| Giving parents and taxpayers the information and tools they need . . . . |
| 10. Other: Vendors. Edu-Conferences. Insufficient and underused internal controls. Too much concentrated money with too little real oversight. Let's just say there are too many vendors and vendor opportunities and too many conferences and end this here and here and here and here. When we went out into the streets this past New Year's Eve clanging our pots and pans together, I noticed for the first time that they sounded like church bells, which is what I hope the coming together of so many of us in a variety of ways will have created: A joyful noise, a heralding, a leading-the-way, an announcement, all of the above. |
| These are just a few of the places this site's readers call home. Except for sharing with you that both the Pentagon and--inexplicably-- all known branches of the military have been to my website, I will continue holding visitors' identities confidential. That said, have listed some general |
| Curious about who reads www.PeytonWolcott.com? So was I, until two nifty new tools--reader logs and IP address lookups--came my way recently. Here's some general information: Departments of education at the state, federal and regional levels have come calling, as have every kind of education entity possible, including universities, from all over the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. Local school districts in North America. American politicians and their staffs, at all levels. Every major American newspaper. (Guys, please remember to attribute.) Publishers. Vendors. Consultants, financial houses. Plus lots of folks who because I don't speak their language are a mystery to me. For whatever reason Google and other search engine spiders appear to have recently found this website. Thank you, all. |
| While women have traditionally taken to the streets banging pots and pans in political protest, as with these two examples below left from Oaxaca and Venezuela, in my family we do this once a year, at midnight on New Year's Eve, not to protest but to ring in the new year. No cacerolazeros we, our pot banging is a custom borrowed from my sister-in-law who got it from an elderly German neighbor. Our neighbors here on a quiet street in the Hill Country have been nice about the noise; it's the only time all year they hear me raise a ruckus outside. While I admire the spirit and grit of these Latin American women (below left)--thanks to Hugo Chavez pot-banging |
| H o w w e t a k e b a c k o u r c h i l d r e n ' s e d u c a t i o n: o n e p e r s o n , o n e q u e s t i o n , o n e s c h o o l a t a t i m e. COPYRIGHT PEYTON WOLCOTT 2003-2008 |
| Conservative Commentary - Archives (January 2008) |
P E Y T O N W O L C O T T |
How we take back our children's education: one person, one question, one school at a time. |
| FAIR USE NOTICE: This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of education issues vital to a republic. We believe this constitutes a "fair use" of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C., Chapter 1, Section 107 which states: the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright," the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond "fair use" you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. |
| ATTENTION EDUCATORS AND ADMINISTRATORS: Every attempt possible has been made to verify all sources and information. In the event you feel an error has been made, please contact us immediately. Thank you. |
| Copyright 1999-2007 Peyton Wolcott |
| As of 01.29.08, 11% of all Texas school districts have voluntarily posted their check registers online; over 2/3 of all state/local TX school district dollars are website-posted. How to ask your local school district Flyer History 1st Anniversary San Antonio Triple Crown COPYRIGHT NOTICE: When borrowing / copying / citing from this roster please remember to attribute the source: www.PeytonWolcott.com |
| CALIFORNIA Capistrano USD - here Clovis USD - here FLORIDA (01.14.08) Miami-Dade CPS* here ILLINOIS Carpentersville SD 300* Elgin U-46* Huntley CUSD 158* Naperville CUSD KANSAS USD 507 (Satanta) MICHIGAN Montrose CS - here MINNESOTA Milaca SD - ISD 192 St. Cloud ISD MISSISSIPPI Ocean Springs SD* here NEVADA Clark County SD**** OKLAHOMA Oklahoma City PS***** S. DAKOTA Mitchell School District* TEXAS** (128) Allen ISD Alvarado ISD Anthony ISD Arlington ISD Athens ISD Aubrey ISD Avery ISD Bellville ISD Big Spring ISD Blackwell CISD Borger ISD Bremond ISD Bryan ISD* Caddo Mills ISD Canton ISD Cedar Hill ISD Center Point ISD Chester ISD China Spring ISD here Cleburne ISD* - here Coldspring-Oakhurst CISD Colmesneil ISD Comal ISD Conroe ISD* Corpus Christi ISD* Cross Roads ISD Cypress-Fairbanks ISD* Dallas ISD Deer Park ISD* Denison ISD Dublin ISD - here (About us) East Bernard ISD Ector Co. ISD Electra ISD Franklin ISD Friendswood ISD Galena Park ISD Galveston ISD Grandfalls-Royalty ISD Greenville ISD Gunter ISD Harlandale ISD - here Haskell CISD Hempstead ISD Highland ISD Hitchcock ISD - here Holliday ISD Houston ISD* Howe ISD Hunt ISD Iola ISD Iraan-Sheffield ISD Katy ISD Kaufman ISD Keller ISD* Kerrvile ISD Lackland ISD Lago Vista ISD* Leander ISD Leonard ISD Livingston ISD Little Elm IS Little Cypress-Maur. CISD Llano ISD - here Lorena ISD Lovejoy ISD Lufkin ISD Mabank ISD Madisonville CISD Malakoff ISD Marble Falls ISD - here Marion ISD Meadow ISD McKinney ISD Medina ISD Medina Valley ISD* Miami ISD Mount Vernon ISD Nacogdoches ISD-here Natalia ISD Nazareth ISD Nederland ISD New Caney ISD Nordheim ISD North East ISD North Forest ISD Northside ISD No. Zulch ISD* Ore City ISD Palestine ISD Pasadena ISD Pearland ISD Port Neches-Groves ISD Pflugerville ISD Quinlan ISD Reagan County ISD Richardson ISD Robert Lee ISD Roby CISD Roscoe ISD - here Rosebud-Lott ISD Round Rock ISD * Royse City ISD San Angelo ISD San Antonio ISD Schertz-Cibolo-U.City ISD* Seminole ISD Somerset ISD* South Texas ISD Southwest ISD* Spring Branch ISD * Stanton ISD Sundown ISD Teague ISD Texas City ISD Timpson ISD Tomball ISD Trent ISD United ISD* - here Valentine ISD Van Alstyne ISD West ISD Wharton ISD Wilson ISD Wimberley ISD Winona ISD Ysleta ISD UTAH Davis School District* WISCONSIN Sun Prairie SD |
COMMITTED El Paso ISD (TX) Midway ISD (TX) (Jan.08) Murchison ISD (TX) Southside ISD (TX) Temple ISD (TX) STATE DOE ONLINE Texas Education Agency MIDDLE EDU-LAYER St. Clair County RESA (MI) HONORABLE MENTION *** Michigan Intermediate School Districts WHERE PARENTS, TAXPAYERS, TRUSTEES ARE ASKING: Cedar Rapids PS (IA) Chippewa Valley SD (MI) Eanes ISD (TX) Lake Travis ISD (TX) Lancaster ISD (TX) LA USD (CA) New York CPS (NY) Omaha PS (NB) Rochester CS (MI) Santa Cruz CPS (AZ) Water Valley ISD (TX) ___________________________ * No check numbers. ** Source for all Texas numbers: TEA PEIMS (most recently reported actuals, 2005-06) *** For online numbers including budgets, salaries, lobbying, PR, legal, autos, more **** Purchase orders *****Encumbrances . (Source for names of Texas districts: Houston Chronicle (6), San Antonio Express-News (6) ) |
| Heads up to grassroots school reform activists: Be smart, be effective By Peyton Wolcott Updated 12.02.07 |
| Most parents and taxpayers are rational beings whose lives work because we operate in them rationally. When we experience a precipitating incident which warrants our dealing with our local school districts, most of us generally approach them armed with facts and the same rational thinking that enables us to pay for our houses and cars and the property taxes that fund our local schools. Generally this is our first mistake. If we compound our mistake by also being angry, we might as well go stand in front of the administration building and shake a big bag filled with rattlesnakes; no good acting surprised when the rattlesnakes react by hissing and trying to bite us. Watching pushback from schools, especially here in Texas, escalate over the past few years (more at right) leaves me troubled; I believe based on my own experiences and observation of others' that many of the difficulties parents and taxpayers are experiencing can be avoided by changing our approach. |
| Heads-up to citizen journalists, bloggers The Internet is a tremendous gift. We've seen changes here in Texas public education in the past five years which I do not believe would have been possible without the Internet. Many parents and taxpayers are finding themselves pressed into service as citizen journalists who have no formal journalism background. Most often, it is these well-intentioned folks who appear to be getting into the most trouble. We've seen here in Texas in the past two years alone one SLAPP suit filed and another on the way, plus an amicus curiae by a third district. Worse, we've had onerous anti-sunshine legislation encumbered on all of us as a result during this past Lege. Citizen journalism 101: |
| How to change rattlesnakes into teddy bears It starts with changing our mindset. After trying rational thinking, facts and figures, reports and studies with our local administrators, all to no avail -- including a memorable detainment by three armed public school district police officers for taking photos in an administration building during summer with no schoolchildren present -- I realized a new way of doing things was necessary. Because of my experiences over the years as a volunteer organizing other volunteers for charity fund raisers, it was a natural next step for me to organize friends into a group. |
