, it was an interesting experience. Bugs generally creep me out, but as Hamel played the recordings and pointed out thornbugs on the trees, I felt just as amused as the group of children gathered in the room.

Columbia Public Schools' K-5 Math Curriculum Draft

2008-07-02T18:28:00.003-05:00

Recently posted under the "Hot Topics" section of the Columbia Public Schools Web site is the CPS draft of the K-5 mathematics curriculum. According to the site, the draft is expected to be implemented for the 2009-2010 school year and is currently open for public comment. In order to make suggestions or comments about the draft, a survey is available on the CPS Web site now through July 15. You can also e-mail the K-5 mathematics coordinator, Linda Coutts at Lcoutts@columbia.k12.mo.us

To view the K-5 mathematics curriculum, click here.

More details soon...

Budget Cut #103

2008-07-01T11:44:00.001-05:00

Item number 103 on the 2008-09 budget for Columbia Public Schools is the elimination of the summer minority intern program. This program usually runs during the summer and offers job shadowing experience and a summer job for around 50 high school students interested in a teaching career. Students in the ninth grade or above are required to fill out an application and go through an interview process before they are selected for the program. These students work as assistants for teachers during summer school and are able to get hands on experience in the classroom, while earning minimum wage. Cutting this program will save the district $50,000, but how will summer programs be affected by the absence of these interns? Mary Laffey, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources, said that the extra pairs of hands these interns provide will definitely be missed, but a volunteer intern program is not out of the question. What do you think about this program being cut? Give us your thoughts!

Hickman Owes The District $85,000 for artificial turf

2008-06-30T20:50:00.003-05:00

Hickman High School’s remaining balance on their artificial turf football field comes at a bad time for the district. Although the $85,000 owed does not affect the recent district-wide budget cuts, it limits funds available for other district projects. I spoke with Linda Quinley today and she said that projects funded by the capital project fund can still be paid for by the district, but added the $85,000 is going to help pay for these projects once the money comes back to the capital funds budget.

Rock Bridge High School has already paid the district the $320,000 their field cost because they had larger donations early on. You will notice that Hickman’s field cost a bit more than Rock Bridge’s. Quinley said the prices for the two projects were slightly different due to drainage issues.

I graduated from Hickman and used the field for marching band a lot. Many people think the football field is just for football practice and games, but that is not true. More Hickman students are using it for activities and classes and Mike Jeffers, principal at Hickman, said community use has risen since the turf was installed. With the recent slow in economy, Hickman is struggling to get donations to pay the field off while all of these people are using it. In turn, money for other capital projects is not available.

If you are interested in donating to help pay for Hickman’s artificial turf, you should contact Doug Mirts at 214-3011 or Hickman’s main office at 214-3000.

Holding back students

2008-06-30T09:13:00.004-05:00

A theme among public schools the past few years is concern with leveling the academic playing field. This standardization is seen through the No Child Left Behind program, debates over “teaching for the test” and advanced placement courses, and access to learning resources.

But the New York Times recently reported a controversial move by the East Ramapo school district in New York to reinstate the Gift of Time program that will hold back and sequester students “lacking basic skills.”

The article cites testament from school officials that the added resources and social pressures of these special classes ensures their effectiveness.

Do you think programs designed to hold students and offer special resources, such as the Gift of Time, are permissible? Would they be effective in mid-Missouri?

Success at dance camp

2008-06-28T15:13:00.000-05:00

As 1 of 8 schools to participate in an elite competitive dance camp in Cape Girardeau, the Hickman dance team left with more than they had originally come with.

The camp began on June 17 and ended June 20 and was hosted by the National Dance Association. The squad of 11 girls danced through 4 long days, often waking up early and going to bed very late.

“They basically wake up at 7 am and are probably not in bed till 1 or 2,” Kristina Schaefer, Hickman High School Dance Team Head Coach said.

After spending time at Southeast Missouri State University learning, practicing and performing new dance techniques at the camp, the squad earned a number of awards for their skillful dance routines and technique in both team and individual performances, where each dancer received a high rating.

“They all had a wonderful time and really kicked off their season to a great start!” Schaefer said.

The team had been working on a dance routine weeks before camp began.

On the first night, they performed this same routine, and were given not only a high rating, but also a “technical excellence” trophy and a bid to nationals.

By the end of the camp, the team had also been awarded first place in “the circle of winners,” 3 spirit sticks and overall technical excellence for their routines.

The camp was a good opportunity for Hickman’s dance team to prepare for their upcoming season by learning new skills and routines.

The camp also helped build camaraderie and develop a sense of team unity. Schaefer said that the most memorable moments of camp for her were her team’s overall success and high quality team bonding.

“They really worked as a team,” Schaefer said. “They’re such a close squad so that really helped a lot.”

Individual Awards include:
Team Leader Dance (Brittany Marso and Breezy Grotzinger- both captains) -
Silver in "Circle of Winners"

All American Nominees - Brittny Goran, Breezy Grotzinger, Brittany Marso,
Emma Montgomery and Kelsey Parker

All American Team - Brittny Goran, Breezy Grotzinger and Emma Montgomery

Top All American at Camp - Brittany Marso (also personally asked by the head
instructor to become a part of the NDA staff)

Top Gun Kick Finalists - Brittny Goran and Brittany Marso

Top Gun Leaps and Turns Finalists - Breezy Grotzinger, Sammy Grotzinger,
Brittany Marso and Emma Montgomery

Top Gun Leaps and Turns Winner - Brittany Marso

Individual Merit Awards -
Technique: Brittny Goran, Sammy Grotzinger and Brittany Marso
Showmanship: Ashton Chandler and Emma Montgomery
Spirit: Taylour Beamer}

Squad Members that attended camp are:
Alexa Anderson, Taylour Beamer,
Anna Bynum, Ashton Chandler,
Brittny Goran, Breezy Grotzinger,
Sammy Grotzinger, Ashley Hatton,
Brittany Marso, Emma Montgomery, Kelsey Parker

Missouri Assessment Program Testing Changes

2008-06-27T12:13:00.002-05:00

The changes will come during the 2008-2009 school year and will replace the MAP Test with end-of-course exams for high school students. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education posted on its website a list of questions addressing the details of this change. The end-of-course exams still has goals similar to the MAP test, assessing student's achievement, but they also allow teachers to include the results into students’ grades. 
Algebra I, English II, and Biology will be the first courses to have these exams. More exams are being developed for other sujects going into affect during the 2009-2010 school year and the future. The tests will have a multiple-choice section and a performance event for Algebra and Biology while having a writing prompt for English. Designed to last 55 minutes, they are available in paper and online forms. 
After students finish a course involving material for Course-Level Expectiations, they have to take the exam for the course. If the student fails or is failing the class, he or she does not have to take the end-of-course exam. Students are expected to take eight exams before their graduation. However, a “passing” score does not exist to prevent students from graduating. 
Students will not have the eight exams completed until 2010-2011, but they will start taking the exams this school year in the corresponding courses. 
Districts will offer testing during summer school and at the end of the fall and spring semesters. Schools will need to allow one-week windows for test administration. Tests will be scored by Riverside Publishing Company and will count for at least 10 percent of their course grade, but no more than 25 percent.

The end-of-course tests will be field-tested in spring 2008.

Students in grades 3-8 will continue taking the MAP test in its original form.

School Board to consider accepted budget

2008-06-27T10:43:00.003-05:00

The Columbia Public Schools Board will meet Monday, June 30 at 7:30 a.m. to further discuss the 2008-2009 school year budget. The tentative agenda will include additional consideration of the budget. The notice, which was released by the School Board, did not give any other details.

The budget was voted on June 19. The vote approved a budget that does not operate the salary schedule for the upcoming school year.

Fewer Transitions for K-12 Students?

2008-06-26T15:46:00.016-05:00

"Research shows that children who attend preschool do better
in kindergarten, and the extra boost may help them
succeed all the way through grade school"

In an article by the St. Louis Post Dispatch, some schools are setting up four-week programs for children entering kindergarten the following fall.

Soon-to-be Kindergartners in Webster Groves are being taught to stand in straight lines, raise their hands when they want to talk and start working with letters and numbers, according to the article.

Even though students are able to attend pre-school, the summer programs are “a big step beyond your typical kindergarten introduction event” and place students in a more education setting — as opposed to a more recreational one.

The Summer-School program by Newton Learning, held in Columbia Public Schools, allows children entering kindergarten to attend and is similar to the program in Webster Groves. Both are free to attend.

“Some school districts, like Webster Groves, realize that some students might need more help with the transition to kindergarten.” I can’t help but recall a discussion I had with Wanda Brown a few weeks ago concerning the new high school.

Brown thinks that creating fewer transitions for students will help them throughout their four-year high school experience. This includes moving ninth-graders to the high school building and possibly keeping ninth-grade classrooms in a confined area to be “included but protected.”

If we start transitioning our students early and cut back on building shifts, do you think they will perform better during their educational endeavors? Or are we protecting them too much and not exposing them to what they will face post high-school graduation?

Alternative choices for life after high school

2008-06-25T21:22:00.002-05:00

The primary push in high school is to pursue a college degree post-graduation. However, according to a recent New York Times article, many schools are implementing a "career program" that aids those students not on the college track.

A long-term evaluation of nine different academies that implement such a program will be released this Friday, the article said. It's findings show that the students are earning more eight-years after graduation.

In a time when the importance of education is emphasized, are those who aren't college-bound left to the wayside? Do you think that the implementation of such career-centric programs will be helpful to those students or that it will discourage students from pursuing a college education?

What Would You Do?

2008-06-24T21:22:00.005-05:00

Joseph and Angela Baldwin bought a lot next to their home on Wade School Road this morning at an auction held by Columbia Public Schools. This particular lot has an old schoolhouse on it, and they plan to one day create it into a new home for their family, and would like to save as much of the old building as possible. If you had an old schoolhouse, what would you do with it?

