P E Y T O N W O L C O T T |
| 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 1999-2006 Peyton Wolcott |
| National Honor Roll |
| Ever since public schools transitioned from being places where our young people were educated and into what Dallas Morning News columnist Scott Parks calls "big pots of money" benefiting the power, status and comfort of the administrators who run them, increasingly superintendents have lost sight of the fact that these enterprises are fueled not by private contributions but by forced taxes, most often on peoples' homes. When parents and taxpayers try to look into the operations of their districts, the tendency has been for administrators to circle the wagons and challenge requests for information by using a variety of dodges. This happens in every state. A district's willingness to voluntarily post its checks online introduces transparency and will hopefully help reduce the excesses and corruption we've seen in Roslyn and Dallas ISD, to name just two recent examples. Hats off to the leadership listed below. |
| Featured "Honor Roll" School District Spring Branch ISD (Houston, Texas) |
| Check Registers Posted Online Now |
| Check Registers Online--Almost |
| Nederland ISD Nederland, Texas Gail Krohn, Superintendent Melissa Wong, Business Manager |
| Spring Branch ISD Houston, Texas Duncan Klussmann, Sup't Mike Falick, VP-Schl. Board |
| The great cosmic ripple By Peyton Wolcott Sept. 27, 2006/1:00 am I will never quite know what impulse led me to snap this photo at right of the Spring Branch ISD group assembling after Juan WIlliams' (PBS) |
| GOAL: Thanksgiving Week 2006 HOW TO ACCESS: www.springbranchisd.com |
| HOW TO ACCESS: www.nederland.k12.tx.us Find "Nederland ISD Board of Trustees" then "Board Agenda" then "Agenda Packet" then Item 8.B. and pick a date. NOTE: Does not include payroll. ALSO: Here's hoping NISD finds a way to make this great service more easily accessible by the public. |
| Spring Branch ISD "Team of Eight" |
If your district isn't posting its checks online--why not? |
| keynote address at last October's TASA/TASB convention. I'd been following SBISD since the departure of their former supe, Yvonne Katz two years ago after the board's learning that while they'd operated as a team she hadn't--Katz had been moonlighting as a consultant to an energy firm she'd brought to them as a vendor without disclosing the relationship. So, new photo in hand, it was natural enough to report on the Team of Eight, SBISD being a good example of why it doesn't work. |
If your district is posting its checks online, please send me the URL. |
| New Caney ISD New Caney, Texas Rick Cowan, Sup't |
| HOW TO ACCESS: www.newcaneyisd.org Look for current month BoardBook link. Then I got lost; the checks are there but difficult to find without a check register tab. |
| Not so fast, emailed SBISD board vice president Mike Falick after my report posted, who insisted that things had changed since Katz's departure. The SBISD board was different, he said. When Falick said he did not accept reimburse- |
| OOPS! |
| SBISD supe Duncan Klussmann (second from left, rear); SBISD board VP Mike Falick at far right |
| Denison ISD Denison, Texas Henry Scott, Sup't DISD only posts checks over $1,000. www.denisonisd.net |
| ment from the district for board travel, meals or trainings, and was not doing business with the district, my ears perked up. Fast forward We've kept in touch this past year, and following Monday night's SBISD board meeting came this yesterday: |
| Driscoll ISD Driscoll, Texas Cynthia Garcia, Sup't While individual checks were listed as recently as June 2005, this practice has been discontinued and in fact the most recent agenda packet available is July 2005, and the most recent DISD minutes posted are July 2005. www.driscollisd.esc2.net |
| I am pleased to report that Spring Branch will be posting its check register on the District's website. The logistics are still being worked out, but the register will be on the website this Fall. The implementation of this would not have been possible without the leadership of our Superintendent, Dr. Duncan Klussmann. This increased transparency is something that I believe all governmental entities (not just school districts) should adopt -- after all, it is the taxpayers' money. To that end, our District has adopted the following legislative position: PUBLICATION OF DISTRICT CHECK REGISTER: Support increased transparency and accountability by requiring school districts to publish their check register on the district's website. |
