In a recent letter to the editor in the SkyHi Daily News, a concerned citizen (who is a middle school social studies teacher :) writes about their distaste for mis-statement of facts from some other letter writers, but my favorite part is this:
"As for Reggie Paulk's rambling nonsense, I don't even know what his point was. But I do know that he has a website, has time to fly a small airplane and write a lot of letters to public officials."(SHDN)
You may be right about the rambling part and the website, but I don't have the time or the money to fly a small airplane, although I use to be a flight instructor. I don't have the time--but a duty--to write our public officials. And to keep others in our community aware of the broader picture.
Thank you for your letter.
If you'd like to rip on me right here, please do so in the 'comments' section below!
If you'd like to rip on me right here, please do so in the 'comments' section below!
Hey man, why don't you get out of your airplane, and quit rambling, and write a letter that makes some sense.
ReplyDeleteI'll do my best, anonymous dude... dudet?
ReplyDeleteHow about some more pennies...... hahahaha
ReplyDeleteA lot of people really enjoyed that presentation--of course, kindergartners appreciate simplicity.
ReplyDeleteJust wondering what you think the school district should do?
ReplyDeleteI stated in a letter to the editor that the current leadership needs to step down, and the administration resign. No one has any true grievance against them--they are just not the appropriate people to be making future decisions, and this would be the fastest way to start cleaning up the mess.
ReplyDeleteAfter that, we need to elect a new board with the singular focus of fixing the problems. There are more than a few people in the district qualified to do just that, and ready to step up to the plate.
We've reached what my brother, who's an electrical engineer, describes as the knee point. We are at the point with our school finances where permanent damage is being done to the district with each passing day.
So are you saying get rid of the administration for good. Meaning no administration at all? Do you think the schools should close or stay open?
ReplyDeleteAdministration right now is a major expense for the district, on top of many others. For now, yes, I believe no administration is the way forward.
ReplyDeleteIt's not up to me wether they stay open. I believe the district is in a corner, and their only option is a closure. There are some very good proposals that could help us avoid this scenario, but they involve thinking that may not be acceptable to the current leadership.
Hello Reggie,
ReplyDeleteI don't want to rip you - in fact my letter probably came off snottier than I intended. I just wanted you to know that I don't post anonymous letters, so if you were wondering if it was me - just know that it is not. This is Abby, and I will always sign my letters or comments.
Hey Abby, no harm, no foul. I actually meant for anyone to rip on me. Anyone who writes a letter to the editor or maintains a blog opens themselves up to public ridicule. It's part of public discourse, and the beauty of the First Amendment. Thank you for your honesty.
ReplyDeleteNo school administration. Boy that says a lot about how much you know about the operations of a school and a district. Teachers need to teach, so who is going to take care of all the things each of the principals do at each school, like discipline, and all the things the superintendent does each day. I do not think they sit around eating bon bons all day. I can see the district office from where I drive by the HS, and a lot of times I see Nancy's car in the parking lot over the weekend, so she puts in a full weeks of work plus. Another misinformed person who has an idea, but does not have the knowledge of how schools work, so the idea would be a disaster.
ReplyDelete@Anonymous... Your comment only tells me you live/work in Granby and have bias toward a person you obviously know from the car remark.
ReplyDeleteYou're what is called astroturf in Internet lingo... Look it up.
Is there anyone out there who has a retort other than calling me misinformed? Feel free to debate me. I've made the offer. The only condition is you'll have to reveal your identity.
Saying that we need no administration is thinking outside the box. How do you propose the school run with out any administration?
ReplyDelete@Anonymous, I think the answer to that question requires a bit more dedication than this comment box, so I am going to post the answer as regular post a bit later.
ReplyDeleteThe short answer is that the district receives its funding on a per-pupil basis determined by a state formula I am going to present as a separate post. The state has already come out with its projections for the 11-12 school year, and the numbers are pretty solid--meaning they don't change a lot during the year.
We have five school buildings, each with its own student count. I would propose putting the onus on the building-level administrator (principle) to keep their building within budget based on their total student enrollment. I've talked to principles about this, and it is a subject that is decidedly uncomfortable because this is outside their realm of experience. It has been done before though.
As an example, the Middle School currently spends approximately $7600 dollars per student. The cost of District administration tacks another $1200 per student onto that tag, for a total of $8800 dollars per student. For the 11-12 school year, the state worksheet shows we'll have about $8300 per student if we lose 70 students to end up with 1230 students district wide. That means the Middle School needs to come up with $500 per student in savings for the upcoming school year. Granby and Fraser are below those numbers, so they could actually stay relatively untouched. Grand Lake and the High School need some additional savings.
Keep in mind, due to mill levy overrides approved by our generous voters, the state says we SHOULD only be receiving $6200 per student! Now, how does that square with your thinking?
Here's my piece on school finance: http://grandcountyscoop.blogspot.com/2011/02/school-finance-101.html
ReplyDelete