Budget Watch

Still no state budget - some might think that's not necessarily a bad thing, but when it comes to public K-12 education - it IS a huge deal.

Now districts all over the state have to choose between cutting programs (which have already been in place since the 1st week of school) or raise local property taxes.

Since the legislators missed their statutory deadline, therefore breaking the law, why can't we just throw the entire useless bunch in jail?

Using public education as a pawn in this crappity-crap-crap partisan debate is immoral and sickening to me.

PBCG Update

Just a quick note on the PBCG audit, the Racine Unified School Board Audit Committee will be meeting in executive session (closed to the public) on Monday, October 1st. The committee will be discussing the possibility of continuing the 2nd phase of the audit. As most of you are aware, the audit was released to the board on August 20th, so any decision made will DEFINITELY not be one made in haste.

Also, the full RUSD Board will meeting immediately after the committee meeting to discuss the ongoing negotiations with PBCG. Again, this meeting is in closed to the public, as allowed in Wisconsin statute 19.85 (1)(e). The sticking point, of course, is the $3.8M in unbilled incentives, which is based on future savings and revenue enhancements, NOT any realized savings.

Will the board send PBCG riding off into the sunset with money this district can ill afford, or will the RUSD board stand up for the children of this district? Facing another $3.8M shortfall will only hurt the children of this district with more cuts to the classroom.

Wouldn't it be nice?

Wouldn’t it be nice if our community came together for community-wide fundraising events like our neighbors in Oak Creek?

Judging by the overwhelming success of the creation of the Kids Cove and Kids Connection playgrounds, I do believe our community supports children, at least we support building them cool places to play.

How about we come together and build them cool places to learn?

Helping my child cheat?

Okay - I need your input on this one. Is checking over my child's homework cheating, or is it simply me doing my rightful job as a parent?

If my son asks me for help - I'll help, no questions asked. But if I see that he is having a difficult time with a new concept - I will spot check his other answers to see if he understands the new material. When I inform him that his other answers are wrong, and that he should look at them again - he completely FLIPS OUT and informs me that my checking over his answers is CHEATING! I calmly (OK, maybe not so calmly every time) that I am simply doing my job as a parent!

I believe this stems from an experience when he was in 3rd grade, when a long-term substitute told them that their homework was their own and any help from anyone (including parents) is cheating.

So I ask again, is helping a child with their homework or checking completed homework cheating? How do you handle homework in your household?

Wednesday's Word of the Day

Use the following word in a sentence; please refrain from using a dictionary to look up the meaning.

logorrhea (log-uh-RI-uh)

Good news, bad news

First the good news – overall Wisconsin did better than average on the latest NAEP test (the closest thing we have as a national standardized test).

Now the bad news – Wisconsin has the largest achievement gap when comparing black/white scores. Clearly, it would seem that Wisconsin is doing something wrong.

What can be done about this? More neighborhood schools, more busing, magnet schools, charter schools? What's the answer? We need to find it quickly - our state cannot afford to have this designation.

Must see TV

I am consciously trying to point out the positive things that are going on in the district - there is enough negativity to go around. In that same vein, I will withhold all my negative comments regarding the inter-personal dysfunction of the board (as a collective unit) from last night's meeting. You can see it for yourself - as I mentioned earlier this year the business meeting is now being taped and will be shown on Channel 20.

Currently, the August business meeting is being shown. Start looking for last night's meeting next week or so, or simply consult the Television Programming Guide found on the district's new website.

I will say this though, I hope Mr. Hazen (the new interim/permanent CFO) didn't run screaming from the building last night after witnessing what has become a normal occurrence in the board room.

RUSD gets new leadership

Tonight the RUSD board voted on, and approved, two separate recommendations from the Executive Search committee. The new RUSD interim superintendent will be Dr. Jackson Parker, and the interim/permanent chief financial officer for the district will be Mr. David Hazen. Both men have long and successful careers, and both have previous ties to the school district.

Dr. Jackson Parker started his teaching career in 1963 in Racine. He was one of the co-founders of Walden III, Racine’s most successful middle and high school. He went on to become a RUSD administrator, and left the district in 1989 to become the superintendent of Burlington’s school district. He retired from that position in 1997.