| Schertz-Cibolo- Universal City ISD, Texas Belinda Pustka, Sup't So close yet so far away. While SCUISD for a few years referenced "check register" as part of their BoardBook software, no checks were listed. www.boardbook.org/apps/b bv2/temp/EE3B0B83-E7FF- 035D-10E2CBCA9F8FF505. |
| Transparency at the top "We try to be a very transparent district," says SBISD supe Duncan Klussmann. "We have a strong and supportive community, and we feel that being transparent supports that." Klussmann added that when he first came into education it was common for all checks to be included with the board packets and an approval item at board meetings. |
| Duncan Klussmann |
| "The board holds the staff accountable and they are also very supportive of the work of the staff," said Klussmann. “This Board is good to work for –they do an outstanding job.” |
| MANY THANKS TO JOE SMITH By Peyton Wolcott - Oct. 2, 2006 - 12:34 am |
| Had Joe Smith not published on TexasISD.com a while back that some Texas school districts were publishing their checks online, I would not have been prompted to go look for them. |
| Joe Smith |
| What's exciting about Spring Branch ISD's voluntary move towards publishing their check register online is this: Now parents and taxpayers across America can go back to their own district and ask, "Why aren't WE publishing OUR checks online?" So, here's a well-deserved "Thank you!" to Joe Smith. |
| Friends, is YOUR district publishing its checks online? If so, please email me so I can add your district's name to this new National Honor Roll. If your district is not publishing its checks online--and in a format citizens can readily access--why not? As Nederland ISD has already shown the nation, it can be done. For any doubting Thomases out there wondering if a good-sized district really can pull this off, Spring Branch ISD is about to give the nation a simple step-by-step how-to. Thank you, Nederland! Thank you, SBISD! |
How we take back our children's education: one person, one question, one school at a time. |
AASA - American Association of School Administrators ASA - Association of School Administrators CSD - Consolidated School District DOE - Department of Education ES - Elementary School HS - High School ISD - Independent School District JHS - Junior High School MS - Middle School MSM - Mainstream media NSBA - National School Boards Association NSPRA - National School Public Relations Association PS - Public School(s) SBEC - State Board for Educator Certification SD - School District Sup't - Superintendent TAKS - Texas Assessment of Knowledge & Skills TASA - Texas Association of School Administrators TASB - Texas Association of School Boards TASBO - Texas Association of School Business Officials TEA - Texas Education Agency TEKS - Texas Essential Knowledge & Skills USD - UnifiedUnited School District |
| GUIDE |
| 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. |
| QUOTES |
Separatists in India's north-eastern state of Manipur have shot six male teachers in the leg for allegedly helping students cheat in exams. Two women teachers were beaten with sticks for the same offence, the rebels of the Kanglei Yana Kan Lup group said. The teachers were abducted from their homes after an exam on Thursday. The rebels said the teachers took up to 5,000 rupees ($110) for helping students cheat and warned of further punishment if the cheating continued. The Kanglei Yana Kan Lup (KYKL) is one of many separatist groups fighting Indian administration in Manipur. It said it abducted the eight teachers from their homes in and around the state capital, Imphal, because of reports they had taken bribes. --By Subir Bhaumik - BBC |
| 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 1999-2006 Peyton Wolcott |
| POP QUIZ: How do you yourself know for a fact that your state or local supe is actually using the funds entrusted to them for the correct purposes? |
David v. Goliath: How America's Moms & Dads are taking on Education, Inc. PEYTON WOLCOTT |
| QUERY THE SUPE & THE PR GUY |
TO:
KATHY COX-GEORGIA
SUP'T OF SCHOOLS &
CEO-GEORGIA DOE
CC:
DANA TOFIG-
GEORGIA DOE
PUBLIC INFO. OFCR.
DATE: JAN. 22, 2006
Can you please send me the
annual dollar amount for
each school year (the five
annual fiscal cycles
2000-2005) that the
Georgia Public Schools
DOE has spent with vendor
Computer Consulting
Services Corp., described as
a consultant to Georgia's
DOE.
KATHY COX-GEORGIA
SUP'T OF SCHOOLS &
CEO-GEORGIA DOE
CC:
DANA TOFIG-
GEORGIA DOE
PUBLIC INFO. OFCR.
