This morning on Thom Hartmann's radio talk show, Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski declared -rather forcefully, I might add- that there's absolutely no reason for Portland Public Schools to cut teaching staff or shorten the school year, implying (I guess) that the state will step up with the money to offset the $57 million budget gap.
Perhaps more importantly, he said that he hoped the district isn't using the budget issue as a "catalyst" for school reconfiguration.
Bad news, Governor. That's precisely what the district is doing. Vicki Phillips admitted as much last night at the school board budget work session. The school closure plan is less about saving money (estimated savings $2 million) than improving educational opportunity for the district's students.
Phillips insists on working with the $24 million "sustainable" cuts figure. Interestingly, she listed all options for cuts except shortening the school year. Cutting even five school days would save the district over twice as much as closing schools.
The discussion last night focused almost exclusively on improving education through school reconfiguration. Nothing (with one exception) was said about the real key to school reform- what's being taught and how it's being taught. In other words, to use proper edcuationalese, curriculum and instruction! The one exception was Vicki Phillip's insistence on providing "rigorous" coursework as the one magical step to higher student achievement. Make it harder. Students will thrive. And on that, she's wrong.
I don't want to imply that the board doesn't understand educational issues. Let me just say this about last night's session: It's clear to me that the board doesn't understand educational issues! Money and management, sure. But what goes on in the classroom, and what should be done to improve student learning? Not a chance!
Take student achievement, for example. There was an extended discussion about whether strong, or "performing", schools should be closed, which led to Vicki's assurance that strong schools would be merged with other strong schools, and nobody on the board, not even Dilafruz Williams who knows better, bothered to point out that such terms are all but meaningless. I mean, we're talking test scores here, driven by demographics. I'm tired of talking aout it, so here's a brief quote from Monte Neill of Fair Test (he's smarter than I am):
"All children learn many things that are not tested. Middle and upper class children are more likely than poor kids, I suspect, to learn things that are useful in school and academia but are not necessarily measured well or at all on the tests. It could therefore be that using standardized tests as the measure of academic attainment masks real gulfs in such attainment."
Back to the issue raised by Kulongoski, who always seems to be step late on these things. Vicki Phillips and the district leadership are hell-bent on reconfiguring the district without adeqaute public debate or thoughtful deliberation. And the school board seems all too eager to accede to her demands.
So, did Governor Ted find some quarters under the couch at the manse?
Do tell, Gov, do tell.
After all, you coined the phrase "Kids First", right?
Posted by: Sid Leader | March 21, 2006 at 07:40 PM