U.S. Citizenship in CPS

2008-06-23T08:43:00.003-05:00

“...Are the families attending the school appling for U.S. citizenship, or are they U.S. citizens? If not, why would the school be eligible for tax payer funded grants? If they are working to become citizens, why is English concidered a "second language"? I would have thought that the journalism school would better prepare their students to present the 5 basics facts of writing.”

Posted by John M. Nowell, III on Jun 16, 2008 at 9:41 a.m.

I felt the need to respond to confusion after the article covering the Islamic School’s accreditation celebration on June 15. The intent of the article was to explain what accreditation means for the school, but there was some reader concern regarding the school’s qualification for grants and programs because of citizenship.

So how does U.S. citizenship play a role in Columbia schools? In many ways, it doesn’t.

Private schools have the liberty to set their own standards separate from CPS should they choose to, but citizenship is not an enrollment requirement for any public school in the district. The CPS web site has three criterion for students wishing to enroll in the district: the student’s complete immunization record, parent or guardian proof of residence and proof of student’s birth. Proof of birth may be satisfied by a birth certificate, passsport, visa, or hospital records.

Last week I spoke with Lynn Barnett, the assistant superintendent for CPS. Barnett confirmed that U.S. citizenship is not required for enrollment in public schools and even a foreign passport would be acceptable proof of birth.

Furthermore, English Language Learner (formerly English as a Second Language) students are not necessarily non-U.S. citizens; ELL is open to all students seeking proficiency in English. Judy Trujillo, coordinator of ELL, said that 568 students in grades k-12 participate in the program. Eight of the 19 elementary schools in the district have been chosen to offer ELL based on attendance distribution of students needing to improve their English. One of the middle schools, one junior high school, and both primary high schools also use ELL resources.

Participation in these ELL programs does not imply ineptitude of language skills. For some students, English will be the second or third language in which they quickly become fluent. For other students, it may take a while to get the hang of the language. Arguably, many kindergartners and early-elementary students have similar difficulty tackling the ins and outs of grammatically correct English.

Standardized Tests: Do they really work?

2008-06-21T13:18:00.007-05:00

I read a New York Times article from June 18, about the new SAT standardized test and criticism it's been getting for not being a good indicator of how well students will do in their first couple of semesters in college.

The newer version of the SAT has a 25-minute writing portion, which is said to further determine how well a student will perform during their first year in college.

After reading this article, I wondered just how well any standardized test predicts a student's future success at any grade level.

If a student does not perform well on a standardized test for college, whether it is the ACT or SAT, does this mean that they will not perform well during their first semesters in college?

There are many students who just aren't good test-takers, myself included. There are students who are great test-takers, but aren't comfortable learning in classroom settings.

Every student learns differently. Some may need visuals to understand concepts, while other may be able to solve problems after hearing directions once. It really depends on the student.

High school curriculum is meant to prepare students for life after senior year, whether that is working full time, starting a family or most often, going to college.

The standardized tests that are given to college-bound students are said to assist in determining how students will perform academically once enrolled in their first year of college courses.

My questions to you:

Do you think college admissions faculty should rely on a student's academic performance during high school or standardized test scores in determining their ability to achieve academically in college? Or, should they rely on both?

Based on students' performance in college, not on standardized tests, do you think that Missouri's current high school curriculum is adequately preparing students for college courses?

Read the New York Times article by clicking here.

School Board Meeting: The Aftermath

2008-06-20T13:42:00.001-05:00

Click here for article about the board's decision and further details about Budget C.

Last night, the Columbia Public Schools Board voted on the budget for the 2008-2009 school year. Linda Quinley presented four budget options to the board: Budget A, Budget A1, Budget B, and Budget C. The adopted budget, Budget C, does not operate the salary schedule, but gives teachers the option to receive compensation for the two days that were cut from the school calendar. Click here to see the different budgets considered.

In making their decision, the board wanted to let the teachers know they do appreciate district staff and their hard work. The board members struggled with their decision; trying to decide on how to affect the teachers and employees in a positive way and prevent the district from falling into financial ruin in the future.

People in the community, (including teachers and employees) are concerned whether the board is using money wisely and how this will affect their salaries, both now and in the future.

In these stressful economic times, teachers and support staff questioned and voiced their opinion on these concerns. The bigger picture is the financial health of the district, so the board doesn't have to cut more jobs.

Board member Jan Mees did not agree with the vote for Budget C. She made an impassioned speech about how she cares about the district's employees and how in the past she has advocated for increases in their pay. However, she worries about the district's financial future.

If the Columbia Public Schools main concern is students, where should the concern for the district's financial stability lay?

The board struggled with their decision because they were worried about the future and wanted to please employees.
Even though Budget C had a number of disadvantages, the Board wanted to give something to employees.

A past voice weighs in

2008-06-20T10:53:00.005-05:00

Throughout the listening session on June 18, people filed in and out of the conference room of the Administration Building. The room wasn't full by any means, but the event was no less significant. Of the similar meetings held over the past few weeks, this seemed to be the most emotional by far. The final listening session held before the vote on the finalized budget, it seemed the stress of the decision appeared was taking its toll.

Among those attending was former board member David Ballenger. Ballenger, who only left the board in April after a 14-year term, said he hadn't planned on voicing his opinion that evening. However, as more people shared their views about the operating next year's salary schedule, Ballenger appeared frustrated and finally weighed in.

Ballenger explained how in the 14 years he was on the board they "agonized over teacher's salaries."

“We care about teachers. We’ve always cared about teachers," Ballenger said. "One of the most agonizing things...is to make sure our teachers are taken care of, from a financial standpoint.”

The tears and frustration that were present throughout the meeting convey the difficulty of the decision that was at hand.

A few board members, including board President Michelle Gadbois, conducted the meeting. Gadbois explained how the board is experimenting with different ways to receive public input about district activity. Other suggestions included board members holding office hours or having a listening session in a less formal setting.

These propositions suggest that the board wants to include the community's opinion in their decisions. How do you think the board can better incorporate public opinion? Is the board effectively listening to the community?

Groundbreaking for New Elementary School

2008-06-18T18:26:00.008-05:00

Despite the hot sun and smell of wet dirt, citizens of Columbia gathered in good spirits for the groundbreaking of Columbia's 20th elementary school. Phyllis Chase, superintendent of Columbia Public Schools, arrived on a yellow school bus and began the ceremony by welcoming the guests and thanking everyone involved in making the school possible. "There is quite a job ahead of us, but all the important people are available to help," said Chase.

She also thanked taxpayers for passing a record $60 million bond issue in April 2007 that made building the new school possible. Next on the agenda were remarks from Mayor Darwin Hindman, who didn't hesitate to make the crowd laugh. "I think I'd like to go to school here, but they tell me I'm ineligible," Hindman said.

On a more serious note, Hindman said he thinks there is nothing more important in a community than schools. "Education prepares you for life, so it is fundamentally important for that reason, and for economic development," said Hindman. He also said that the school system's goal to make the building eco-friendly is "innovative and impressive." For more information on green building plans, click here.

Next, Presiding Boone County Commissioner Ken Pearson took the stand. "Next to teachers, administration and staff the most important thing is the building where education occurs," said Pearson. "This day is important. It's a reflection of our community - we are progressing and moving forward."

Assistant Superintendent Jack Jensen announced Carol Garman as the new principal of the school. "I look forward to working with everyone to establish traditions that will become a way of life for children and families," said Garman.

As the speeches came to an end, members of the Columbia School Board, contractors, administrators and children took their places to cut the ribbon. The ceremony concluded with hard-hat wearing kids digging into the ground with shovels decorated in red, white and blue.

To follow building progress on the school, click here.

Letters to staff address salary schedule, budget

2008-06-18T14:04:00.003-05:00

Dr. Phyllis Chase, Columbia Public Schools Superintendent, has written a letter concerning the possible freeze on salary for the upcoming school year. The letter, which can be found below or on the CPS homepage, addresses Chase's beliefs on the importance of fiscal responsibility. Chase's recommendation to the board is that they do not operate the salary schedule for the 2008-2009 school year.

Chase's Letter To Staff

Attached Letter From Dr. Nick Boren and Mrs. Linda Quinley

Clicking the links above will download a pdf file of each letter.

Chase to discuss voluntary pay cut

2008-06-18T13:04:00.005-05:00

Columbia Public Schools Superintendent Phyllis Chase announced today that she will host a press conference tomorrow, Thursday June 19, at 5:00 p.m. Dr. Chase plans to discuss her choice to voluntarily decrease her salary in lieu of budget cuts. The press conference will be held in the administration building, located at 1818 W. Worley St.

Dr. Chase's press conference will precede the School Board's meeting, which begins at 6:30 p.m. The School Board will discuss, and hopefully vote, on the proposed 2008-2009 school year budget. Dr. Chase's voluntary pay cut will be presented to the board for consideration.

Green Groundbreaking at Grant Elementary

2008-06-17T16:47:00.006-05:00

With all the recent rain, I was unsure of what to expect at this afternoon’s groundbreaking. However, there was not a cloud to be seen as a good-sized group of spectators assembled in front of Grant Elementary School.

The whole affair was light-hearted as 10-15 students pitched in with their shovels to participate in the groundbreaking. Architect and project spearhead Nicholas Peckham instructed the students to place one foot on the head of the shovel, push into the dirt, dig up a small bit, and turn it over. The students, in addition to Mr. Peckham, Principal Beverly Borduin, and other volunteers, broke ground on the count of three while on-lookers applauded.

The students continued to dig in the dirt while a few short speeches and thanks were given. One of the youngest of the children there had a miniature shovel and dug persistently in the dirt. As he dug, the boy unearthed several small rocks, which he dutifully presented them to his mother. The crowd had a good laugh at the children’s enthusiasm.