| 5. Who are you? Put your photo and your goals on your home page along with an easily accessible email address. One site I looked at recently posted email addresses for all of the school district's trustees and top administrators -- then made visitors to the site fill out an obnoxious form in order to send an email to the site. What's good for the goose is good for the gander. A group in another state prides itself on its integrity -- yet operates completely anonymously whereas the people the group attacks (constantly) have all been willing at some point to come forward with their names and contact information. 6. Mind your manners. Attribute everything, and properly. 7. Curb your anger. Anger's a funny emotion. It permeates everything we do, renders our best-intentioned work useless, and leaves us worn out. If your administration's done something truly outrageous, sleep on it before posting an angry response. Remember: In order to accomplish anything you're going to have to organize however small a group which means being positive enough in your approach and outlook that people will be drawn to you and your cause. Negativity repels. Positive enthusiasm is a magnet. 8. No community comments. Several reasons. You may run hot for a while but when things start winding down and your local administrators see (0) comments again and again they will assume you have no community support. Also, a lot of anonymous venting can occur. Let your local newspaper handle this -- they can afford lawyers -- or talk to each other in the parking lot of your local barbeque joint or over the produce section at the grocery store. Venting is a form of gossip, and may or may not support your goal. Anything that takes away from your goal is a distraction and to be avoided. 9. Be nice. People will like you more and you'll sleep better at night. 10. Be friendly. Treat your administrators and/or board members and/or any other opposition as you'd like to be treated. I didn't make this up; it's called "The Golden Rule." |
| Rattlesnake (L), Teddy bear (PHOTO--Steiff) |
| Back then there was a real feeling of community participation about the erection of the new school; without the townspeople's pitching in and helping out there was no school; today, we are charged property taxes on our houses to pay for our schools, and most often have little or no control over how our tax dollars are spent. We all love that feeling of being part of something larger than ourselves, some greater good. In order to accomplish anything, you're going to have to have broad-based community support, and this only occurs with positive goals and campaigns. asdf Your good name The name of your group is more important than you can imagine. I do not recommend including any of the following in your name: Watchdogs, Concerned (as in "Concerned Citizens of Clearwater"), Watch (as in "We're watching you and we're never going to be happy with anything you do"). "Accountability" and "responsible" are also good ones to avoid. Same for "taxes" and "taxpayers." Better to choose an innocuous name that your district can't slam you on for being negative, something like "Friends of Clearwater Schools." Your district will learn what you're about soon enough. Here's something that I had a very hard time accepting: While a few people will give you a thumbs-up for your negative campaigns, most people want to associate with something they perceive as being positive and will run from anything they perceive as being negative. Handling your anger There is a general consensus among reporters, politicians, attorneys and business and community leaders with whom I speak off the record that so many folks who become involved in their local schools are just plain angry; for this reason, the establishment discounts what the angry folks have to say -- no matter how justified their comments. Here's one example: Last spring when I visited legislators' offices to lobby against two pieces of anti- sunshine legislation (SB 889, which failed, and HB 2564, which is now law) resulting, legislators testified, directly from too many public records requests filed by parents in suburban Austin school districts (Lake Travis ISD and Eanes ISD) it was interesting to watch legislative staffers respond to telephone calls from parents and taxpayers railing against this bill. I wish those callers could have seen the staffers holding the phone away from their ears and making faces while at the same time responding in a soothing tone to the callers. It's important to not confuse face or phone time with achieving results |
| How we view our public schools: Then vs. now Remember the scene from the musical, "Oklahoma!" in which Curley gives up his horse and his saddle -- everything he owns -- in order to buy Miss Laurey's box dinner? "It's for the new schoolhouse," says the auctioneer, Auntie Eller. Like the new school Auntie Eller was helping raise funds for a century ago in northeastern Oklahoma's rural Claremore, when our small towns were first established in the American wilderness one of the first things to be built was the schoolhouse, a simple one-room building on par with the farmhouses and cabins families built for themselves -- all a far cry from today's Taj Majal high schools with their natatoriums and indoor practice fields. |
| Pick a goal, any goal Find a goal you and your small group can agree on, and distill it into one sentence. This is useful because when reporters come calling you'll already have your sound byte ready. Your goal should be important to you and your group and your community and one you can easily and quickly accomplish in a short period--two or three months and no more than six. If you're not sure where to begin -- the list is so long -- or can't agree among yourselves, a good first goal might be to ask your school district to post its check register online if it hasn't already. (How to here) It's an easy, quick goal. Think of yourselves more as guerrillas than Rotary. No fixed meetings every Tuesday, no announcing how many members you have or who they are, no lists of members, no lapel pins. Instead of meeting at meetings, communicate via email and phone. When you accomplish your goal, your community will sit up and take note, favorably. Then disband and take a breather for a while until you figure out what you want to accomplish next. Your next goal will likely mean different participants because not everyone will be interested in participating in everything. One more thing about goals Many times we want to start big and large, at the state or national level. Better to start small, start simple, start local. Prove that your idea can work locally and others will pick up on it, copy it. This is how ideas spread. |
| Oklahoma movie poster |
| 1. You can be angry and upset -- however righteously so -- OR you can be effective. You can't be both. 2. Using a carrot is more effective than using a stick. Think about it. Would you rather have someone come after you with a carrot or with a stick? Don't you become defensive when somebody shakes a big stick at you? 3. Our school districts -- including administrators, board members and those profiting from friendly relations with them -- may say they want more parental involvement. For some of them this is true. For too many others, what they mean by parental involvement is "Come write checks and say nice things about us and don't question anything we say or do." 4. Our school districts may say they want to improve; here again, some really do want to hear from us; for many others, they don't really welcome your helpful suggestions even when you know you're right and they're wrong. As my wise school board trustee friend told me years ago: "When you criticize them, you're calling their baby ' ugly.' " Your administrators and trustees and their minions will take your factual comments and questions personally and attack you personally in response. 5. Our public schools are essentially socialist models. Their engine and currency is the realm of emotions and people skills. 6. The world of public education is a world of feelings. Think about how often you've sat through a superintendent's budget presentation to his/her board and/or the community and at the end the supe says, "I feel good about this budget." For many of us who live in the rational world we're not much interested in our supe's feelings about the budget. We want to know that based on his expertise with budgets (too often, too little) he has presented a budget which will make ends meet. When you talk with educators, talk about your feelings about a topic rather than your thoughts about a topic. 7. In any endeavor, it's always a good idea to consider your opponent. Really look at them. If the product your company produces is packaged ice, you're not going to head north to Alaska to sell it. No matter how nice you are, they're not going to be interested up there. Along these lines, keep in mind that most school districts today are well-oiled (with your tax dollars) PR machines. The average parent wading in to engage with them armed with facts lubricated by some degree of righteous indignation stands little or no chance of winning. It is like watching lambs marching into the slaughterhouse. Further, public schools are generally the largest budgets in our counties; for this reason they have access to resources such as money and legal help. IMPORTANT: Because your schools can dominate any playing field available to them, you must pick and choose a different playing field. Emotions win over facts every time. No matter how well prepared your spreadsheet is -- you Spreadsheet Dads know who you are -- if you do not have some compelling facts to present to your community, facts which will grip their imaginations and hearts, your spreadsheet will accomplish little. 8. No matter how powerful you may be in your world, your work arena, school is a different arena. You're playing on someone else's turf and it behooves you to pay attention to how they play the game. Your rules don't work in their arena. The sooner and better you can master their rules including their jargon the sooner you can be effective. 9. The broader your base, the broader your focus, the more you want to serve rather than get (get something for yourself and/or your family -- or get even) the more likely you are to succeed in your goal of helping your district. 10. Let go of the idea you're a victim or that you've been wronged. Both will hinder your efforts. So long as you speak the language of woundology (thank you, Carolyn Myss), your community and the press will largely discount what you have to say. We are a nation of sturdy pioneers who overcome our difficulties. |
"Walk softly and carry a big stick." -- Teddy Roosevelt "Trust but verify." -- Ronald Reagan |
| Some basic things to think about: |
| When his newspaper's Mexico City bureau chief, Philip True, was killed, Rivard led a highly visible challenge to the Mexican judicial system. He personally was instrumental in finding True's remains and has relentlessly sought to bring his killers to justice. |
| Robert Rivard, editor San Antonio Express-News |
