Quality Education for All; Increasing the Pie
A while ago, Charlie Mas asked me why I thought there was so much animosity in Seattle towards the APP and Spectrum programs. At the time, I replied that I wasn't aware of any animosity.
If Charlie asked me the question now, I'd have a very different answer. The animosity towards the APP program (on the previous thread) and the Spectrum program (on several previous threads) is amazing and alarming to me.
The purpose statement for this blog, "Joining together across Seattle to fight for high quality public schools that educate all students to become passionate, lifelong learners" is something I really believe in.
I agree that students who struggle in school sometimes need extra help from the community-at-large in advocating for their needs and rights. And I believe deeply in the need to advocate for equity in public education.
But animosity among parents, by school, geographic area, or program, is disturbing and counterproductive. Every child deserves to have their educational needs met in our public schools. Every child deserves our support.
Over the last few days, I've been thinking about why such animosity exists. I thought about how I feel about that fact that some PTSA's raise enough money to hire additional staff for arts and music. I thought about how I feel when I hear parents from the more affluent parts of Seattle discussing their varied after-school offerings, including classes in several foreign languages. I thought about how I have felt, in any aspect of my life, when I am in a position of less power, money, or voice than others around me. I thought about how, when an organization disappoints me consistently, I begin to expect that behavior, while resenting it at the same time. With these thoughts in mind, the animosity that has been expressed on this blog and in other places begins to make sense.
As long as there are differences between school communities and their offerings depending upon the wealth of the neighborhood, as long as there are limited resources in a school and competition between academic programs for those resources, as long as there are differences among parent groups, whether real or perceived, in power, voice, and access to the district decision makers, as long as the district staff maintains a culture of inadequate communication and poor responsiveness to the needs of students, the conditions are ripe for divisive and non-productive animosity.
Parents, teachers and community members across Seattle need to acknowledge this reality and the roots of it, and then work together to combat it. The first step, in my opinion, is to organize around increasing funding of public schools in Washington. This is an issue that everyone can and should get behind. Maybe, by increasing the funding pie, we can begin to decrease the fighting over the crumbs.
If Charlie asked me the question now, I'd have a very different answer. The animosity towards the APP program (on the previous thread) and the Spectrum program (on several previous threads) is amazing and alarming to me.
The purpose statement for this blog, "Joining together across Seattle to fight for high quality public schools that educate all students to become passionate, lifelong learners" is something I really believe in.
I agree that students who struggle in school sometimes need extra help from the community-at-large in advocating for their needs and rights. And I believe deeply in the need to advocate for equity in public education.
But animosity among parents, by school, geographic area, or program, is disturbing and counterproductive. Every child deserves to have their educational needs met in our public schools. Every child deserves our support.
Over the last few days, I've been thinking about why such animosity exists. I thought about how I feel about that fact that some PTSA's raise enough money to hire additional staff for arts and music. I thought about how I feel when I hear parents from the more affluent parts of Seattle discussing their varied after-school offerings, including classes in several foreign languages. I thought about how I have felt, in any aspect of my life, when I am in a position of less power, money, or voice than others around me. I thought about how, when an organization disappoints me consistently, I begin to expect that behavior, while resenting it at the same time. With these thoughts in mind, the animosity that has been expressed on this blog and in other places begins to make sense.
As long as there are differences between school communities and their offerings depending upon the wealth of the neighborhood, as long as there are limited resources in a school and competition between academic programs for those resources, as long as there are differences among parent groups, whether real or perceived, in power, voice, and access to the district decision makers, as long as the district staff maintains a culture of inadequate communication and poor responsiveness to the needs of students, the conditions are ripe for divisive and non-productive animosity.
Parents, teachers and community members across Seattle need to acknowledge this reality and the roots of it, and then work together to combat it. The first step, in my opinion, is to organize around increasing funding of public schools in Washington. This is an issue that everyone can and should get behind. Maybe, by increasing the funding pie, we can begin to decrease the fighting over the crumbs.
Comments
Back in December, there was a DRAFT PTA funding report that showed total dollars per student which showed WSF dollars, I728, LAP, grants, and self-help (PTA) to come up with a final dollar/pupil number.
