School Daze
A couple of interesting school related stories in the news this week.
First, the City of Minneapolis is closing 6 schools at the end of this school year.
"The closings are due to budget issues that the district if facing, as well as declining enrollment.
Enrollment is down 23 percent overall in the district compared to five years ago – and down 50 percent on the North Side."
This story doesn't tell you what they told in the 10pm news last night. The fact that the students that left the district went to charter schools, private schools and suburban schools! No mention of this in the Strib...just on the 10pm news broadcast. WCCO reports that many of the students went to Harvet Prep, a new charter school.
"The things we're providing, parents value and they feel a need for it," said Callie Lalugba, Harvest Prep's principal."
Parents value the things we are providing says Harvest Prep's principal....HELLOOOOO Minneapolis School Board....HELLOOOOOOO MEA...HELLOOOOO St Paul......are you listening??????
They also report the cold hard numbers....6000+ student lost to charter schools and over 2000 to suburban schools! KMSP talked to one Harvest Prep parent who said that the public schools just were not teaching the kids at all. That is astonishing.
In our own school district (here in the Savage lands) we are discussing cutting staff and instructional time because of an "erosion" of state support - according to one school board member. However, a quick peek at the Department of Education numbers shows a 4.4% average annual increase over the last 7 years! THAT is an erosion? If these people can not tell the difference between a 4% increase and a decrease - how can parents expect them to teach little Johnny that 1+1=2?
What is not so surprising is that we knew this was coming. The school districts have been crying poor for the last couple of years. It was a major issue for the DFLers on the campaign trail last fall. So you would expect, given the spending spree that the DFL led legislature is on that they would have out spent Governor Pawlenty in the way of education funding, right? WRONG!
"The bill introduced by the DFL-dominated Senate allocates $498 million more in funds over the next two years for early childhood education and K-12 schools. Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty has proposed more than $700 million in new spending for schools. "
While I do hate to chide the Dems for being fiscally responsible (for once) I do find it amusing that they spent all last fall telling their friends at Education Minnesota how they would make up for the "cuts" that the evil Republicans made and yet when time comes to put up, they don't.
This is one of the few things that the state SHOULD be providing. Not health care for everyone, not an income for everyone, not housing for everyone....an education! With a decent education, people can get their own income and health care and car and housing and.....
First, the City of Minneapolis is closing 6 schools at the end of this school year.
"The closings are due to budget issues that the district if facing, as well as declining enrollment.
Enrollment is down 23 percent overall in the district compared to five years ago – and down 50 percent on the North Side."
This story doesn't tell you what they told in the 10pm news last night. The fact that the students that left the district went to charter schools, private schools and suburban schools! No mention of this in the Strib...just on the 10pm news broadcast. WCCO reports that many of the students went to Harvet Prep, a new charter school.
"The things we're providing, parents value and they feel a need for it," said Callie Lalugba, Harvest Prep's principal."
Parents value the things we are providing says Harvest Prep's principal....HELLOOOOO Minneapolis School Board....HELLOOOOOOO MEA...HELLOOOOO St Paul......are you listening??????
They also report the cold hard numbers....6000+ student lost to charter schools and over 2000 to suburban schools! KMSP talked to one Harvest Prep parent who said that the public schools just were not teaching the kids at all. That is astonishing.
In our own school district (here in the Savage lands) we are discussing cutting staff and instructional time because of an "erosion" of state support - according to one school board member. However, a quick peek at the Department of Education numbers shows a 4.4% average annual increase over the last 7 years! THAT is an erosion? If these people can not tell the difference between a 4% increase and a decrease - how can parents expect them to teach little Johnny that 1+1=2?
What is not so surprising is that we knew this was coming. The school districts have been crying poor for the last couple of years. It was a major issue for the DFLers on the campaign trail last fall. So you would expect, given the spending spree that the DFL led legislature is on that they would have out spent Governor Pawlenty in the way of education funding, right? WRONG!
"The bill introduced by the DFL-dominated Senate allocates $498 million more in funds over the next two years for early childhood education and K-12 schools. Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty has proposed more than $700 million in new spending for schools. "
While I do hate to chide the Dems for being fiscally responsible (for once) I do find it amusing that they spent all last fall telling their friends at Education Minnesota how they would make up for the "cuts" that the evil Republicans made and yet when time comes to put up, they don't.
This is one of the few things that the state SHOULD be providing. Not health care for everyone, not an income for everyone, not housing for everyone....an education! With a decent education, people can get their own income and health care and car and housing and.....
Labels: Democrats, School Funding
posted by The Lady Logician at
4:13 PM
2 Comments:
The taxpayers of Minnesota should not be writing a blank check to the MEA and the "local" school districts. This "more money" swindle has to stop. They always imply they will do better, but they never do, and the fact that Minnesota keeps falling for this lie every year for the last twenty is proof positive that we aren't nearly so well-educated as we think, or ought to be. There's only one quick, fair and simple solution to this: Instead of sending the money to the school, send it to the parents, to take to any school they like. Those public schools that are working well will continue to thrive. Those that are harming our children will (too slowly for me, but surely) go "out of business," and deservedly so.
By
Anonymous, at 8:31 AM
I did a bit of calculation, and the numbers are even worse than stated. We should expect that about 1/6 of people are school students--this certainly works for my district. However, if 8000 represents a 23% drop, then they started at 35000 or less in Murderapolis, where they should have expected approximately 60,000.
In other words, it's hard to overestimate the rate at which poor schools and crime are chasing families out of Murderapolis.
By
Bike Bubba, at 4:07 PM
Post a Comment
<< Home