Conference 7.286::maynard

(Taken without permission from USA TODAY, June 17, 1991)

AUSTIN, Texas - A new "Robin Hood" school finance law gets a week-long state
court hearing beginning today.  
  Wealthy school districts - which would lose hundreds of millions of dollars
to poor districts - will argue the law is unconstitutional before District
Judge Scott McCown.
  Effective in September, the law aims to equalize funding among Texas' 1,066
school districts.  It includes $1.3 billion in new taxes over two years.
  Wealthy districts say the law will lower the quality of education.  Poor 
districts have complaints too, but most are willing to see it take effect.
  "They've traded excellence for equity." says Scott Smith, vice president of 
the Carrollton-Farmers Branch school board.  His district and neighboring
Coppell district, both near Dallas, initiated the challenge.  Both would lose
tax money under the plan.
  Courts have imposed equalized school funding on more than a dozen states.
In Texas the Legislature needed several special sessions last year to come
up with a plan that ultimately was rejected by the state Supreme Court.
  The new plan was passed and signed by Gov. Ann Richards this spring, averting
court takeover of schools.  The law:
  >Sets a statewide minimum tax rate while capping wealthy districts' tax
rates.
  >Creates 188 education taxing districts, set up largely along county lines,
to redistribute property taxes from richer to poorer districts.
  >Sets minimum per-pupil funding at $2,800 by 1994, still below the national
average of $5,400 per student.
  Carrollton-Farmers Branch will lose $14 million, enough to pay half of its 
1,200 teachers.  "That's just the kind of whammy education can't stand,"
says Earl Luna, a Dallas lawyer representing the district.
  Wealthy districts claim the law sets up what amounts to a state-imposed 
property tax and forces schools to share money; the districts claim both
actions are constitutionally banned.
  Says Al Kauffman, a lawyer with the Mexican American Legal Defense and
Education Fund, which argued the original case on behalf of San Antonio's
Edgewood School District, "It's basically fair, but it still allows advantages
to the very wealthy districts."
  Appeals to the state Supreme Court are expected.
    

    Why do people think more money for education means better education.
    Can someone answer this?
    

    Re: .0, .1  
    
    Thank you for starting this topic.  It has the potential to provide
    valuable input from a wide range of employees.  I hope everyone feels
    free to contribute should they have any additional ideas.
    
    Jan. 1960 - "Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you
    can do for your country."  -- JFK
    
    June 1991 - "Ask not what your town can do for you, but ask what you
    can do for your town."
    
    Here are a couple of ideas to consider.  Some may already be
    implemented, but they can be used as a basis for discussion.
    
        First, I see a need to rebuild the moral, and heal the wounds, of 
        parents of school-aged children that are currently, or will soon be, 
        in the Maynard School System.  Maynard has made the national news due
        to the controversy generated by our opinions on the future of our
        school system.  We have the *potential* to grow from this, which in
        turn, could reap a model school system.  We constantly speak of
        challenging our chilren in this notesfile, on the topics of education.  
        I suggest that we challenge OURSELVES to assist in this process.
    
    
    Now onto the ideas section of my reply...
    
    1.  Direction.  Whether it comes from the School Committee or the
        Selectman's Office.  Write a letter to the Beacon asking for all the 
        people who were active in this regionalization issue, to establish a 
        new group, or think tank if you want to call it that, looking for 
        ideas to improve/support the Maynard Schools.
    
    2.  Have a spokesperson from that group contact the head of the senior
        citizens group (his name escapes me at the moment), and ask for
        volunteers:  i.e., reading, writing, tutoring, working with the
        schools.  Something like 19% of Maynard's population is senior
        citizens.  If they were to become more involved in some way,
        benefits could be received by both sides (i.e., students could in 
        turn volunteer some of their time to spend with the elderly).
    
        I know there are a great many parental volunteers at the elementary
        school level, but I'm not sure what the participation rate is at
        the other schools.
    
    3.  Send out a letter to all Maynard Alumni asking for support (and
        money if possible), as is done at the college/university level.
        Helen Ketola has such a list.
    
    4.  Propose that the Booster Club run more events for sports and other
        school activities (not just sports!).
    
    5.  Have each school name a PR person (principals maybe) who is high and 
        upbeat on the kids, that can contribute articles to the Beacon praising
        students for recent achievements.
    
    6.  Ask parents to send ideas, or attend School Committee meetings,
        in regard to things they've heard from other cities and towns, on
        how they are coping with cuts in various areas.
    
    7.  Have the School Committee send a monthly letter to the Beacon on
        the status, accomplishments and goals for each month of the school
        year.  This is also an idea that the selectman's office/town 
        administrator and finance committee should consider.  Work
        together.
    