Mr. David Hazen has an extensive background in finance – he has an MBA and is a CPA, having his own successful business for over 20 years. He also served on the Racine Unified School District Board of Education from 1995-2003, two of those years as RUSD Board President. He is also a current Racine County Supervisor.

The district is lucky to have both of them on board. I have to be honest, my first choice for interim superintendent would have been Dr. Marguerite Vanden Wyngaard, but fate does work in mysterious ways. When one door closes, another opens - if Dr. V had to deal with the day-to-day dealings of the district, she would not have time to transform our secondary schools.

Dr. V unveiled her “Secondary Transformation” plan tonight for the RUSD board and the 4 people in the audience. Unfortunately the JT reporter had left by then, so I will probably be the only person talking about her visionary plan in the immediate future. I apologize up front for what I’m sure will be a never-ending discussion of her plans for the district.

RUSD Board to recommend interim superintendent?

Will the district be getting an interim superintendent soon?

It does appear that the board is closer to a decision in bringing some stability to the district since Dr. Hick's sudden departure 1 month ago. Tonight at 7:00PM is the regularly scheduled RUSD business meeting.By the action items on the agenda it does seem to indicate that the board is finally ready to publicly release possible choices for both interim superintendent and chief financial officer.

I imagine the recommendations will yield some very interesting and familiar names, simply because the situation at hand calls for candidates who are familiar with the trials and tribulations of the district.

Hopefully, the board can agree on the candidates chosen, so Dr. V (who is currently serving as acting superintendent) can continue with her mission to improve our schools academically.


Updated @ 2:48PM 9/24/07: The Journal Times is reporting retired Burlington administrator, Jackson Parker, is expected to be named interim superintendent. Mr. Parker has ties to RUSD which is good - an interim superintendent needs to jump right in and get things done. Having first-hand knowledge of the district will be a huge help.

The Summer of 64

Dr. Vanden Wyngaard, RUSD Chief Academic Officer and Acting Superintendent, was recently interviewed on the radio. The interview is a must-listen for anyone that is concerned about public education here in Racine.

I am not going to rehash everything she spoke of – but I do want to point out what I feel is pivotal for the continuing success of our schools. Most of the past focus has been at the elementary level – Dr. V is now looking at transforming our secondary schools. She knows, as many do, that for any reform to be successful, 90% of the direct stakeholders need to “buy-in” and commit 100% to the initiatives.

She spent the summer, dubbed as the “Summer of 64” with 64 RUSD employees (teachers, principals and others) working on this monumental task. It is my belief that past reform initiatives have suffered because of the inconsistent implementation – there is also the notion that former leaders of this district did not engage the staff in planning sessions, therefore alienating the front-line staff from the beginning.

It is completely refreshing to see a leader willing to engage her staff from the start! I am excited, (as I am sure others are) to see what comes out of the “Summer of 64” planning sessions.

Where is the outrage?

Where is the outrage? I cannot believe the lead story this morning was OJ being released on bail, when what is probably the biggest civil rights demonstration in my adult life is at this very minute happening in Jena, LA.

It is horrific for me to realize that in 2007, when we obviously still have racial injustices like this happening, the media only wants to focus on OJ and Britney.

Bringing home the "gold"

For those of you who don’t follow the world of education, you might not have heard of the Broad Prize. Like the Stanley Cup and Lombardi Trophy are for the NHL and NFL, the Broad Prize is the pinnacle of success for large urban school districts across this country.

The New York City school district, the largest in the country, is the latest recipient of this prestigious award. Why should I mention this and what in the heck does this have to do with our local schools?

You might be interested in knowing that RUSD has ambitions to bring home this prestigious award by 2010. In fact there are signs all over RUSD – Beat Atlanta – to continually remind RUSD employees of who is our biggest competition for this award.

Under Dr. V’s tutelage, this actually could happen, in my humble opinion. I think she is focused enough to accomplish this by drawing on her strengths in closing the achievement gap and realigning our curriculum. She has only just begun, and I am already seeing positive changes in the middle school curriculum.

Hopefully, the board will act expeditiously in bringing in a new superintendent and business manager, so Dr. V can concentrate on the teaching and learning division and finally making RUSD an academic success.

Am I a Republican? Seriously?