Though the event only lasted 10 or so minutes, the significance of it was evident in the gratitude expressed by Ms. Borduin.

A film crew that is making a documentary of the whole Eco Schoolhouse process covered the entire ceremony.

To read more about the Eco Schoolhouse Project see the article here .

Intermediate Algebra

2008-06-11T15:09:00.004-05:00

In order for an MU student to enroll in College Algebra, they must score 22 or higher on the ACT or MPECA test, 520 or higher on the SAT and a 19 or higher on the Missouri Math Placement test, according to the MU math department Web site.

If these standards are not met, students have to enroll in Intermediate Algebra as a prerequisite for College Algebra. The letter that the MU mathematics department sent to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) says that almost 1,000 students every year have to take Intermediate Algebra because their math skills are not sharp enough for College Algebra.

Even though this class gives students an opportunity to brush up on important skills needed for the algebra course, and the grade they receive in the class factors into their overall grade point average, they receive no course credit towards their degree.

Taking this course might appear as a wasted opportunity to take another class. Meanwhile, the other side of the argument is that the course is a good way to keep the algebra course focused and refrain from reteaching skills that students should, theoretically, already have grasped before enrolling at MU.

However, it is inevitable that some students who aren't fully prepared for the College Algebra curriculum will make their way into the course. Some professors I've talked to within the department have had students in the past who've struggled with basic algebraic functions in more advanced courses like calculus.

Such scenarios leave professors in a sticky situation where they grapple with whether they should go back and reteach basic math concepts in order to help students understand current material.

My question to you is this:

What do you think would happen if this course, Intermediate Algebra, was not required as a prerequisite, or even offered as a course at all?

Do you think this course is necessary for students who aren't up to speed for College Algebra? Or, is it the responsibility of the math professors to include a basic review of algebra at the beginning of the course?

Achievements acknowledged by Board

2008-06-10T13:17:00.005-05:00

In a break from discussions of policy changes and budget cuts, the Columbia Public School Board took time to recognize several groups and individuals during the June 9 meeting. The meeting room was full of proud parents, teachers, and students as the board acknowledged the following people.

First recognized was the congregation of the Open Door Baptist Church. In April, the church provided roughly 1,400 jars of honey for teachers and staff members, showing their appreciation. The board identified the congregation for their benevolent gesture in showing their support for teachers and staff of the Columbia Public Schools.

Next, the board was awarded for their excellence in financial reporting. Dr. Nick Boren, the Chief Operations Officer for the district, presented the award. Dr. Boren noted that this is the 26th consecutive year that the district has achieved this honor. The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada awards the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting.

For his donation to Benton Elementary School, Dave Griggs, owner of Dave Griggs’ Flooring America, was recognized before the board. Mr. Griggs donated carpeting for a classroom at Benton after they suffered damages because of a mold problem. Assistant Superintendent Jack Jensen presented the award. Dr. Jensen admitted to “Google-ing” Mr. Griggs prior to the meeting and said his search yielded many details and acts of charity that were “a reflection of how he leads his life.”

The board also recognized several students that have made exceptional achievements, both state- and nation-wide.

Members of the Rock Bridge High School boy’s tennis team, accompanied by their coach and the school’s principal, filed in front of the board. Assistant Superintendent Dr. Wanda Brown presented the team for winning the first state tennis title in RBHS history. The boy’s tennis team’s win on May 22 represents the school’s second state championship this year.

Special recognition was given to students Aaron Skinner and Blake Buchert for their state championship win in Boys’ Tennis Doubles on May 24.

Also representing RBHS was senior Lauren Borduin. Ms. Borduin won her second consecutive state championship in the 1600-meter run and her third in the 800-meter run. According to the presentation, Ms. Borduin is the only female in 4A athletics to accomplish this. This fall, Ms. Borduin plans to attend Georgetown University.

Next up for recognition was an eager Isaac Pasley, an eighth grader at West Junior High School. Mr. Pasley, who elicited laughs from the crowd as he checked out maps on the walls, was honored for his participation in the National Geographic Bee. The first student from Columbia to do so, Mr. Pasley represented Missouri in Washington, D.C., where he advanced to the competition’s final rounds. Contending against ten other finalists, Mr. Pasley won seventh place in the national competition and was awarded $500. Mr. Pasley said he wants to use his prize money for a trip to Europe.

A late recognition added to the list was the Downtown Optimist Club for the recent soapbox derby held. Members of the club presented Superintendent Phyllis Chase with a modest-sized trophy for her participation in the race and competition against MU Chancellor Brady Deaton. The trophy, which was topped with a miniature soapbox car, was inscribed with the phrase, “Education-The key for 2008”. As she was given the award, Dr. Chase was encouraged by the Optimist Club to “defend her honor” against Chancellor Deaton in next year’s race.

Ground-breaking

2008-06-04T08:58:00.003-05:00

As a Grant All-Star, I promise to be: "Safe, A Team-player, A Learner, Respectful and Responsible. I’ll believe, I’ll achieve it! All-Star!”

At the start of their assembly Tuesday, Grant Elementary school students began with their school pledge. Many students enthusiastically included hand gestures as they recited the words. Tuesday was the last day of school, as was evident by the amount of hugs being shared and the signing of T-shirts and yearbooks.

Once the students were settled, Principal Beverly Borduin began to explain the changes Grant students could expect to see over the course of the summer. On Monday evening, during Grant’s fifth-grade graduation ceremony, Borduin announced the plan to build the “Eco Schoolhouse.” The project, which will be spear-headed by local architect Nicholas Peckham, of Peckham and Wright Architects, will provide Grant Elementary with a self-sustaining, one-room schoolhouse. This “zero-utility schoolhouse” will generate all its own energy through the use of solar panels. This schoolhouse will replace a trailer that burnt down in December.

After Borduin’s introduction, Peckham took the stage to give students a visual of the schoolhouse plans. A large screen hung over the stage at the front of the gym, while Peckham stood behind his laptop manipulating the image of the planned schoolhouse. He explained how the the schoolhouse would have various attributes that made it a “green” and sustainable. Peckham’s explanation at the assembly is further proof of how he and Grant staff believe it is important to teach children about ecological responsibility.

The general atmosphere of Grant seems very enthusiastic. As I stood in the back of the gym listening to both Ms. Borduin’s and Mr. Peckham’s presentations, I noticed several teachers nodding in approval as plans for the schoolhouse were described.

The schoolhouse breaks ground next week and construction will continue throughout the summer thanks to the help of several volunteers within the community. By the time students return to school in the fall, they will be greeted with an self-sustaining schoolhouse and the opportunity to learn about what they can do to help our environment.

--Written by Jennifer Ledbury

Debate: Round 3

2008-05-13T13:41:00.003-05:00

The school board meeting last night was met with over 25 public commenters. I noticed that some people were brought to tears (while some appeared to be bored to tears) throughout the public comment and the meeting.

Randy Harris, who spoke for around 20 from the CPS custodial staff dressed in black "Laborers - Midwest Region" shirts, told the board that custodians had approached him and expressed an interest in joining a union. He said 70% of the 150 custodians supported this interest, and when they requested to be on the agenda at a board meeting last night, their request was denied. "We simply ask for the opportunity to speak publicly in an open forum where we can air out all these issues," Harris said. "We are prepared to discuss any questions or issues you may have with the process. All we want to do is honor these people's constitutionally protected right to representation."

After the board opened up the floor for public comment on the 2008-09 budget, almost 20 people poured into the room from the lobby. You can read more about the issues the public brought up at the meeting here. Math and literacy coaches, beginner and veteran teachers, outreach counselors, two principals and parents all offered perspectives on what they think is vital to the success of Columbia students.

I spoke with board member Ines Segert immediately after she listened to the commenters. She said she most agreed with the Midway parents who feared the effects of cutting ten teaching positions in elementary schools. Segert gave me a spreadsheet she had prepared before the meeting that showed the possible effects teacher cuts would have on classroom size. "Perhaps before we vote, it would be nice to have a targeted list of where these classrooms might be increased in size," she said.

During public comment, two principals urged the board to make budget decisions as quickly as possible in order to retain the most teachers. Board member Jan Mees said she was personally torn. "Having been a teacher and having begged for more salaries, it is one thing that the board wants to do more than anything-- to pay our teachers adequately," she said. "But I cannot in good conscious vote to operate the salary schedule knowing what we have ... we cannot guarantee any revenue anymore. For us to put ourselves in deeper financial jeopardy, I am not in favor of doing that, but I want to." She said that the board can listen to public comment, but they will have to make some hard cuts regardless and made a motion to accept the budget reduction parameters given to the board on May 6.

In an unexpected move, all board members except for Segert voted to accept the draft of the 2008-09 budget that will be presented formally at the June 9 meeting.

The board has said they must cut $5 million from the budget for the next school year after voters failed to pass a 54-cent tax levy. Michelle Gadbois, new board president, said Superintendent Phyllis Chase solicited the help of Ken Fleming "at a very nominal cost" to analyze the results of the vote. Fleming is the director of the Center for Advanced Social Research of the MU School of Journalism. He will assist the district in "surveying our communities ... and looking at our last vote, why the levy failed, and to get some public input on what it will mean or take to pass another levy."

Elementary School Boundaries and (of course) More Money

2008-05-12T07:34:00.012-05:00

Because of the new elementary school, the attendance boundaries for Derby Ridge, Blue Ridge, Lee, Field, Shepard Boulevard, Cedar Ridge, Benton and Parkade elementary schools stand to change for the 2009-2010 school year.

At today's School Board meeting (7 p.m. 1818 W. Worley St.), Don Ludwig, chairman of the Elementary Enrollment Committee, will present the committee's recommended boundary changes. The board will have a chance to approve those. You can see exactly what changes are being proposed at the district website.