DATE: JAN. 22, 2006
Can you please send me the
annual dollar amount for
each school year (the five
annual fiscal cycles
2000-2005) that the
Georgia Public Schools
DOE has spent with vendor
Computer Consulting
Services Corp., described as
a consultant to Georgia's
DOE.
| STATUS: No response rec'd from Sup't Gray as of Sept. 27, 2006 |
The question is not how to measure excellence at public schools and education agencies. The question is how to measure competence. -- Dianna Pharr |
| QUERY THE SUPE (& CC THE BOARD) |
DATE FIRST SENT:
FEB. 14, 2006
RE-SENT 03/26/06
Dear Strongsville
Superintendent James
Gray:
I'm hoping you can clear
something up for me for
my book and website
regarding your standards
for administrative
practices in Strongsville
as there have been not one
but two situations this
past year warranting
scrutiny....
Regarding special ed
teacher Christine
Scarlett's offering a
date with herself as a
grades incentive
1. What rules/
guidelines do you now
have in place to assure
that nothing like this
happens again? Would
these be administrative
changes or has your board
set specific policies in
place for you to follow in
future?
2. Rumors of an affair
between Scarlett and
Bradigan persisted for
several months. You have
stated that you have no
idea such an affair was
going on. Do you feel the
fact that you are
commuting from your
home in Akron (if this
has changed, please let me
know) has adversely
impacted your ability to
monitor what's going on
with your employees in
the Strongsville
community in an
important and sensitive
area such as this? Has
your board since made a
condition of your
employment that you
move to Strongsville and
become an integral part of
their community?
Regarding the sex
education booklet
placed last fall in young
children's lockers
4. What guidelines did
you follow from your
established board's
policies for such?
5. There appears to be a
growing number of
parents who want to be
consulted before such
materials are given to their
students. As one mom
put it, "What's wrong
with so many people in
the educational fields that
they don't even think
twice about providing
children with
inappropriate materials
and not even consider the
parents wishes....Their
tactics mirror those used
in Communist China and
Cuba where children are
considered not children of
parents, but wards of the
State." While this is
clearly the statement of an
upset parent, it does raise
an interesting issue
regarding public school
administrators in the U.S.
Do you consider the
students in your schools
yours to educate as you
deem best or the
offspring of parents to
be consulted before
disseminating such
materials?
Regarding trainings and
conferences
6. Of which
education-related
associations are you and
Strongsville City
Schools a member?
What are these
organizations' guidelines
for disseminating such
materials?
7. In which
education-related
conferences have your
and your staff
participated this past
year? Where were they
and what were the costs
for each? Have you
attended any other
seminars, workshops or
the like offering guidance
in this area, and what
were those costs?
It may well be that there
are perfectly reasonable
explanations for your
approving the placing
sex-education pamphlets
in young students' lockers
without notifying parents
first, and it may also well
be that there is a perfectly
reasonable explanation for
your allowing a teacher to
offer a date at the Dairy
Queen with herself to a
young student; if so, I am
eager to learn such reason
or reasons.
==================
She said the booklet, which
also provides information on
the need for parental consent
for abortion and a Web
address for the Lesbian/Gay
Community Service Center of
Greater Cleveland, is
inappropriate for 11-year-olds.
I believe some sex education
needs to be given, but when
subjects are discussed or
material is given to kids of this
nature, a notice should be sent
home to the parent and they
should be allowed to opt out
of the program if they wish,
Fleming said. School
Superintendent James Gray
said he gave an OK for the
pocket-sized directories, which
were provided to the district by
United Way Services in
conjunction with the county
health department and county
commissioners, to be given to
students at the high school,
middle schools and to sixth
graders. Gray said he received
two calls from parents who
took exception to the booklet's
content. I understand that and
probably, in retrospect, I
should have considered
sending a letter along with it
as far as an explanation, he
said, adding, this is a
developing situation. I don't
know what we are going to do
at this point. Colleen Grady,
a city resident and a member
of the state school board, said
she got calls from four parents
concerned about their children
getting the directory. Grady,
who is also a former city
school board member, said she
has not personally seen the
publication, but they (parents)
read me sections over the
telephone. She said the state
board of education may wish
to make a legislative
recommendation to the Ohio
general assembly, and the
board could also consider
discussion about adoption of a
model policy for the
distribution of such materials.
