<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=windows-1252">
<STYLE>.hmmessage P {
PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px
}
BODY.hmmessage {
FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma
}
</STYLE>
<META content="MSHTML 6.00.6000.16544" name=GENERATOR></HEAD>
<BODY class=hmmessage bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>And I'll add just a bit. When you were there in some
of your classes you had 25 students--rarely did you have more than that.
However, remember those students in special education--they were often in
classes of 3 or 4 because they were required by law to be in the least
restrictive environment and for some of them, that meant really, really small
classes. That is still the case except that a larger percentage of
our school population is in special education than when you were in
school. And that's because parents move to Moscow so their children
can have those programs. You say you are all for smaller classes as long
as the GPA rises. The GPA scores of Moscow school students are
among the highest in the state and compare favorably with Pullman
already. I don't know what more you can expect.
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>You compare Moscow and Pullman. Let me give you
another figure. Since I retired from the high school I have been working
with teachers in both Moscow and Pullman on a National Certification Program
that is pretty costly for the teachers, but is a very fine professional
development piece. The teachers in both places are really
exceptional. I continue to be so impressed with them. When the
teachers in Idaho complete the program the State pays them $2000 a year for 5
years. When the teachers in Pullman complete the program (and it costs the
same for both groups) they make $5,000 each year for ten to twenty years, and if
they are teaching in a school where more than half the students are entitled to
free and reduced lunch they make $10,000 each year for that same amount of
time. Now the sad thing is that we are losing teachers to Pullman and
Clarkston and who can blame them. We really need to keep them here, and
spending money for enhanced salaries helps a bit. Even so, teachers who
stay in Moscow aren't even close to earning what those in Pullman do.
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Those who are comparing Moscow to Pullman test
scores aren't even making a legitimate comparison. There is no way to
compare the Moscow Test Scores with Pullman test scores because they are two
separate tests, given at different times during the year. Please don't be
taken in by that. Both groups of students do very well. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>One of the letter writers was discussing the whole
issue of vouchers. While that isn't a central issue in this case, just be
aware issuing vouchers simply increases the cost of education because it works
to the benefit of people who send their children to private and
parochial schools. And while they have the liberty to make that
choice, they continue to have an obligation to fund public education--just as do
I and Norman even though our own children have graduated. Someone
else paid for their education, now it's our opportunity to help fund the coming
generations. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>The state has put additional money into schools, but it is
an offset, and it isn't a lot. It doesn't mean we will be getting more
money--it will be coming from another pocket, but the law was not written
to increase school funding--just to keep in on the same level it has
been. And the scarey thing about that is there is no way to determine the
state will continue to fund at the same level--and if it changes, it is likely
to diminish. That's just the way of our legislature. </FONT><FONT
face=Arial> While it makes good sense to have the state completely fund
schools because it makes educational opportunity more equal for kids wherever
they live, that will never happen. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>One other item of which you may not be aware: When
you were in school, part of your schooling needs were paid for by the same
permanent levy that now serves this generation of children. Occasionally
it has had to be increased as inflation grew--the cost of gas for bussing, is
only one example. Those who are writing against the levy have conveniently
omitted that important detail. I think if you look carefully at the budget
you will conclude that Moscow does spend its money wisely. And the budget
process is open to all the citizens--budget hearings will begin soon for
next year. The meeting times are published and the agenda posted.