And then, the board will discuss money.

In this morning's article, Board President Michelle Gadbois said:

The board still needs to cut $500,000 to $1 million from next year's budget.
It is unlikely that the board will discuss Superintendent Phyllis Chase's voluntary pay cut.

But, perhaps the most unsettling item for board discussion is the approval for administrators to go ahead and apply for the Missouri School District Advance Program — because the money the district has set aside may not cover its fall expenses.

Really? The district should have about $16 million in reserves at the end of this school year. That's will be a little more than 10 percent of next year's budget, when all of the budget cuts the board approved for next year are factored in.

The district has a lot of cash on hand. But borrowing may be necessary because most of the district's funds come from the local property tax levy. That money doesn't come in as a steady stream. However, employee costs, such as salary, certainly have to be paid at a regular rate. So sometimes, there are time lags between what has come in and what has to go out.

James Guthrie, said in an interview two months ago that nationally, it is not rare for school districts to borrow cash to cover that revenue-expense lags. At the time we spoke, the district had reserves well above 15 percent above its expenses, which he said were high.

The main thing to consider is the cost of borrowing. What would the interest be like on a cash advance for the district? And is it worth it to occasionally pay that instead of keeping reserves above 10 percent?

Above all, how likely is it the district will come up short next fall?

Cycles

2008-05-08T09:56:00.005-05:00

Recently elected School Board Vice President Steve Calloway answered questions about the possibility of a future tax levy, what it means to be vice president and the appearance of controversy at recent board meetings.

When asked what he thought what message Columbia voters were sending with their 62 percent rejection of this April's proposed tax levy increase, Calloway said:

"I think people thought the board was disingenuous about our intentions to go out for a tax levy, and so the actions around spending from the deficit were, if you will, putting ourselves in a deficit position. People thought we did that with the expectation that the community would just pass a tax levy.

The next piece of that is the perception of spending reserves, on recurring expenses. From a financial standpoint, we shouldn’t have done that. I heard that.

The last piece is that people want to be heard. I think they want us to engage them around the process. What I heard is that they do want some input into it. Not just the community but the teachers and our staff, and I think the process of how that happens is not so clear.

It’s got to be positive; it can’t be about what’s negative or what’s going away.

People mentioned having a hostage feeling. No one likes that; people like to feel positive."

Motive

2008-05-06T11:00:00.005-05:00

Superintendent Phyllis Chase is volunteering to take a pay cut for the 2008-09 school year.

When we called her yesterday, Chase said that nothing had been decided formally. She said her volunteering for a pay cut was in part a result of informal discussions with board members — nothing was definite.

"I didn't intend for this to be a front-page issue," she said.

But of course, it ran on the Columbia Tribune's front page yesterday afternoon, and the Columbia Missourian's front page this morning.

The trend in Columbia right now is to lay the blame of the failure of the proposed school tax levy this April on Chase. A few days after the election results, she took responsibility.

“I think as leader of the organization, one does assume responsibility for what is happening, no matter what’s happening,” Chase said (in a Missourian article about past tax levy failures).
“The buck stops here.”

Frankly, the news that she was volunteering to take a cut came as a surprise. Perhaps it shouldn't have been one. At the last School Board member, newly elected member Tom Rose raised the possibility of Chase taking a cut, but did not suggest that she do so outright.

What remains to be seen is how community members and district employees see this cut. It could be interpreted as a show of support for district employees facing lower incomes and insurance benefits next year, simple cut equality across the district, or a sign that Chase may not be with the district much longer.

Paxton Keeley PTA awarded

2008-05-02T13:19:00.002-05:00

The Paxton Kelley Elementary School PTA was awarded the Missouri PTA Phoebe Apperson Hearst Excellence in Education Partnership Award. The award recognizes PTAs that are collaborative with parents, families and the community and are involved in ongoing programs that improve student success. The award will be presented to the PTA at the 93rd Missouri PTA Convention in October.

The Paxton Keeley Literacy Night, which worked to promote families to get involved with reading and language was what impressed the selection committee according to Wendy Jackson, president elect of the Missouri PTA. Later this year, the Paxton Keeley PTA will represent Missouri in the selection of the national Phoebe Apperson Hearst Excellence in Education Partnership Award.

Congratulatons to the PTA and keep up the good work!

5th Annual Cyclone Golf Scramble

2008-05-01T14:14:00.006-05:00

The Jefferson Junior High School Booster Club is hosting a golf scramble tournament to raise money for the school's fitness center.

"The proceeds go to continued up keep of our workout facility. We purchase weight training and fitness equipment as well as general maintenance," Assistant Principal and Athletic Director Thaddues Hamilton said.

The scramble will take place on Saturday May 10, 2008 at 1 p.m. at Lake of the Woods Golf Course in Columbia.

The cost of the event is $60 per player or $240 for a four-person team. The price includes green fees, golf cart, lunch and tee prizes. Prizes will be raffled and also given out in three flights.

An individual or company can also sponsor a hole for a $100 donation.

"We usually have about 92 golfers at the tournament and average about 45 to 50 sponsors," Hamilton said.

He also said he would like to "invite people to come out and join us." The event is open to the public and there are plenty of spaces available, he said.

For more information, you can contact Hamilton at 573-214-3210.

Ashwath Kumar, Optimist Internatioinal Oratorical Contest Winner

2008-04-28T17:16:00.004-05:00

Ashwath Kumar, a 12-year-old student at Smithton Middle School, won the boys division of the 2008 Oratorical Contest sponsored by the East Missouri District of Optimist International in St. Louis Saturday.

His teacher, Dr. Tom Prater, helped him prepare his winning speech, titled "Why me? Why not?"

For his speech, Kumar won a $1,500 scholarship.

Free from censorship, The Rock rolls in awards

2008-04-28T14:59:00.005-05:00

The Missouri Interscholastic Press Association (MIPA) honored Kathy Ritter, Rock Bridge High School principal, last Thursday as Administrator of the Year. Ritter was nominated by students from the high school's newspaper, The Rock, and their advisor, Robin Stover.

"Our journalism class decided to nominate Mrs. Ritter for Missouri Journalism Administrator of the Year to recognize her support for the program, and for the student journalists at our school," said Arwa Mohammad, editor-in-chief of The Rock, to Columbia Public Schools. "She supports our freedom of speech and trusts us to report on topics that may seem controversial to some. We wanted to recognize her advocacy for student newspapers, and I am thrilled that she has received this award."

Ritter was recognized at MIPA's annual J-day held at Jesse Hall auditorium at MU. Staff of Flashback, Rock Bridge High School's Yearbook, and The Rock also received 32 individual awards at the event. The Rock received an All-Missouri award for overall newspaper evaluation, and Flashback received a superior award for overall yearbook evaluation. The following are the students who received individual awards:

Alison Angoff, for a superior and show-me news story
Chris Boeckmann, for a show-me feature, a superior in-depth article, a show-me in-depth article, show-me organizations reporting and superior diversity awareness
Melissa Bushmann, for superior best overall coverage
Jessica Cui, for superior diversity awareness
Andrew Garcia, for show-me art
Amanda Gastler, for superior academic reporting
Ellen Hensel, for superior front page design
Radhea Khenissi, for a show-me sports yearbook design
Kelsey Kupferer, for a superior academic yearbook design
Olga Kuzmina, for a superior opinion column
Arwa Mohammad, for a superior news story, a superior editorial and a show-me in-depth article
Chelsea Myers, for show-me art, show-me center spread design and a show-me in-depth article
Laura Remy, for show-me best overall coverage
Michael Shoelz, for show-me sports writing
David Strecker, for a show-me in-depth article
Sidney Stretz, for superior photojournalism personality
Mahir Khan and Olga Kuzmina for a superior in-depth article, Emily Spain, Maizie Sandifer and Chris Boeckmann for a superior in-depth series, Jessica Jennings and Alaina Young for a show-me portraits page design, and Sheela Lal and Kate LaRose for superior best overall coverage.

The Rock staff also received individual awards for the event's write-off contests:
Lauren Chval, third place in review writing
Jessica Cui, third place in broadcasting
Ellen Hensel, first place in news writing

Study may have repercussions on integrated math

2008-04-26T11:54:00.002-05:00

Someone sent me a link today to a New York Times article that is certainly going to fuel the debate between integrated math and traditional math.

The article is about a study done by Ohio State researchers that found that students were better able to apply math concepts when the concepts were abstract, as opposed to when the concepts used concrete examples.

"The problem with the real-world examples, Dr. Kaminski said, was that they obscured the underlying math, and students were not able to transfer their knowledge to new problems."

"The researchers said they had experimental evidence showing a similar effect with 11-year-old children. The findings run counter to what Dr. Kaminski said was a 'pervasive assumption' among math educators that concrete examples help more children better understand math."

To me, as both a K-12 reporter and a student previously taught in integrated math, this is fascinating. What do people think? Is this research convincing? If it is, what will it mean for integrated math in Columbia's schools?

Response

2008-04-23T10:16:00.002-05:00

More than 50 teachers, students, parents and patrons huddled around seven tables and in overflow seating in the school board chambers at 1818 W. Worley St. in a first-of-its-kind listening session. While many problems — some old and some new — were discussed in the nearly two and a half hour meeting, teachers concerned with the administration and the board’s plan to freeze teacher salaries were the most vocal attendees.

Data Manipulation in Schools

2008-04-22T11:08:00.009-05:00

I wrote last month about No Child Left Behind; schools were reporting their numbers, but the numbers weren't adding up. Often, it was graduation rates that were inflated.

At the time, I wondered how districts could get away with reporting numbers that weren't accurate. Turns out, part of the problem lies in a lack of structure for education data. According to an editorial in the Atlantic Journal-Constitution, data for graduation rates and test scores can be easily manipulated to say whatever district officials, parents or federal officials want them to say.