Gray said there will be
continued discussion, in the
district's curriculum and pupil
services departments on
whether to curtail distribution
of materials which are
considered to be sensitive,
particularly for the younger
kids.
FEB. 14, 2006
RE-SENT 03/26/06
Dear Strongsville
Superintendent James
Gray:
I'm hoping you can clear
something up for me for
my book and website
regarding your standards
for administrative
practices in Strongsville
as there have been not one
but two situations this
past year warranting
scrutiny....
Regarding special ed
teacher Christine
Scarlett's offering a
date with herself as a
grades incentive
1. What rules/
guidelines do you now
have in place to assure
that nothing like this
happens again? Would
these be administrative
changes or has your board
set specific policies in
place for you to follow in
future?
2. Rumors of an affair
between Scarlett and
Bradigan persisted for
several months. You have
stated that you have no
idea such an affair was
going on. Do you feel the
fact that you are
commuting from your
home in Akron (if this
has changed, please let me
know) has adversely
impacted your ability to
monitor what's going on
with your employees in
the Strongsville
community in an
important and sensitive
area such as this? Has
your board since made a
condition of your
employment that you
move to Strongsville and
become an integral part of
their community?
Regarding the sex
education booklet
placed last fall in young
children's lockers
4. What guidelines did
you follow from your
established board's
policies for such?
5. There appears to be a
growing number of
parents who want to be
consulted before such
materials are given to their
students. As one mom
put it, "What's wrong
with so many people in
the educational fields that
they don't even think
twice about providing
children with
inappropriate materials
and not even consider the
parents wishes....Their
tactics mirror those used
in Communist China and
Cuba where children are
considered not children of
parents, but wards of the
State." While this is
clearly the statement of an
upset parent, it does raise
an interesting issue
regarding public school
administrators in the U.S.
Do you consider the
students in your schools
yours to educate as you
deem best or the
offspring of parents to
be consulted before
disseminating such
materials?
Regarding trainings and
conferences
6. Of which
education-related
associations are you and
Strongsville City
Schools a member?
What are these
organizations' guidelines
for disseminating such
materials?
7. In which
education-related
conferences have your
and your staff
participated this past
year? Where were they
and what were the costs
for each? Have you
attended any other
seminars, workshops or
the like offering guidance
in this area, and what
were those costs?
It may well be that there
are perfectly reasonable
explanations for your
approving the placing
sex-education pamphlets
in young students' lockers
without notifying parents
first, and it may also well
be that there is a perfectly
reasonable explanation for
your allowing a teacher to
offer a date at the Dairy
Queen with herself to a
young student; if so, I am
eager to learn such reason
or reasons.
==================
She said the booklet, which
also provides information on
the need for parental consent
for abortion and a Web
address for the Lesbian/Gay
Community Service Center of
Greater Cleveland, is
inappropriate for 11-year-olds.
I believe some sex education
needs to be given, but when
subjects are discussed or
material is given to kids of this
nature, a notice should be sent
home to the parent and they
should be allowed to opt out
of the program if they wish,
Fleming said. School
Superintendent James Gray
said he gave an OK for the
pocket-sized directories, which
were provided to the district by
United Way Services in
conjunction with the county
health department and county
commissioners, to be given to
students at the high school,
middle schools and to sixth
graders. Gray said he received
two calls from parents who
took exception to the booklet's
content. I understand that and
probably, in retrospect, I
should have considered
sending a letter along with it
as far as an explanation, he
said, adding, this is a
developing situation. I don't
know what we are going to do
at this point. Colleen Grady,
a city resident and a member
of the state school board, said
she got calls from four parents
concerned about their children
getting the directory. Grady,
who is also a former city
school board member, said she
has not personally seen the
publication, but they (parents)
read me sections over the
telephone. She said the state
board of education may wish
to make a legislative
recommendation to the Ohio
general assembly, and the
board could also consider
discussion about adoption of a
model policy for the
distribution of such materials.
Gray said there will be
continued discussion, in the
district's curriculum and pupil
services departments on
whether to curtail distribution
of materials which are
considered to be sensitive,
particularly for the younger
kids.
| CONTACT: Peyton Wolcott P.O. Box 9068 Horseshoe Bay, TX 78657 peyton@peytonwolcott.com |
| F o c u s i n g o n accountability f i r s t |