| It's pretty safe to say Bob Rivard and I will never be political allies; in addition to the SAEN having taken a fiercely anti-Iraq war stance, it also refers to "illegal immigrants" as "immigrants." However, he is also fiercely loyal to the causes he adopts -- and to his employees, two qualities to which we all can relate. An excerpt from his 2002 Cabot Prize bio: |
| In 2004 the Jalisco state supreme court returned a final verdict of guilt and ordered the two Huichol brothers-in-law who killed True to serve 20-year prison terms. Both men fled before Mexican authorities could detain them, having been released from custody earlier by a Mexican judge under questionable circumstances. (Ibid,) |
| Rivard's coverage of True's murder led to his writing a book, "Trail of Feathers." Here's an update regarding the outcome of his pursuit of justice: |
| Rivard also played a pivotal role in bringing New York Times reporter Jayson Blair's plagiarism to light: |
| In April 2003, it was Rivard's email to the New York Times that provoked an investigation into plagiarism charges by a reporter named Jayson Blair. Blair had lifted reporting and writing from San Antonio Express-News reporter Macarena Hernandez's published work and presented it as his own. The subsequent investigation led to what became known as the Jayson Blair debacle, with Blair and the Times' executive editor and managing editor tendering their resignations. (SOURCE--RobertRiva rd.com) |
| Hats off to Bob Rivard and his SAEN staff (more at left) for the pivotal role they played in San Antonio school districts posting their check registers online, and for setting such a great example for their fellows in the newspaper business to emulate. |
| HATS OFF: Bob Rivard, The San Antonio Express-News By Peyton Wolcott Tue., Nov. 27, 2007-10 a |
| ONLINE CHECK REGISTERS +++ 4 new TX districts Nov. 12-16, 2007! +++ Northside ISD - John Folks, superintendent Students: 78,154 Annual: $ 1,039,950,123 Per student $ 13,306 North East ISD - Richard Middleton, superintendent Students: 59,556 Annual: $ 806,762,147 Per student $ 13,546 San Antonio ISD - Robert Duron, superintendent Students: 56,371 Annual $ 557,143,973 Per student $ 9,884 Gunter ISD - Rick Cohagan superintendent Students: 861 Annual $ 23,440,928 Per student $ 27,225 (As of 11.28.07) |
| San Antonio's Triple Crown here |
| o Golfing supes want TAKS date changed? o Cleburne ISD's checks, supe retiring, TEA audit o Dana Marable responds to questions in Temple o SBOE: 'NO' to McGraw-Hill's Everyday Math |
| Edgewood ISD 08.02.06 |
____
| However righteous or correct your cause, too often parents and taxpayers don't stop to consider the resources of their opposition. Our local school districts are well-oiled and well-funded, all with our tax dollars, PR machines. Our superintendents and administrators attend education conferences and trainings and seminars where they are coached in how to deal with disapproving parents and taxpayers. Our local schools also have apparently unlimited access to lawyers, whom they have demonstrated time and again that they will use all legal assistance available. Are you willing to take out a loan to pay your legal bills? |
| What's your motive? Are you taking action because you're offended that the district is violating rules and/or someone there is stealing? Are you motivated by the principle of the thing or do you want to achieve results and make real changes in your district? |
| School district check registers are now online in 144 districts, 13 states! with $45 billion-plus in annual transparency! ----------------------- 1ST & ONLY ROSTER OF ONLINE SCHOOL CHECK REGISTERS |
| 1. No adjectives. They tend to be inflammatory. 2. Ask questions rather than make accusations. 3. Be very sure of your facts before publishing -- have a paper record in hand. Wishing doesn't make it so. 4. Give your opponents an opportunity to respond. Note in your blog that your phone calls to the district were not returned, etc. Ask the person about whom you're writing if they disagree with any facts you're publishing and if so and can they please provide a paper record or some such supporting their factual disagreement. |
| More questions... |
| NOTE: We are not asking school districts to post salary or HIPAA-related dollars. |
| After surrounding themselves with hand-picked "yes" men/women, superintendents often seem genuinely perplexed when community opposition surfaces for any reason. Chris B. comments in the Capistrano Dispatch, "Nearly anyone can tear something down, and it takes a real leader to influence a community to come together to build." Chris B. is right. Too often when we bring legitimate questions and complaints to our public schools we do not at the same time present a clear solution, making it easy for supes and our community to see and hear "attack." What's our positive vision for our schools? Our end game? Mine's simple: Better education for less money. |
| "What do you people want?" |
| A brief synopsis of Amato's hopscotch across the American public education landscape: |
| Welcome to the National School District Honor Roll Est. 10.01.06 |
| U. S. R O S T E R |
| How to find your district's checks: If there's no link on the home page, try the business or finance page, or it may be listed under links or technol- ogy or community news. If the district is paying for TASB's BoardBook software, online check registers are a free feature, and can usually be found in the board packet for the most recent regular board meeting. |
| Thank you, 2007 . . .and hello, 2008! By Peyton Wolcott - Last updated Monday, January 7, 2008 - 6:04 a.m. |
| A model for the nation: More about the San Antonio Triple Crown here _____ How 3 major school districts put their checks online . . . in 1 week! |
| New Texas Commissioner of Education Robert Scott (R) at Dec. 4, 2007 swearing in; Gov. Rick Perry (L) |
| Pot banging protesters in Venezuela (top) and Oaxaca (PHOTO CREDITS-- AP (top) and John Gibler) |
| protesting is now an offense punishable by three months in jail in Venezuela--it's not necessary for women in the U.S. to do this in order to right what we believe to be wrong in our culture. One, we live in a representational republic rather than a dictatorship or a corrupt republic. Two, unlike Latin America where the Napoleonic Code still rules and you have to prove your innocence--yes, Virginia, there are profound differences between the U.S. and our neighbors to the south--here we're innocent until proven guilty. |
| Three, we now have the gift of the Internet, for which I always say, "Thank God and Algore." So, here, then, is a fond and grateful look back at some of the education world's significant issues and occurrences in 2007 along with a glimpse at what likely lies ahead. |
| About the online school district check register project After many years in the grassroots school reform trenches and being involved in a number of FOIA-related issues with many districts in many states, I started the National School District Honor Roll here on my website on Oct. 1, 2006 as a means of encouraging school districts across America to voluntarily open up their books by putting their checkbooks online on their websites. By putting a name on this movement and compiling the national roster, I introduced PR to the notion of accountability. The roster at left has grown from this modest beginning in October 2006 to, as of this week, 134 districts in 11 states. Reluctantly, I have just recently posted a copyright notice over the school district check register roster; I think in all fairness to the newspaper reporters and think tank employees who have "borrowed" from my website without attribution this past year that they apparently assumed I'd gotten the roster full-blown from another source. For the record, there is no official source of any kind anywhere keeping track of which districts in which states have posted their check registers online. This roster at left is my work product; I started it 15 months ago with the names of 3-4 tiny Texas districts, in order to give form and function to what had been until that time a vague, occasionally suggested idea. Have added the names you now see one by one and will continue to do so. It has recently been brought to my attention that at least a couple of think tanks are giving themselves credit for the popularity of the online school district check register movement. When you Google "online school district check register" without quotes, there are 205,000 results -- with my site the first two listed. Please borrow as much information as you want and need from this site--and attribute your source, as I do. |
| 2. Online school district check registers-- an idea whose time is now I can't think of anything more fundamental to improving our schools than first being able to look at all of the |
| 4. Collapse of voucher efforts in Utah & Texas Although we've learned that throwing money at public education doesn't work, well-meaning and well-funded folks have been slow to learn that throwing money at public education reform doesn't work either. Utah has had $3 million of Patrick Byrne's money (Overstocks.com) and Texas $50 million-plus of Jim Leininger's (specialty hospital products) yet both states still lack vouchers. Utah and Texas are good examples of why change must start small, start local and start simple, and with lots of community support. The public school lobby is strong and entrenched and savvy, and to counter it takes a smarter effort than has yet been mounted. Despite Jim Leininger's having spent, God bless |
| 5. Conservative leadership in place at 3 key points in Texas With Rick Perry as governor, Don McLeroy as State Board of Education chair, and Robert Scott as commissioner of education, Texas is finally poised to start climbing out of the abyss into which we fell in the 90's. Probably the most significant single act the SBOE has undertaken was to veto McGraw-Hill's Everyday Math last November; this is the math program widely agreed by teachers to be among the fuzziest. Here's from veteran educator Nikonia Hayes' report, published in Education News: |
| to administrators, often they are advised by the district's attorneys when dealing with errant employees to write a nice letter of recommendation and send them to their next job rather than risk hundreds of thousands of dollars on lawsuits. It really is that simple. |
| Rick Perry, Shirley Neeley (PHOTO--Dallas Morning News) |
| many of our large districts have come on board, this means that over 2/3 of our local school district dollars are now online. |