"Faced with the threat of sanctions under the federal No Child Left Behind Act," the editorial said, "school systems and states have had plenty of motivation to massage data so that their school discipline incidents appear lower or their graduation rates appear higher."

So it could be said that the districts are not actually being dishonest, just...optimistic. They're taking numbers that are easily manipulated and making them say what they want them to say, and then reporting that. I don't think that's good, but I do think it makes sense. What's the alternative, taking the easily manipulated numbers and making them say that the schools are doing poorly?

Here's an example from the article: "'In some districts, a student who leaves school is counted as a dropout only if he or she registers as one,' (Margaret Spellings, U.S. Secretary of Education) said. 'In others, a dropout's promise to get a GED at an unspecified future date is good enough to merit graduate status. With such loose definitions of what it means to graduate, it's no wonder this epidemic has been so silent.'

The problem here isn't necessarily with district officials and their honesty or dishonesty, but with data that is far too malliable.

The U.S. Department of Education is trying to fix the problem, at least when it comes to graduation rates, by requiring "every state to adopt the same method to calculate how many students graduate from high school on time and how many drop out."

I wonder, are these data issues being caused by the NCLBA, or have they been around for a while and the NCLBA is just bringing them to light?

Teachers Unite

2008-04-17T15:03:00.004-05:00

The Internet has allowed for there to be many, many support groups for various different groups. There are Web pages and blogs for people of all different backgrounds and identities - from moms to mushroom pickers to baseball card fanatics to forensic scientists. These groups allow people with similar interests or problems talk freely and offer advice. Teachers are not left out in this group. Often, teachers find it important to collaborate and work together to find new ways to help their children learn.

I typed "teacher resources and blogs" in a Google search and came up with many, many entries.

Here are a few examples:
-Sites for Teachers,which lists the most popular educational Websites.
-Teachers.net, which posts articles, columns and chats for teachers.
-Resources for Teachers Blog, which is a blog featuring daily posts with advice for teachers.

There were MANY more.

How important is teacher collaboration important?

In a past article about employee surveys, it was mentioned that some employees said they could do without collaboration days. This made me think in the bigger picture about whether in-person groups are needed for other things as well, when many of us can simply turn on our computers and have a world of resources at our fingertips.

What are you opinions on teacher collaboration, whether it be in-person or online?

2008-04-16T13:23:00.005-05:00

Superintendent Phyllis Chase is not looking for another job.

The kindergarten students of room 100 at Benton Elementary School won’t be in their classroom Wednesday. They will be in the school’s art trailer instead.
Room 100’s teacher, Renee Mottaz, said in a speech to the Columbia School Board Monday night that her students have been suffering from nosebleeds and asthma attacks.

Unless things change, teachers will be paid for fewer work days next year.

Other school board business

2008-04-16T13:03:00.009-05:00

The school board passed 8 items of new business on Monday night, including the parameters for issuance of teacher contracts discussed in the Missourian.

Other items the board voted on were:

1. The authorization of signatures of the board president and treasurer for district accounts.
2. Bids for roofing that will be paid for by a bond issue passed by the board previously. The bid costs are as follows:
-Douglass High School $103,763.65
-Career Center $258, 057.42
-West Boulevard Elementary School $235,282.40
-Two Mile Prairie Elementary School $95,300.00
-Lee Elementary School $112,000.00
-Hickman High School $23,000.000
-Grant Elementary School $74,638.00
-Midway Heights Elementary School $51,450.00
-Oakland Junior High School $119,500.00
-Rock Bridge Elementary School $72,200.00
-Smithton Middle School $69,000.00
-West Junior High School $271,940.00
-New Haven Elementary School $63,400.00
3. Bids for window replacements at Midway Heights and Two Mile Prairie Elementary Schools at an estimated $170,115. This will also include asbestos removal for the windows at an estimated additional cost of $45,000.
4. Sale of two easements (the right to build) on Blue Ridge Elementary Property, to allow the city of Columbia to update electricity.
5. Sale of two easements to Ameren UE, one permanent and one temporary, on Mill Creek Elementary School property.
6. Sale of easements on the Strawn School property to build a sanitary man hole and sewer line to a civil group.
7. Sale of eight pieces of district property at public auction. These included land near Oakland Junior High, 2 lots near Derby Ridge Elementary School, 13 acres of vacant land donated to the district in 1966 on Route PP, 9 acres of land donated to the district for use as a school in 1860 and 1.5 acres currently leased to the Boone County Fire Protection District.

Funds from the sale will go to the Capital Projects Fund.

The district is paying for the roof and window replacements through a $60 million bond issue passed in April of 2007.

The board voted 7-0 to pass all of these considerations.

Gadbois holds "listening forum"

2008-04-16T09:30:00.003-05:00

Michelle Gadbois, president of the Columbia School Board is holding a "listening forum" from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 22 at the Administration Building. Vice President of the board, Steve Calloway will also be at the listening forum. Parents, teachers, staff and anyone else with comments, questions or concerns about the school district are encouraged to come. If you have something to share with the board members, here's your chance to be heard.

A letter to CPS teachers

2008-04-13T17:09:00.004-05:00

The School Board will meet at 7:00 p.m. today at 1818 W. Worley St. A major item of discussion will be the 2008-2009 budget. You are welcome to attend and comment.

Mary Laffey, assistant superintendent for human services, is required by law to notify teachers of any possible changes to their contracts by April 15. When I spoke to Laffey, she said that if the board decides to reduce teacher work days from 189 to 187 after she issues the final contracts by May 15, then she can reissue the contracts. The board must finalize the annual budget by June 30, as July 1 is the first day of the fiscal calendar for 2008-2009, so teachers can expect to have their final contracts by that date. Below is a copy of the letter Laffey will give to teachers Tuesday if the board approves it tomorrow:

"April 15, 2008
To: CPS Employees
From: Mary A. Laffey
Re: Contracts and Employment Notices for the 2008-2009 School Year

Teacher contracts for the 2008-2009 school year will be issued based upon a 187 day work calendar which is a reduction of 2 days from the current 189 day 2007-2008 schedule. This reduction in the work schedule is eliminating teacher work days and not days of instruction. If your current salary was based on the 2007-2008 teacher salary schedule, it will be prorated to reflect this reduction in the number of work days. At this time, operation of the teacher salary schedule is not possible.

Enclosed you will find an adjusted teacher employee calendar reflecting 187 days and a sample teacher salary schedule prorated back to 187 days. This same adjustment in reduction of days will be applied to all current salary schedules and calendars for all employee groups as reflected in our budget reductions. Teacher contracts for 2008-2009 will be issued using this schedule. If improvements are made to this teacher salary schedule when the budget is finalized in June, a second contract will be issued.

If you have any questions about this adjustment in the work schedule for Columbia Public Schools teachers, please contact me at 214-3423."

The enclosed 187 day calendar shows the last day being June 3, 2009, instead of June 4, 2009. June 3 was also noted as an early release day for students, allowing teachers to utilize the afternoon for work time to close out records. The other day eliminated from the schedule is August 14, 2008.

Math and the American attention span

2008-04-11T14:09:00.009-05:00

There was an article in the Salt Lake Tribune yesterday on a speech given by author Malcolm Gladwell about the way the United States views math.

It's a short article, but it poses some interesting observations. Gladwell says that the reason the United States is having difficulty keeping up with the rest of the world when it comes to math isn't because of our teaching programs, but because of our cultural values.

To Americans, math is something you either get or you don't, Gladwell says. We expect an understanding of math to be intuitive, instead of something that develops and grows over time.

"(Gladwell) said students in some of the countries that beat U.S. students in math are taught to work at math problems until they get them," the article said. "That's a counter to U.S. society, where people expect to understand something quickly and then move on."

But if America's difficulty with math is caused by the way we view math as a culture, why are we doing so poorly now, as opposed to our success in the past? Is the intuitive, 'sink or swim' view of math something that's developed in the past decade or two? Is math just another casualty of our shortening attention spans?

What are people's thoughts on this?

Your Columbia Missourian...

2008-04-10T23:44:00.003-05:00

The cover page of the Missourian today, (Thursday), was covered with a graphic . This graphic showed how you, as citizens of Columbia, voted on three things: the schools tax levy, the sewer bond and the school board race.

These graphics took much number-crunching to produce. As we crunched said numbers, we noticed a trend, specifically in the tax levy votes. The trend we found was that those precincts in central Columbia were more likely to vote FOR the tax levy than those in outlying areas, (specifically the square made by Stadium, West Boulevard, Business Loop 70, and Old 63 contained all 8 of the precincts in which the tax levy won). We also noticed that, in general, the further out you go, support for the levy seemed to be less.

We pondered the reasons for this trend. Perhaps proximity of schools was a reason for this, we thought. We compared maps and found that this was maybe not the reason, as schools are spread out all throughout the region and only 8 out of 37 schools were located in this specific square.

We decided that the best way to make sense out of this information was to talk to people who live and work in these specific areas. We called MANY people and got ahold of a few. They each had their own interpretation as to why this happened, and a few were mentioned in the article that went along with these graphics.

There were many people we did not get to talk to, though. If you have an opinion or thought about why or how these trends happened, please share.

Congrats to Geography Bee Finalists

2008-04-10T19:44:00.003-05:00

West Junior High School student Isaac Pasley won the 2008 Missouri State Geography Bee on April 4th. Isaac is the first student from the Columbia Public Schools to win the Missouri Geography Bee, which was held at MU. This means he will take a trip to Washington D.C. in May for the national finals.

Columbia Public Schools had four other finalists along with Isaac! The other finalists headed to Washington D.C. are Kate Okker-Edging from Jefferson Junior High, Rohit Rao from Mill Creek Elementary School, Daniel Shapiro from Smithton Middle School and Ramey Zafar from Gentry Middle School.

