Volume 25 March 15, 2010
Lots going on in the District this month. School openings and closings, reconfigurations, budget talks, and of course endless discussions — but still not much in the way of details — about mayoral control.
There are a few opportunities for parents to have our voices heard, and I hope many of us will take advantage of them. Next Monday and Wednesday (March 22 and 24) the Board of Education is holding two “Listening Tour” stops to get community input into the 2010-2011 budget. Although we don’t know anything yet about that budget, this is our chance to speak out on what’s important to us, and our thoughts on “how the District’s resources could be used to better serve our students.”
If you can’t make one of the meetings, you can still write the board about your priorities — or post on the forum and we’ll make sure to get it to them. (Note: today at 5 p.m. is the deadline for parents who want to apply to be on one of the board committees - a great opportunity for energetic parents!)
Thanks to all who have posted questions for Mayor Duffy. We emailed those questions to the mayor’s office on March 9 and hope to hear something back before too long. We’ll keep you posted!
And finally, we’d like to extend a warm welcome to Dorothy Evans-Flaherty, the District’s new coordinator of the Office of Parent Engagement. We’ve created a new “Ask Parent Services” section of the forum where Dorothy and her staff will field your questions. Don’t know what the Office of Parent Engagement can do for you? Ask!
Don’t forget! Flower City Parents is on Twitter: @cityparents
From our latest posts:
On Superintendent Brizard’s plans for new high schools:
So now we need to know more about College Board and Expeditionary Learning - who they are and how much they cost, since it looks like they are becoming embedded in our school district.
High School parents are slightly familiar with one aspect of the College Board, since they administer the PSAT & SAT, plus the AP courses.
And certainly School Without Walls is a testament to the expeditionary learning philosophy, but Expeditionary Learning is also a company, as far as I can tell.
As an aside, I am beginning to have a problem with these ‘College Prep Academies’ - are not ALL high schools supposed to be ‘college prep’?
On planned changes in school configuration:
I attended the RCSD board meeting last night. … J.C. said there would be more opportunity for kids around the city to enroll in the IB program. I didn’t know that there were enough spots now. Will there still be a rigorous entrance procedure as proscribed by the IB certification board or will it be watered down for ‘equality?’ When my kids leave grade 6, where will they be able to go and get a rigorous program in a safe environment other than SOTA? (When Wilson F becomes K-8, will there be any spots for ‘outsiders?’ Don’t these plans fly in the face of neighborhood schools and saving $ on busing? Will elementary kids still have to walk the 1 1/2 miles like JC instituted last year? What is the plan for the MAP program?
On teachers unions and mayoral control:
Teachers are highly educated professionals with Masters degrees and should not be represented by unions. Teachers should be able to rely on their talents and credentials and be rated and paid accordingly, as is done in most professions in the private sector. Tenure after 3 years? Ridiculous! Teachers who are willing to work with difficult student populations should be paid more, as should teachers who are really good at what they do. Everyone knows who the good teachers are, so let’s reward them. I’m for anything that will help us get better teachers in front of ALL our kids. The School Board hasn’t been able to get us there, so let Mayor Duffy try.
On why teachers care about their contracts:
Class size: Our contract currently limits my first grade class to 22 students. While this is still a large number, it sure beats 29, which, if we don’t have that guarantee, YOUR CHILDREN could be in a class with that many children. It is not unreasonable, either. When I started teaching, the first class I subbed in (which I also did my student teaching in) had 29 second graders, and that was only 11 years ago! As a parent, no way, no how, would I want my child in a class with more than 25 students. (as a side bar, I currently have 25 students in my first grade class… 3 more than the “contractual limit” because it was in the best interest of three particular students to “move in” with my class… all teachers, principals, and parents agreed this would be the best move educationally for these children, and they’ve been a delightful addition)
Duty free lunch: as it stands, I currently end up with about 20 minutes to eat, and prepare myself for the afternoon session with my children. Without the duty free lunch, I would not have those few precious moments to gather my thoughts, regroup, eat a few mouth fulls of salad and rejuvenate for the next 3 hours. The same goes for my planning period… those 25 minutes to make copies, fill out endless paperwork, prepare for the next lesson, and touch base with countless team members goes all too fast. This DOES affect the children of my class. For me to my prepared, peppy, upbeat self for them, I need to be able to have a few reality checks throughout the day… I would not want my child in a class with a burnt out, frustrated, and stressed out teacher!
Plus … School 19 wins national award, health grants for schools and community groups, national education standards, virtual college fair, President Obama’s Race to the Top, … and much more!
Question of the Week: What is parent involvement, and how do you get more of it?
We hear a lot about parent involvement, and how it’s key to our kids success — or lack of success — in school. What does parent involvement mean to you? How can the district help encourage more of it? Join the conversation at http://flowercityparents.org/forum/index.php?topic=1133.0
Feel free to answer previous questions of the week, too!
From our calendar:
Monday, March 15 (TODAY)
5 p.m. DEADLINE for parent applications to serve on a School Board committee.
http://flowercityparents.org/forum/index.php?topic=1081.0
6:30 pm - 7:30 pm School 12 PTA meeting with Dorothy Evans-Flaherty, the district’s new coordinator of Parent Engagement. All welcome. School #12 multi-purpose room, 999 South Ave.
Thursday, March 18
1 p.m. Superintendent Brizard talks about high schools on WXXI’s 1370 Connection.
5:30 p.m. Office of Parent Engagement - Parent Institute on 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (RSVP by March 16)
Monday, March 22
7-9 p.m.School Board Listening Tour to obtain public input regarding the proposed 2010-11 RCSD budget; hosted by CAFEE at the Central Church of Christ at 101 South Plymouth.
Wednesday, March 24
6-8 p.m. School Board Listening Tour to obtain public input regarding the proposed 2010-11 RCSD budget; hosted by the PTA of the School of the Arts at 45 Prince Street.
Final Thoughts
Some of you may have noticed the “Donate” link that has appeared on the top bar of the forum page. If you click on it, it brings you to a link for making a Paypal donation. Flower City Parents Network’s expenses are small - about $100 for the web site, and another $100 or so for printing flyers - and if any of our loyal readers felt like chipping in a few dollars toward those costs, it would help us out a lot. (You don’t need a PayPal account to donate - but if you’d prefer to donate a more traditional way, checks and cash are welcome too.:) ) Thank you!
And thanks - as always - for your support.
Sincerely,
The Flower City Parents Network