| Leininger-funded pro-voucher rally at Texas Capitol - Feb. 2007 |
| him, a reported $50 million of his personal fortune educating poor San Antonio schoolchildren this past decade, the foundation he funded for many years missed opportunity after opportunity to tell the story of how voucher funds have changed those children's lives. It would have been so easy. We're not going to have a successful vouchers program anywhere until (1) that state's populace is sufficiently aware on a per-dollar basis exactly how their local districts are spending their money and educating their kids and (2) the Byrnes and the Leiningers of this world find a way to climb down from their lofty perches and mix it up with the commoners. |
| Having spent several days reviewing the 3rd grade curriculum of Everyday Math and writing a report on my review, and having retired in 2006 as an elementary principal after being a middle and high school math teacher, I can tell you the Board decision was a correct one....The curricula does not meet the TEKS expectations. Everyday Math's reputation has been highly bought and paid for with support from the National Science Foundation, starting in 1991 with $5.4 million dollars for its production and piloting, while our children have been used guinea pigs in the company's "research." As a middle and high school teacher, I received a lot of those students and it was shameful to see their deficiencies in basic math knowledge and skills.....According to Entrepreneur Magazine, the fastest growing franchise is for the "Mathnasium" tutoring business. A new office is opening about every five days. The outsourcing of tutoring sessions to third-world countries such as India via the Internet is now a multi-million dollar business....The final data that can be offered against Everyday Math and other reform programs, such as Investigations, is the fact that up to 70% of our college students are having to take remedial math courses. That problem starts at the elementary school level. That's why I became an elementary principal. |
| No need to "demystify" Singapore Math (R) |
| $19.95 |
| $8.50 |
| 1. Do you live in Beijing? Or Russia? Milano? How about Seoul or Chile or Cairo? Or the Caribbean? KL? Paris? Melbourne maybe? |
| information in the greybar at right. Nice, and interesting, to know who our neighbors at this screen are, and also encouraging that it's been so well received. Best of all, though, is the fact that parents and taxpayers now have better information including how to be successful in dealing with their schools--and are starting to use it. One of my favorite stories is the fellow who'd been a thorn in his local school's side for the past dozen years with not much to show for it; he agreed to adopt the approach suggested here and to his great surprise when he asked his supe to voluntarily post the district's check register online, the supe said "yes" on the spot; that district is one of the 134 on the roster at left. How great is that: Everybody wins, everybody's happy. |
| individual dollars at the local level. Because for any change to happen, it must start small, start local and start simple, getting our local schools' checks posted on their websites is the best and easiest place to start. Although some Texas districts might have been required to post their check registers online by 2010, based on past experiences with our powerful superintendents and their paid professional lobbyists, I have been concerned that they would have been able, |
| 1st Texas major superintendents to voluntarily post their districts' check registers online: Duncan Klussmann/Spring Branch ISD (top); Michael Hinojosa/Dallas ISD; Abe Saavedra/Houston ISD (at podium, 2005 Mexican-American School Boards Ass'n reception at TASB/TASA convention) |
| lated in RP 47 in 2005 which would have allowed any district failing to spend 65% in the classroom by 2010 to post their check registers online--and not until 2010--any |
| district not making the 65% mark would have to have pickup trucks leaving the district filled with either copper tubing or cash. Since starting this project 15 short months ago, we already have 134 districts in 11 states on the roster (left), with $38 billion in annual trans- parency.Here in Texas, because so |
| 3. More transparency: A first important step to ending "pass the trash," plus making supes' contracts and educators' salaries public Parents and taxpayers have long complained about the school district practice of "passing the trash." In fairness |
| Fred / Frederick Deussing (PHOTO--NBC) |
| Here in Texas, school superintendents' contracts are supposed to be made available to the public and to many districts' credits they are being posted on the districts' websites; here's Llano ISD's Dennis Hill's and here's Alamo Heights ISD's departing supe, Jerry Christian, In Illinois the Champion Foundation has published a database of that state's educators' salaries on its website. |
| The problem is just as bad when your child is not on the sending-school end but on the receiving-school end. "But the coach's personnel file is clean," your supe can say in all honesty. Last month the Sarasota Herald-Tribune recently expanded the ground-breaking statewide database it |
| Dennis Hill |
| posted on the Internet last March to a national database as the result of obtaining a list compiled by the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification, a non-profit group made up of education officials and school districts in all 50 states; while the Herald Trib admits to flaws in the list due to reporting formulas varying from state to state--for instance, searches for both Mesa HS teacher/coach Gay Turley, arrested last month for sex with a student, and for longtime educator and foster parent Fred/Frederick of Alaska, arrested last January for possession of baby porn, all show "no reports"--it's still a big first start. |
| As conservative radio host Lynn Woolley, author of Clear Moral Objectives, says, "It is the obligation of government, absent the issue of national security, to be forthright and transparent in all things--and particularly in the area of spending taxpayers' money. In no part of government is this more important than in our schools." More about Lynn's radio show here. |
| Lynn Woolley |
| 6. Is No Child Left Behind falling into a grave of its own making? |
| Former SBOE chair Tincy Miller (L) of Dallas watches Commission for College Ready Texas chair Sandy Kress's final report at Nov. 2007 SBOE meeting |
| 7. Some of the reasons why Robert Scott was the right candidate to be named Texas Commissioner of Education Come, let us quantify the ways: o Got rid of personal car and driver--again; this also was one of his first official acts during his 2003-04 stint as interim commissioner. o Got rid of education foundation. o State plane usage by the education commissioner has dropped dramatic- ally; where previous commissioners were |
| Robert Scott (L) conferring with Sandy Kress during Nov. 2006 SBOE meeting; during the same meeting Scott also made a point of thanking Kress for his work from the podium |
| reportedly the most frequent users of state planes, Scott has used a state plane only once this year, and then with Higher Ed 's Raymundo Paredes, to make a 10 a.m. meeting in Laredo when there were no commercial flights available. o Is holding Texas Education Agency employees accountable for their actions: No more honorariums for speaking at conferences as TEA officials, etc. o TEA's website is already much more responsive to outside users; here's my favorite example, the alpha drop-down on the PEIMS 2006-07 actuals. Go to this page to learn how many dollars your district actually spends and receives each year, including federal grants, etc.; look for the "total receipts/all funds" and "total disbursements/all funds" totals. (Before, you had to know the 6-digit school code, which meant a side trip to the Comptroller's School District Watch List.) o Reorganized TEA to make it more responsive, "so you can get straight answers from people," says Robert. No more overlaps between departments delivering conflicting advice. o Penultimate but certainly not least, posted TEA's check register online in February--despite opposition from administrators--making TEA the first and still only DOE in the nation to do so. And here's my favorite: o Held an informal one-day training for key TEA executives in Austin related to the reorg--and paid for it himself. Readers, this last is clearly a "best practice" and it has inspired me to start looking for stories from school superintendents who are paying for employee trainings and dinner meetings themselves--without seeking reimbursement from their districts or vendors, or anyone else. |
| Argyle ISD superintendent Jason Cayenes responds By Peyton Wolcott Friday, January 4, 2008 - 9:19 a.m. |
| Argyle ISD has placed Brian Davidson, the district's former head tennis coach on paid administrative leave following his arrest last month on charges of inappropriate behavior which included touching and text messaging a 16-year old female student. So many of these cases are occurring across our great nation I've started asking whether superintendents have actually spelled out in detail to teachers "don't kiss your students" and "don't text message your students anything beyond 'today's practice will not begin until 4 p.m.' " AISD superintendent Jason Ceyanes says that the district provided sexual harassment training, "including discussions about appropriate relationships with students," last August during the district's back-to-school in-service for all teachers. Further, Jason has said that he will confirm that Davidson actually attended this portion of the in-service when the district's offices reopen on Monday. In addition to his duties at Argyle High School, the 30-year old educator is listed on the Argyle Middle School roster as "TAKS/ MS Boys Athletics/Head Tennis." |
| What's surprising are the comments on "Teacher Trash," a popular blog, supporting Davidson and assuming that the student filed false charges. Here is one such: |
| To his great credit, Jason Ceyanes has responded promptly to both sets of questions I sent, and, equally to his credit, without invoking the Texas Public Information Act. Hats off to Jason. |