Do you know if that report was ever finalized from it's draft status? It was surprising data that showed many of the top schools with PTA fundraising were among the lowest for total dollars/pupil after adding in those PTA dollars
Tammie
But equitable funding doesn't mean equal funding. Children who need additional one-on-one or small group tutoring to reach grade level standards need and deserve more dollars per pupil. Children with learning disabilities and special needs need and deserve more dollars per pupil. Therefore, schools with greater numbers of those students should have higher dollar per pupil funding in order to achieve equitable funding.
You and I are in agreement on the equitable funding issue.
However, I would disagree with your examples. I believe the funding needs to be equitable to move every student forward one year on their learning during the school year. Whether APP, Specturm, special ed, bilingual, general ed, learning disabled, etc.
There are many issues that drive up and down the per student funding. LAP and I728 dollars increase funding per student. Low enrollment in classes increases costs per student with obvious benefits of low class sizes -- however, at some point the low enrollment costs become a burden to the availability dollars for other needed services. PTA dollars increase available dollars per student. Volunteer time in the classroom does not impact dollars, but does provide valuable services to students/teachers.
There are many issues to be "fixed" to improve the equitability for students.
Tammie
Issue briefings on WSPTA’s five Priority Issues
Pre-arranged visits with legislators and legislative staff
Brown bag lunch with fellow PTA members
Legislative committee hearings
A tour of the newly renovated Capitol Building
Networking with other advocates from your area
Additional learning opportunities
Call-in opportunities for those who cannot attend the
event in Olympia
Coordinate your trip to Olympia and your Legislator
It really works to have hundreds of people there and/or CALL your legislators on that day. Check out the Washington State PTSA website or the Washington State Legislature website for phone numbers to call for more info or to contact your legislator.
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/educatingmom/archives/111283.asp
-Gabrielle
In particular, I think we need some constraints on how the money can be spent and some constraints on what influence the money can buy.
Individual schools benefit by having a larger audience and probably higher bids
Ten percent the final bid for each item goes to a shared pool to be divided by all participating schools
Individual PTAs keep the remaining 90%
The city-wide auction could get around the restrictions that some companies have against supporting an individual school
Poor schools and rich schools could come together to support a single fundraiser, which in itself would be a good thing.
This might enable wealthy schools to maintain their current fund-raising targets, while also giving poorer schools a little shot in the arm.
A huge amount of work, however.
Brendan Works
If I'm not mistaken, Mercer Island School District has one big fund to which all fundraising revenues go & then dispersed out to the various schools. Or maybe it's a Foundation-type thing in addition to school-based fundraising. Anyone know? I realize that it is a tiny district compared to Seattle but the concept of contributing to one pot & then sharing is the same.
Anyone who thinks that PTA fundraising adds equity should read the above article. especially:
"University of Washington scholar Paul Hill rightly criticizes the current use of weighted-student-formula budgeting for ignoring the reality that staff salaries are the largest budget item in any school. In Houston, Edmonton, and Seattle, the school district pays teachers’ salaries and then charges schools based on the average salary of all teachers in the district. The result is that schools in wealthy neighborhoods, which tend to attract more experienced and therefore more expensive teachers, spend more on salaries than they actually pay for. Hill calls this a “hidden subsidy” to rich neighborhoods."
Anyone thinking that it is a no-brainer for the legislature to give us more money should also read the above article, especially the part where Seattle is an outlier with a Way Too Huge central office. I used to read how Seattle Schools asked for more money the legislature replied with "first clean up your act and spend what you have more wisely" and I used to think SSD was doing the best they could. Now I don't think so.
I'm interested to hear the result of his work.
I live in a more affluent neighborhood, and I can easily admit that lower-income kids need more funding, while still saying that I want more programs for my kids.
I would love for the state to fund more than 2 hours of kindergarten per day. I’d like every student who is qualified to take AP classes to be able to do so and for children who need extra help to get that as well.
I readily admit that I don’t know as much about the inner workings and wastefulness of the SSD as many people who post here, but it’s hard for me to believe that anyone thinks we are getting enough money from state and federal sources to effectively serve a population as beautifully diverse and complex as Seattle.
-Gabrielle
Why would you suggest that the reporter speak with Chris?