You, as a voter, are welcome to attend, but try to do it before the fact, then
you will have the information you need before you vote. It's a bit late
for all the scoffers to say they want assurance the money will be used
wisely--they had that information early on. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>And it's off to bed. Come join us in the morning at
Friendship Square as we rally for this School District. Isn't it only fair
that the kids who go here today are entitled to a quality education, just as you
were? Vote yes, please, on November 13.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>If you do not believe money has an important impact on
education, ask yourself why the wealthy send their children to expensive private
schools. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Sue Hovey</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=bevbafus@verizon.net href="mailto:bevbafus@verizon.net">Bev Bafus</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=mattd2107@hotmail.com
href="mailto:mattd2107@hotmail.com">Matt Decker</A> ; <A
title=kjajmix1@msn.com href="mailto:kjajmix1@msn.com">keely emerinemix</A> ;
<A title=godshatter@yahoo.com href="mailto:godshatter@yahoo.com">Paul
Rumelhart</A> ; <A title=vision2020@moscow.com
href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com">Vision2020</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, November 09, 2007 11:52
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [Vision2020] Why I'm going
to vote Yes on the Levy</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=921194807-10112007><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff>Thanks for
your reasoned questions, Matt.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=921194807-10112007><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=921194807-10112007><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff>I'm not an
expert on school financing, but I do know a bit.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=921194807-10112007><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=921194807-10112007><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff>In your
math, the first thing you are forgetting is that Ms. Donicht said "salaries
and BENEFITS".</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=921194807-10112007><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=921194807-10112007><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff>Taking your
formula where you came up with $40,000 as the median salary - Using your
math, this would be the median expense per staff member. Usually 35% of
that would be benefits, leaving the actual salary far lower. Many of
these benefits are required by law, as they are with most
businesses.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=921194807-10112007><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=921194807-10112007><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff>The second
item I noticed is the comparison, yet again, of Moscow with Pullman.
Until the State of Washington and the State of Idaho fund their schools with
the same formula, you cannot compare these two towns.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=921194807-10112007><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=921194807-10112007><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff>Just my
thoughts...</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=921194807-10112007><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=921194807-10112007><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff>Bev</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader dir=ltr align=left><FONT
face=Tahoma>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B>
vision2020-bounces@moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces@moscow.com]<B>On
Behalf Of </B>Matt Decker<BR><B>Sent:</B> Friday, November 09, 2007 11:26
PM<BR><B>To:</B> keely emerinemix; Paul Rumelhart;
Vision2020<BR><B>Subject:</B> Re: [Vision2020] Why I'm going to vote Yes on
the Levy<BR><BR></FONT></DIV>Keely/all,<BR><BR>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.<BR><BR>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?<BR><BR>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.
<BR><BR>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?<BR><BR>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<BR><BR>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. <BR><BR>I have no problem giving my vote to this levy, but I need
question like these answered. Please give me hope.<BR><BR>Thanks for your
time<BR>Matt<BR><BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<HR>
From: kjajmix1@msn.com<BR>To: godshatter@yahoo.com;
vision2020@moscow.com<BR>Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2007 21:30:17 -0800<BR>Subject:
Re: [Vision2020] Why I'm going to vote Yes on the Levy<BR><BR>
<META content="Microsoft SafeHTML" name=Generator>
<STYLE>.ExternalClass .EC_hmmessage P {
PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px
}
.ExternalClass EC_body.hmmessage {
FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma
}
</STYLE>
Thank you, Paul!<BR><BR>keely<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>> Date: Fri, 9 Nov
2007 20:59:25 -0800<BR>> From: godshatter@yahoo.com<BR>> To:
vision2020@moscow.com<BR>> Subject: [Vision2020] Why I'm going to vote
Yes on the Levy<BR>> <BR>> Just a few reasons:<BR>> <BR>> I
can't underestimate the value of education in our community. Forget
<BR>> evolution vs. intelligent design, think basic math skills, a
