CHARLOTTE’S BITS & PIECES
MIAMI-DADE SCHOOLS TO “REFORM”?
Sure they will. Since
1990, we’ve been telling the public that the purchasing procedures in Dade and
most of the districts are rife with fraud and cronyism. The Miami Herald
(7-8-98, p.4B) reports that they finally admit “…buyers and principals
circumventing competitive bid requirements…sloppy supervision (of
multi-million-dollar contracts)”. The
system claims it’s going to get serious about supervision. Don’t bet on it,
boys and girls. Forensic audit
time, OPPAGA, Auditor-General and Inspector General.
Enough is Enough. Oh, yes, the superintendent just got an 8% raise.
Mr. Cuevas now gets $215,784/year, more than New York, Los Angeles and
Chicago’s honchos.
SPEAKING OF MIAMI-DADE’S POWER STRUCTURE… On November 18, 1997 The
Miami Herald reported (p.2B) that the education task force of the Greater
Miami Chamber of Commerce rated Miami-Dade’s schools “unacceptable”.
Naturally, none of the proposed solutions called for an audit by the
state.
On May 30, 1998, The Herald reported (p.2B) that the solution offered by the school system and the business leaders was to “consider(ed) hiring a public relations company…”! Well, ya-a-as. Don’t you know, that’s the way they handle all such problems? Just get better PR, and everything will go away.
Jodi Mailander Farrell reports on all of this insanity. I wonder if she has trouble keeping a straight face, or if she has to keep from crying.
VOUCHERS WORK! CHARTER SCHOOLS WORK! In spite of skewed research done by opponents of both, Paul Peterson, Jay Greene and William Howell of Harvard and James Glassman of the American Enterprise Institute have done unskewed studies and brought the light of truth to us all. Messrs. Peterson, Greene and Howell study Milwaukee and Cleveland, showing reading and math scores up from 3-12% over the public schools after three and four years for vouchers. Mr. Glassman found increases of 1.5 years in only seven month (!) ! in Massachusetts charter schools, and 20% increases in two years’ time in Los Angeles, with 13 point increases for the past two years in Colorado. And the truth shall make you free.
HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH? We know the Edumonster pleads poverty constantly. Now we know why! The city of Pembroke Pines, FL finally got the approval to build its own charter school. It is reported (Sun-Sentinel, 6-18-98, p.3B) that the private company building the elementary school is doing it for only $8,600/student, while the Broward County School system needs $14,000/student. Same rules, codes, requirements. How about a forensic audit, legislative leaders?
AND THEY BEAT UP ON REP. BILL ANDREWS AND ANYONE ELSE WHO TOLD THEM THE MONEY WAS THERE! Remember the uproar over HB 2121? Oh, my, the PTA and the Governor held a special teleconference to demand a special session to get MORE MONEY for construction. We told them they had plenty of money; we’ve been telling them that since 1990. WE WERE RIGHT! (See Pembroke Pines’ costs vs. Edumonster’s)
SPEAKING OF THAT TELECONFERENCE…We’ve been trying to find out how much that 13-school teleconference cost, and exactly who paid for it. All we’ve got so far is mostly the Stonewall Special. First, six weeks after I first asked the Governor’s office, I got a call from a woman who told me they didn’t know how much it cost, but the Governor’s office paid $3000 for its share. Oh. I made another public records request. I got a fax a week later telling me the previous price quote “…was in error”. This Governor’s fax quoted a different price…$1050.24. Oh.
I then asked how much the PTA and any other group involved in the extravaganza paid. The Governor’s office told me to ask the PTA and something called the Coalition to Build Schools Now. Oh. Seems that anything other than what the Governor’s office saw fit to reveal isn’t public record. Oh.
WHAT’S IN A NAME? Hypocrisy, if you live in Miami-Dade. The latest abuse is naming new schools…after sitting board members; you know, the old “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours”. Instead of teaching children the value of valor and sacrifice by naming schools after such people as Dr. Ben Carson, genius neurosurgeon at The Johns Hopkins University Hospital, Anne Frank, the martyred child of the Holocaust, or Sojourner Truth, who led her people to freedom from slavery at risk to her life, the politicians voted to change board policy. They named a new high school in North Miami-Dade for a board member who is an orthodontist who is also adept at getting re-elected to the school board time and time again. And, of course, those without namesakes made it clear that they expected and hoped for their very own schools! How can they wonder why students have no regard for their authority, no faith in our country? This was, people, a bipartisan action, to the disgrace of both parties.
SPENDING MORE, ENJOYING IT LESS. Herbert J. Walberg, research professor of education and psychology, University of Illinois, Chicago, reports in the July, 1998 Fordham Foundation publication that the U.S. spends $5300/student, (primary schools) third highest among 22 countries. We spend $6680 for our secondary students, also third highest.
We are, outrageously, close to last in achievement. Don’t blame less elite students tested in the U.S.; twelve of the sixteen countries tested a greater proportion than we did! Tune in to the study at www.edexcellence.net.
HOW LITTLE IT TAKES. Very little, if you’re a school trying to get off the critically low performing list. The improvements required are in one of the three tests given in elementary and middle schools, and one of two tests in high school. So, for instance, if only 40% of the students score above the 50th percentile in reading or math in middle/junior high, then that school’s NOT considered critically low. That means 60% of the kids are scoring below the 50th percentile. At least 50% must score “3” or above on Florida Writes! 8th grade test. Yes, we know the Department of Education knows how sub-standard this really is; and yes, they intend to ratchet-up the requirements every year or so. Unless, of course, an Edumonster gets elected as Commissioner of Education in November.
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From IVBE's newsletter Voices -- Fall, 1998
