An Exchange on School Business/Busyness

[tonysam]

Comment: It appears the Washoe County (Nevada) Board of Trustees has been brainwashed with Eli Broad rhetoric. A snip from within the article by one of the board members, most of whom have connections with the district by having been former employees--a real conflict of interest, if you know what I mean, and should not be allowed:


Data Summit

My fellow Trustees and I, together with parents, community and employee association representatives, recently attended a staff presentation of data related to the district's performance against its strategic plan (Blueprint for Student Success). The purpose of this data summit was to specifically evaluate progress made during the 2008-09 school year, to establish key indicators and to begin the planning process for the 2010-11 school year.

During the day we received a vast range of data. Some of it good, some of it not so good.

We feel the hard work must now start as we begin to consider what we are doing well and can do better, what we are not doing well and what we must urgently improve. Of course, we need to be mindful of the budget implications, but that will not be used as an excuse not to do what we must do. We are skilled in using the funding we have to the maximum benefit of students. We will continue to work with Superintendent Morrison, parents, the community, employee associations, and our staff to look at ways to make positive changes.
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This entire column talking about data this, data that, buildings and so on, elicited this response (from the link):
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You never fail to amaze me. You brag about money coming from the government. Ok. You brag about data. Ok. You brag about bonds being now used for older schools. Ok. You brag about your highly rated audit. Ok.

I am curious: what happened to the children? Where are they in all this chest-thumping? When did children stop being first, and money and data take over?

You are not the school district I once taught in: We taught children.

You teach data and for the money--data and correct audits.

When did all the children die--and why?


link
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Comment: Not to mention asking how much money has the district wasted defending itself against lawsuits or wasting money on puppet hearing officers to push through bogus terminations.