| She obviously went along with his actions for a long while, then became bored with him, then decided to end it by complaining to police. District Attorneys would ask that she be tried as an adult if she were accused of murder, because she is 16. Yet, we're supposed to believe she was a helpless victim, month after month. --"michaelcamioniii" |
| At this point, I'm especially curious regarding the degree of detail that the in-service included as to what is appropriate and what isn't, who prepared and presented the training, and whether Davidson did indeed attend the training. Will update when we hear back from Jason when the district's employees return from their long vacation next week. |
| However well-intentioned the ideas behind NCLB, any bill we conservatives have to co-sponsor with one of the Senate's most liberal of liberals can't be a good thing. Early on the states figured out how to game the system; additionally, the fellow widely credited as being NCLB's architect, Democrat Sandy Kress (left), lobbies for his client Pearson-- to whom Texas taxpayers have paid $1.423 billion since FY 1998--and other companies who have benefited from NCLB. So Senator Ted Kennedy's announcement that he will not sponsor the reauth- orization of NCLB comes as a relief to many con- conservatives. My personal point of view: The feds need to get out of the education business, and |
| 8. Texas education standards finally being rewritten This is important, because as Texas goes, so goes the nation. We were saddled with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) by some well-meaning folks of whom it can most charitably be assumed they did not know what they were letting themselves--and us--in for. Think of it this way: When you are having, let's say--to keep this discussion Texan and civil--a dispute over your oil and gas lease, the wisest person to go to is a capable and experienced oil and gas attorney. Everybody knows this. It's the conventional smart thing to do, to find experts in that field. I think what happened here in Texas is that when it became clear in the 90's that public education was not working, the powers that be went to the presumed experts, which is a roundabout way of explaining how we have come to have a former Texas Association of School Boards professional lobbyist with no classroom experience running the US DOE. People of all stripes and ilks and powers and politics have begun asking questions. There's got to be a better way to educate our kids, and we all know it. When things are so bad that half of our kids entering college need remedial non-credit courses in math and English, it's clear that the so-called reforms of the past few decades have not only not worked but also have caused great harm to our schoolchildren but also done harm to the future of our great representational republic. A solid return to traditional objective standards is the place to start. First graders need daily drill in basic addition, second graders in basic subtraction, third graders need to be drilled every day in their multiplication tables and fourth graders in division--because this is the only way the majority of our children learn these basic facts. It is in this way our kids can once again enter college without 50% of them needing math remediation. Similar reforms are needed for English. In this way, we will have a real Texas education miracle; won't that be something great to share with our great nation? |
| About www.PeytonWolcott.com I started this website as a means of sharing information no one else at the time would. Three or four years ago, stories about public schools were slim pickings indeed, most of them gussied up versions of schools' press releases. I work as a full-time volunteer to give parents and taxpayers the tools they need to make the changes which need to be made, and turn down kind offers of donations to this site in order to do this work free of ties and obligations. Making this information available in a user- friendly and attractive format is a continuing challenge, and I appreciate your patience. |
| 9. Non-teaching school administrators at all levels continue to take/embezzle/steal/"borrow" money from their districts' schoolchildren, parents and taxpayers. I have yet to read a single account of a teacher with no administrative or non- classroom duties embezzling; there's no big pot of money* for them to take from because they do not have access to it. Same for janitors. We're not talking about cases involving poor judgment and simply unwise and/or wasteful spending. We're not even talking about administrators treating themselves to too many extravagant trips and meals. What we're talking about are non-teaching administrative personnel seeing the big pot of money coming in and out of their districtgs' offices, noticing after a while |
| talking about trustees' responsibilities and the family friend was adamant that all that was needed was for school board members to find a good superintendent and then leave them alone to do their jobs running the district. This puzzled me. How could someone so smart, a leader in business, be so misinformed? So head-in-the-clouds? |
| really telling us anything also offered many opportunities to hide dollars. There are four fiscal fixes available to us. First, get all the check registers online. Second, tighten internal controls. Third, reduce then get rid of federal education spending. Fourth, keep local money local where parents and taxpayers have a real shot at having a say. |
| * Schools have become "big pots of taxpayer money with plenty of companies trying to get their share," says Scott Parks of The Dallas Morning News. |
| California's Orange County DA Tony Rackauckas with photos of former Capistrano USD supe James Fleming, Susan McGill , former CUSD ass't supe (Photo--Bruce Chambers/Orange County Register) |
| that it is relatively unsupervised, and then making the decision to take some for themselves. This is the essence of the charges against the folks at left and below. |
| Here's a telling story: Many years ago a close family friend was on a school board; this man had been CFO at a major U.S. corporation--you'd recognize the name. We were |
| Larry Couch Marble City, OK supe |
| It finally hit me: This captain of industry worked for a very large organization which had several floors of bean counters making sure everything was correctly spent and accounted for. Additionally, his corporation's CEO, as head of a publicly traded company, was at all times accountable to his stockholders. (This is the reason, incidently, why superintendents should never make as much as CEO's running comparably sized concerns; supes run a private club for which they write millions and in some cases billions of checks with little or no oversight. To make the analogy more accurate, the private club would be attached to dachas as |
| Long-time Montrose, Michicgan bookkeeper Dana Bacon handcuffed in court (PHOTO/Megan Spellman) |
| part of the old Soviet form of Communism. We are forced to pay property taxes to fund our public schools then the only real say we have over our schools is to elect trustees who have few rules governing them then those trustees are told not to ask too many questions or they'll be accused of micro-managing. Ironically, under this system, the folks who have the most outside control over our schools are vendors selling to our districts where there may or may not be deals made with district personnel under the table or favors of questionable ethics extended ) Our family friend assumed that there was someone overseeing the school district, that someone, somewhere was doing the bean-counting he was used to when so much money was changing hands in his corporate life. But no, there's not anybody in our schools watching out. Until the online check register movement started catching on--thank you, God--all we got were pie charts and graphs which in addition to not |
| Former Prince George's supe Andre Hornsby (PHOTO/Washinton Post) |
| pronto. Let's keep education small and local, where parents and taxpayers have a real shot at real input into the process. |
| OKLAHOMA OKC SUPE: 'FAMILY EMERGENCY' -- OR 'VACATION' ? By Peyton Wolcott Updated Monday, January 7, 2008 - 9:55 p.m. |
| (Top) Cliff Hudson; John Porter |
| Whos' the boss? On a deeper level than immediate employment issues, we're watch- ing something play out in Oklaho- ma City Public Schools which goes to the core of one of the most fundamental issues in public education in America today: Who really runs our schools? Nominally of course our school boards have the responsibility. But thanks to a wave of so-called reforms in American public educa- tion a decade or so ago which left responsibility with the trustees but removed most of their authority and gave it to the only employee they can hire, their superintendent, most local boards can now only: |
| Injunction request fails Porter engaged an attorney and went to court attempting to block this morning's school board meeting, which request the judge denied and when the meeting went forward the board voted to suspend Porter with pay, plus issued a notice which has been released to the public detailing 21 allegations including questionable expenses and personnel issues. |
| Don't mean to quibble Shouldn't someone at the helm of a large urban district earning $225,000 base pay be able to read from his own statement better than this? Here's some good news: OKC PS are posting their checks--called "encumbran- ces" online, with their board packets. And here's a question: Is the following John Proctor's first salvo in the contract buyout wars? Let's see: 9 years at $225,000 = a lot of OKC taxpayer dollars. |
| o Hire and fire a supe o Buy and sell property o Approve a budget o Set policy |
| In a slip of the tongue that may have been a career-costing move during yesterday's Q&A session following his reading of a prepared |
| statement at a press conference, when now- suspended Oklahoma City Public Schools superintendent John Q. Porter attempted to explain his failure to communicate with his board members for the past two weeks including missing a Dec. 20 board meeting, he said: |
| Could it be that because John was an assistant supe and information officer in Maryland before taking over the top spot in OKC |
