[Vision2020] Idaho Public Schools 15-year Trends
Donovan Arnold
donovanarnold@hotmail.com
Thu, 08 May 2003 16:01:16 -0700
Mr... Spencer,
I fail to understand how you were able to come to all those conclusions from
just a few words I wrote.
First, I apologize if my email seemed to be directed at Mr... Courtney, you,
or anyone else personally. I never stated, nor meant to imply that it was
the "intention" of anyone to hurt children. Just that personal agendas can
result in the hurting of children.
However, you seem to have missed the intent of what I was saying so I will
help to clarify it for you.
Land, buildings, teachers, books, computers, pencils, pens, overhead
projectors, televisions, software, hardware, lighting, water, food, desks,
chairs, paperclips, staples, erasers, and power are all effective tools in
providing an education.
Land, buildings, teachers, books, computers, pencils, pens, overhead
projectors, televisions, software, hardware, lighting, water, food, desks,
chairs, paperclips, staples, erasers, and power all cost money.
If you do not supply the money, we will not have Land, buildings, teachers,
books, computers, pencils, pens, overhead projects, televisions, software,
hardware, lighting, water, food, desks, chairs, paperclips, staples, erasers
and power.
So here is my logical arguments based on the assumptions listed above.
No (money)=no (Land, buildings, teachers, books, computers, pencils, pens,
overhead projectors, televisions, software, hardware, lighting, water, food,
desks, chairs, paperclips, staples, erasers, and power.)
No (Land, buildings, teachers, books, computers, pencils, pens, overhead
projectors, televisions, software, hardware, lighting, water, food, desks,
chairs, paperclips, staples, erasers, and power.)
=
No (education.)
So since I am pro-education, I am pro money for schools. I think this is
pretty obvious. If you want to argue that we don't need these things for
education in the 21st century, go right ahead. I think people that make
excuses not to pay are either misinformed, or greedy. Any good person who
benefited from the labor and works of a community should want to use want
they received from that goodness to help others out as well.
If you want to argue that our system of government sucks, I will back you on
that one.
If you want to argue that we can improvement our educational system, you
have my support.
If you want to argue that our system of taxation and collection is unfair,
you have my support.
BUT, if you want to argue that are schools have enough teachers, and our
schools have enough money and supplies to effectively operate you have a
problem with thinking logically.
There is no school, organization, and business on the planet that has enough
money. The question is, can the school system operate effectively with the
cuts it has received? The only way we can know for sure is if in 20-30 years
the students that went through our educational system are successful.
I think this is a big gamble, and I prefer to minimize the odds of losing
that gamble as much as possible by making education a top priority in Idaho.
I hope and wish all others will too.
If someone thinks I am an extreme liberal because I want the children of
Moscow Idaho to receive a good education so they can be prosperous in their
future endeavors, then I will be called a liberal. If people think that
makes me a conservative, I will be called that too. But I think of it as
just being human.
Thanks!
Donovan Arnold
>From: "Jacob Spencer" <spencerjt@wlu.edu>
>To: <dale@courtneys.us>, <donovanarnold@hotmail.com>,
><vision2020@moscow.com>
>Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Idaho Public Schools 15-year Trends
>Date: Thu, 08 May 2003 11:44:21 -0400
>
>Mr.. Arnold, et at.,
>
>In your e-mail, you present a false dilemma. Raise money for education
>or you are selfish and lazy. You assume that Mr. Courtney's desire is
>to hurt the children of Idaho. How if it is another way? What if Mr.
>Courtney believes that the current system is hurting the children of
>Idaho, and something else needs to be done about it? How if he has come
>up with another way to become active in helping educate and teach, a way
>that does not use methods that have failed time and again? What if he
>proposes to become actively involved in teaching a specific child to
>read, not just being content that feeding money into a failed system
>will perform miracles? What if Mr. Courtney is, instead of being
>demon-worshiping selfish and lazy, determined to find better ways to
>truly help children? Would you listen to him and find out? Or do you
>not know that there is wealth that is not money?
>
>Regards,
>Jacob Spencer
>
> >>> "Donovan Arnold" <donovanarnold@hotmail.com> 05/08/03 01:52AM >>>
>Visioneers,
>
>Thinking that if we strip our schools of teachers won't effect the
>quality
>of the education a child is receiving is just fooling oneself so they
>can
>sleep at night instead of realizing that they are screwing children out
>of
>an education that the generation before them worked and slaved over to
>give
>them when they were children in the public school system.
>
>Would it not be great if people thought, "How can I selflessly help my
>
>community" Rather then "How can I come up a with a graph, chart, or
>statistic I can use to justify my lack of sacrificing for others and
>spend
>more time, energy, and wealth, on myself"
>
>Donovan Arnold
>
>
> >From: "Dale Courtney" <dale@courtneys.us>
> >To: <vision2020@moscow.com>
> >Subject: [Vision2020] IdahoáPublicáSchoolsá15-yearáTrends
> >Date: Wed, 7 May 2003 20:11:15 -0700
> >
> >Jessica Lipschultz wrote:
> >
> > > The Winter 2003 Idaho Reading Indicator test results reveal
> > > that 29% of third-grade students in the Moscow School
> > > District and 38% of third-grade students in the state read
> > > below grade level.
> >
> >David, Jessica, Matt, and Natalie:
> >I applaud your desire to better the state of reading for our
>children.
> >
> > > We are in the midst of a crisis. A concerned group of
> > > students at the University of Idaho has decided to take
> > > action. We refuse to stand by idly when children are lost
> > > every day because our elected representatives have not made
> > > education a priority.
> >
> >At this point, I was hoping that you all would say that you were going
>to
> >volunteer your time in the classrooms; that you were going to "adopt"
>a
> >child to help him/her read better; that you were going to become a
> >teacher's
> >aid.
> >
> > > Over 600 students, staff, and faculty
> > > have signed postcards to Governor Kempthorne, Representative
> > > Trail, Representative Ringo, and Senator Schroeder. We are
> > > tired of hearing empty promises. Please join your voice with
> > > ours and demand that more funds be allocated for education.
> >
> >I would remind you that throwing money at the problem has done nothing
>to
> >solve the problem. In fact, there is an inverse relationship between
> >inflation-adjusted spending and test scores (see the chart below for
>the
> >state of Idaho). If you really think that increased funding is the
>driver,
> >then logically you would call for decreased funding (since increasing
>the
> >funding has only driven down test scores).
> >
> >Your solution to the problem is exacerbated in Moscow, where the
>number of
> >children in school has been decreasing precipitously (420 students in
>7
> >years; a 15.4% decrease in the number of students). In Moscow, the
>teacher
> >to student ratio continues to climb; the funding continues to
>increase;
> >yet
> >the test scores continue to decline.
> >
> >If you really care, and if you really want to help the children learn
>to
> >read, then throwing money at the problem will not fix the problem. You
>need
> >to think out of the box and try something completely different.
>Throwing
> >money at a failed model will not fix the problem.
> >
> >Best,
> >Dale Courtney
> >Moscow, Idaho
> >
> > Idaho Public Schools 15-Year Trends
> ><http://courtney.dns2go.com/msd/Trends_files/Roberts1_15189_image001.gif>
>
>_________________________________________________________________
>Help STOP SPAM with the new MSN 8 and get 2 months FREE*
>http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail
>
>_____________________________________________________
> List services made available by First Step Internet,
> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
> http://www.fsr.net
> mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com
>»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»
_________________________________________________________________
Add photos to your messages with MSN 8. Get 2 months FREE*.
http://join.msn.com/?page=features/featuredemail