Sometime ago, when I first started this blogging thing, somehow I was placed on some blog roll that is “helping Wisconsin become a red state” or something to that effect. I did not seek this out, but you know what they say – as long as they spell your name right…

Now, I am finding that some readers are coming to my site via a Blognet RSS feed – again I did not seek this out, but have since included a link on my site for this feed.

What I want to know is this - once you all figure out that I am not a Republican (although I am fiscally conservative) will you still visit me daily? Please?

For the record, I am not a Democrat either. I prefer to think of myself as an independent voter who often “throws” her vote away on a 3rd party candidate, as both sides of the aisle quite often disgust and sicken me.

The wheels of government roll slowly - Part 3

Disclaimer: The comments below are my own feelings and interpretations - you may not agree with them. If you choose to comment, please be courteous and remember there are 2 sides to every story.

The way I see it is this - the RUSD board (and district as a whole) is at a crossroads right now. The steps that will be taken, or not taken, in the very immediate future will determine the district's path for many years to come.

Quite frankly, the public does not have a favorable view of the district - operationally speaking that is. Regardless of the very positive academic changes happening at this very minute in some of our schools, what happens at Central Office does not stay in Central Office. Central Office, like it or not, is not a vacuum.

The dysfunction of having outside consultants managing RUSD employees does not bode well for any RUSD stakeholder. The dysfunction of the board does not bode well either. Every board member needs to take the initiative and do their own part to save this district - don't wait to be asked. Just do it!

The only way for many to speak their mind is by voting, and that they are sure to do. I want everyone to understand that if decisions are not made quickly, the public is certain to lose faith in our schools. What will happen the next time a much needed referendum is on the table?

Do you really think that Racine has that short of a memory? Some very important decisions need to made quickly - I realize this mess is complicated and cannot be fixed in a short amount of time - but please start doing something!

Last night's meeting was a perfect example - 2 hours and nothing NEW was accomplished. I am grateful that the board has formalized its priorities, but nothing new or substantive was added to the already completed list of priorities. It's time to stop talking, the Racine schools need some action.

The wheels of government roll slowly - Part 2

I reported yesterday that I had expected the board to announce a candidate for interim superintendent last night - the board had even revised the agenda to accommodate this action.

But surprise! There wasn't any action on that item - in fact, the chair of the Search Committee (Kutz) did not have ANYTHING to report at all.

Have to admit, I wasn't surprised but I was disappointed, especially since I keep hearing from many of the board members how we have to "move on". How exactly can they do they if they just keep spinning their wheels?

The wheels of government roll slowly

The RUSD Board received the results of the 1st phase of the PBCG audit on August 20th. Today is September 18th - in other words, its been 29 days.

Do you think the RUSD Audit Committee has met to decide if a 2nd phase was necessary, or even talked about the results of the audit and possible remedial actions so the board does not make the same mistakes again?

Of course, the answer is NO. Not surprising, but still disappointing.

Re-engineering the way schools work

Our neighbors to the northwest in Waukesha will be experimenting with a new configuration of its schools - not by geographical boundaries, but by age - according to a recent JS article.

It is interesting to note that this exact grade configuration was recommended in the notorious Paullin Group facility study the RUSD board commissioned. The study, done almost 2 years now, is now most likely gathering dust on the former Superintendent of Buildings and Ground's bookshelves.

One of the reasons why nothing has been done with the study is most likely due to the price tag of the recommendations - $375M! I believe, in part, that the reason the board has not acted on any of the recommendations is because of the grade configurations that were included in the final report. You see, the board gave Dr. Paullin specific guidelines for the buildings (Pre K-6, 7-9 and 10-12). They did not ask for the K-3 schools that Waukesha is experimenting with in their district.

I understand there may be some educational benefit in grouping children this way, but the negative unintended consequences of such a configuration outweigh any benefits.

Do most parents really want to have children split up that way? Can you imagine trying to schedule parent-teacher conferences? It's bad enough now! Also what happens to a 3rd grader that reads a much higher level than her peers? Don't we want to have parents involved in the schools, how easy will that be if a parent has to be at more than location at a time?

Actually, I think that districts that have K-8 schools (Union Grove, Yorkville, and most of the parochial schools) are the ones that are doing it right. Studies have shown that changing schools is a traumatic enough experience; now we want to to change schools 4 or more times in their young lives? Does that make sense to anyone?