    8.  Ask parents and concerned citizens (of which there are many) to 
        volunteer X amount of hours per year to help upgrade the school
        facilities (painting, cleaning windows, ground work, etc.).  These
        programs work quite well at the parochial schools.
    
    9.  This may be much to ask, but monetary donations always come in
        handy.  Some people do have it.
    
    10. As parents, we could challenge our children to increase their
        reading activity during the summer months, in addition to the
        summer reading programs currently in place.
    
    11. Offer programs in partnership with DEC.  Many of the parents of 
        children work for Digital.  If upper management sees enthusiastic, 
        voluntary commitment being put forth by us, it is quite possible we
        could be offered DEC employees to either teach or present seminars on
        various technological or business subjects.
    
    Anyone else? 
    
        					Steve

RE: .2
    
>    Why do people think more money for education means better education.
>    Can someone answer this?
    

I think that most people feel that money is merely one of the necessary
ingredients.  For example, given the kind of responsibilities that our
society routinely heaps on teachers (in addition to instruction, they
provide the discipline, counseling, support, grounding, etc that used
to come from the student's extended family) they are grossly underpaid.
In principle, I like to see our better teachers get whopping pay raises.
How can our society claim to value education so highly, and turn around
and short-change the front-line soldiers?  It also sends a certain message
to the students themselves.  We should demonstrate our appreciation of
the teaching profession with real dollars, instead of adopting the
philosophic approach of: "teachers should be motivated by a higher calling".
(A school committee candidate told me that ...)  Odd how filthy lucre
is ok for DEC employees, but inappropriate for a teacher ...
Unfortunately, it means (for example) that those engineers who would like to 
enter the DEC teacher-training program would almost be guaranteed a pay cut.
This is a concrete case in which money restricts the field of applicants
for the teaching profession.

I recently heard (can't guarantee these figures) that the US has the third
highest per-capita educational spending in the world, but the 10'th, 30'th,
50'th (? - sorry) best education system.  Obviously, simply throwing money
at the school system solves nothing.  But, for example, directing additional
monies towards salaries, would be an intelligent use of funds, so long as
merit-reviews become part of the process.

And for an example close to home, my son just finished 7'th grade at Fowler.
He hasn't seen a computer since 5'th grade.  I don't know the real reason
(shame on me) but I suspect that the school budget is the root cause.  And
yes, I equate computer literacy with "goodness".

Well, I can philosophize all day, but just where is this money going to come
from?
    

RE: .3
>    11. Offer programs in partnership with DEC.  Many of the parents of 
>        children work for Digital.  If upper management sees enthusiastic, 
>        voluntary commitment being put forth by us, it is quite possible we
>        could be offered DEC employees to either teach or present seminars on
>        various technological or business subjects.
    

This is an idea that I've been thinking about a lot - it has a lot of merit.
And I believe you are correct in linking it to parental involvement.

I'm not aware of what financial or equipmental support that DEC
gives the town, but let me pose the following question:  why with one of
the largest computer manufacturers in the world headquartered right on
Main street, isn't our school system the most fully computer-equipped system
in the country (if not the world)?  Why doesn't each student have a display
on his desk (especially at the JH/HS level)? We have a small self-contained 
town - the perfect environment for testing the concept.  Maynard HS should
be a magnet school for secondary-level computer science as well as a leading
center of computer-assisted instruction.

Help me out here - what has been tried in the past?  What computers and
computer-related classes are available at Maynard HS?  What is the history
of computer usage at Fowler and what has happended to it lately?


    

    
    I have just scanned this note and will have to go back through it in
    detail one of these nights, but one thing caught my eye immediately.
    
    Steve mentioned in .3, item 11 "Offer programs in partnership with
    Digital".
    
    One of the things that became very clear to me during my time with the
    Charter Commission was that Maynard, like most local governments, never
    gives enough money or time for our employees to train to develop and
    improve their skills.  
    
    Well, as some of you already know, by Christmas, plus or minus, Digital
    will relocate Ed. Services from Bedford to Parker Street.  We (Digital)
    should open some of the professional development courses to the Town
    (and take the appropriate tax contribution write-off), for our teachers,
    department heads, day to day employees, etc.  
    
    	-  Imagine how much more sense our Town Meeting process would make
    if the person presenting an article had attended "Effective
    Presentations"?
    
    	-  Everyone in the Town Building should attend "Effective Team 
    Building", and "Negotiating Skills".
    
    	-  There are many others.  I don't have the catalogs in front of
    me.
    
    I would suggest that the new Town Administrator, working with the 
    Superintendent of Schools, be the focal point for developing a list
    of recommended professional development courses, and that the She/He
    work to Digital to find open slots in regularly scheduled Digital
    courses.  Open slots do not impact Digital's own Training program.
    
