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By Janet Evans
Thursday, Aug 28 2008, 11:47 AM
I bet you want a reason to say “Hello, how are you doing?”
Here’s one…
Send them a link to this blog post:
Back to School: 10 Great Web Apps for College Students
For a lot of college students, the new semester is just around the corner. Last year, we created a long list of great Web 2.0 tools that we thought would be helpful for college students.
But given how fast things develop on the web, we thought we would revisit this topic again this year and look at some of the most useful Web 2.0 tools that have the potential to help students do better in school, collaborate with their fellow students, and save them time.
From Read Write Web
Continued HERE
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By Janet Evans
Tuesday, Aug 26 2008, 06:56 AM
"Future Shock," a great book I read back in high school. We may have a little of our own future shock to deal with monetarily regarding maintenance and improvements in our school district:
What’s that dollar amount?
That’s the Grand Total of the Future Long Range Maintenance and Remodeling Plan for Franklin Public Schools dated 5/15/08 (revised). I received a copy of the Status of Ongoing Buildings and Grounds Projects (2007/08) and 2008/09 Buildings and Grounds Projects back at a Building and Grounds Committee meeting on May 21st. I was pretty impressed by how most of the projects over the years had been allocated funds and then came in under budget. The last two pages of the large packet were Future Long Range plans.
That doesn’t mean everything on the “wish list” will be implemented. The district has running lists for each school and they are still working on projects from prior school years.
Some of the larger items on the packed two page list include the following:
| Ben Franklin |
|
Grounds |
Create drive for loop by receiving area and dumpster enclosure |
|
$100,000 |
|
|
Grounds |
Additional athletic field |
|
$250,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Country Dale |
|
School Bldg |
Replace Classroom Doors |
|
$70,000 |
|
|
School Bldg |
Replace coat strips with lockers |
|
$50,000 |
|
|
School Bldg |
Remodel Center restrooms |
|
$15,000 |
|
|
School Bldg |
Remodel East restrooms |
|
$30,000 |
|
|
School Bldg |
Remodel West restrooms |
|
$30,000 |
|
|
NW Exit |
Replace one door w/two |
|
$25,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Forest Park |
|
FACE |
Divide FACE into two rooms, not three |
|
$120,000 |
|
|
School Bldg |
Replace all lockers @12" to achieve 850 total |
|
$107,000 |
|
|
School bldg |
Replace lockers in girls locker rooom |
|
$225,000 |
|
|
Interior |
Retrofit lighting system to T8 |
|
$150,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| High School |
|
Parking area |
Add drop off loop and widen access |
|
$180,000 |
|
|
Parking lot |
expand student parking areas to the west and add visitor stalls |
|
$250,000 |
|
|
Pool locker rooms |
Replace lockers |
|
$60,000 |
|
|
Grounds |
Renovate stadium w/8 lane track |
|
$2,750,000 |
|
|
Grounds |
Add roads and develop practice fields |
|
$300,000 |
|
|
Grounds |
Add tennis courts |
|
200,000 |
|
|
Back hall classrooms |
Replace tile and base |
|
$50,000 |
|
|
Pool |
Renovate and allow for use of starting blocks/replace deck coating |
|
$200,000 |
|
|
Gym |
Replace air handling units and add A/C |
|
$250,000 |
|
|
Science rooms |
Upgrade and add sinks and safety equpiment |
|
$500,000 |
|
|
Near Cafeteria |
Add a Senior commons area |
|
$25,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Pleasant View |
|
Grass Playground |
improve drainage to expand play area |
|
$180,000 |
|
|
Playground |
Resurface and extend play area to playstructures |
|
$205,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Robinwood |
|
Playground |
Renovate pavement & improve drainage |
|
$159,000 |
|
|
Interior |
Renovate lighting system to T8 |
|
$110,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| SW Glen |
|
Boiler Room |
Replace Boilers |
|
$100,000 |
|
|
School bldg |
Carpet multi-year replace all |
|
$200,000 |
|
|
Exterior |
Replace asphalt, address drainage & expand playground |
|
$250,000 |
Long Range Maintenance & Remodeling Plan - Page One.pdf
Long range Maintenance & Remodeling Plan - Page Two.pdf
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2008-09 Project Status
| Country Dale |
|
School Bldg |
Run New TV cable to all classrooms |
|
7,000 |
|
| High School |
|
Roof section 4 |
Replace |
|
$55,250 |
|
| High School |
|
Parking Area |
Widen egress lanes |
|
$26,000 |
|
| Pleasant View |
|
Section B |
Replace HVAC systen (1st flr remaining north half classrooms) |
|
$199,000 |
|
| Robinwood |
|
Pod H |
replace hall floor tile |
|
$20,800 |
|
| Robinwood |
|
C-pod |
Abandon and replace underground ductwork to overhead |
|
$30,000 |
|
| SW Glenn |
|
Interior |
Retrofit lighting system to T8 |
|
$85,100 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sub-total |
|
423,150 |
$0 |
|
|
|
Contingency |
|
$76,850 |
$76,850 |
|
|
|
Total |
|
500,000 |
|
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By Janet Evans
Monday, Aug 25 2008, 12:02 PM
With the Democrats gathered in Denver, there has been a call from educators to seek changes, too.
