[Vision2020] MSD trends
Dale Courtney
dale@courtneys.us
Tue, 3 Jun 2003 06:44:18 -0700
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Replying to Donovan:
* Donovan says that MSD has only lost 325 students since its high in
1998.=20
* That is incorrect. MSD's high was in 1993 (2,788 students).=20
* They have been losing students every year since 1993.=20
* Is that a trend? Well, if losing 50 students per year for the last
10 years isn't a trend, then I sure don't know what one is!
* He talks about gaining different numbers in different grades making
it difficult to gage where how many teachers you need.=20
* However, those numbers are well known by MSD.=20
* In fact, the Superintendent herself said that the numbers in the
Elementary are decreasing at a higher rate than Junior/High School. Her
concern (rightly) is that those Elementary grades feed into the Junior =
High
and High School. One reason for not pursing a new high school facility =
was
that she knows 6 years from now she's going to have 300 less children =
than
she does today!
* Also, Donovan notes that the Census shows that Latah County and
Moscow have an increasing elementary/secondary student population.=20
* He is right. We've been thru that on this list before:=20
* MSD continues to decrease at a rate of 50 students per year.=20
* Yet Moscow overall increases at a rate of 30-35 students per year
(per the 2000 census).=20
* How odd! Where are those 80-85 students per year going? Perhaps MSD
should hire a private investigator to find out.
* I agree that much of the cost requirements have been imposed upon
the government schools by the government. But hey! You work for the =
boss. If
Uncle Sam is going to give you the money, you have to do what he says.
That's the beauty of the private sector. If parents say something is a =
bogus
requirement, they don't have to pay for it.
* e.g., if a group of parents want to lay out an additional
$500/year/child for top-notched sports programs, let them. But if =
someone
else wants to make use of community sports programs and only pay =
educators
to educate, then they should have that right (and get a better education =
for
less).=20
* Same thing with "shop", "typing", "home economics", etc. Parents can
chose whether they want their kids in a more rigorous academic program =
or in
a more VoTech type of program.
* My comparisons of private (non-parochial) schools to government
schools were meant to be an apples-to-apples comparison. You cannot =
compare
Higher Ed costs to elementary/secondary school costs. One would think =
that
the former would be more expensive. As it turns out, it's not. Go =
figure!=20
* You talk about monopolies and use telephones, computers, and
railways as examples of natural monopolies. Those are products; a =
monopoly
is a company with a product line. A natural monopoly only exist where =
the
government legislates one to exist (locally: Verizon, Avista, etc) or
subsidizes one to exist. The government schools are as much of a =
monopoly as
the US Postal Service was -- and we see how good competition was for =
them.
We know that FedEx,=20
* Finally, you really amuse me with the talk about "You owe the
government; they don't owe you". That seems like a very neo-fascist
statement. In a democracy, the people are the government. If I owe =
someone a
"thanks", it's those who have been "thugged" for everything that I now =
have.
However, it's kind of difficult to thank someone for being economically
assaulted so that I could benefit. When we're paying taxes at a the near =
50%
level, that's not a time to offer thanks. BTW, do you know how much =
taxes
were raised to cause the Boston Tea Party?=20
Best,
Dale
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<DIV><SPAN class=3D378035901-03062003><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#800000 =
size=3D2>Replying to Donovan:</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<UL>
<LI><SPAN class=3D378035901-03062003><FONT face=3DArial =
color=3D#800000=20
size=3D2>Donovan says that MSD has only lost 325 students since its =
high in=20
1998. </FONT></SPAN>
<UL>
<LI><SPAN class=3D378035901-03062003><FONT face=3DArial =
color=3D#800000=20
size=3D2>That is incorrect. MSD's high was in 1993 (2,788 students). =
</FONT></SPAN>
<LI><SPAN class=3D378035901-03062003><FONT face=3DArial =
color=3D#800000=20
size=3D2>They have been losing students <U>every year </U>since=20
1993.</FONT></SPAN>=20
<LI><SPAN class=3D378035901-03062003><FONT face=3DArial =
color=3D#800000 size=3D2>Is=20
that a trend? Well, if losing 50 students per year for the last 10 =
years=20
isn't a trend, then I sure don't know what one =
is!</FONT></SPAN></LI></UL>
<LI><SPAN class=3D378035901-03062003><FONT face=3DArial =
color=3D#800000 size=3D2>He=20
talks about gaining different numbers in different grades making it =
difficult=20
to gage where how many teachers you need. </FONT></SPAN></LI>
