The Perfect Focus
Finding focus in a blurry world…
I need my edumacation…
Rich on : Sunday, February 8th, 2009I have been trying to avoid the subject of education, as it is a VERY hot topic for me. It infuriates me to no end, how a simple few (the local school board) play and bicker like the children they cannot control in their own district. – They are like incessant whining children who throw temper-tantrums; until they get their way, and voters give in to simply shut them up.
Uniforms
Yep, after MANY years in “planning” our school district implemented a “relaxed” uniform policy. It’s more of a strong dress code then a uniform. – It’s Kaki or blue pants (no Denim.), blue or white dress or polo shirts (with or without school logo) but still considered dress like. Blue or Kaki Skort for the girls. Normal gym uniforms, as expected for most Middle School and High School kids.
I love this policy… Should have been enforced YEARS ago. What I hate about this policy is that it is some-what loosely enforced building to building… Shirts where to be TUCKED IN, and they are not… Shirts are still two sizes too big for many kids, and they simply look very sloppy… The kicker; teachers and school administration do not have to wear the uniforms… Seems to me, the whining (adult) children got their way.
If you are going to enforce a dress code, do it for ALL, not for some… This includes teachers. I don’t care what you spent on your “professional wardrobe” (I’ve seen better.) enforce the code; not do as I say, not as I do.
Spending Money
I could write a book on this, and how free the district is with our taxpayers money; in a town that has little to no jobs to support the way they spend; where more then one-half of the students receive free or reduced lunch… This all started a few years ago, when the idea of renovating our five over crowding elementary schools… The BRILLIANT idea of an Early Childhood Learning Center “Mega School” was put on the table. Essentially closing all five elementary schools and building a multi-million dollar “Mega School“, for about $52-million… in, wait for it… the ghetto area of town… Yea! Students from all over the district would then have to be bussed to the “Mega School” for grades K to 5th.
Voters promptly shot down this idea in the last election (I was one of them.) and a total gutting of the school board with new individuals who at that time promised to “Keep our neighborhood schools“… One year later, it’s still a hot topic… and one individual voted into the school board has since “changed their mind” about the “Mega School” concept, and votes yet again swing in favor of spending millions on this community protested project.
Don’t get me wrong something needs to be done, our schools are crowded. But for god sakes THINK before you spend millions of tax dollars, in a town with already very high tax’s and no jobs to show for it.
Are two better then one?
My final topic… Merger… As this has been discussed by PA Gov. Ed Rendell… A suggestion that neighboring school districts merge, and share resources. To this extend, I don’t think it’s a bad idea.
Evan Brandt – Pottstown Mercury:
In both districts, Pottstown and Pottsgrove, the catalyst for that talk has been the expense of school renovation and expansion projects now under consideration.As the Pottsgrove School Board listened to residents gathered Tuesday to offer input on the potential to renovate and expand Ringing Rocks Elementary and Pottsgrove High schools, attorney Paul Prince told them that before moving ahead, the Pottsgrove board should consider a merger with Pottstown that could save money by requiring fewer facilities.
Composed of the townships of West Pottsgrove, Upper Pottsgrove and Lower Pottsgrove, the Pottsgrove School District surrounds the borough of Pottstown and its self-contained school district on three sides.
So, what would you do? Personally, I do think two heads are better then one, as long as they can get along. But in two school districts that fight like bickering siblings, it could very well be a disaster waiting to happen.
Edit Update: Febuary 9th, 2009…
Evan Brandt – Pottstown Mercury:
“The borough ended the 2007 financial year with a $1.2 million deficit, a recently completed audit of that year’s books has found.” It was confirmed on page 62 of the 75-page full audit report provided by the borough at The Mercury’s request.
Please as always, share your thoughts in the comments section. Remember E-Mail addresses are not shown to the public.
6 Responses for "I need my edumacation…"
Rich, I encourage your attention and involvement locally – so long as it does not send you into a stress reaction. You have touched on many issues in this one post, but all are represented within the single concept of public education.
I think it doesn’t matter much what I think, in Texas, for what happens in PA. Here, there are 17 school districts in this county. There is often editorials in the paper on creating a mega-district. I believe the result will be fewer people in control of larger sums of money more distant from the students and more difficult for parents to influence spending. Do you think that is better?
We just met last week – do you have children, Rich?
Thankfully school board meetings are on Thursday nights; thats judo… So I don’t go, and for that very reason I stay away. How ever 2 of my students, their mother is on school board… We voted her in last year, she’s one of the “good guys”… So we do get some good info from her. …But she is still only one person in a group of many sharks.
I don’t know what to think about the “Mega District” concept. I think it’s great to share resources. But as mentioned by both local boards, and I quote… “never happen…” – Agreed too much power to any one group is a bad thing.
And no Barbara, I do not have children. I only teach them. How ever this is the same school district I went to, and survived; so I can comment on the lack of consistencies, in particularly my own Special Education, and IEP experiences that where non stop fights near the end of my education.
I agree! We have several schools in the county with this “relaxed uniform” policy and the kids don’t complain (no dorky skirts!) and the parents are enjoying it (no expensive labels!) and they do have belt/shirt tuck rules to follow. As for the teachers in my county, we have a really strict dress code too, however, in my opinion, I never notice it. Mainly because all professional outfits I have fit in the dress code, so it’s not a problem. Being a warm, beach town, it is rather hard some days to go to school in shoes when all we want to wear is flip-flops, but that’s what comes with professional dress.
So, this mega-school…I’m assuming that they thought throught the personalization of small class sizes when they proposed combining several schools into one right? Of course they did, they’re politicians, they’re perfect, remember!?!?
I don’t even want to touch the merger issue.
I left an award for your blog on my blog. In a bloggy sort of fashion.
Thanks Ally!
Hi Rich,
I just wanted to say thanks for all of your comments on Elijahland. I’m sometimes slow to respond to comments, but it means a lot to me.
In reference to this particular post, I think it’s great how passionate you are about your community.
And, I also wanted to mention that I am blown away by your photography. AMAZING stuff.
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