What do you think - should RUSD re-engineer the schools to a K-3, 4-6, 7-8, and 9-12 configuration as recommended in the Paullin Group Master Facility Plan?

Something missing from tonight's agenda?

Looking over the agenda for tonight's RUSD Board of Education's meeting, I realized there is a glaringly obvious item missing from the agenda - there isn't any discussion on the interim superintendent position. Last week's "special" board meeting hinted that the newly formed Executive Search Committee was going to bring forth a candidate to be voted on by the whole board this evening.

I realize that they cannot just appoint any Joe or Jane off the street for this position, but Dr. Hicks has been gone (unofficially) since August 24th - 3 weeks ago! As I understand it, interim postions are "normally" announced within a much shorter time frame. How long is this going to take?

Note to board, why not just take Kat's advice and look behind the milk. You may already have a perfect candidate in your midst...

Updated at 11:35AM 9-17-07: The agenda has now been revised to include discussion/action on the interim superintendent. The board has also noticed another closed meeting to be held before the open meeting. I guess I'll let them slide (this one time, LOL!) on that whole 24-hour rule that WI statutes regarding Open Meetings dictates.

Child predator remains free

Have you read this? As a parent of a young girl, I am much more than “stunned” by Judge Timothy Van Akkeren’s overturning of the jury’s guilty verdict. He based his decision on the premise the park shelter, where the bathrooms are located, was not a “secluded place” as required by state statute. I’m not even sure if there is word that describes my complete horror and disbelief…

Come on, a bathroom stall isn’t a secluded space? Racine residents, particularly parents of RUSD students, are very well aware of what can happen in a bathroom stall.

The police charge him, a jury convicts him, and a judge lets him go? THIS is our legal system??? Unbelievable!

I cannot even imagine the roller-coaster of emotions this little girl’s parents must be experiencing. First the horror of this happening to your child, then finally some kind of justice when the jury finds the defendant guilty – and THEN watching why the judge calmly dismiss the charges based on some weak interpretation of a state statute.

My heart goes out to these parents who now have to explain to their daughter why the “bad man” went free to hurt others…

This judge needs to be removed from office, now. Seriously.

H/T RDW

Update on special RUSD meeting

The RUSD board met briefly Wednesday to discuss the forming of the Executive Search committee and to formalize the PBCG renegotiation committee.

The following board members were approved for the Executive Search Committee:

Brian Dey
Susan Kutz (Chair)
Julie McKenna
Don Nielsen
Gretchen Warner

Don Nielsen and William Van Atta are handling the renegotiation of the now infamous PBCG contract.

In regards to the Executive Search Committee, Ms. McKenna posed a question. Legally, can 5 board members serve on a committee - especially since 5 board members constitute a forum? I'm glad she raised this question for the record, because I asked the same exact thing.

While the board was still waiting Wednesday evening for a legal response from counsel, it appears it may be legal - as long as all the recommendations from the committee are brought to the full board to be voted on and all meetings are properly noticed.

The board also met to discuss the search process and timeline for the Interim Superintendent and Business Manager position. The board, as has been reported on in the past, is seeking an interim superintendent and business manager to hold down the fort until permanent replacements can be found.

From what I gathered (before they adjourned to closed session), a candidate for the interim superintendent was going to be decided on that night and brought to the board next Monday to to be voted on.

On a related note, if they would only follow Kat's suggestion, we would already have the interim superintendent in place and the board could focus their attention elsewhere.

Should the Feds pay for safe routes to schools?

It’s not often that I agree with a JT Editorial Board commentary, but occasionally it does happen. The editorial staff is suggesting that the federal government should not be doling out funds to create safe walking routes to schools, and I agree.

It is primarily the responsibility of the parents to teach their children how to safely cross streets; remember when we were taught to look both ways? Hey, this is not rocket science and we certainly do not need waste federal tax dollars to assist parents in teaching their children some common sense!

For those communities that will be using federal funds to determine where sidewalks be placed, the best place for crossing guards, etc, I have a question. Isn’t that more the role of LOCAL government? If your community (like mine) doesn’t have sidewalks, isn’t that the responsibility of my local government?