| "I have a 97-year old grandmother whom I'm legally responsible for, I have a mother who's in her late seventies who I am responsible legally for, I have a sister who is bipolar who I am legally responsible for, and I was with my family. I had not seen my wife [Linda Porter] in three months. I did not want to spoil my vacation -- not my vacation, but my time with them. I had a family emergency, which I left for, which [OKC PS school board chair Cliff Hudson] was aware of." (SOURCE--OKNews.com) |
| * We know exactly what John Porter said yesterday because reporter Wendy Kleinman of The Oklahoman has posted the Q&A audio on the NewsOK.com website (scroll down to "Related Information" then choose "Q&A"). Hats off to Wendy for terrific through-the-day coverage. Also, her editors appear to really get how to do multimedia: fast, often, compelling. In fact, coverage at NewsOK.comof this local story regarding a board's dispute with its superintendent is as good (and complete) as any I've seen in a long while. |
| Interestly, the board's first allegation--that a $365,593 contract for a Wireless Generation proposal for services related to the mCLASS technology platform (at |
| Given that OKC PS is a large urban district with 4500 employees, a $267.5 million budget and 36,000 students, it's reasonable that the board and the supe they're paying $225,000 annually would want and need to be in frequent telephone contact with each other throughout a long two-week vacation or, er, a family emergency. |
| "I like expensive clothes, expensive cars, I collect Rolex watches." --John Porter, District Administration magazine |
| superintendents I attempted to contact over the Christmas holiday when schools were closed; all but a few didn't check emails until their schools reopened this morning. Also, as it turns out, Cliff personally paid for the Porter's to travel to Oklahoma so John could interview for the supe position. Hudson's frustration is palpable in this recent statement: |
| in July that he was not used to the daily demands of the new job? Hands on Or was this a clash of work ethics and cultures? OKC PS board chair Cliff Hudson also chairs another enterprise, Sonic Drive-Ins, which he joined 25 years ago as an attorney; at Sonic Hudson requires his executives to spend half their time in the chain's stores' |
| kitchens testing new menu items. (SOURCE--Ryan Underwood/ FastCompany.com) Compare and contrast that man- agement ethic with that of the |
| While the cynical among us would say that vendors are really running our districts, vendors aside there's a tension between a board and their superintendent which for all the glad-handing and team- building exercises needs to be part of the equation. Despite being an Eli Broad graduate, John Porter has appar- ently and seriously misread the folks who hired him in Oklahoma. |
Memo to OKC's John Q. Porter and to all superintendents: It's called a school board meeting, not a school superintendent meeting. |
| right) does not mention that mCLASS was developed-- |
| according to Wireless Generation's website --"through a unique collaboration between the school district and |
| the education technology company." Wondering why the OKC board is tiptoeing around this issue; wondering if John and/or any former associate(s) have any financial participation in the mCLASS venture. This is the new murky area in edu-vending where the lines are not at all clearly drawn and tax dollars are integral to the collaborations. Porter responds to OKCPS allegations Even more interesting is the fact that in John Porter's responses to the allegations--released a few hours ago--he does not mention the "unique collaboration" in which presumably he would have at least some controbituion/participation given his position at MCPS as its chief information officer. More here Also confusing is this statement below from Porter regarding the "many weeks" involved in getting his "home moved here": |
| When I came to Oklahoma City, I pledged to the community that I would be here for nine years to enact a long-term plan to completely revitalize our schools, |
| In July...I had to move my family halfway across the country, from the Washington, DC area. I took the job...even though my home and family were still in the Washington area. It took many weeks to get my home moved here. |
| Why this is confusing: Just yesterday during the press conference at John Marshall High School he said he had not seen his wife for three months. For most of us who are married, any home we occupy includes our spouse. Perhaps they do things differently in Maryland. Something they apparently don't do differently in Oklahoma than they do in Maryland or Texas or anywhere else. "This employee routinely drives me to the airport," states superintendent Porter. Why? Why so many trips to the airport? Why not stay put in OKC and do the job you're hired to do? |
| John Marshall HS |
| 2007 in Review |
| STAND BY YOUR BROAD MAN What was Houston ISD's PR guy Terry Abbott doing in Oklahoma Monday a.m. -- and not his desk at HISD? EXCLUSIVE: Read HISD trustee comments here By Peyton Wolcott - Thur., Jan.10, 2008 - 4:33 a.m. |
| Terry Abbott (L), John Q. Porter Monday at Oklahoma City PS board meeting (PHOTO--KOCO-TV) |
| Did Oklahoma City Public Schools get more than they were bargaining for when they hired Broad Supe Academy graduate John Q. Porter of Maryland earlier (continued here) |
| Vendors and school administrators golfing, partying |
| ARGYLE ISD AISD's superintendent: We trained our coach Brian Davidson re how to behave with students By Peyton Wolcott Thursday, January 10, 2007 - 12:02 a.m. |
| Dr. Telena Wright, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, presented the portion of the training related to employee conduct and welfare....Each employee in attendance received a complete copy of the attached training materials. In addition, this training material is found in the employee handbook and each employee either received a hard copy of the employee handbook, or indicated that they would obtain a copy of the employee handbook on-line....When hired, each employee is also required to complete an on-line training program through New Media Learning, LLC titled, “Preventing Sexual Harassment.” Brian Davidson signed the employee handbook receipt on August 20, 2007, indicating that he attended the training on that day |
| Jason Cayenes, Argyle's superin- tendent, confirmed this afternoon that in addition to training by an AISD executive, staff also view a computer video from California: |
| GA / DC / LOUISIANA / OKLAHOMA Shades of Schrenko: Voyager tied to Mary Landrieu, Janey--OK next? By Peyton Wolcott Updated Mon., Jan. 14, 2008 - 12:07 a.m. |
| To: Dr. Clifford Janey, Superintendent, DCPS From: Erich Martel Members, DC Board of Education Dept. of Social Studies, Woodrow Wilson H.S.; Members, DC Education Compact Member, DC EC Standards Alignment Work Group; DCPS Teachers, Counsel- ors and Staff; Parents and Concerned Community Members OUTLINE: ACCOUNTABILITY, RESPONSIBILITY AND FAILED STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT: WHO IS RESPONSIBLE? WHO IS ACCOUNTABLE? HOW CAN IT BE FIXED? 5. Failure to require DCPS officials to provide independent documentation of the effective- ness of all major electronic investments, before, during and after, including instructional software, such as Voyager, Fast Forward, Lightspan, etc. |
| Linda Schrenko, then-Georgia schools chief, en route to court with attorney; inset, Lousiana senator Mary Landrieu with former Washington DC schools chief Clifford B. Janey (PHOTO--WashPost) |
?
| Marta Perez Miami trustee |
| Here's an excerpt from a March 29, 2005 report by Washington, DC history teacher Erich Martel, called Woodrow Wilson High School' s "most famous whistle-blower" by Jay Matthews of The Washington Post: |
| Miami-Dade CPS officially posts its check register online today -- link here -- all 6,337 pages of it. Hats off to MDCPS superintenden- dent Rudy Crew for responding to trustee Marta Perez's initial request last May. Said Marta Friday from Miami: |
| ANGLING FOR A BUYOUT IN OKC PS? Questions re John Q. Porter's legal residency: OK or MD By Peyton Wolcott - Fri., Jan.18, 2008/12 am |
| "I am so pleased that our parents and constituents will be able to see what checks are being cut by the district. I am thankful to Peyton Wolcott for initiating the idea and helping to craft our checkbook register." |
| MDSCPS staff given credit for assisting with getting the district's checks online are Ofelia San Pedro, deputy superintendent/ business operations, and Connie Pou, district controller. According to information on the district's check register page, "Miami Dade County Public Schools' Online Check Register allows tax payers to see how the District spends their money for products and services. Visitors to the District's public Web site can view a registry of checks written by Miami-Dade County Public Schools in the prior and current fiscal year (July 1st through June 30th). The fully searchable database contains the names and amounts paid to more than 31,000 vendors." Miami- Dade CPS is the 4th largest school system in the U.S., with 350,000 students, 50,000 employees and a $6.1 billion budget. |
| Rudy Crew |
| 12/28/2007....$61,363.42 12/21/2007.... $42,413.60 12/14/2007.... $24,318.40 12/7/2007...... $26,427.28 11/21/2007...... $7,192.10 11/16/2007..... $41,972.18 11/9/2007...... $47,068.44 11/2/2007...... $10,499.30 10/26/2007..... $66,763.26 10/19/2007.....$283,263.10 10/12/2007..... $51,026.28 10/5/2007....... $66,329.06 10/3/2007..... $105,977.74 9/28/2007.. $1,828,194.34 9/21/2007......$157,790.86 |
| working as they do behind the scenes, to have sufficiently diluted legislation such that by the time 2010 rolled around very few districts would have actually been required to post. Indeed, I make the joke that since prior edu- missioner Shirley Neeley invited supes to help rewrite the NCES formula Gov. Perry stipu- |
