[Vision2020] [Bulk] RE: Why I'm going to vote Yes on the Levy
keely emerinemix
kjajmix1 at msn.com
Sat Nov 10 07:32:15 PST 2007
Matt,
It's not the "warm and fuzzy, let's all hug" aspect of smaller class sizes that is the only point here. Especially under the restrictive, unfair and unfunded mandate of No Child Left Behind, the requirements on teachers for what they must produce -- and make no mistake, it's "education-as-production" under NCLB -- is very different from what they were even ten years ago. Further, there is a cost associated with X number of student increase in each classroom, not to mention the very real, perhaps lamentable, fact that classrooms don't grow -- they simply must hold more people and more equipment, like the computers that were a luxury a couple of decades ago and are vital today. And that cost money, not so that students can keyboard well enough to go home and play Halo 3, but so they can learn and be assessed by the State and the Feds on what they are learning. I don't like NCLB, but it's here, and thanks to our curriculum director, Moscow is one of very few districts statewide to consistently stay out of trouble under NCLB by meeting and exceeding its rigorous standards for student improvement.
MSD's business manager, Sue Driskill, has managed district finances well enough to consistently impress her colleagues at the Idaho Association of School Business Officers (IASBO), accurately enough to conform with very specific federal and state accounting practices, and responsibly enough to ensure that this increase to the permanent levy the legislature granted to us in the 90s will last for as long as possible without affecting future programming and fund balances. This is not an "ask every year or two" increase, but a smart way to manage money for a five to seven year period between increase requests. Education depends on consistent funding, and I thank God -- literally -- that unlike most districts in communities that waver on the importance of education, Moscow has the permanent levy so that we don't have to go to the voters every year or two for our basic Maintenance and Operation needs. That would be a nightmare for your children, mine, and everyone else's, not to mention those in our community who want a stable, educated citizenry and qualified workforce.
Matt, I hope this helps. Your vote is much needed and your questions greatly appreciated.
keely
> Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2007 23:57:00 -0800
> From: godshatter at yahoo.com
> To: mattd2107 at hotmail.com
> CC: kjajmix1 at msn.com; vision2020 at moscow.com
> Subject: Re: [Bulk] RE: [Vision2020] Why I'm going to vote Yes on the Levy
>
> Matt,
>
> Just a quick reply. First, if the budget is $20,260,923.00 and salaries
> are 81% of that, then the average salary is $20,360,923.00 * 0.81 / 175
> = $94,241.99, not $114,285. Not that that makes much of a difference -
> it's still obviously taking other salaries into account. Also, the "and
> benefits" part is usually around a 33% increase in fringe benefits for
> State employees. I don't know the numbers for the school district, but
> my salary at the U of I has a 34% fringe associated with it, inflating
> it's real cost by about 4/3. Multiplying the $94,241.99 * 3/4 =
> $70681.49. The fringe takes into account employer amounts for taxes,
> insurance, and retirement.
>
> However, any speculation past that point is useless, because I don't
> know if their support staff is one guy or 500 people.
>
> Paul
>
> Matt Decker wrote:
> > Keely/all,
> >
> > First and foremost thanks for your drive and determination towards our
> > children's education. You've taken many steps to insure success. I
> > have to admit though, that I am unsure about giving my vote to the
> > levy. Let me explain. I have many questions and have heard from both
> > sides on this topic. So please let me give my thoughts, but also give
> > me hope that our schools will spend the money wisely.
> >
> > Candis Donicht wrote an opinion piece tonight in which she states that
> > MSD has a budget of $20,360,923. She also mentions that 81% of that
> > goes to "salaries and benefits". She further states that, "175
> > teachers" are employed by MSD. Now bare with me, since I am a MSD
> > graduate. Twenty mil divided by 175=$114,285. We all know that can't
> > be true. So I will assume that this budget includes cooks,
> > assistants, lawn care, etc. Let's again assume that 500 people are
> > employed by the MSD, under this percentage. Twenty mil divided by
> > 500=$40,000. A great median wage. Now we are going to increase this
> > rate by 1.9 mil. A increase of 10.33%. Seems pretty high to me. Where
> > is this money going?
> >
> > Now I know I may not have all the numbers correct, but I also doubt
> > that they are too far off. To me Candice stating that 81% of the money
> > goes to pay scares me. Why should raising the rate of teachers pay
> > three times more then that of inflation, raise our level of education?
> > Money does not = education.
> >
> > Furthermore, Dale( I will be labeled as a kirker for mentioning his
> > name) Courtney brought up a valid point in his opinion piece. He
> > mentioned that the state tax has been raised by 1%, all of which is
> > for schools. Hopefully meaning that more is coming this way. Why not
> > wait another year?
> >
> > I also can't get over the fact that our neighboring cities pay less,
> > but have higher test scores. Pullman has less teachers, but yet again
> > beat us in most accounts. Again money does not = education
> >
> > Also cant understand how Moscow has lost student numbers, but yet we
> > insist on smaller numbers. Why? When I was there we had 25-30 students
> > per class(1984-95). Now we want smaller? Hey I'm all for it, but only
> > if the GPA rises. Which, I am unsure of.