Why should a taxpayer from Missouri be funding a study to determine the best walking routes for children from Wisconsin and other states? Our federal government spends way too much already; couldn’t the $612M be better spent somewhere else?

New curriculum focuses on writing

More good news, at least I predict so… The middle schools have a brand new English curriculum! While everyone else was enjoying the (mostly) beautiful summer we had, Dr. V and her staff were definitely working hard to overhaul the curriculum for our schools. I’m anticipating great things, as it appears to have much more emphasis on writing, which is one of the district's overall weaknesses.

Hopefully this means the homework activities will no longer include designing board games based on books read, and actually focus on how to write comprehensive book reports!

Contracts make for better students

Looking over my last few posts, I realized it was time to share some positive happenings here in the Racine area. School has begun, and for the first time in a very long time, my children look forward to going to school. Okay, maybe they are not jumping-up and down with excitement (although the younger one is close!), but there is definitely a different vibe this year – and that’s a good thing.

Since one of them is attending the same school as last year, I spent some time trying to figure out what is so different this year from last. They are so much more relaxed and seem confident of what it expected of them. The answer dawned on my earlier this week after I signed what seemed to be the 1000th piece of paper that had to be returned to school.

In each and every class at my son’s middle school, they have been told what to expect throughout the year – the grading policy, the tardiness policy, etc. I’m not suggesting that this has never happened before, but signed contracts (with the exception of Orchestra) are a first! Every classroom contract was signed by the teacher, the student AND the parent with clear objectives and goals – it makes the student “own” his academic performance and record. I’m sure it will also help hone the soft skills that are needed for success later in life.

I’m not sure if this is done at other schools in RUSD, but I think it definitely should be!

Still waiting for news on the PBCG settlement

It’s been, what, about 3 weeks now since the board received the preliminary report of the PBCG audit? Three weeks, and the public is still very much in the dark about PBCG’s future financial relationship with RUSD…

Is the RUSD board going to terminate their contract without any further payment, or will PBCG be given a lovely parting gift, courtesy of the taxpayers and the children of the district?

The way I see it is this – the board has 2 basic duties, and each of these duties are equally important. As elected officials, their first role is representing the taxpayers and the children of this community, and the second is representing the district in a professional and positive way. I fear that some board members are having difficulties addressing both of these duties simultaneously.

Trying to terminate the contract without any further payments could result in a lawsuit from PBCG – even though the audit shows that PBCG failed to perform even their most basic accounting duties. Many people believe that they have not held up their end of the bargain, so why should the district uphold theirs? Don’t even get me started on the unbilled incentives based on “revenue enhancements” (BTW, that is a code word for tax increases, not savings!)

However, lawsuits do have a tendency to get ugly and there may be some on the board who would rather try to make this all quietly go away, and spend millions doing so, in the name of bringing some kind of quick and painless closure for the district.

However, this action may have its own unintended consequences. I cannot believe that many of the Racine area residents will take this scenario lying down. Instead of having the RUSD board deal with important issues like grade configuration, busing, and other educational matters – the board may ultimately end up dealing with their own recall elections.

The alternative - standing up to PBCG and not paying them the unbilled incentives from the still unrealized savings and “revenue enhancements” - would be the righteous and noble thing to do, according to many in this community. It’s the “right thing” to do on the behalf of the taxpayers, and it’s definitely the best for the children within this district. Terminating the PBCG contract and paying them the contentious bonus will only take more money from all the classrooms in the district.

Let me put it this way – I’d rather have the district take their chances in a court fight then pay PBCG any kind of settlement outright. At least then I could respect the board for trying to represent the best interests of the taxpayers, the children they serve, and the district they represent.

September 11th

... and we will never forget.

RUSD seeks new administrator

For immediate posting:

Large, rural-suburban-urban school district seeks energetic administrator to lead into 21st century. Candidate must be dynamic and have a thick skin; must be willing to accept criticism from all sides at all times and be second-guessed on all decisions. The candidate should be embraced by the business community, community leaders, teaching staff, parents, and taxpayers regardless of how impossible that would be.

Job duties include:

1. Engaging apathetic community members.
2. Teaching parents how to be parents.
3. Raising test scores 100% in the first year. (Anything less will be considered a failure by the public).
4. Bringing innovation to the teaching and learning division in such a way that the teaching staff does not realize they are doing anything different.
5. A complete understanding of the budgeting process.
6. Ensuring every child’s bus ride is less than 10 minutes, additionally; door-to-door service must be provided for all.
7. All the above must be accomplished without spending any additional tax dollars.