    More thoughts later when I have more time,
    Frank

.0> Now that regionalization is a matter for archeology, let's get on with the
.0> business of trying to improve the town school system.  
.0> 
.0> I have some real concerns about the immediate future:
.0> 
.0> 1.  Despite the fact that an "expanded" budget was approved in town meeting,
.0>     I'm afraid that the 2-1/2 override required to fund that budget may
.0>     not be approved in the general election.   

It's a short history, but it seems pretty clear.  Last year, when people got
organized to pass an override, it passed.  This year, most of the political
organization and promotion was aimed at electing candidates, and then at 
regionalization, and the override failed at the ballot box.

Also, some people weren't going to vote Yes to an override until the 
regionalization question was settled.

The Town Meeting vote in favor of the override budget was something like
several hundred to seventy.  It did not appear particularly controversial. 

Anyway, if people devote a fraction of the energy and concern which was
evidenced at Town Meeting, and use it to promote the override in the Fall,
then it will pass.

.0>     Money alone isn't sufficient
.0>     to improve things, but I don't see how we can make much progress without
.0>     a well-financed school system.  (But I can also understand how some 
.0>     residents feel another tax increase is intolerable.)  Catch-22?

As for the future prospect of overrides, one very hopeful factor is that the
current proposal is for a general override, not one for a specific department.
The old folks want the Council on Aging, the town employees want their
departments to get funds, people with kids want them to be educated, etc. 
Thus, if someone has a generous point of view they'll support the override,
but also if someone has a special-interest point of view, they will, too. If
the town is less divided over money than in the past, if all the departments
support each other's needs, we can make a very strong case. 

What can we do within the Maynard schools' 5.7 million school budget?
Acton/Boxboro is very good at maximizing the results they get from
their budget - we could do that too.  (Then they *tell* everyone about it;
this makes the requests for funds much more credible.)

One way to get the most "bang for the buck" might be to get help from the 
community.  Perhaps we could have citizens with financial expertise on the
School Committee's budget subcommittee. 

.0> 2.  With two teenagers in the school system,  I can't afford to wait for
.0>     the next 5-year plan to bring about change.  

The Long Range Plan has to be implemented: some work should happen very soon,
other work will take years.  The School Committee needs to determine a
structure to make this happen.

.0>     My wife and I can (and must) raise our
.0>     level of involvement - but we can only augment what the school system
.0>     provides.

For public education to succeed, it needs the support and commitment of
the community, School Committee, and administration. Public involvement
will likely be the key thing - you can't just buy the education you want
for your kids, you have to participate. 

Just to float a few additional ideas...
We could have a forum to get ideas from the public.
We could create a strong volunteer program in the schools.  I already
mentioned the idea of help with the budget.  Perhaps you could teach for an
afternoon, in your area of expertise. Perhaps you could fundraise for a
particular program. 

The School Committee is the community's voice in the school system.  
Make sure they know what you think.

-Steve

    What I got form these last months and from the town meeting is Maynard
    wants a change for the school system.  I feel Maynard needs to better
    fund our school system.  We need to support athletics in the Jr. High
    School, music programs, school busing, crossing guards etc..  Funding
    comes from many ways like taxation, donations, user fees, fund raising
    and more.  With all the interest in the schools, I think we have a
    good start. Let us keep this interest to help inprove our schools.
    
    DEC sends tons of usable equipment to salvage.  DEC  has donated
    new equipment to towns to use.  We should explore these routes to get
    our schools updated with some computer equipment.  An earlier note
    stated with DEC's headquarters in Maynard, you would think that Maynard
    would have the best, newest, state of the art computer system for our
    school system.  I think this would be good PR for DEC.
    
    Let's all show our support at the next school committee meeting that
    they have to hold it outside.   Just kidding!

    Re: DEC and Maynard
    
    I would encourage all that are thinking along these lines to please
    consider that "throwing hardware at the problem" is not the right way
    to have DEC help Maynard.
    
    Digital and the Maynard schools already have a relationship (a
    committee or working group).  Digital, in the recent past, offered to
    provide computers to the school - and Maynard (wisely, I believe)
    declined.   The school system needs and wants more from Digital than
    just a pile of hardware - and they should get it (and I don't mean
    dollars either).   Forging a good relationship with Digital and the
    Maynard schools can be one of the main components in revitalizing our
    school system - but we have to maximize the returns on investment in
    both directions (Maynard gets something, and Digital should get
    something).  This should not be done hastily, but now that the smoke
    has cleared perhaps those involved can begin to move with some vigor.
    
    - dave
    
    p.s.  A number of months ago I gave Don Cranson (MHS principal) a
    multi-year commitment of my time to assist the school improve their
    science, math, and ethics programs.  I have already begun that
    commitment by forging ties with NASA and the school, and I will be
    working this summer to further my involvement in other areas.
    