The likes of Rev. Al Sharpton (Education Equality Project), Michelle Rhee (Chancellor, D.C. Public Schools), Delia Pompa (National Council of La Raza), and John Merrow ( PSB) have some requests….
Such as accountability:
Improved accountability measures. In order to close the achievement gap, we must set high standards and demand accountability from not just teachers, but also students and parents, principals, education schools and researchers, and policymakers.
And, extended school days:
Extended school days and school years. Research has proven that more time in the classroom is essential to helping children who are falling behind to catch up and become proficient. We must make a commitment to providing extended school days and school years for students who need it and parents who choose it.
Actually their list of what they term “reforms” for the "Obama Administration" includes some good points. But much of this, such as extended school days, would cost a pretty penny.
No mention of No Child Left Behind, though....
Read the article HERE
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By Janet Evans
Sunday, Jul 27 2008, 08:05 AM
What?
The boost from caffeine…
It never even occurred to me as a kid, let alone a young teen, to ask or think about having a cup off coffee. Not once. Now it’s commonplace to see a Starbucks with teens hanging out or kids walking around with espresso.
As teens keep staying up later then ever, they’re more tired during the day. They need that extra lift. Now we have energy drinks. Some of these drinks are oozing with caffeine. And schools aren’t happy about it…
“School officials across the country aren't as buzzed about caffeinated energy drinks as some of their students. They're worried about young people gulping down too much caffeine—and getting so hyper that they lose focus on their studies.
"Being hepped up on caffeine can be a distraction to your learning," said Joe Trybulski, principal of Hillsborough Middle School in central New Jersey.
The Hillsborough school, with more than 1,200 seventh and eighth graders, is among a growing number across the country that have banned or are considering banning energy drinks from their campuses.
Trybulski has found parents supportive of the ban since it went into effect in April, and teachers haven't had to take energy drinks away from any students.
"They get enough junk all over the place so I support it," Pam Christian said as she picked up her 13-year-old son, Sam, on one of the last days of school in June.
Sam Christian said a lot of students like energy drinks. "But it may just hurt us instead, because of all the caffeine," he said.
Energy drink industry representatives said they don't market directly to children, that the cost of around $2 to $4 a can is geared toward adults, and that the drinks generally have less caffeine than coffee.
"Are you going to start carding kids at coffee houses and candy shops?" said Craig Stevens, a spokesman for the Washington, D.C.-based American Beverage Association, which has energy drink companies among its members.”
A variety of energy drinks are available; the skinny "bullet" can shape is popular
Read the complete article from CBS Here
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By Janet Evans
Friday, Jul 25 2008, 11:05 AM
It began in rural school district's around the country as a cost saving measure....
Four day school weeks.
Parent objections may be heard at first because of child care concerns, but as with any change, they eventually get used to it.
Will it be a an expanding trend?
Just think of the savings in a city school district.