Congratulations on all of your hard work and good luck at the national finals!

Between the Lines

2008-04-09T07:46:00.005-05:00

"Those kids need schools and they need teachers and they need things," said retired MU professor Paul Ritchie, age 83. "I don't care what (Columbia Tribune publisher) Henry Waters says." He voted for the tax levy increase, but the majority who turned out did not.

Several voters mentioned Waters specifically yesterday when asked by Missourian reporters to talk about their vote.

Bob Smith, I.T. worker, age 69, voted for Tom Rose, Rosie Tippin and Ines Segert "because I like their positions and I didn't like the incumbents," he said. "This is one of the few times I agreed with an editorial in the Tribune."

There wasn't just one. In the past month, Waters wrote six editorials about the tax levy increase and school board candidates. Ultimately, Waters advocated against the school district's tax levy increase and for Tom Rose, Rosie Tippin and Ines Segert's election to the school board.

He got his wish. There's no way to tell how large of a role he played, though some blamed him for School Board Vice President Darin Preis' re-election failure yesterday.

Shirley, though unwilling to give her last name, took along one of Waters' editorials when she went to vote at Christian Chapel yesterday and brandished it when a Missourian reporter asked her about her vote.

Days before the election Tuesday, Waters wrote:

"This election is all about establishing a new premise and process for school operations planning. The current budget has been built over decades and generations on a common premise: How can we keep expanding the operation? Not, how might we change it in fundamental ways to make it essentially different and better? The problem is not so much about the amount of money needed but how the money is used, and the entire history of public agency management tells us this sort of rethinking does not occur as long as basic revenue support is uninterrupted."

"I think the district is squandering money, the administration is top heavy, and I'm still pissed about the lawsuit," said Smith after he voted against the tax levy increase. "I think they have wasted a lot of money in frivolous lawsuits."

The idea that Waters pushed, that public agencies will continue to expand if they are unchecked by the public, is not new today, nor is it unique to Columbia.

In the early '90s, Vincent Vandenberghe wrote:
"While increasing enrollment accounts for a portion of the rise in spending, rising per pupil expenditure explains the bulk of the change in educational public spending. In addition, division of per student cost into payments for instructional staff and administrative costs reveals that the latter account for the major part of the rise."

We looked over the past 15 years of the district's financial history and, whatever the reason, Columbia follows the trend. Spending per pupil is growing and total expense are growing faster than money spent to pay teachers.

Many yes-votes, which made up about 38 percent of yesterday's vote, came from people who acknowledged the habit of the district to spend more each year, but wanted to support education.

"If you think education is expensive, try ignorance," said Belinda Fender, whose parents both worked in public education. "We need good teachers, we need to adequately fund our schools," she said.

Well. Did the media play a large role in yesterday's vote? What happens next?

The results are in (early)

2008-04-08T23:30:00.003-05:00

The 54-cent tax levy increase met a titanic defeat. Voters brought in a new crop of school board members — Tom Rose, Rosie Tippin and Ines Segert.

While the Missourian — and presumably the district and candidates — prepared for a long night, the results were pretty clear by about 9 p.m.

As we reported on this blog, voters said that they wanted to send a message to the district.

What did these results say to the district and the newly-elected board members?

Will the voters' message be heard by the district?

What do you expect to see at the April 14 meeting of the new school board?

Buzz

2008-04-08T18:28:00.020-05:00

(This is a random pick of quotes Missourian reporters gathered at polling places around the city today. Read this afternoon's story)

Final Unofficial Results:

 (WITH 71 OF 71 PRECINCTS COUNTED)
COLUMBIA SCHOOLS QUESTION:
       YES  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     8,037   38.31
       NO.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .    12,942   61.69

SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATES:
ROSIE TIPPIN  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .    10,761   21.71
        DARIN PREIS.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     7,201   14.53
        TOM ROSE.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .    12,484   25.19
        ARCH BROOKS.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     2,458    4.96
        INES SEGERT.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     9,733   19.64
        GALE "HAP" HAIRSTON .  .  .  .  .  .  .     6,824   13.77
        WRITE-IN.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .        96     .19
(See the rest at the County Clerk's website)

“I voted yes for the tax levy. I have a daughter that’s going to be entering the school district soon and I think it’s important to not lose sight of the bigger picture. I can’t vote in good conscience against the school levy because of my daughter, but the high school and budget issues have not been handled well.” Jason Ramsey, 34, government administrator for the state.

“We pay so much-- was it $1.7 million for consultation? Chase has such a high salary. They’re not using my taxes wisely.” Barbara Sell, 65, secretary for Project Construct.

“I’m all for the teachers, but not the administration. I’m afraid teachers might get cut now, but we need to send a message.” Sally Thornton, 69, retired cashier from West Jr. High.

“Well, its kind of a mixed situation. I think they didn’t spend money wisely last year which kinda put us over a barrel this year and so that's about all I wanna say about it.” Nelson Trickey, 83, retired

“I voted no. I think they need to change the way they spend money and while I realize that, I think teachers and staff always need to be paid more. I think that this was my only effective method of sending a message that they need to change the way they spend money.” Steve Fox, 48, computer systems manager

“What was my thoughts about the tax levy for the schools? I thought it was very poorly scheduled and not very well explained.” Gary Moegling, 63, retired

“Yes. Because there’s more kids coming in. Education is so important. We’ll have to pay it later, so we might as well pay it now.” Gladys Summers, 84

Follow the results with everyone else

2008-04-08T15:56:00.001-05:00

UPDATED: In case you'd like to be with a crowd as the election results unfold tonight, the following is a list of the events we have heard of so far:

Darin Preis' watch party will be at Flat Branch from 7 p.m. until the restaurant closes tonight.

Tom Rose said he will also be at Flat Branch tonight.

Ines Segert's watch party will be at the Forge and Vine in the late evening (though Segert will not be there until after 10 p.m. because of her son's jazz concert).

Rosie Tippin's watch party will be at Boone Tavern starting at 7:30 p.m.

Gale (Hap) Hairston has told us he will be following the results from home with his family.

The Missourian has not received any information about how Arch Brooks will be following the election results.

Are you attending a watch party in Columbia that we haven't heard about? Leave the information in a comment below, or e-mail the Missourian's K-12 editor Elizabeth Brixey, brixeye@missouri.edu.

Chase recognized for leadership

2008-04-07T15:27:00.001-05:00

While naysayers of the Columbia Public School Board continue to argue over Superintendent Phyllis Chase's salary, the University Council of Educational Administration (UCEA) at MU will give Chase the Excellence in Educational Leadership Award April 19. UCEA said their reasoning for awarding Chase is "for her contributions to the development of broad-based leadership oriented toward social justice."

The annual award recognizes school administrators "who have made significant contributions to the improvement of administrator preparation," according to the council's website. The award "provides a unique mechanism for UCEA universities to build good will and recognize the contributions of practicioners to the preparation of junior professionals."

MU's UCEA has not chosen an administrator to award every year. In the past, MU has given this award to Audrey Jackson (2007), Dr. Patricia Schumacher (2004), Dr. David Rock (2002), Robert W. Watkins (1999), and Ronald Berry (1997).

The Answer, sans speculation

2008-04-06T15:47:00.004-05:00

The district will cut 38 full time jobs through attrition (not replacing employees who leave), "loss of jobs" and by offering current employees different jobs within the district.
According to Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Mary Laffey, the breakdown is:

11 will be lost through attrition
14 will be lost through a loss of jobs
13 will be offered different jobs within the district

The 14 lost jobs "mostly pertains to the perm subs and we will work with them as we know of other openings," Laffey wrote in an email this afternoon.

Details

2008-04-05T13:50:00.007-05:00

See today's voter's guide for School Board candidate profiles and to calculate exactly how much the proposed tax levy increase would cost you.

Teresea Rouse Maledy's wrote in to the Missourian in support of the proposed tax levy increase. "Transparency is in the eye of the beholder," she said, before highlighting the ways the district makes information available to the public.

Others, including high school site evaluation committee member John McCormick, citizen journalist Mike Martin and board candidate Ines Segert have criticized the district for its lack of communication.

The Missourian also ran support letters from Michael Harmata and Superintendent Phyllis Chase.

No, Missourian reporters and editors do not have a position on this issue. These are just the letters we received and published.

I wanted to point out a few things (the last two we have reported before):

When Maledy left the Kansas City Missouri school district in 1997 for the — what she called better — Columbia district, Chase was employed the as Assistant Superintendent for Student Support Services, one year before she would become Acting Superintendent for the KCMS district.
Harmata made a very interesting comment at the last board meeting."Public education isn't so public any more," he said. He was talking about school funding.

This is a nation-wide issue. Are charter schools a better idea? That question is something we have not addressed in our coverage — the Columbia Public School District is not a charter school, and for the moment, we have been preoccupied with local issues.

We did, however, break down the district's finances for you in last Saturday's paper.
The last tax levy increase, for 19 cents in 2003, passed, but barely, at 52 percent.
This is the first time in her career, Chase said, that she has dealt with a tax levy increase for schools.

1 + 1 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 1 + 12 + 1 + 17 + .61

2008-04-04T08:09:00.012-05:00

As of Thursday, the equivalent of more than 38 school district employees lost their jobs.

Writing the article linked above, Tanner Flowers and I spent literally hours discussing how to explain the two literacy coaching positions "saved" during the School Board's discussion.

Janese Heavin opened with that fact in her story for yesterday's Tribune.

It wasn't until later, sitting with the reporters creating the graphic (on the right-hand side of the Missourian article online), that we realized the magnitude of what had happened that morning.

Which is how we ended the article. In retrospect, we should have begun with that fact, and then said that many more could be lost.