| Curious about the degree of detail Miami-Dade is disclosing? As with other superintendents at many of our largest districts, Rudy is apparently choosing to continue keeping at least some of his financial cards close to his vest--there are no check numbers, even partial, and we don't know the reason for these purchases or how the district is apportioning them in its budget; nevertheless, Rudy and his crew deserve every bit of credit possible for taking this big and all-important step towards transparency--well ahead of other big cities in our great nation. Marta Perez has been the kind of elected school trustee we'd like to see more of--certainly someone leading the way regarding transparency on the MDCPS school board; she has continued to press for openness despite Rudy's not having agreed to some of Marta's prior requests for information regarding his business dealings involving Miami taxpayer funds on at least two significant occasions this past year. For instance, when she asked how much he'd spent remodeling his executive offices, he refused to tell her--even though constituents were reporting tales of lavishness beyond the ken of most of Miami's poor. More inexplicably, Rudy refused to give her a salary schedule for district employees--there had been widespread reports of cronyism. So, for Rudy to post the district's checks, in this climate, with this history, is especially commendable. Kudos, Rudy! All things are possible. Here are two pages regarding a vendor in the news of late: |
| 9/7/2007....... $25,152.10 8/31/2007....... $6,911.20 8/24/2007...... $34,575.08 8/17/2007....... $5,798.20 8/10/2007..... $49,090.72 6/29/2007....... $9,100.10 6/27/2007....... $7,549.32 6/15/2007...... $13,184.00 5/25/2007....... $3,657.00 5/18/2007....... $8,199.79 5/11/2007........$1,162.00 5/4/2007....... $19,812.46 4/27/2007....... $4,731.84 4/20/2007....... $6,194.64 4/6/2007......... $1,462.80 |
| VOYAGER EXPANDED LEARNING, INC. (MDCPS vendor #4383519): |
| 3/30/2007.......$64,727.20 3/23/2007........ $1,250.80 3/16/2007...... $26,930.00 3/9/2007........ $15,778.80 3/2/2007.......... $4,760.46 2/23/2007...... $68,049.38 2/16/2007...... $35,583.26 2/9/2007......... $5,116.62 2/2/2007........ $31,553.02 1/26/2007........ $6,367.42 1/19/2007.......$51,582.98 12/29/2006....... $7,945.76 12/15/2006..... $50,945.84 12/8/2006....... $30,052.10 12/1/2006........ $4,245.30 |
| 11/22/2006.....$38,742.36 11/17/2006.... $16,604.42 11/3/2006....... $8,290.00 10/27/2006.... $16,600.00 10/27/2006.... $67,063.76 10/20/2006.... $70,124.46 10/6/2006....... $1,250.80 9/29/2006........$11,630.30 9/22/2006........ $3,582.25 9/15/2006........ $5,780.00 8/11/2006.. $2,317,945.40 8/4/2006....... $226,538.00 7/14/2006..... $833,713.42 |
| T O T A L $ 7 million ($7,039,934.72) |
| Gee, this is confusing. OKC schools' new supe John Q. Porter says he's moved from Maryland to OKC -- but, after checking with officials in both states, has he really? (continued here) |
| CLEBURNE ISD Check register's online, supe's retiring--and TEA audit's on the way By Peyton Wolcott Tuesday, January 15, 2008 - 10:08 p.m. |
| Teresa Blackwell and Don Rice |
| Changes--at least some of them appearing to be related to efforts by local activists to bring greater transparency to the district's financial dealings--are coming to Cleburne ISD, located in Johnson County just south of Fort Worth. |
| More outspoken comments come from Don Rice, editor of the Cleburne Eagle. "Regardless of the reason Mr. Damron is leaving, it's great for the community, and that only leaves six or seven left to go after." Rice added, "We made it clear when we talked to TEA originally that we expect that any liability Cleburne ISD employees incur follows them wherever they go." |
| Robert Damron |
| Cleburne High School |
| At last night's school board meeting, when an agenda item to discuss renewal of his contract was read, supe Robert Damron announced his retire- ment as of July 1, 2008, this at a time |
| Online checks Another change which came yesterday was the district's check register appearing online on the CISD website. Teresa Blackwell, longtime ACCES$ member, commented this afternoon, “This is a great way to start the new year. I am thrilled that Cleburne ISD has joined with other districts to promote accountability and offer transparency to its citizens. With three new board members and a new board president all putting in a lot of effort, I predict more changes for the better here in Cleburne for students, parents and taxpayers.” Teresa asked Damron and CISD trustees to take this voluntary step at several board meetings this past year. |
| when the district's executives and residents alike await announce- ment of the findings of a long-time Texas Education Agency audit, reportedly coming at any time now. |
| Luxury spending A local group, ACCES$ Cleburne ISD, has been looking into the district's financial and other records for the past several years, one illustrative example being this $908.61 restaurant tab for a single meal for Damron and some of his board members at a San Antonio steakhouse four hours away. |
| COMING SOON: TEA audit results, including findings. |
| DC / VOYAGER Have Philly hirers asked Arlene Ackerman . . . ? By Peyton Wolcott Thursday, January 17, 2008 - 12:52 a.m. |
| Among the questions we're asking Philadel- phia finalist Arlene Ackerman --and surely the hiring committee is, also--are things that come up relative not to her hopes and dreams for the future but unresolved and developing issues from her work history: |
| Arlene Ackerman |
| 2. Please confirm or deny that Randy Best and/or any executive or other person including family members associated in any fashion with Voyager extended any considerations of any kind to you during 1998-2008. Why I ask: As |
| C. No Philadelphia taxpayer-funded meals (Alternatives: keep a jar of peanut butter in your office, or some tuna fish, or a wedge of cheese in the fridge down the hall, or a box of cereal). D. An "I will not sue you under any circumstances" clause will be included in your employment contract, based on your prior employment history. E. No housing allowance, or car or cell phone allowance. (Teachers and taxpayers don't get one, why should you?) F. No bonuses, ever, for anything. (If it's really because you're committed to kids, just do your job.) G. Tell us about your bringing Voyager curriculum to DC schools in 1999, including any and all financial and any other considera- tions extended to you as part of this purchase. H. Post The School District of Philadelphia's check register online by July 1, 2008. |
| Finally, I have begun drafting some suggestions for the folks in Philadelphia who will be making the hiring decision there, and have asked Arlene for her feedback regarding any or all of the following: |
| 1. How did you first learn about Voyager: at an education conference, Voyager contacted you, you were friends with Randy Best and/or anyone associated with Voyager such as Mike Moses, Jim Nelson, etc. |
| Mike Moses (C) - Robin Hood Trial, Texas |
| you know, former Georgia state schools chief Linda Schrenko accepted a $55,000 donation from persons associated with Voyager then awarded the company a $2 million contract, and is now in prison for money-laundering. And now, closer to home, Louisiana senator Mary Landrieu is being investigated for her role in bringing Voyager to DC schools -- during your time at the helm. 3. What is your stand on superintendents' posting their districts' check registers online? I note that you did not post SFUSD's check register online even though you were there several years. Would you commit to doing this during your first six months in office in Philadelphia? |
| Linda Schrenko en route to court with attorney |
| A. No credit cards will be issued to you by the district including Diners Club. B. No out-of-town trips the first two years; stay in Philadelphia and do your job. |
| FAQ's |
| FOLLOWING THE MONEY |
| ARCHIVES |
| How to organize (proven strategies) How to ask your district re its check register Pledges for candidates Activist alert How to defeat state legislation |
| Arizona California Ohio Oklahoma Texas: Edgewood ISD 1 2 3 4 5 6 Cleburne ISD Llano ISD Bremond ISD 1 2 3 |
| Team of 8 LTISD SLAPP suit Pass the trash Lax oversight |
| WHAT YOU CAN DO |
| STATE & LOCAL |
| GOVERNANCE / LEGE / LOBBYING |
| Honoring school districts with check registers online |
MORE QUESTIONS RE FORMER OKC SUPE PORTER: JOB / RESIDENCY
| o Broad, OKC ex-supe, Joe Wise, motives'n'more o Amato's out of Kansas City o 2nd Capo recall moves forward o Questions for Philly, Ackerman & Nunery |
| NATIONAL UPDATES |
| TEXAS UPDATES |
| Edu-Monopoly Education, Inc. Broad Fndtn./Supe Academy ERDI Credit cards Technology Edu-conferences TASA MidWinter Supes'n'vendors golf 1 2 3 |
| Bringing a light bulb moment to the Gordian Knot By Peyton Wolcott Monday, January 21, 2008 - 1:09 a.m. |
| Last spring, touring state legislators' offices, I essentially cold-called on whichever young staffers were available to speak with me. As you do in such circumstances, I came up with a small story designed to get their attention in thirty seconds. At first I prefaced my small story with, "Last fall I had a Gordian Knot moment. You remember the Gordian Knot?" |
| Piotr Pieranski's Gordian Knot |
| When that drew blank looks from the first dozen or so staffers, I changed to, "Last fall I had a Gordian Knot moment; you remember Alexander the Great and the Gordian Knot?" The next group remembered Alexander the Great, but still not the Gordian Knot. |
| So I started prefacing my comments with, "Last fall I had a light bulb moment . . . " They all got it and happiness reigned in the kingdom. Why I bring this up now: The young staffers with whom I met are arguably some of Texas' best and brightest young minds, as well educated a group of young professionals as you'll find except for those toiling in academia. |
| --Drawing from IStock |
| Our best and brightest reduced to cartoon imagery; centuries of literary references--and the lessons behind them--lost in a single generation thanks to vendors and social engineering. The recurring picture that comes to mind is post-Visigothic Rome with pigs roaming the Forum. We must, can and will turn this around, friends. It starts with Texas' rewrite of the English Language Arts & Reading (ELAR) portion of our state's standardized curriculum (TEKS) and a return to specific standards. As goes Texas, so goes the nation. |
| Thomas Edison light bulb |
| Ever wondered what Thomas Edison's original light bulb looked like? Here's a picture, above right. More about the Gordian Knot here: Keith Devlin and Wikipedia. |
| Nation's 4th largest school district posts its check register online! Way to go, Miami-Dade CPS! By Peyton Wolcott Updated Mon., Jan. 14, 2008 - 7:28 a.m. |
| If ever there were a potent case for the need for more rigorous study of classic literature in our public schools, what could it be if not this? |