Enormous in transportation costs alone; then add in energy and substitute teaching costs?
Savings really start to add up.
Facing a crippling increase in fuel costs, some rural U.S. schools are mulling a solution born of the '70s oil crisis: a four-day week.
Cutting out one day of school has been the key to preserving educational programs and staff in parts of Kentucky, New Mexico and Minnesota, outweighing some parents' concerns about finding day-care for the day off. "For rural school districts where buses may travel 100 miles round-trip each day, there certainly are transportation savings worth considering," said Marc Egan, the director of federal affairs at the National School Boards Association.
I say it might not happen tommorrow...but it will happen. But where, is the question. Read the article from Reuters here
.
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By Janet Evans
Wednesday, Jul 16 2008, 07:15 PM
Or young woman for that matter, if you are a student and a stable one at that.
In 2006-07 one in four California high school students, that’s 24.2 percent, failed to graduate/continue their education. Compare that with Wisconsin’s dropout rate of 1.59 percent.
Read the article from the SacBee.com Ã
Then form your own conclusions if you choose by visiting the California Dept. of Education website.
I know I have questions…
The first would be …
How many non-English speaking students are included in those dropouts?
California Dept. of Education Drop-Outs
Wisconsin Dept. of Education Drop-Outs
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By Janet Evans
Wednesday, Jul 16 2008, 06:45 AM
In New York, parents of young school children are having trouble with “New Math.” So that makes me wonder if something has changed. Or has the use of the calculator finally dumbed down a generation?
I’m pretty sure we are talking about the same New Math that was introduced to me as a kid…So what’s going on?
"They call it the Math Wars: The debate, at times acrimonious, over which way is best to teach kids math. In its most black-and-white form, it pits schools hoping to prepare kids for a new world against reluctant parents, who feel the traditional way is best and their kids are being shortchanged.
But there are lots of parents who fall into a grayer area: They're willing to accept that their kids are learning things differently. They just want to be able to help them with their homework. And very often, they can't."
"Rebels!" Parents find New Math daunting Ã
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By Janet Evans
Friday, Jun 27 2008, 06:36 PM
*****************************
Update 2
It looks like pressure from the Bloggers, the Civic Celebration committee, the community and students have done the job. School Board member David Works just told me that he spoke to Dr. Patz and he is working on releasing the instruments to the Drum Major so any students who would like to participate in the parade will be allowed to do so. Let's hope everything works out and that there are enough students around to have a good enough showing.
Also, Greg Kowalski informed me that Mr. Cady called Jeanine Olson from the Civic Celebrations Committee and told her the Band Director Scott Julius agreed to help coordinate the parade. I also received an email from Mr. Cady verifying this, I asked if Mr. Julius is being compensated for his leadership of the Band, and was told he was. Mr. Cady also had this to say:
I do want to say that our school does really value our community and we do understand
and respect that our community has an expectation that the school gives
back. The band has performed for community events on numerous occasions
such as performing at fund raisers for the cultural center, providing
entertainment for hundreds of our seniors each spring when we host a
dinner and first viewing of our musical and our students complete
hundreds of hours of community service every year. It is important that
we do these things, we know that and will continue to strive to improve
our efforts in this area.
An interesting turn of events.
We'll remember this quote from Dave Szychlinski for next year:
“I spoke with Dr. Patz this morning and he
promised me that no matter happens this year, we will handle this
differently in the future so this never happens again.”
*****************************
Update 1
This has nothing to do with a referendum.
I talked to the United Music Parent's President (UMPS), Rhonda Gross, this morning.
Last year the parade was run by the student Drum Major. She said there may not even be enough students available right now. This happened a month ago. The volunteers were in charge in the past.
Contracts are still in negotiations for some of the teachers right now. You can bet it will be discussed for a band teacher to participate in the parade. The School District does care about the Community. They've gotten off easy all these years because they have had a strong parent group like UMPS. Also, being that it's late...kids make plans when it gets late. They don't wait around. There aren't 300 kids sitting home waiting to march knowing that they don't have a leader. You would think the new Band Director could have stepped up, but no, he didn't have a contract. Obviously he wanted to get paid. He could be out of town too. Who knows. The UMPS President says he's good with the students.