It's easy to get caught up in the minute. A job here, a bus program here... the details get distracting. Board members can spend hours debating the merits of where cuts should be made. Athletics? Special programs? Class size?

But when it's all said and done, the numbers do add up.

*Please look over the list of cuts (in Priority I) to see exactly how the district describes each cut. Based on those descriptions, it is my judgment that only one (cut by outsourcing print services), will not directly impact students or curriculum.

**Please do not impersonate administrators when leaving comments. We will delete those (and only those) comments.

A budget cut with a "silver lining?"

2008-04-03T14:22:00.005-05:00

During the board meeting Thursday morning, the district's chief academic officer Sally Beth Lyon talked about one of the budget cuts having a "silver lining." She said that the 17th priority I cut ("extend curriculum review cycle"), which would extend the curriculum cycle from five years to six years, could give administrators and educators more time to plan and develop curriculum changes.

"My staff thinks that there are some advantages in taking this year for curriculum implementation planning," Lyon said.

"Adding a year doesn't mean that we don't do anything for a year," Lyon added.

Lyon said that she and her staff would be "taking this year for curriculum implementation planning."

After Lyon's remarks, board member Steve Calloway said, "Why should you ever change curriculum unless there's something in the pedagogy that says you're headed down the wrong road?"

On the other side of the argument, Ines Segert, a board candidate for the April 8 elections, said this in an email:

"One only needs to look at our own performance data in CPS: middle school students are indeed hitting the wall; fewer are prepared for algebra, 4th grade Terra Nova scores (a nationally normed test) have been going down since implementation of Investigations (the current curriculum in K-5)."

Segert has been a vocal opponent of integrated math in the current curriculum, speaking against it at previous board meetings.

"Clearly this curriculum is having a negative impact," said Segert in the email. "It is unbelievable that the board and administration would continue a program that is harmful to our children. I think Mr. Calloway needs to look at the data--the pedagogy is just the spin given by the administration."

So is the extension of the curriculum cycle a budget cut that's also beneficial, or is it a detriment? What do people think?

More from this morning's meeting

2008-04-03T14:20:00.007-05:00

The board voted this morning to approve the Priority I cuts, with one change - instead of terminating 4 coaching positions, they will terminate only 2 - at least in this first round of cuts. The first round of cuts trim a total of $5.23 million from the 2008-2009 school year's budget. The board passed these, with just the one change, but that does not mean there was not other discussion.

Board member Michelle Gadbois brought up a question about an athletic bill and wondered whether it could possibly be cut instead of instructional programming.

Gadbois said that she had read the bills payable list, which included a $20,000 charge for Peak Performance, who serve as athletic trainers and support in the district. She wondered whether something like this was necessary to keep, while the district is cutting instructional programs that could use that $20,000. Administration reassured her that Peak Performance is a valid expense and needed in the district.

What do you think about athletics in the district? What is the value of having athletic trainers and support systems for the athletes?

None of the measures on the list were changed after Gadbois brought up her question, but nevertheless, it is a discussion point. What do you think?

Board Votes

2008-04-03T13:47:00.002-05:00

Here's the news burst from the Missourian's website:

The Columbia School Board approved about $5.23 million in cuts from its budget Thursday morning. The vote was unanimous. Jan Mees made the motion for approval, and Steve Calloway seconded it. No public comment was made. Other than media, about 20 people attended the meeting, including about 10 teachers from Ridgeway Elementary School. The board is still meeting, to talk about proposed cuts from lower-tier lists assembled by the district. No further cuts are expected Thursday.

We'll have a story online pretty soon and even more in the paper tomorrow.

Workshop at the Columbia Public Library

2008-04-02T19:29:00.002-05:00

A workshop for parents on anxiety in children will be held from 6:30 to 8:30
p.m. April 21 at the Columbia Public Library, 100 W. Broadway.

The workshop, “Anxiety in children: What causes it? What makes it better?
When should you seek professional help?” will be presented by Dawn Huber of
the MU Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders. It will
be hosted by Columbia Public Schools elementary counselors.

Parents interested in attending are asked to e-mail their child’s school
counselor or jevans@columbia.k12.mo.us

Math whizzes at Gentry win regional contest

2008-04-02T14:32:00.005-05:00

Props to Gentry Middle School-- five of their seventh grade students participated in a regional math contest on March 15, and all five of them came in top ten! The school won the regional competition, qualifying them to compete in the state finals in Springfield on April 26.

Connie Dewey, who has been sponsoring the math club for fifteen years, said she's excited for the students to finally have the opportunity to compete at a higher level. She said they will celebrate with an ice cream social during the math club meeting this Thursday. Yum.

Gentry's principal, Janice Morris, said she's pleased that the students were willing to put forth the extra effort to represent their school in the event.

The proud five were awarded medals and the school received a plaque. The students will be meeting at math club every Thursday to prep for the upcoming competition.

Good luck!

Heads, they win; tails, you lose? Or is it the other way around?

2008-04-02T08:25:00.006-05:00

School Board President Karla DeSpain said it is nearly certain that the board will cut $5 million from the district budget tomorrow.

And then...

Six days later, district voters will choose who will fill three open school board spots.
That same day, voters will also decide whether to give the district a $10 million income boost, via the proposed 54-cent tax levy increase.
A week later, April 14, the school board, with newly elected board members will meet to decide if the district will make more cuts — also a near certainty, if the tax levy does not pass.
A day after that, the same day your taxes are due, is the deadline for the district to tell teachers if it will pay them less next year.*

Wow.

The district's financial future depends on the coming levy vote. Former board member Don Ludwig has said he thinks the levy will pass, as is Columbia tradition. Columbia Tribune publisher Hank Waters III thinks it won't. Reporter Kate Genellie wrote yesterday about public apathy concerning K-12 issues.

It is impossible to begin to predict — given how Columbia voted for the last tax levy increase, of 19 cents in 2003, the best forecast might be to flip a coin.

23,000 people voted. The levy passed, with 52.31 percent voting for it.

Reporter Jane Kellogg, after speaking with board members (including DeSpain, Vice President Darin Preis and member Jan Mees) this week, outlined the following scenarios, depending on the April 8 vote. The first are those she thinks are the most likely:

1. The tax levy is approved; three candidates (either Preis, Rose, Tippin or Gale Hairston) who publicly favor the tax levy are elected or re-elected.
- the Priority I budget cuts, the $5 million probably made tomorrow, would be the only cuts made, and the district would be out of debt.

2. The tax levy is not approved; three candidates (either Preis, Rose, Rosie Tippin or Hairston) who publicly favor the tax levy are elected or re-elected.
- the Priority I budget cuts would be made, and Priority II budget cuts, totaling around an additional $5 million, would be made to alleviate the district of the rest of its $10 million debt.

3. The tax levy is approved; at least one candidate (Ines Segert, Arch Brooks) who publicly disapproves of the tax levy is elected.
- the Priority I budget cuts would be the only cuts made, and the district would be out of debt.

4. The tax levy is not approved; at least one candidate (Segert, Brooks) who publicly disapproves of the tax levy is elected.
- the Priority I budget cuts would be made, and Priority II and III budget cuts would likely be deliberated for months as the new board is now filled with members who openly disagree on whether the district really needs additional cuts.

But it's all up in the air, Kellogg concluded. "There are a lot more factors that come into play, and plenty of surprises are bound to show up in the next few weeks," she wrote.

*One of the trickier ways is for the district to lower teacher pay without "lowering teacher pay."

Missouri school districts are not allowed to lower teacher pay. So, the board can't decide to take back the $1,000 pay increase it gave to teachers this year. However, it can get around that, by chopping the number of days teachers work.

Say teachers are paid $100/day, and work 10 days. The district can't change that to $90/day, but it can change the number of days, say to 9, which would reduce teacher pay by the same amount.

Wednesday, the board will probably vote to cut one work day from contracts for 1,549, including teachers, in order to save $467,726 annually.

Extremely Exciting Exclusive

2008-04-01T11:04:00.005-05:00

There's a profile on board candidate Tom Rose in the paper today and I thought I'd tie that in with an issue I've mentioned before on the blog.

In this post, I talked about issues I saw in the media and in the public. Specifically, and regarding what I'd like to write about today, I mentioned how I talked to people who seemed to be uninformed about issues I think are important, like the board elections and the tax levy.

So, I posed a question about that to Tom Rose while I was interviewing him for the profile. Since it didn't appear in the newspaper due to lack of space, I thought I'd give you all a little web-exclusive content.

The question I asked was: "We (at the K-12 beat) have done public surveys asking people about the school board and there seems to be a fair amount of public apathy. Do you think that's a problem?"

Dr. Rose answered: "It doesn't surprise me that there's a general apathy out there."

But on the other hand, I've also run into a group of Columbia citizens who are very involved and very vocal. They seem to be a minority, but there's no doubt they exist. Dr. Rose mentioned hearing from that group, especially about the debate over integrated vs. traditional math. (For more on that, you can click here or here)

"You hear a lot of concerns about the math program," Dr. Rose said. "I would venture to guess, and this is a guess, that maybe more than 70% of parents think the program there is fine."

I suppose what it boils down to is that an apathetic public means an implied trust in the school board. I suppose it would make sense if the school district's parents considered themselves busy people, without a lot of time to read about integrated math or the tax levy, much less dig through the minutiae of the district's inner workings. But that means the April 8 election is even more important, since Columbia's citizens will elect the people who have to make the big decisions and the little decisions that add up to so much.

As Dr. Rose said: "The quality of the district is a product of the people who serve in that district. We're a reflection of the community."

Let us know what you think.

Reading Material

2008-03-31T07:37:00.006-05:00

This Saturday, we looked at the school district in the terms of its inputs (money) and output (student achievement). Hopefully, the graphs of district spending and student enrollment will help you make your own judgments about whether to vote for the upcoming proposed tax levy increase.