> >
> > I have no problem giving my vote to this levy, but I need question
> > like these answered. Please give me hope.
> >
> > Thanks for your time
> > Matt
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > From: kjajmix1 at msn.com
> > To: godshatter at yahoo.com; vision2020 at moscow.com
> > Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2007 21:30:17 -0800
> > Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Why I'm going to vote Yes on the Levy
> >
> > Thank you, Paul!
> >
> > keely
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > > Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2007 20:59:25 -0800
> > > From: godshatter at yahoo.com
> > > To: vision2020 at moscow.com
> > > Subject: [Vision2020] Why I'm going to vote Yes on the Levy
> > >
> > > Just a few reasons:
> > >
> > > I can't underestimate the value of education in our community.
> > Forget
> > > evolution vs. intelligent design, think basic math skills, a
> > sense of
> > > history, simple reading skills, a knowledge of the language we
> > speak,
> > > and a basic understanding of science. Where would we be today if we
> > > didn't value education? Do you like that computer you're reading
> > this
> > > with? Are you happy to know that the hospital is just down the
> > street
> > > if you have some kind of medical problem? Would you rather drive
> > to the
> > > ocean, or walk? The more data we have to live life, the better
> > it will
> > > become. The more we all know, the better off we all are. This
> > > prosperity results in real-world economic development. This
> > makes us
> > > richer as a community. Our poorest people are richer than much
> > of the
> > > rest of the world.
> > >
> > > So, education is important. But why not educate everyone
> > individually?
> > > Why centralize it?
> > >
> > > Well, first you have economies of scale. There is more to
> > learning than
> > > just sitting around the teacher on the floor in a semi-circle,
> > listening
> > > to him or her reading you stories. You need books and supplies. You
> > > need places to work, and you need prepared lessons. Centralizing
> > all
> > > this makes sense. Why expect every family to buy a microscope? Or a
> > > bunsen burner? Or a wall map of the US? Why dump a substantial
> > amount
> > > of money individually when we can spend less by centralizing it?
> > >
> > > You also have the benefits of specialization. We teach our teachers
> > > about one particular subject until they become experts on it.
> > Why ask
> > > everyone to learn everything about all subjects? We also teach our
> > > teachers how to teach. It's not simple, and just faking your way
> > > through it is not recommended. Why expect all of us to learn this?
> > > Granted, it's probably very useful, but we have a limited amount
> > of time
> > > and a limited number of neurons. Learning all this takes time,
> > and the
> > > ones who have learned it the best cost money. Yet we need them
> > desperately.
> > >
> > > Public education is the great equalizer. People who can't afford to
> > > teach their children, whether it's because of finances or time
> > > commitments or lack of knowledge in some areas, will still be
> > able to
> > > give them an education. Every child, no matter their background,
> > has
> > > the opportunity to excel in their learning. Who will become the
> > next
> > > great physicist, or mathematician, or musician? It's also a great
> > > springboard. Who will be in the right place with the right set
> > of facts
> > > and the knowledge to make use of them and do the next great thing?
> > > That's why I want to live forever. So I can see what people keep
> > coming
> > > up with as the world progresses.
> > >
> > > Another reason for centralization is the changing nature of the
> > world we
> > > live in. All of us spend much of our lifetime unlearning things we
> > > learned as children. Some of it was simply our misunderstandings
> > as we
> > > developed and are simply later correcting. Other facts, though,
> > have
> > > simply been shown to be wrong. Look how much physics has changed
> > in the
> > > last 50 years. Subjects like history change as we realize more
> > about
> > > our past. Geography changes as world events progress. Even with
> > > relatively slowly changing fields, such as mathematics, new ways of
> > > imparting knowledge to others in these areas are found. Teaching
> > > incorrect knowledge is probably worse than not teaching that
> > knowledge
> > > at all. This corrected knowledge needs to be assimilated, and it's
> > > inefficient to have to teach every homemaker just to have them
> > teach
> > > their kids the next day. It's more efficient to have those
> > specialists
> > > I mentioned previously get updated on their subjects. It's faster,
> > > because they are subject experts, and there are fewer of them to
> > teach.
> > > It's also easier to require that they get updated on their
> > subjects.
> > >
> > > So why support this levy, specifically? Because, in my humblest of
> > > opinions, every penny we can afford to throw at it we will see back
> > > again a hundred-fold in the future as a community. I'm sure
> > there's a
> > > line out there past which any increases will not help. I think
> > we are
> > > so far away from the breakpoint that it's silly to talk about
> > it. Also,
> > > the appropriateness of this levy has been put into question.
> > Show our
> > > community that we know how important education is by voting Yes
> > on this.
> > >
> > > Paul
> > >
> > > =======================================================
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> > > mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
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