Not everything revolves around a referendum.
It has been said to our faces at the meetings it will be a while before there is a referendum.
Do we have a date yet?
No.
They need to get land first.
The band isn't playing because many people screwed up.
Period.
*****************************
?
Don’t see anything but an empty space?
That’s because as of this posting there will be no Franklin High School Marching Band in the parade.
And don’t hold your breath for one either.
Franklin blogger, Greg Kowalski brought up this issue last night on his Metro Milwaukee Today blog.
I looked into it a little further today to clarify the issue.
Tanya Ruder, District Communications Specialist reports that:
“We have had some very generous parents and students who have dedicated
their time in the past to organize the band for the parade. This has
never been a school or district organized event. This year there was no
outside person or group that worked on organizing the band. The Civic
Celebration Planning Committee was notified that the band would not be
participating approximately a month ago.
While the district is well aware that the community supports the band
and would like to have them participating, the time frame for this year
is now too short to prepare them for the event. We are going to work on
having the appropriate staff for the parade next year that can work with
available students to perform in the parade. This not only ensures that
the band will be present, but they will also be well rehearsed.
We appreciate all of the support that our community shows for the
Franklin High School Band and we look forward to participating in the
parade next year.”
Dave Szychlinski, School Board President says:
“I spoke with Dr. Patz this morning and he
promised me that no matter happens this year, we will handle this
differently in the future so this never happens again.”
I find the Civic Celebration Planning Committee at fault also. If they knew about this a month ago, as stated, they could have tried to find a band from another area to participate. Hales Corners has their parade late in the afternoon. Perhaps Whitnall's band might have played in our parade. It’s just a thought…you never know. It’s just that, a parade needs at least one band.
My main gripe is that, if this was made public perhaps a community volunteer with music experience, and I know there are some of you out there, might have stepped forward and volunteered a few hours with these students to practice a couple songs for the parade and marched with them on July 4th….for free! Does money always have to be an issue here? Does a contract for a teacher have to come into play? Can a teacher volunteer their services for a few hours in the summer?
Go ahead....criticize me for bringing that up. But I sit at School Board meetings for hours and I don’t have children in school. I can battle anyone about volunteering if you want….I have many, many years of it behind me.So, Franklin citizens…enjoy the parade…
Perhaps we will have to resort to this...
"Ingenuity at its best is seen with the creation of Willimantic’s Boom Box Parade. In 1986, no marching band could be found for Memorial Day. Five weeks later, the “Boom Box Parade” concept was born, where the local radio station, WILI, plays the marching band music on the air, and thousands of parade goers loudly play their radios (boom boxes). Anyone can march in this one-of-a-kind people’s parade. The only requirements are to wear some red, white and blue and bring a radio tuned to WILI (1400AM). American flags are optional but encouraged. There is no “official” theme for the parade. Past parade marchers have included the “Traveling Fish Head Club of Northeastern Connecticut”, which in 2003 had a “herring town” entry and in 2001 had a tribute to the Frog Bridge. Grand Marshal Wayne Norman, a WILI personality, always leads the parade."
The Boom Box Parade - July 4th Celebration
But we can call it the Boomgaard Box Parade...
That's the way things in Franklin are going lately....
Happy 4th of July
*****************************
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By Janet Evans
Monday, Jun 16 2008, 04:15 PM
Today I received a response from Mr. Jim Milzer regarding the questions and concerns (below) from a Franklin citizen that were brought up after the Committee of the Whole Meeting on June 4th.
I was not told who addressed specific questions/concerns.
The response is in .pdf format:
Response to Unidentified Citizen ç here
06/17/08
Response from From Unidentified Citizen:
I'm satisfied with the answers. I have no "axe to grind" with our district. I appreciate the response, and the time taken to explain.
Unidentified Citizen
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I received an email from a Franklin citizen who was in attendance at the Committee of the Whole meeting of the Franklin School Board, on June 4th. The individual does not feel comfortable contacting the Board members directly, for personal reasons, but would like answers to the following questions, and would also like to share these concerns.
