No Matter How You Slice It, There's Only One Pie
The House passed a supplemental funding bill this week that includes $10 billion to help keep school districts from laying off as many as 300,000 education-related employees. This amount is less than half of the $23 billion originally proposed in the Keep Educators Working Act, but it still has a tough fight ahead in the Senate.
While the amendment passed by a vote of 239-182, the bill it was amended to only passed by a 215-210 margin and faced opposition in the Senate because it adds to the deficit. Another potential problem is that it calls for $800 million in funding cuts from Obama's Race To The Top, charter school and other teacher incentive programs along with $11.2 billion in other offsets.
Democrats argue that we need to help states through these tough economic times while Republicans complain of the rising deficit. Another argument is that states and local governments should step up to the plate and make the hard decisions needed to keep our school districts in the black.
What do you think? Should Congress help school districts get through these tough economic times? Should state legislators step up to the plate and raise taxes or cut services to fund education? If so, which ones? Or should districts cut positions and/or salaries?
Please send your thoughts/comments to ElectShirley@gmail.com and I will post a recap of the best responses.
The Power of Win-Win-Win
The Sarasota County School Board has capitalized on the strength of the district's bonding ability and helped jump start our local economy. When our revenue available for capital projects plummeted from more than $200 million in 2007-2008 to a projected $72 million for 2010-2011, I voted to supplement the funds through the sale of Certificate of Participation bonds (COPS). Combined with zero interest federal bonds, this increased our construction budget by $215 million. Even with the new debt service, we will uphold our stringent policy of keeping debt under 50% of projected revenue at a time when many districts are struggling to meet the state-mandated 75% threshold.
In addition to helping our economy and giving jobs to hundreds of local workers, we were able to take advantage of the lowest interest rates and construction costs we have seen in years. This is truly a Win-Win-Win scenario.
1) Taxpayers get state-of-the-art schools built at low interest rates for much lower costs.
2) We provide much needed jobs to local workers.
3) And our students have updated facilities to learn skills they need to compete in a global, technology-based economy.
As our economy begins to recover, it is important to have board members who remember how we implemented innovative solutions during these difficult times to meet our obligations. We need board members who will hold legislators accountable about restoring the .5 mil in taxing authority they took from capital and moved to operating funds. This amounted to $21 million for Sarasota in the past year. My prior experience as a state legislator (1992-2000) will help us accomplish this.
Rendering of new Venice High School campus. Anticipated completion: 2014
Graduation, Celebrations, New Beginnings
Graduations all weekend! Sarasota High, Booker, Riverview, North Port on Saturday followed by Pine View & Cyesis on Sunday. I think I'll shake more hands at graduation than the entire campaign. It's great to see the graduates and know that they will be taking the lead in our country in just a few years. Remember how great you felt on graduation day?
It makes me feel proud to be helping to lead this A-rated school district into 21st century excellence knowing that our students have received an education that will serve them well in today's global economy!
Best wishes graduates! Congratulations proud family members! Thank you dedicated and conscientious teachers!
Memorial Day Memories
I marched in the Memorial Day Parade and personally went to each school's JROTC and/or marching band to thank them for coming out today.
Memorial Day is about coming together to honor those who gave their all. So it was an honor for me to acknowledge and express my gratitude today for the fearless men and women whose lives and service were given so that we may have liberty and freedom.
Memorial Day is also the unofficial beginning of summer and there are just a few short days before another school year draws to a close. I hope you and yours had a memorable Memorial Day weekend. Wishing you a safe and happy summer!
Miracle Workers by Taylor Mali
Sunday nights I lie awake—
as all teachers do—
and wait for sleep to come
like the last student in my class to arrive.
My grading is done, my lesson plans are in order,
and still sleep wanders the hallways like Lower School music.
I’m a teacher. This is what I do.
Like a builder builds, or a sculptor sculpts,
a preacher preaches, and a teacher teaches.
This is what we do.
We are experts in the art of explanation:
I know the difference between questions
to answer and questions to ask.
That's an excellent question.
What do you think?
If two boys are fighting, I break it up.
But if two girls are fighting, I wait until it’s over and then drag what’s left to the nurse’s office.
I’m not your mother, or your father, or your jailer, or your torturer, or your biggest fan in the whole wide world even if sometimes I am all of these things.
I know you can do these things I make you do.
That’s why I make you do them.
I’m a teacher. This is what I do.
Once in a restaurant, when the waiter asked me
if I wanted anything else, and I said, "No, thank you, just the check, please," and he said, "How about a look at the dessert menu?"
I knew I had become a teacher when I said, "What did I just say?
Please don’t make me repeat myself!"
In the quiet hours of the dawn
I write assignment sheets and print them
without spell checking them. Because I’m a teacher,
and teachers don’t make spelling mistakes.
So yes, as a matter of fact, the new dress code
will apply to all members of the 5th, 6th, and 7th grades;
and if you need an extension on your 55-paragraph essays
examining The Pubic Wars from an hysterical perspective
you may have only until January 31st.
I trust that won’t be a problem for anyone?
I like to lecture on love and speak on responsibility.
I hold forth on humility, compassion, eloquence, and honesty.
And when my students ask,
“Are we going to be responsible for this?”
I say, If not you, then who?
You think my generation will be responsible?
We’re the ones who got you into this mess,
now you are our only hope.
And when they say, “What we meant was, ‘Will we be tested on this?’”
I say Every single day of your lives!
Once, I put a pencil on the desk of a student who was digging in her backpack for a pencil.
But she didn’t see me do it, so when I walked, to the other side of the room and she raised her hand and asked if she could borrow a pencil, I intoned, In the name of Socrates and Jesus,
and all the gods of teaching, I declare you already possess everything you will ever need!
Shazzam!
“You are the weirdest teacher I have ever—”
Then she saw the pencil on her desk and screamed.
“You’re a miracle worker! How did you do that?”
I just gave you what I knew you needed
before you had to ask for it.
Education is the miracle, I’m just the worker.
But I’m a teacher.
And that’s what we do.