| MARYLAND & OKLAHOMA Should top public school administrators be allowed to run a side business? By Peyton Wolcott Monday, January 21, 2008 - 2:03 a.m. |
| One question that keeps coming up about John Porter's business back in Maryland goes something like this: "How can he run our Oklahoma City Schools and also run a business on the East Coast?" |
| Now-suspended OKC PS superintendent John Q. Porter making presentation at Maryland WorkForce Commission (2000) |
| Spectrum International, Inc. ofices at 20410 Century in Germantown, Maryland |
| I wish I had an answer for you, but I don't. John has not responded to emails and phone calls. All we know for sure is that he has listed Spectrum International, Inc. as his business for several years now, including as in the above photograph from 2000 when he made a presentation to the Maryland Workforce Commission, of which he was a member. Another question has to do with Spectrum's being a Small Business Administration company; I thought SBA loans were for folks who were struggling, not folks with two million-dollar houses. We'll keep asking John; hopefully he'll respond soon. |
| CALIFORNIA 2nd time's a charm for Capo recall? By Peyton Wolcott Updated Wed., Jan. 23, 2008 - 4:06 a.m. |
| Former Rancho Santa Margarita mayor Tony Beall (R) with Mike Winsten earlier today (PHOTO--The Capistrano Dispatch) |
| Tony Beall of Capo Recall con- firmed yesterday at a press conference that the group has sufficient valid--and verified-- signatures to force a recall election against long-time CUSD board members Marlene Draper and Sheila Benecke. |
| "Beall...issued an ultimatum: Draper and Benecke must resign from the board by noon Friday or the recall group will file the signatures. Starting that process could cost the cash-strapped school district $400,000 to verify the signatures. 'That’s money the school district cannot afford,' Beall said. 'But one way or another they will be removed from office.' ” (SOURCE-Capistrano Dispatch) |
| More Read more of Nathan Wright and Jonathan Volzke's article here; Orange County Register coverage here; Capo Recall here. |
| TAKS TESTING DATES Let's get this straight: By Peyton Wolcott Wednesday, January 23, 2008 - 5:05 a.m. |
| schools to go play golf at a resort on Social Studies TAKS testing day just last April are now . . . |
| The same Texas public school administrators for whom TAKS testing was unimportant enough that they could leave their . . . . |
| saying that voting in their school gyms and auditoriums in March would be too disruptive to the TAKS process? What does this say about how extraneous our top administrators might be to our entire public education system? |
| OKLAHOMA CITY PS Supe, board chair both gone--today By Peyton Wolcott Wednesday, January 23, 2008 - 8:29 p.m. |
| Former OKC PS board chair Cliff Hudson; former OKC PS supe John Porter |
| Call it a case of good love gone bad--Cliff Hudson had originally brought John Porter to OKC as his personal pick for the top job--for whatever reason the party's over and Oklahoma City Public Schools are now without a superintendent and a seasoned seven-year board chair both. At this afternoon's specially called board meeting, the board voted 6-1 to accept John Q. Porter's resigna- tion; Hudson's was announced later. The terms Porter gets: |
| o $225,000 (one-time payment from the schools' education foundation, with donations earmarked for this purpose). o $71,530 (salary and medical through June 30). o $30,000 (legal and PR expenses--presumably none going to Houston ISD PR guy Terry Abbott for Broad Foundation PR consulting). |
| Thanks to KOCO-TV for live online coverage of the board meeting; also, NewsOK for posting complete settlement documents. |
| Porter pays: |
| o $5,000 ("disputed expenses and claims"). |
| MISSOURI Amato leaving KC schools |
| By Peyton Wolcott Updated Saturday, February 2, 2008 - 7:30 a.m. Following on Joe Wise's departure from Duval County schools in Florida -- following his departure from Maryland's Christina schools, now facing a $28 million shortfall, following his departure from Anne Arundel also in Maryland, now facing a $51 million shortfall, following his departure from Walt Disney World as their director of organizational development,employment and resort entertainment, which seems to be doing all right financially -- another ERDI supe has bitten the dust with Anthony Amato's ouster from Kansas City schools. |
| OKLAHOMA Okay, OKC, fess up--who's Porter's $225,000 donor ? By Peyton Wolcott Updated Sun., Jan. 27, 2008 - 3:34 pm. |
| The hat trick the folks running OKC schools have pulled off is remark- able; they've sent their former supe, John Q. Porter, packing with a $326,530 payoff, the bulk of it a $225,000 one-time check from the education foundation to which donors, because it's a 501(c)3, are allowed by the IRS to remain anon- ymous. Barring factual information, rumors abound, the most outrage- ous yet perhaps as plausible as any is that Eli Broad is making the payoff to end the embarrassment of having another one of his grads (more below) in hot water. Have contacted the Broad folks for a response which managing director Dan Katzir indicates is on the way. |
| Former Mesa HS teacher / coach Gay Turley, arrested Dec. 2007 |
| Funny record-keeping by ex OKC supe By Peyton Wolcott Updated Monday, January 28, 2008 - 1:54 a.m. Not "Haha" funny, but funny-odd. Here, look for yourself at a copy of a 2004 campaign donation made by ex-Oklahoma City Public Schools superintendent John Q. Porter to a Congressional campaign; at the time, Porter was presumably a full-time employee of Montgomery County Public Schools (that's a clue) in Maryland, eventually becoming chief information officer and associate supe. |
| See, although Porter was a full-time MCPS employee when he filled out this form above, dated August 31, 2004, he filled out the information as though he were something else, namely "President" of "Spectrum International, Inc." (above) Why? No one in Maryland, including the alert parents who sent this to me yesterday, has been able to figure this out. The only clue I can find is that Porter's Spectrum business in Germantown is located in Wynn's district, whereas Porter's residence in Potomac is located in someone else's. Oh, but wait! Porter's entered his residence address, which is in that other Congressman's district! Business name, business title -- of a business separate from MCPS while a full-time MCPS employee -- but a home address. What kind of record-keeping is this? Might it be the same kind of record-keeping that led to John Porter's recent challenges with receipts in Oklahoma City schools? That led to the Oklahoma City district attorney's current investigation? As my little granddaughter says, "It's a mickery." |
| "What we reasonably expected from [John Porter]...is that he would pick up the phone and return a call, or he would respond to an e-mail, or he would respond to a Federal Express that was delivered to his home in Maryland”--over 2 weeks ago." (SOURCE--Wendy K. Kleinman/NewsOK.com) |
| For your information, neither The Broad Foundation nor The Broad Center for the Management of School Systems has provided any funds to the Oklahoma City Public Schools Education Foundation, nor has any funding been requested. |
| OKLAHOMA Broad Foundation denies funding $225,000 to former OKC PS supe John Q. Porter By Peyton Wolcott Tuesday, January 29, 2008 - 1:08 p.m. |
| From Broad spokesman Erica Lepping comes the following: |
| Erica Lepping |
| Absent copies of the checks for the earmarked donated funds from the OKC PS education foundation, the donor(s) of the $225,000 one-time payment to former OKC PS supe John Q. Porter could be anybody. Further, have asked the Broad Foundation several other questions which remain unanswered. Here's hoping the OKC PS edu- foundation voluntarily lets us look at those donors, and also that the Getty, I mean the Broad, responds. |
| COMING: Who / what is Broad, Inc. ? What do they want, and why? |
| 'You were there' pix : Informational sessions . . . school biz up close . . . administrators & vendors By Peyton Wolcott / Wednesday, January 30, 2008 - 2:03 p.m. / Updated Friday, February 1, 2008 - 3:16 a.m. |
| TASA MIDWINTER - 2008 |
| Activities at education conferences such as this year's Texas Association of School Administrators MidWinter in Austin earlier this week typically feature the serious lectures you'd expect from authorities in their fields such as the legal lecture at right and the large general assembly addresses like the one by Texas education commissioner Robert Scott and Higher Ed's Ray Paredes, here. There are the vendor halls and exhibits featuring everything from a seemingly endless stream of education software such as Leapfrog SchoolHouse--you'll recall having heard about them during Andre Hornsby's recent corruption trial in Maryland--to construction-related exhibits to a personal jewelry booth geared towards female convention-goers. Then there are the receptions and more. I draw the line at dropping in on events held in hotel suites above the mezzanine level. (One year a local school board reportedly used a room as a "hospitality suite" which was uncovered by a local resident when none of the district-paid married male attendees would take credit for occupying the room after a local mom started checking out telephone numbers for district-paid calls. "They were for escort services and phone sex," the woman told me.) All manner of edu-vendors take over luxury restaurants within a six-block radius. More here |
| PERSONAL NOTE: Being at TASA MidWinter in Austin on Monday was such a positive experience; it was a real honor to be able to meet in person so many of Texas' 128 superintendents who have taken a big step towards transparency by voluntarily posting their districts' check registers online years ahead of any requirements at the state level. |
| Gee, what a wonderful opportunity these folks above had to put the information to use from attorney Dennis Hansen (below) regarding ethics and gifts; note the arrows to the pink and lavender vendor gift bags. |
| More TASA MidWinter pix HERE |
| Anthony Amato left New Orleans before he left Kansas City. (DRAWING--Willamette Weekly) (PHOTO--Phil Coale/Associated Press) |
| Response from ESC 2 execu- tive director Linda Villarreal will be posted Sunday. |