To find out exactly how much the tax levy increase would cost you, use this calculator. (Click on the School Property Tax Levy tab.)

Also, you can learn more about two of the seven School Board candidates, Ines Segert and Rosie Tippin.

First Ward and School Board candidate coffee social

2008-03-27T13:57:00.002-05:00

This event will be hosted by the Central Columbia Get Out the Vote Committee

When: Sunday; 3 to 6 p.m.
Where: 1201 Grand Ave.

First Ward and School Board candidates will make three-minute stump speeches between 3 to 4 p.m. The rest of the time will be devoted to meeting candidates personally. For questions, contact Pat Kelly.

No Child Left Behind

2008-03-26T14:02:00.004-05:00

No Child Left Behind has been in the news lately and, I think, should be something on everyone's mind. Schools are getting to the point in the program where they have to report their statistics to Washington. An article in the New York Times says that states' reported dropout rates and their real dropout rates aren't adding up.

"The multiple rates have many causes," the article said. "Some states have long obscured their real numbers to avoid embarrassment. Others have only recently developed data-tracking systems that allow them to follow dropouts accurately."

That's pretty disheartening. The article continues, pointing out the problems No Child imposes on schools.

"Most troublesome to some experts was the way the No Child law’s mandate to bring students to proficiency on tests, coupled with its lack of a requirement that they graduate, created a perverse incentive to push students to drop out. If low-achieving students leave school early, a school’s performance can rise."

These are worrying issues and something the Columbia school district will have to address, if only to quell any fears parents might have. There's a good chance we'll be saying more about it, on the blog if not in the paper, so stay tuned.

In honor of spring break, I thought I'd link to a story from my hometown newspaper, the Minneapolis/St. Paul Star Tribune. Interesting fact: It underwent a redesign a couple of years ago and now the daily paper looks like a website. But their website is one of the worst I've ever seen. Still, it's another link to the outside world, which you really appreciate when the blizzards are heading in (we're supposed to get six inches of snow. In March!)

Minnesota has the same education problems as Missouri and the rest of the country. This article talks about Minnesota not doing enough to educate students in engineering and technology. However, there's a stand out school, Blaine High "which was designated as a 'Center for Engineering Mathematics and Science' this school year. At Blaine, 107 students are enrolled in the program, which involves heavy doses of physics, math, engineering and computer studies."

Very cool. And, if you're wondering, here's what happens when people from the snowy, icy, oh-so-Northern tundra become engineers: things like this get built.

For you (not chocolate eggs)

2008-03-23T08:38:00.010-05:00

The district has posted a list of Frequently Asked Budget Reduction questions.

Also, on the left-hand side of the page, you can find the updated budget reduction list AND a link to email "feedback" to the district.

Something we have not discussed is that the district may consider selling property to make ends meet. At its next meeting, the Board of Education will look at nine pieces of property it owns and does not use. It could declare the properties as "surplus" and put them up for sale. Those do not include the much-debated Vemer Property.

2008-03-21T08:10:00.008-05:00

The Columbia School Board listened last night to 32 community members' opinions about the budget cuts the board will vote on in April.

The meeting ran longer than four hours, until about 11 p.m. The Missourian's deadline for written material is 11 p.m., so we were not able to put as much detail and perspective into the article (linked above) as we could have.

I'm supposed to do that here.

At the last board meeting, Superintendent Phyllis Chase spent two hours reading through the list of proposed 108 budget cuts. Contrast that to last night's, where the first two hours were filled with comments from parents, teachers and children.

Those two hours were supportive and friendly. The time was spent mostly on a proposed cut in transportation to Ridgeway school and cuts in the district's gifted program. At least three speakers were applauded:

"You have to get feedback from the kids," said Gail Harmata, who criticized the district's Positive Behavior Support system and, in general, the data used to support certain programs. She said it doesn't poll the students, who should be the district's main concern.
"Why would we cut the professionalism of the people working with the health of our children," asked Lyle Johnson, who criticized the proposed "savings" that could be made by lowering the district's requirements for nurse certification.
"Please don't take away Mr. Woody's job (a teacher who is the ultimate artiber of fairness during recess at Ridgeway school), we need him," said a Ridgeway mom on behalf of her first grade son. She criticized the proposed cuts of pay for time spent working on school playgrounds.
"Ridgeway has roots," said Jo Steitz, a former Ridgeway teacher. She didn't get applause, but Steitz got a big cheer when she asked "to hear a big wa-hoo from the Ridgeway parents."

More than 10 Ridgeway parents and teachers showed up to ask the district to continue to foot the $250,000 annual cost it takes to bus children to the magnet school. Over the night, they trickled out; the rest of the audience also thinned as the board meeting continued past 10 p.m.

The Ridgeway cut is number 73 on the board's list. If it stays there, it will be a Priority II cut, and will not be included in the first round of cuts the board will make to save the $5 million it has promised to "save."

That's the magic distinction board Vice President Darin Preis stressed last night. If a proposed cut stays in either the Priority II or Priority III category, and if voters pass the proposed 54-cent tax levy increase, then that cut won't actually be cut.

At this point, Priorities II and III are more of a threat than a reality.

"Every comment I've heard so far is for is making a case for supporting the tax levy," Preis said.

"Raising these issues on the eve of a tax levy is just a bad combination," said Kurt Schaefer, a former deputy director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. He said he understands the board's situation — his former organization has an annual budget twice that of the district — and that tough decisions have to be made in a transparent way.

"Sometimes you've got to say these programs have got to go because they're not part of our core function," Schaefer said.

After public comment, board members each listed cuts they felt should be moved from one priority to another.

Darin Preis suggested that cut 65, a one-day decrease in district employees' work day, be moved from Priority II to Priority I. That cut saves the district $467,000. Both Jan Mees and Steve Calloway agreed with this. Preis said with that extra money in Priority I, cuts 29, 33, 44, 49, 51, and 54 all could be moved to Priority II. Those include cuts in the ACT prep classes for minority students and stipends for teachers who spend time supervising before and after school programs.
Michelle Gadbois advocated for removing cuts that affect the district's gifted program from consideration completely. At one point, she considered moving the Ridgeway transportation cut from Priority II to Priority I. She also suggested that 48, a cut of 12 full-time positions in the special education program at district middle schools, be moved to Priority II from Priority I.
Steve Calloway said he was uncomfortable saving programs that benefit select groups of students while cutting programs that would hurt many. He, along with Preis, said that the proposed cut of insurance for part-time employees who work fewer than 30 hours should be examined. Both members were interested in lowering that boundary, 30 hours, to 25.
Jan Mees repeatedly suggested asking parents to contribute — through volunteering or helping to foot the Ridgeway transportation bill — as a way to continue provide programs the district couldn't finance.
Karla DeSpain advocated for the district's academic high-achievers. She suggested that cut 16, $52,000 that is spent on travel for student academic teams and 20 percent of Chief Academic Officer Sally Beth Lyon's office budget, be moved to Priority II.
Tom Rose, who recently had a heart attack, was not present. He did email board members with comments, which Preis said were generally supportive of the administration's work and research that went into compiling the list of 108 proposed cuts.
David Ballenger was not present.

The next step is for Director of Business Services Linda Quinley to take the suggested swaps and figure out how those will affect the money saved in each priority category. Last night, administrators promised that that information will be posted on the district's website. It's not there yet.

The future of the Ridgeway transportation, despite the number of supporters who showed up, is still uncertain.

Board member Tom Rose to stay in school board race

2008-03-20T21:22:00.003-05:00

I got an email today from Tom Rose saying that he will be staying in the school board race. He said that he will not be working for a while, but will try to make it to some events after April 3. He said he has been receiving emails on proposed cuts and other board business.

Talk

2008-03-20T12:46:00.009-05:00

Tonight, the School Board will be discussing what proposed budget cuts it will need to approve in order to reduce its annual spending by $5 million.

You can attend. You can comment. The meeting is at 6:30 p.m. at 1818 W. Worley St., in the district's administration building. Arrive early — at the last board meeting, there was standing room only.

A few days ago, Tribune publisher Hank Waters wrote an opinion piece about the proposed tax levy increase.

He closed with the following:

"Many or most voters will want to send a message of disapproval for the district’s lack of openness, but the ancillary benefit of spending control is just as important.

The district will be able to trim millions from operations without damaging the quality of education. It never would have happened but for the rush of public disdain that threatens its cash flow."

A few weeks ago, many of our K-12 beat reporters conducted person-on-the-street interviews. They found Columbia people and asked the them about the coming School Board election and proposed increase in taxes. Those reporters came back with many of the same reactions: apathy, or blanket support for education.

My experiences are similar. There are several people, especially those who work at MU, who are strongly against this tax increase. They see it as a product of mismanagement, a lack of communication and waste.

Contrast this to the people who work for the district — its 2,000 plus employees. From their perspective, the tax increase won't result in higher salaries, but if it doesn't pass, they will have to do more than tighten their belts.

Without that increase, they will no longer be able to bring in their own coffee makers and refrigerators (savings: $250,000), those who work in elementary schools will have less money for materials, instructional supplies, professional development and field trips (savings: $77,450), and they may be a part of the 28 full-time jobs reduced (savings: $1,055,000).

Of course, there are also the parents of some 16,000 children attending the district. We could debate the incentives that influence how bureaucrats spend money but... at the end of the day, parents just want their children educated.

The tax levy increase vote will be determined by the critics, district employees and parents.

I don't agree with Waters. We can't tell, at this point, if voters will approve the tax increase.

And maybe that's the wrong question. Maybe we should be asking how voters will voice their opinion. Because there are two options — how much money the district gets, or which people choose how it is spent.

The public will vote on the proposed 54-cent tax levy increase AND determine three school board members on April 8.