and the blog has gotten the short end of the stick.
A friend said recently, Thank god you put up the Pencader thing, it was getting old over there...
But, the goal here isn't to haunt Pencader. It's to highlight issues that affect our children and our educators. I was penning (do we still "pen" things in the QWERTY age?) a response to Kilroy when I realized I really needed to add some thoughts here on the issue of Class Size.
The Waiver - it's an annual gauntlet that school board's walk thanks to a teethless law that fails to support students. Christina ambled down the plank earlier this week with four board members in support of the waiver and the usual three in opposition. Without fail, sometime during the night someone uttered we're dysfunctional b/c we debate so passionately. And around midnight the board adjourned.
Remember when I used to post summaries of these meetings? My, how times have changed.
I have decided that Christina's board is NOT dysfunctional. It is comprised of passionate people, some, volunteer citizens who have taken up the cause of education our children and some, who claw on for personal gain. I really don't care for the motivation anymore as much as I do the challenge. Christina's challenge - Give up the comfortable practices that don't help kids learn such as applying the Class Size Waiver!
Delaware has a law that in the least advises that K-3rd grade classrooms should be capped at 22 students. If one classroom exceeds that cap, school boards are given an out - the law includes a waiver option that must be passed by mid-December. Christina historically tackles this in November. Each year is remarkably similar to the previous. These are the schools and classes that need waivers. This is the financial impact of not granting a waiver. If you do not grant the waiver, the district must apply its local funds to cover the resulting incurred costs.
This year, in the Capital school district, two board members challenged the waiver. What struck me was the logic behind the challenge. 1. Going along to get along does not challenge the DOE to engage in meaningful reform. 2. Not taking the waiver as a means to call DOE's bluff.
I'm impressed. Though I have always seen the waiver as something needing legislative reform, I have always believed that CSD would assume the costs associated with not applying the waiver. These fellows in Capital spun the conversation in a new direction - as an accountability measure against DOE. Yes, I am openly a part of sleeper movement that believes that our DOE is inept. Multiple dealings in recent months over PZ, RTTT, and FOCUS schools has bouyed that belief. I also know firsthand, that if DOE and our Governor believe a school district is challenging their authority and their agenda, they WILL enact the process of freezing and withdrawing state and federal funds from a district. They WILL bully boards into concession. And they WILL without fail claim it is in the best interest of our children to behave in this manner. And I am here to tell you that all of these behaviors are vindictive and rooted in personal agendas and that they WILL NEVER result in longitudinal improvements in Delaware's schools.
Why won't our Governor or DOE support boards that do not want the waiver? B/c the only people who gain from this action are the teachers that will be hired to teach the students and the students who will benefit from having more personal interactions with their teachers. There is no financial gain for contractors, consultants, inner circle businessmen, or Wireless Generation. This action will not propel the Governor into the National spotlight. It will not further a charter agenda or enrich those wishing to privatize education. THE ONLY BENEFICIARIES ARE CHILDREN AND EDUCATORS. And that is why our Dover leadership will not support a board that fails to apply for the class-size waiver.
I've said it before and I'll say again - DOE HATES KIDS!
CHILDREN & EDUCATORS 1ST
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