Money Matters

Yesterday I discussed the idea, really, a fact, that money makes a difference when it comes to providing a quality education for our nation's youth. Aside from attracting and maintaining an excellent teaching staff, having an adequate amount of funds enables a school to properly resource the various programs in the building.

Here's but another way in which having enough money really does count. Those residents who can afford to provide funds to the school are also able to afford activity fees and can able to pay for ACT and SAT exams and classes prior to taking the exams. These parents are also able to afford tutors.

The list goes on. As you can see, money DOES matter.

Dick

Money MAKES a Difference

Whenever I hear critics of schools or those who say that providing more money to schools is simply 'throwing good money after bad' I cringe. I cringe because that simply isn't true.

Over the long haul, which is a must, schools having access to a treasure of funds is absolutely essential. Looked at it another way, show me some of the best performing schools (however one wants to measure it) and I'll bet you that they have ample money available for all sorts of resources...material and human.

How else can schools provide 1 to 1 computer work in the classroom? How else will schools be able to provide essential elective course work in Music, FACS, Tech Ed., Shop, Foreign Languages and Art? How else will schools be able to recruit and maintain a top flight teaching staff?

Money matters!

Dick

Who Are They?

THEY...

...question, research and study
...experiment, innovate and plan
...inspire, ask questions and command
...console, listen and suggest
...demand of themselves, their colleagues and students
...are always there, always ready, and always willing
...are our nation's teachers!!!
...are deserving of our support!!!

Dick

Let Me Say it Again...

There's nothing that beats a great teacher when it comes to student learning. Yeah, I know that's not exactly a bombshell. But it seems that in this day and age of so called 'school reform' we have looked at, tinkered with and promoted so many other technological or organizational changes (some are advances, others...well, I'm less convinced) that we have missed out on one of the key ingredients that must be addressed.

Encouraging, promoting, training, maintaining and rewarding possible teacher candidates and those already serving our children must become our clarion call to action. I don't care what you call the school, to ignore the need for high quality teachers or to think that they will suddenly appear is absolutely ludicrous.

Those of us who have taught, are teaching and care about the children must stay on this mission!

Thanks,
Dick

Persist

There are many urban and rural areas that are constantly underfunded and that can be by design or simply that the local economic base just can't sustain the needs of schools. In many cases those concerns are not easily addressed if the population is dwindling, property values are plummeting and people are leaving those areas.

But I have found that the schools we serve, in spite of the above obstacles, always seem to give it their all. I'm not trying to be flippant about this or use some trite/overused phrase. These students, staff members and other school personnel fight on.

The lesson I have learned over this 13-year period of time is to persist. And that is exactly what our charity, Schools Count, intends to do!!

Dick

Some Sincere Students

I have been witness to past student demonstrations/protests/calls to action over the years. One of the distinguishing features of the student demonstrations yesterday, one month to the day of the Parkland shooting deaths of 17 innocents, was the fact that it was a solemn and respectful day of remembrance and call to action.

Sometimes large protests can turn into a free for all or that there is simply a loss of focus. That can't be said of yesterday's student actions. From Maine to Florida and from Washington, DC to California, the images were the same. Students took 17 minutes to remember those children who have succumbed to school shootings and they did so in a variety of ways.

Some were silent for 17 minutes, others read the names of those lost, still others wrote cards of letters calling for gun reform. There actions were sensible, thoughtful and done in a positive fashion. It would be nice to have our government officials act in the same manner.

Dick

Schools - Students and Safety

I am well aware that today, March 14th, is the one month anniversary of the Parkland High School school shooting. There are many students in all 50 states who are voicing their support for Parkland families while also giving voice to the need to end mass gun massacres and to promote sensible gun safety.

I appreciate the students stepping forward in a constructive manner to say enough. To the students...thank you.

Dick Flesher

CPS Stability - Part II

The fact that CEO Janice Jackson has unequivocally stated that even if schools see a decrease in their enrollments they will not suffer budget and staff cuts for the coming school year. That's obviously a real relief to all concerned. One question - out of many that could be asked - why has it taken this long for the CPS brass to realize that stability is exactly one of the main elements needed for the children?

I get that enrollment has gone down in the district and that the state funding issue along with the CPS debt crisis has been a real burden. But stability has to be foremost in the concerns of any school district anywhere in the country no matter the issues.

Parents, students, individual school personnel and so many others have to know that their individual schools will maintain this type of quality year in and year out. Given some of the other forms of instability that certainly occurs in various neighborhoods, school stability must be counted upon.

Dick

Some Stability at CPS

In a radical departure, CPS schools will see some welcome changes with respect to budgets and staffing heading into the 2018-19 school year. Janice Jackson, CEO of the system, recently announced that schools will see NO cuts in staff and NO budget cuts for the start of the school year.