I am posting the questions from the email, with permission, as I think they are interesting, along with forwarding them to the Board, Dr. Patz, Judy Mueller and Mr. Milzer. Hopefully the questions will get answered.
Here is a link to my report on the meeting, which has a link to the 1st draft of the 08-09 budget:
Franklin School Board 06-04-08 Committee of the Whole Meeting
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Email Questions/Concerns from Citizen Regarding 08-09 Budget:
I was very pleased with the school board asking to see the FTE posted next
to the staffing projections. I too am interested in those numbers.
I am also interested in why I was told at the meeting that no teachers had
been laid off. Tacked onto that statement was a comment that some hours in
art and music had been cut. According to the numbers quoted that would have
been .1 FTE. 1/10th of a position.
When I talked to representatives in those departments - they told me that
two part time teachers had been laid off, and that the total of the two
would have been around 1 FTE not .1. So I am interested in this discrepancy.
I am more interested in accuracy of the presentation than the bad news. I
want finance representatives who aren't going to gloss over a situation.
I also would like to know what areas were considered for strategic
abandonment and what the general strategy or order was. Were staffing
positions considered first because they are the largest budget area? Or were
teachers considered last due to student impact? Exactly what were the
underlying principles used to come to decisions.
Were all budget areas considered? And by that I don't mean "yes, staffing was
considered". I would like to know if all areas of staffing were considered.
I have heard that our district is top-heavy. I've heard it from a lot of
different sources, and there are things I see volunteering that support the
concept of too many chiefs, too few Indians. However, I am not overly
familiar with the structure at a district level. So I started researching.
A quick perusal of our own staff directory on the website shows that 34 out
of 393 employees work at ECC. 1 in 10 didn't strike me as a good number, but
I don't know what those people do, so I started comparing our numbers to
other numbers on the DPI website.
We have 1 administrator for every 246 students.
Greenfield has 1/264
Greendale has 1/208
MPS has 1/178
Oak Creek - Franklin has 1/301
The numbers say that we aren't really top heavy. Or, more likely, if we are,
so is the rest of the system. It also shows that there are school districts
out there who are similar in size that have fewer administrative positions.
Have we researched what districts like Oak Creek Franklin and Glendale
-River Hills, and South Milwaukee are doing to maintain a better
administrative ratio?
It might be expedient for a corresponding cut in administrative FTE to
balance that out cuts in teacher’s hours. Certainly a decreasing staff and
student body means that there is a corresponding decrease in administrative
duties somewhere along the line. That means if we cut 5 positions from our
teaching staff we should be looking to eliminate a part time position at the
district level. If nothing else even a few hours trimmed from the
administrative budget might go a long way in paving the way for better
teacher relations. If we are willing to reposition our teachers and assign
them new duties, maybe we need to consider that at the top too.
I do believe good administration is worth keeping and paying. Good
administration will also have the respect of those who work under them.
My suggestions/comments on the budget meeting:
1. An impact report on proposed budgetary cuts would be helpful. This report
should have an emphasis on what this will mean to the student population.
For instance, we were able to cut three elementary positions due to a
decrease in student populations. Thankfully, we were told that no one was
laid off. Yet there are other costs to the student in reorganization. This
might mean some large classes. It might mean teachers who are teaching new
grade-levels and curriculum. I fully understand that you do the best that
you can, but I also realize that there is more than one way to arrange what
gets cut, that different people are going to have different ideas on what is
important.
2. There was no mention at the meeting that administrative or support
positions had been looked at alongside of teaching staff for budget cuts. I
certainly hope that these were considered, but I have no real assurances
that they were
3. I was very happy to see the budget posted to the website. It is good to
see that the school board is trying to improve its relationship with the
community. Something to consider. When I get an e-mail inviting me to a
meeting on the day of that meeting, I start to wonder what is being covered
that someone wants to push through with little comment. A week in advance
for those notices would be much more appropriate.
4. I really would like a clear answer on how many teachers have been laid
off and what programs are affected. I am hoping to understand why I am
getting two different numbers from the teachers and from the district.