sense of <BR>> history, simple reading skills, a knowledge of the
language we speak, <BR>> and a basic understanding of science. Where
would we be today if we <BR>> didn't value education? Do you like that
computer you're reading this <BR>> with? Are you happy to know that the
hospital is just down the street <BR>> if you have some kind of medical
problem? Would you rather drive to the <BR>> ocean, or walk? The more
data we have to live life, the better it will <BR>> become. The more we
all know, the better off we all are. This <BR>> prosperity results in
real-world economic development. This makes us <BR>> richer as a
community. Our poorest people are richer than much of the <BR>> rest of
the world.<BR>> <BR>> So, education is important. But why not
educate everyone individually? <BR>> Why centralize it?<BR>>
<BR>> Well, first you have economies of scale. There is more to
learning than <BR>> just sitting around the teacher on the floor in a
semi-circle, listening <BR>> to him or her reading you stories. You
need books and supplies. You <BR>> need places to work, and you need
prepared lessons. Centralizing all <BR>> this makes sense. Why expect
every family to buy a microscope? Or a <BR>> bunsen burner? Or a wall
map of the US? Why dump a substantial amount <BR>> of money
individually when we can spend less by centralizing it?<BR>> <BR>>
You also have the benefits of specialization. We teach our teachers
<BR>> about one particular subject until they become experts on it. Why
ask <BR>> everyone to learn everything about all subjects? We also
teach our <BR>> teachers how to teach. It's not simple, and just faking
your way <BR>> through it is not recommended. Why expect all of us to
learn this? <BR>> Granted, it's probably very useful, but we have a
limited amount of time <BR>> and a limited number of neurons. Learning
all this takes time, and the <BR>> ones who have learned it the best
cost money. Yet we need them desperately.<BR>> <BR>> Public
education is the great equalizer. People who can't afford to <BR>>
teach their children, whether it's because of finances or time <BR>>
commitments or lack of knowledge in some areas, will still be able to
<BR>> give them an education. Every child, no matter their background,
has <BR>> the opportunity to excel in their learning. Who will become
the next <BR>> great physicist, or mathematician, or musician? It's
also a great <BR>> springboard. Who will be in the right place with the
right set of facts <BR>> and the knowledge to make use of them and do
the next great thing? <BR>> That's why I want to live forever. So I can
see what people keep coming <BR>> up with as the world
progresses.<BR>> <BR>> Another reason for centralization is the
changing nature of the world we <BR>> live in. All of us spend much of
our lifetime unlearning things we <BR>> learned as children. Some of it
was simply our misunderstandings as we <BR>> developed and are simply
later correcting. Other facts, though, have <BR>> simply been shown to
be wrong. Look how much physics has changed in the <BR>> last 50 years.
Subjects like history change as we realize more about <BR>> our past.
Geography changes as world events progress. Even with <BR>> relatively
slowly changing fields, such as mathematics, new ways of <BR>>
imparting knowledge to others in these areas are found. Teaching <BR>>
incorrect knowledge is probably worse than not teaching that knowledge
<BR>> at all. This corrected knowledge needs to be assimilated, and
it's <BR>> inefficient to have to teach every homemaker just to have
them teach <BR>> their kids the next day. It's more efficient to have
those specialists <BR>> I mentioned previously get updated on their
subjects. It's faster, <BR>> because they are subject experts, and
there are fewer of them to teach. <BR>> It's also easier to require
that they get updated on their subjects. <BR>> <BR>> So why support
this levy, specifically? Because, in my humblest of <BR>> opinions,
every penny we can afford to throw at it we will see back <BR>> again a
hundred-fold in the future as a community. I'm sure there's a <BR>>
line out there past which any increases will not help. I think we are
<BR>> so far away from the breakpoint that it's silly to talk about it.
Also, <BR>> the appropriateness of this levy has been put into
question. Show our <BR>> community that we know how important education
is by voting Yes on this.<BR>> <BR>> Paul<BR>> <BR>>
=======================================================<BR>> List
services made available by First Step Internet, <BR>> serving the
communities of the Palouse since 1994. <BR>> http://www.fsr.net
<BR>> mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com<BR>>
=======================================================<BR><BR>
<HR>
Windows Live Hotmail and Microsoft Office Outlook – together at last. <A
href="http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/HA102225181033.aspx?pid=CL100626971033"
target=_blank>Get it now!</A> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR>
<HR>
Boo! Scare away worms, viruses and so much more! Try Windows Live
OneCare! <A
href="http://onecare.live.com/standard/en-us/purchase/trial.aspx?s_cid=wl_hotmailnews"
target=_new>Try now!</A> </BLOCKQUOTE>
<P>
<HR>
<P></P>=======================================================<BR> List
services made available by First Step Internet, <BR> serving the
communities of the Palouse since 1994.
<BR>
http://www.fsr.net
<BR>
mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com<BR>=======================================================</BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>