Jackson made these promises, and others, even though some schools may see a decrease in student enrollment. Ms. Jackson said that schools will maintain their current staff and budget levels even if they find that they have fewer students when the doors open in the fall.

Beyond this welcome news the head of the system promised that if some schools actually added children to their school population then CPS would see to it that they received additional funding.

This comes as welcome news to all involved; students, parents, teachers, administrators and others involved in providing the educational support needed by the children.

Dick

Campaign for Classrooms!!

Hinsdale Central High School students in the Campaign for Classrooms Club are eager to help students in Guayama, Puerto Rico get back to a degree of normalcy. As you can see from the flyer, a fundraiser will be held tomorrow, Saturday, March 10th at Chipotle in Westmont.

Please consider getting out to help the Central students, taking a break from making dinner and lending some assistance to their classmates in Puerto Rico!!! Please make sure you present the flyer to the cashier when placing your order. Yes, 50% of the proceeds go to the drive to help Guayama thrive!!

Dick

Music Comes to Chase Elementary

What an exciting time for Ian Stillmunks at Chase Elementary in Chicago. He is the Music Teacher at Chase and he's thrilled to get the after-school program up and running. Our charity is pleased to partner with Ian and Chase to help bring music to the students at Chase.

There is still an opportunity for you to partner with us by making a donation to Schools Count. Simply email me at rich219@comcast.net and we'll see to it that you are a part of this effort. There's nothing quite like the sound of music being heard in the halls of a school.

Thanks,
Dick

Campaign For Classrooms

I have often found the energy of young people to be quite invigorating whether in the classroom or some other venture. They always seem to possess that little bit extra if you will. The Hinsdale Central High School student group, Campaign For Classrooms, will hold a fundraiser for a school in Guayama, Puerto this Saturday, March 10th at the Westmont Chipotle (300 E. Ogden Ave.) from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm.

These young people, for the past few years, have sought to help schools and students in other parts of the world who need a helping hand. To be a part of their effort to make a difference in Puerto Rico simply contact me at rich219@comcast.net and I'll be pleased to email you a flyer which you will need to present to the cashier so that the funds accrue to Campaign for Classrooms.

This promises to be a wonderful event. 50% of your purchase will go directly to the kids in Puerto Rico. Easy, a great meal and a wonderful way to enable a group of students to make a profound difference!!!

Many thanks,
Dick

Shocking and Dismaying - Cutting School

Though I have just cracked open 'Cutting School' by Noliwe Rooks there's already much in her well researched book that should provide for a good deal of conversation not to mention that it ought to be a call to action. Rooks pulls no punches in tracing the long and harsh history of segregated schools right up to the present where economics, privatization, and segregation have joined forces to lead to what Rooks says is 'the end of public education.'

This is a book that delves deeply into the economics of school segregation and the vast number of experiments done in economically deprived areas, many operated by for-profit firms. The book makes clear that many federal plans by Democratic and Republican administrations have completely missed the mark.

Our charity has long worked in some of the poorest inner city schools and I have always found it distressing to see firsthand how the above forces have damaged public education in poor and largely segregated neighborhoods.

I want to make it a point to share some of the work of Rooks in the coming days and I hope you will take an interest in not only her work but the efforts that will be needed to overcome and erase some of the harm being done right now.

Dick

Ponder This

Okay, so the new tax bill allows private school tuition to be a tax deductible expense under the new tax law. One of the other provisions of the tax overhaul is that student loan interest WON'T be tax deductible. In a day and age when nearly everyone is clamoring for everyone to go to college then these two scenario's don't make sense.

And just so you know, my real issue is NOT the private school deduction it's the fact that those going to college to better themselves aren't able to write off the often extraordinary expense of interest on student loans. Looking at these two items side by side just doesn't mesh.

By the way, the student loan cost, with interest, for many students, is often sky high. In the whole scheme of things this issue, going forward, is likely to be a huge drag on the overall economy. In fact the ballooning effect of huge student loan debts nationwide reflect a striking resemblance to the mortgage crisis of 2007-10.

Dick

It's a Done Deal

As expected, yesterday, the Chicago Public School's Board of Education unanimously voted to close all four Englewood high schools as they have declining enrollments. As one would anticipate, students and parents voiced both their disapproval and frustration with the unanimous decision to no avail.

A new high school, at the cost of $85 million will be erected on the current site of Robeson High School. The new building will be open to Freshmen in the fall of 2019. At a deal struck earlier the students currently attending Hope, Harper, Team Englewood and Robeson will be able to finish high school at their current schools.

And therein lies a real lingering concern. Just how will these students be treated? Will they have the very best teachers? Will they have a broad spectrum of courses to choose from and will they have extracurricular opportunities? It seems clear to me that the students will be shortchanged and that is the REAL problem.

Dick