<UL>
<LI><SPAN class=3D378035901-03062003><FONT face=3DArial =
color=3D#800000=20
size=3D2>However, those numbers are well known by MSD. =
</FONT></SPAN>
<LI><SPAN class=3D378035901-03062003><FONT face=3DArial =
color=3D#800000 size=3D2>In=20
fact, the Superintendent herself said that the numbers in the =
Elementary are=20
decreasing at a higher rate than Junior/High School. Her concern =
(rightly)=20
is that those Elementary grades feed into the Junior High and High =
School.=20
One reason for not pursing a new high school facility was that she =
knows 6=20
years from now she's going to have 300 less children than she does=20
today!</FONT></SPAN></LI></UL>
<LI><SPAN class=3D378035901-03062003><FONT face=3DArial =
color=3D#800000 size=3D2>Also,=20
Donovan notes that the Census shows that Latah County and Moscow have =
an=20
increasing elementary/secondary student population. </FONT></SPAN>
<UL>
<LI><SPAN class=3D378035901-03062003><FONT face=3DArial =
color=3D#800000 size=3D2>He=20
is right. We've been thru that on this list before:</FONT></SPAN>=20
<UL>
<LI><SPAN class=3D378035901-03062003><FONT face=3DArial =
color=3D#800000=20
size=3D2>MSD continues to decrease at a rate of 50 students per =
year.=20
</FONT></SPAN>
<LI><SPAN class=3D378035901-03062003><FONT face=3DArial =
color=3D#800000=20
size=3D2>Yet Moscow overall increases at a rate of 30-35 students =
per year=20
(per the 2000 census).</FONT></SPAN>
<LI><SPAN class=3D378035901-03062003><FONT face=3DArial =
color=3D#800000=20
size=3D2>How odd! Where are those 80-85 students per year going? =
Perhaps MSD=20
should hire a private investigator to find=20
out.</FONT></SPAN></LI></UL></LI></UL>
<LI><SPAN class=3D378035901-03062003></SPAN><SPAN =
class=3D378035901-03062003><FONT=20
face=3DArial color=3D#800000 size=3D2>I agree that much of the cost =
requirements=20
have been imposed upon the government schools by the government. But =
hey! You=20
work for the boss. If Uncle Sam is going to give you the money, you =
have to do=20
what he says. That's the beauty of the private sector. If parents say=20
something is a bogus requirement, they don't have to pay for=20
it.</FONT></SPAN></LI>
<UL>
<LI><SPAN class=3D378035901-03062003><FONT face=3DArial =
color=3D#800000=20
size=3D2>e.g., if a group of parents want to lay out an additional=20
$500/year/child for top-notched sports programs, let them. But if =
someone=20
else wants to make use of community sports programs and only pay =
educators=20
to educate, then they should have that right (and get a better =
education for=20
less). </FONT></SPAN>
<LI><SPAN class=3D378035901-03062003><FONT face=3DArial =
color=3D#800000=20
size=3D2>Same thing with "shop", "typing", "home economics", etc. =
Parents can=20
chose whether they want their kids in a more rigorous academic =
program or in=20
a more VoTech type of program.</FONT></SPAN></LI></UL>
<LI><SPAN class=3D378035901-03062003><FONT face=3DArial =
color=3D#800000 size=3D2>My=20
comparisons of private (non-parochial) schools to government schools =
were=20
meant to be an apples-to-apples comparison. You cannot compare Higher =
Ed costs=20
to elementary/secondary school costs. One would <U>think</U> that the =
former=20
would be more expensive. As it turns out, it's not. Go =
figure!</FONT></SPAN>
<LI><SPAN class=3D378035901-03062003><FONT face=3DArial =
color=3D#800000 size=3D2>You=20
talk about monopolies and use telephones, computers, and railways as =
examples=20
of natural monopolies. Those are <U>products</U>; a monopoly is a=20
<U>company</U> with a product line. A natural monopoly only exist =
where=20
the government legislates one to exist (locally: Verizon, Avista, etc) =
or=20
subsidizes one to exist. The government schools are as much of a =
monopoly as=20
the US Postal Service was -- and we see how good competition was for =
them. We=20
know that FedEx, </FONT></SPAN>
<LI><SPAN class=3D378035901-03062003><FONT face=3DArial =
color=3D#800000=20
size=3D2>Finally, you really amuse me with the talk about "You owe the =
government; they don't owe you". That seems like a very neo-fascist =
statement.=20
In a democracy, the people are the government. If I owe someone a =
"thanks",=20
it's those who have been "thugged" for everything that I now have. =
However,=20
it's kind of difficult to thank someone for being =
economically assaulted=20
so that I could benefit. When we're paying taxes at a the near 50% =
level,=20
that's not a time to offer thanks. BTW, do you know how much taxes =
were raised=20
to cause the Boston Tea Party? </FONT></SPAN></LI></UL>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#800000><FONT size=3D2><FONT=20
face=3DArial>Best,</FONT><BR></FONT><FONT face=3D"Vladimir Script"=20
size=3D5>Dale</FONT></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>
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