Ask the Community? There's a Thought
The Bellevue City blog had this post about their budget woes and how they are figuring it all out:
In an unusual but likely to be appreciated move, leaders are seeking direct input on how to reduce the school district budget from all stakeholders, including parents, using two methods: community information sessions and a budget priorities survey.
There are two scheduled community information sessions on the 2010-11 budget remaining:
March 18 (today!), Sammamish High School Cafeteria, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
March 24, Interlake High School PAC, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
At these meetings, you will have an opportunity to learn more about the context and background of the reductions/increases needed, as well as where Bellevue fits among area school districts in its spending priorities, before you complete your survey.
Give you background and context? And, they provide a PDF document that explains terms and issues so when you are taking the survey you don't say, "I wonder what that is? What are those administrators thinking? That maybe we're all in this together and parents might have priorities that could surprise (and help) administrators and that parents and communities might have some ideas that the district didn't think of?
Direct Input from all stakeholders. Well, I guess a girl can dream.
I haven't finished watching the Board meeting. They just need to change the format on these "reports" to the Board from various departments. Last night's was math and this was surely a time that it could have been done at a Work Session. Most people attend the Board meeting for the Action or Intro items and it just is so tedious (mostly) to have to wait for them to come.
In an unusual but likely to be appreciated move, leaders are seeking direct input on how to reduce the school district budget from all stakeholders, including parents, using two methods: community information sessions and a budget priorities survey.
There are two scheduled community information sessions on the 2010-11 budget remaining:
March 18 (today!), Sammamish High School Cafeteria, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
March 24, Interlake High School PAC, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
At these meetings, you will have an opportunity to learn more about the context and background of the reductions/increases needed, as well as where Bellevue fits among area school districts in its spending priorities, before you complete your survey.
Give you background and context? And, they provide a PDF document that explains terms and issues so when you are taking the survey you don't say, "I wonder what that is? What are those administrators thinking? That maybe we're all in this together and parents might have priorities that could surprise (and help) administrators and that parents and communities might have some ideas that the district didn't think of?
Direct Input from all stakeholders. Well, I guess a girl can dream.
I haven't finished watching the Board meeting. They just need to change the format on these "reports" to the Board from various departments. Last night's was math and this was surely a time that it could have been done at a Work Session. Most people attend the Board meeting for the Action or Intro items and it just is so tedious (mostly) to have to wait for them to come.
Comments
This board has an agenda driven Gang-of-Four that is delivering the goods to their benefactors who bought their seats. Whether for good or evil, that's reality.
Most of the Board comes to any meeting or public coffee-talk with scripted responses, excuses, or completely fabricated "evidence" like Sherry Carr's claim that "the community wants performance management?" Really? Gee, I must have missed the placards, picket signs and mass demonstrations for it. The community wants "accountability" as well as "transparency" and, God Forbid, "representation" but nooooooooo, instead we get some pre-cooked performance management scheme that puts teachers and principals dead center in the cross-hairs. Community engagement? Are you kidding? Seriously, if it hasn't happened by now, it ain't gonna. Put a fork in it.
The Board meetings have become a joke and the Gang of Four's votes are a lock. Forget about this Board. Their a waste of your time. Spend your energies on campaign contribution limits and tossing these wholly-owned board directors out the next time around. Nothing else will work. The carnage is laying before their eyes, but they just keep carpet bombing in the name of "reforms," promising, someday, somehow, all the current acceptable losses will be worth it.
This time, they sneaked in "pay to play" provisions for athletics etc. If you look at the "future recommendations", they are looking at a slew of things including school closures.
here is some stuff I've been compiling:
http://tinyurl.com/2b9whpx