    I'm doing this because I'm selfish.  It'll be 2 years before my first
    child reaches high school, and I want to everything I can to make the
    school a better place to learn.  I did this by offering MHS my
    services, and not specifying what my agenda is.  I will be working with
    both staff and teachers in a way that best fits their needs.   I also
    understand that schools are institutions, and they change rather slowly
    - this is why I made a multi-year commitment.  I don't expect
    everything I hope to achieve to be done next year or even the year
    after.  I also recognize that schools teachers and staff are education
    professionals - and I'm an amateur.  I don't expect teachers to come in
    and tell me how to do engineering, they don't need lectures from me on
    how to teach.
    
    Pick an area, set your expectations properly, and commit to it.  My
    family supports me, and Digital supports me in these efforts.  I'm in
    for the long haul.

>    Pick an area, set your expectations properly, and commit to it.  My
>   family supports me, and Digital supports me in these efforts.  I'm in
>    for the long haul.


Dave, can you elaborate a bit on how Digital supports you?

    

    Does Digital have any program that has employees tutoring students in
    the math and sciences?
    
    My sister in Dallas is currently tutoring basic math to freshmen at a
    public school thru some program where she works (I need to get more
    info about this).  It sounds like a wonderful idea, and imagine the
    help to the students!
    
    Annette

    Digital has programs which allow employees to participate in volunteer
    activites on a part-time basis (or so I've been led to understand).
    I haven't formally participated in this.
    
    As for me, I have an understanding/agreement with
    my supervisor to take time off now and then to work on these things.
    The working environment of my group is one that I feel will support me
    when I need to expand my commitments temporarily.
    
    - dave

    I've been away from my office for the past two days and again I'm 
    just scanning notes and need to spend more time, but we seem to
    be locking onto a good theme.
    
    Before all the Digital Employees in Maynard begin to make individual
    requests to Digital for help, hardware, etc., I have been talking to
    Arthur Filz, Steve Pomphret, and Anne Flood for many months about 
    how we need to formulate an "official" Town of Maynard automation
    strategy to present to Digital.  Anne Flood has made a first pass
    contact with Community Relations, so please don't go begging on 
    your own.  Now that the "R" word is over, I expect that the new
    Town Administrator and the expanded five member Board of Selectmen
    will establish a committee to set up a formal working relationship
    with Digital in order to make Maynard a "showcase" for municipal
    government using Digital hardware, software and networks.
    
    When that committee is established, we have all the Digital resources
    we need among our residents to design, plan and implement a state of
    the art extended LAN that will tie all Town functions into a single
    system. 
    
    I'll keep you informed on our progress.  If you're interested in 
    adding your technical expertise to this effort, please send me 
    mail directly at SENIOR::IGNACHUCK, or to THOTH::FILZ.  Arthur
    has been working alone on the Town's VAX for years and could use
    your programming and software help.
    
    Frank
    
    Regards,
    Frank 

    As we dust ourselves off, how about something simple and subtle?
    How about signs at the entrances to Maynard that read:
    
    			WELCOME TO TIGERTOWN
    
    Nicely done, with a Tiger face and professional lettering.
    
    Particularly one on Rte. 27 near the Country Club.........
    
    Frank

    Call me an I will tell you all about DEC and what I have done for the
    last 10 year and what I tried to do.
    
    
    Art Filz
    223-2033

    I just finish reading the notes of DEC and the Maynard school system.
    And like everything else in DEC we talk alot an say alot but don't do
    anything. I have. I got the school there 2nd DEC system for 100%
    donation. I was involed in get the 11-44 for the high school. I wired
    the whole high school for them to put terminals in most of the class
    rooms I help with the software. Yet when I asked DEC people to help
    I got I DON"T HAVE THE TIME. 
    
    
    STOP TALKING AND START DOING THINKS
    
    RIGHT KNOW I AM INVOLVED WITH THE HIGH SCHOOL IN COMING UP WITH A NEW
    SYSTEM NETWORKING TO THE APPLES TO THE OTHER SCHOOLS AND TO THE TOWN.
    
    IF ANYONE WANTS TO HELP ME CALL 223-2033
    
    art

RE: Note 305.16 by THOTH::FILZ

Hi, Art,

In June I submitted a proposal to Dr. Ciardi to present to the DEC/MPS
liaison group to use DECTALK to aid in teaching foreign languages.  

If the proposal is accepted, then the configuration will either be a box (or
boxes) hanging off the comm, general-purpose or printer port of a PC, or a
stand-alone uVAX or PDP-11 (One flavor of DECVOICE requires a Q-bus; I have
some doubts that the 11/44 would be suitable for this). 

If the proposal flies, then I will be busy.  Otherwise I will try to help
you out. 

:-)

John