Only qualified candidates need apply. Salary and benefits package will be determined by the local tax payer advocacy group.

PBCG under fire again

PBCG, the consultant group that manages the RUSD business office, is under fire once again – but not from the usual suspects, the angry torch-wielding public. This time it appears a RUSD board member, Brian Dey, is leading the charge. Mark Lindem, RUSD’s Chief Operations Officer, AND a PBCG employee, apparently faced problems with the last school district that employed him as its Business Manager.

For the record, I’m am going to state that being the Business Manager of a school district is a crap-shoot. A good business manager has to gamble sometimes – they have to create the schools budget before the state has completed their biennial budget. How exactly can someone plan long term for a district’s financial well-being when he/she doesn’t even know how much money the district will receive from the different taxing authorities? Factor in revenue caps, the QEO, and expensive mandates from NCLB and the average person’s head will start spinning like that little girl in the Exorcist.

However, with that said, Mr. Dey does make excellent points. He explains that because of our contract agreement with PBCG, PBCG was allowed to fill any position with whomever they deemed fit. I am fairly certain, if given a vote to extend a RUSD employment contract to Lindem, Dey and others on the board would have had some very serious concerns. In fact, Dey and others did have concerns when PBCG brought him on board last year, but because Lindem is technically not a RUSD employee, these concerns fell on deaf ears.

It certainly seems that many “concerns” have fallen on deaf ears since PBCG has taken up residence on Northwestern Avenue.

Using Google for good...

Oh, the things you find in cyberspace...

Armed with only a Pentium 4 processor, a wireless connection and a powerful search engine, one can find many, many interesting factoids on the web. While researching some information for a family member, I ran across a database referencing Wisconsin statutes; specifically Chapter 118, which covers General Schools Operations.

For example, look at this statute below:

118.24 School district administrator. (1) A school board may employ a school district administrator, a business manager and school principals and assistants to such persons. The term of each employment contract may not exceed 2 years. A contract for a term of 2 years may provide for one or more extensions of one year each.

Hey, isn’t PBCG our business manager and didn’t we give them a 5 year contract?

What gives, RUSD?

Updated @ 1:15 CST 9/7/07: I spoke with a school board member about this. He said the contract signed was a 2 year contract, with 3 1-year extensions. Perhaps an Open Records Request for a copy of the contract is in order.

I am still disseminating this information - I cannot for the life of me try to figure out why the board approved this.

Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer, nor do I play one on TV. I didn’t even stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night. I do think this needs further investigation, however.

Reading between the lines

In trying to fully understand the latest RUSD brouhaha, many in Racine look to the local media for answers. Unfortunately, even after reading numerous news articles many readers (including myself) still have questions. I am sure I am not the only one that is trying to decipher the comments of the parties involved.

For example take the following comment from Alioto, which is from the 9/6/07 JT story – he is disputing the fact that the original contract was drawn up without proper legal counsel:

"(The document) clearly proves that Dr. Hicks had provided a full copy of the proposal and contract document to legal counsel and had asked counsel to work on the contract document together with PBCG and that, based on counsel’s handwritten notes, the contract entered into did reflect many of the suggested changes," Alioto said.

Okay, I have questions. I believe Alioto is stating the initial proposal and contract was reviewed by legal counsel, and then changes were made.

What "handwritten notes" were NOT included in the final contract?

Was the final contract (with the changes) reviewed and signed off by RUSD legal counsel??

Reading between the lines is not a reliable way to get information – we deserve some real answers.

PBCG still working in Unified

This morning, while having coffee with my husband and discussing the recent RUSD events, I realized that my husband did not realize that the district has not removed PBCG from the CFO and COO positions. The board statement, as reported in the press, states “it has become clear to both parties that a consultant acting in the role of COO and CFO creates a potential conflict”, but the statement does not state that their contract was terminated, only that the contract will be renegotiated.

Granted, Mr. Alioto and Mr. Dickson may no longer work within the walls of Unified, but many PBCG employees are still very much working in Central office, including Mark Lindem, the Chief Operations Officer.