5. Mr. Milzer mentioned that out-sourcing payroll wouldn’t be a good idea due to loss in corporate knowledge in that area. I would love to see the same argument applied to moving our teachers around to fill different positions.
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By Janet Evans
Wednesday, Jun 11 2008, 09:01 PM
There’s free money out there for our school district in the form of grants.
But it takes time to do the processing to receive that money.
That’s one reason why I suggest hiring a retired teacher to help research and write grants.
Wisconsin has an alcohol abuse problem with its high school students.
A $5 million dollar competitive grant will be shared with Wisconsin schools to help them in the prevention of alcohol and drug abuse. Greendale and Racine were among School Districts winning part of that $5 million.
They applied.
I spoke with Brenda Jennings, AODA Consultant at DPI. She told me Franklin Public Schools did not apply.
You can’t tell me Franklin Public schools does not have any problems with drugs and alcohol. Yes, it was a competitive grant….but if Greendale and Racine applied and won money….there’s no reason Franklin couldn't have done the same. We may not have received the grant, but you don't know unless you apply.
Free money….
Budget cuts....Budget shortfall?
When there is discussion of raising fees, shouldn't the District be looking into each and every grant that may come their way?
Cost control? First let's look at the Administration for some cuts....and at their salary increases; but let's not ever forget about seeking every grant possible and meeting every deadline for those grants.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
State of Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Elizabeth Burmaster, State Superintendent
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 7841, Madison, WI 53707-7841
• Street Address: 125 South Webster Street, Madison, WI 53703 Telephone: (608) 266-3390
• Toll Free: (800) 441-4563
• FAX: (608) 267-1052
• TDD: (608) 267-2427
• Internet Address: dpi.wi.gov
****NEWS RELEASE****
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DPI 2008-92
Thursday, June 5, 2008
CONTACT: Patrick Gasper, Communications Officer, (608) 266-3559
Schools to share state funding to reduce and prevent alcohol, tobacco, and drug use among students
MADISON—School districts throughout Wisconsin are sharing approximately $5 million in competitive grants that will help them reduce or prevent the use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs among students.
“According to a recent survey of our youth, too many students engage in alcohol, drug, or tobacco use that imperils their health and can have a negative impact on their academic achievement,” said State Superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster. “These grants support programs that help students avoid risks so they can focus on their learning.”
The 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Survey reported that one in five high school students report that they use tobacco, 49 percent report using alcohol, and 32 percent report binge drinking. Nearly one-quarter of students said they receive drug offers at school (23 percent), and 20 percent report using marijuana.
The state Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse (AODA) Program grants provide funding to teach skills and supply information aimed at preventing alcohol and illegal drug use. The state-funded grants total $4.96 million and will support efforts in 119 Wisconsin school districts. Another 32 Wisconsincommunities will benefit from approximately $355,000 in grants to prevent students from using tobacco and to help students, who have already begun using tobacco, to quit. Both individual school districts and consortium projects, in which clusters of neighboring schools will work together on projects, received awards.
“Research has proven over and over again that academic success can be severely compromised by the use and abuse of drugs and alcohol, including tobacco,” Burmaster said. “We owe it to our students to reduce or eliminate the barriers that substance abuse places in front of them so they can reach their full potential.”
AODA and tobacco grants – of the projects receiving AODA grant funding provide a comprehensive approach to prevent or eliminate the use of alcohol and illegal drugs among students, using multiple strategies and linking resources from home, community agencies, and the school. Grants may be renewed for two additional years of funding through the 2010-11 school year.
As part of a comprehensive tobacco control effort by the state, school tobacco grants were awarded through a cooperative agreement with the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services. The grants ensure that there are efforts aimed at prevention and cessation of early smoking, based on the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Guidelines for School Health Programs to Prevent Tobacco Use and Addiction. Particular importance was placed on the school’s involvement and cooperation with local tobacco coalitions in their community or county. These projects can be renewed for an additional year in 2009-10.
“These multi-year, multi-strategy initiatives often can have impact for years to come, even after the p | |
