Now for a local focus – very local. I have a state post planned for later today, but this one is for the Burlingtonians.
As you know, Town Meeting Day is the first Tuesday in March, so I will be posting more frequently about local politics.
Yesterday, the Free Press had an article about this year’s school budget vote. They are asking for a 7.5% increase for their minimum proposal.
At this point in the process, there is a laundry list of things that the board would like money for, but that list will be pared down before the public votes.
A public hearing on budget scenarios is set for 7 p.m. Monday at Burlington High School.
One item that I thought was interesting was money to “help pay for math and reading coaches at city schools identified for poor performance under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. “
That has to be the best argument for NCLB I have heard. (And I am not a fan of NCLB.) What were they doing for these kids before NCLB?
This reminds me of a joke my husband made the other day: No Child Left Behind is better than No Child Kept Behind, when they used to push through students who couldn’t even read.
How true.
And how about this one:
Funding requests include money for a call alert system that the district has decided to implement in early 2008. The automated system will alert parents via e-mail, cell phone or land line of snow days or unexpected early release from school.
Are you kidding me? With a list of needs that far exceeds what the taxpayers can or will pay for, can’t we just make today’s pampered parents watch the TV or listen to the radio for the school closings, like we did in the olden days? (That’s a joke – the olden days; I’m only 31.)
Better yet, they can use this handy, dandy webtool, which is featured on the Burlington School District website.
At this early stage, it is important to get involved – before we vote on the budget. Attend the public meeting, if you can (or you might be able to watch it on RETN), and contact your school commissioners with your questions, suggestions, and concerns.
January 4th, 2008 at 12:34 am
Re: call alert…
You’ll probably agree with me on this one.. wasn’t half the fun of a snow day “in the olden days” sitting by the radio or tv to hear “two hour delay” or “closed”? Aside from wastefulness, it’s taking a lot of fun out of it.
January 4th, 2008 at 2:17 am
Burlington doesn’t need “coaches” to help teach math and reading. They need real, well-trained, well-paid, and well-motivated teachers that know how to teach math and reading. My Mom is a reading specialist in another state. They could have used that call alert system a few weeks ago down there when kids ended up being on school buses (and literally peeing in paper bags) till 10 PM because of an early release due to heavy snow. The next time there’s a school shooting in VT…you can bet your bottom dollar that parents will complain if they are not notified immediately.
NCLB is a trap meant to label as many schools as possible as “failing” so pressure can put on them to close down and be replaced with private schools. The concept of high-stakes testing never really worked in the first place in TX…that fact is well documented now. All school commitees should be abolished IMO…they add virtually nothing substantitive to the debate over school funding.