I was surprised when I realized my husband thought the CFO and COO positions were no longer PBCG employees. I am wondering if they are others out there that think the same thing.

Better customer service from the RUSD Transportation Department

(Because it always seems that I write disparaging comments about RUSD, I must make a point of sharing the good things that happen, too.)

For those readers who know me, know that I have had ongoing issues with the RUSD Transportation department. In fact, I wrote about my first good experience last year about this time.

Okay, first the bad news:

Unified apparently did not get all the bussing information to the parents as promised.

My daughter did NOT receive any bussing information from the RUSD Transportation Department. Of course, this has happened so many times in the past that I don’t even panic anymore. I drive them the first few days until I can finally get a hold of somebody in the Transportation Department and get it straightened out.

Now, the good news:

The Transportation knew (?) the students who did not receive bussing information and personally called what must have been every family with the bussing information. I received my phone call late Saturday afternoon.

While I am very appreciative of the phone call I received Saturday afternoon, I do respectfully suggest the following for next year:

Plan ahead.

I realize that many children move in/out throughout the summer and the district tries to hold off creating the schedules until all the transfers are done, but I suggest you make a deadline for changes and stick to it. It seems by trying to accommodate a few, many more suffer .

Has the RUSD board whitewashed Hicks' record?

I have a question for all of you…

By releasing Dr. Hicks from his duties (but continuing to pay him until June 2008), has the board “whitewashed his record”? Have we really lost the last 6 years as one Racine resident suggests in a recent JS story?

I’m sure I will take plenty of heat for this, but here is my take on the matter.

First, a brief overview of the facts: Dr. Hicks did NOTHING illegal; he acted with the authority OUR ELECTED BOARD granted to him. PBCG is taking bonuses in the “savings” they found, even though most of the savings are revenue enhancements that will result in higher taxes. Again, because Dr. Hicks was granted the authority to enter this contract – there is NOTHING illegal going on here.

Slimy and unethical, definitely – but not illegal.

As far as losing the last 6 years on an academic level, this is rather hard to prove. Educational reform is rather subjective – what works in one city may not work here in Racine. Every community is unique and has its own challenges and Racine is no different.

So let’s talk about his reform initiatives. Why haven’t they worked? I challenge you to simply Google the phrase “school reform”, you will soon discover, as I have, that many districts across the country have found much success using the same concepts Dr. Hicks brought to the district. Why has it worked in other places, and not here?

There of course are numerous answers to this question – the most obvious one is the “leadership” factor. For many unnamed reasons, Dr. Hicks failed to engage the teaching staff from Day 1 and never really recovered.

So in short, I believe the RUSD board did the right thing by accepting Dr. Hicks’ resignation and “whitewashing” his record.

OK, now let me have it.

Breaking News - I'm Angry

This just in – I ‘m angry. After reading some of the comments attached to the recent JT article where Randy Bangs, a RUSD board member, calls for the resignations of some of his fellow board members, I am stupefied by many of the comments. I know what he did was brash, I agree - I talked about this earlier in the week, but many of the comments are uninformed and just plain stupid.

Stupid comment #1 – “As I understand it, Mr. Bangs is a stay at home father with nothing better to do.”

I won’t even address stupid comment #1, it’s just that dumb…

Stupid comment #2 – “Bangs monopolizes meetings and discussions so the work that needs to be done (work for the children of this district whom we are trying to educate) cannot even be addressed in many instances and cries foul when anyone disagrees with his vastly superior intelligence.”

Many of the occurrences that this person is referring to was Randy trying to get the board to take a closer look at the issues that needed looking at. Test scores, superintendent evaluations and contract extensions, and more importantly, a closer look at consultant contracts.

All I can say is this, you might not like Mr. Bangs’ delivery, but the message he is trying to convey is NOT wrong.

Stupid comment #3 – “Don't change your tune/vote when confronted, and don’t pass blame on others.”

When has Mr. Bangs ever changed his tune/vote?? He has been extremely consistent in his message to the public; this is something every elected board needs. He has been questioning the contracts since the day he took office, and the public records will prove that.

If these comments are any indication of the community in which I live, it’s no wonder Racine has such a problem with its self-image.

You know, people might be right after all. Racine is dumb.