Author Archives: troy

March 17, 2010

Common Sense Solutions From States’ Education Reform Agendas

By troy

In Florida, the State Senate has proposed legislation in two committees to strengthen merit pay for teachers and end tenure.

via blog.heritage.org

It’s about time that state legislatures starting addressing the inefficiencies in the education system. I wish more states would do this.

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March 1, 2010

Many programs face extra funding woes

By troy

It’s too bad that the first programs to go during a budget shortfall are the special education programs — especially the programs for gifted students.

At least the State Superintendent is saying the right things:

“Sometimes so much of the federal and state laws focus on lower- and underachieving students, and we should be focused on them,” State Superintendent Nancy Grasmick said. “But we cannot reduce the opportunities for our students who can achieve at very high levels.”

We’ll just wait and see if the school district changes its mind…

Many programs face extra funding woes | Washington Examiner.

Posted in Issues, Special Education | Leave a comment
March 10, 2009

Local Districts Invoice Government for Unfunded Mandates

By troy

What exactly is an ‘unfunded mandate’ anyway? Well, according to Wisegeek.com:

An unfunded mandate is a statute or regulation that requires a state or local government to perform certain actions, yet provides no money for fulfilling the requirements. When a federal government imposes a law or regulation without necessary funding, it becomes the responsibility of the state or local government to pay for the implementation of the law. In the end, it is local taxpayers who end up footing the bill.

Some provisions of NCLB and other educational requirements handed-down by the US Dept. of Education are examples of unfunded mandates. These requirements place undue hardship on school districts, especially in times of economic uncertainty. As a member of the school board, I would ask that we review every ‘unfunded mandate’ to determine our compliance requirements. If we accomplish the same goals without extra compliance requirements, we are providing a better product and ultimately improving our community.

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Image via Wikipedia

Districts all over the country are fed up with ‘unfunded mandates’ and some of them are even billing the federal government!

Concord Monitor – District sets out to collect on fed pledge

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February 12, 2009

Candidate for School Board

By troy

I have decided to run for the USD 204 school board. I figured this would be the best way I can positively impact the quality of education not only for my kids, but for all children in the district.

Obviously, we are facing difficult times (I hesitate to use the word ‘crisis’- it’s used way too much these days). When the economy is in a downturn, governments expect schools to cut spending. Most schools are running at barely break-even anyway, so any budget cut is detrimental to a quality education.516694_70475120

As a member of the USD 204 school board, I’ll do everything I can to ensure that the district operates as efficiently as possible. It is imperative that we don’t cut essential services.

I’ll use this site to keep you informed about local education issues, as well as campaign progress. There will not be any school board vote in the primary elections on March 3, 2009. The general election is on April 07, 2009. Even if you don’t vote for me, please vote!

To kick things off, I’ve included a poll to get your thoughts on the issues facing our district. Let me know what you think!

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February 11, 2009

‘First, Do No Harm’ Should be School Board Policy

By troy

The local school board makes policy decisions that can affect operations many years into the future. That’s why I think it’s important to not make reactive decisions- but rather make proactive decisions when it comes to policy matters. Certainly, I don’t think it is possible to always make proactive decisions. But I do think that making reactive decisions often creates more problems than solutions. The current economic situation is a prime example of making speedy, reactive decisions, without considering the future consequences.

Because local school districts receive a portion of their operating funds from the state, every time the state makes a funding decision, it affects the school board. As a school board member, I’ll support programs that make the district more self-sustaining. That way, whenever the state reduces funding for programs, our schools don’t feel much pain.

I would encourage programs and even classes to be more involved in the community– especially if that means increased revenue for the district. For example, a class at Bonner Springs High School built the new concession stand. This saved the district quite a bit of money and the students gained valuable, practical knowledge. Why couldn’t the class do a similar project for a private business or individual in the community and make a profit? The class becomes self-sustaining with its own budget, profit/loss, etc. just like a business. The district, in turn, doesn’t need to spend as money on that class, so that funds can be used for other programs. Or how about a junior high technology class offering a workshop to teach adults how to use a computer?

I feel that the current school board could do more to explore community-based funding sources or public-private partnerships. That is the idea behind ‘First, do no harm’. The article linked below talks about the dictum ‘First, do no harm’ on a national level. The article discusses the potential ramifications of reactive economic decisions. I encourage you to read it and then think about how this applies to our local economy.

Instead of stimulus, do nothing – seriously | csmonitor.com

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