This guy is no friend of education, children or schools. He isn't even a reasonable or well informed (despite his nice manner and copious notes) opponent of the district. He gets way more press than his conspiracy theories/philosopy/axe to grind deserves and it's sad to see a site that advocates for education (even as the loyal opposition) publicize him and his views.
As my writing on this blog makes pretty clear, I'm a fan of open exchange of information and listening to (really listening to, not just hearing) different points of view.
On the issue of Seattle Public Schools funding and equity, Chris Jackins has an informed opinion to offer. Giving his name to an NPR reporter does not mean that I endorse or agree with his views.
I gave the reporter names and contact information for several people with differing opinions on school finance and equity issues in Seattle. I know the reporter will have no problem finding mainstream voices on the issue, so I identified people he might not otherwise find.
By the way, I also suggested the reporter speak with Don Alexander for the same reasons.
I can't think of a more unbalanced interview to establish an assessment of the funding model of Seattle schools.
Based on what you provided, there will be one activist parent, a school administrator, an activist who abhors all administrative decision making/spending by the district and a raving activist who feels every decision, suggestion, or opinion expressed or made by the district or non-black parent is racist.
That could be described as equitable, but I would not describe it as rational or reasonable.
True, everyone's reality is different, and their positions can and should help inform, but I've listened to them enough to 1) believe a fraction of what they assert, 2)to wish they had more constructive methods (how about bringing a carload of people to a board meeting, Don, and not shooting down every last anything with the insinuation there is deliberate intent to exclude African Americans? how about volunteering for an advisory committee, Chris?) - and 3) to believe there is some pathology in both cases...
The comments on this thread are really depressing me, especially since the point of my post was that we should try to decrease animosity between parents, schools and groups and find ways to work together towards common goals.
And, for the record, in my book, when any person volunteers their time to advocate for change in Seattle Public Schools, they have earned the right to be listened to. That doesn't mean I don't get frustrated or fed up with some of their comments, but I have absolutely learned important things from Chris Jackins, Don Alexander, and others who have been active in the district for many more years than I have.
http://www.seattlecouncilptsa.org/uploads/schoolbd_report05-06c.pdf
Note that the funds in the "Self Help" column to the right include those provided by PTA or local "Friends of.." and parent groups - but should not be construed to be:
a) all of that fundraising, or
b) ONLY that fundraising
Many people look at the number for their school and say "there is no way my PTA raised that much money" - and they're right, as the footnotes to the analysis explain.
Similarly, people could look and say "I know we raised more than that" - and be right. I'm pretty sure that only items that are paid to the district, e.g., staff subsidy, are counted there.
See also Charlie Mas' comparative analysis of the 2005-6 funding to two different schools
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cppsofseattle/message/462
Note - also on the PTA site is information about Focus Day tomorrow 2/15 (see also Mel's comment above). It kind of sounds like it's only for PTA, but don't let them have all the fun!
http://www.seattlecouncilptsa.org/article_64.shtml
Focus Day is an opportunity to visit, email, or call your legislator in Olympia to advocate for more (and more rational) state funding for public education in Washington.
And last - I think the Alliance for Education was intended to be the central fundraising pot that previous commenters have suggested - and probably is that central pot - but it's not super visible or transparent so it's hard for a layperson to know what money goes in or how it comes out.
broke my arm--hard to type. would love to discuss these and other issues. i have drop-in office hours every THURSDAY, 8-10 am at 3rd place books/honeybear bakeery at ne 65th st and 20th ave ne--all welcome![note change of day]
2005-6 Per Student Funding Analysis
Focus Day Thursday Feb 15
Charlie Mas post at CPPS Yahoo group
(might have to log in to the group for the last one)
Beth, I appreciate you trying to decrease animosity between groups, and think that you have accomplished that with this blog. Thank you!! Respectfully, however, I disagree with you on this one. There is not one person that I can think of that increases animosity more than Don Alexander, especially between racial groups. It is difficult to listen to what he has to say, when he infuses his views with his dislike and distrust of caucasions. If it were the other way around and a white activist spoke outwardly about their distrust and dislike of the Africn American community, we would all be appalled. Why should we tolerate it in reverse??? Just something to think about....
However, to be the first north end school to do it would be difficult.
I can see people saying, "Why should Whittier do it, when Laurelhurst doesn't. They raise more than we do."
I think this may have to come from the top down.
CS- Whittier Parent