This year, the Dearborn Public Schools’ Board of Education is
counting on voters to pass a $76 million bond called the Security,
Modifications, Additions, Renovations, Technology, and Transportation (SMART)
bond.
According to the Press
and Guide, the SMART bond would be used for:
- $3.6 million in bus improvements and purchases
- $38 million in additions and projects
- $21 million in roof and parking lot improvements
- $12 million in technology purchases
- $800,000 in grounds improvements
- $600,000 in security improvements
To find out, I took a look at the reader comments section of
a few online articles relating to the SMART bond. Normally, the reader comments
sections are fraught with some pretty extreme viewpoints, so I usually read
them for entertainment more than analysis. However, on the issue of the SMART
bond, the voters will have the final say, and the people commenting are the
voters. Whether their sentiments reflect a significant portion of the
population remains to be seen, but it’s worth taking a look at what they’re
saying:
If the school board trimmed the fat, then they wouldn’t need more tax
payer money. Just let the voters have a look at the budget; we’ll be able to
trim the fat without disrupting services.
Why do people always think there is so much fat in “the
budget”? Why do people assume that one need only look at “the budget”? As if “the
budget” is this magical thing that will tell you everything you need to know
about running a school district of 19,000 students and over 30 sites.
It isn’t as if there is just one giant stream of
unrestricted funding flowing into the district. The budget doesn’t tell you
about the rules and regulations that come with each funding stream. It doesn’t
explain the federal and state regulations or changing public policies or union
rules.
We have become so used to questioning, doubting, and
mistrusting our democratically elected officials that unsubstantiated cynicism
is standing in for reasoned evaluation and accountability. This cynicism is
leading to a mentality that screams: We
don’t need elected officials as our surrogates. The people should have a direct
say in everything. It’s like a board of directors gone rogue.
Our elected officials have critical knowledge of the systems
they oversee and manage. Yes, those systems are often political, and, yes, everyone
has an agenda. But those systems are comprised of intricate networks of funding,
bureaucracies, and policies. It takes years to know these intricacies. Elected
officials are the people making that investment of time and brain power, and we
rely on them to do so. After all, if we are doing their jobs, then who is going
to do ours?
Buses and bricks and mortar are so passé. How does a bond that pays for
such antiquated tools expect to move the school district forward?
$12 million of the total SMART bond is slated for new
technology. One would think that such a figure would speak for itself on moving
the district steadily forward into the information age. But, alas, someone
always has an even better idea.
In this case, the idea is to move to an Amazon.com learning
environment. Screw those big box schools.
We want cloud learning! No need to invest in building improvements. Let the
buildings crumble around the kids as they sit in their ancient work spaces, holding
their rudimentary writing tools. (Pardon our dust, snow, rain, heat. This
long-term inconvenience means that one day you’ll be able to learn from your
own home). Just think of what we’d save on transportation too! If we don’t need
buildings, then we don’t need buses to get our kids to those buildings!
Despite being in its infancy, online learning at the k12
level has already had some success. However, it’s hardly a replacement for the
mainstream physical classroom environment. The people making this suggestion
assume that “school” is a single-purpose, one-way learning experience. They
also assume that everyone has a home or that everyone has a home from which
they could access a computer.
School is more than an information transfer from teacher to
student. At its simplest, school is designed to level the playing field because
homes and families are not all equal. It is a place where at-risk kids receive
food and, sometimes, the care they can’t get at home. School is also about
socialization and learning through multiple mediums using a variety of tools.
School is about exposure to new ideas and concepts and opportunities. It is
about building a community by investing in our children.
We’ve given lots of millage money for years, and what does the school
district have to show for it? By now, Dearborn Public Schools should be ranked
in the top 20.
The commentators didn’t specify in which top 20 ranking they
wanted to be. Apparently, it’d just be good enough to be in the top 20 of something
as evidence that our money made a difference, like a trophy after the big game.
Nor did these commentators have any sense of how much money it actually takes
to run a school district of any size, much less the fifth largest in the state.
If our citizens want to measure our success, we can only
hope they have better metrics than some top 20 ranking. Here are a few: Dearborn
Public Schools has a graduation rate of 82.53% which is 6.29% above the state
rate. Our drop out rate is just .83% above the statewide rate. Our elementary
schools retain music, art, and physical education as part of the core
curriculum. The district boasts a strong extracurricular program complete with
athletics, theater, music, model UN, and much more. We have a five year high
school program, so students can complete an Associates degree while completing
high school. We have a technical school and a center for math, science, and
technology. These trappings are just one way to measure the district’s success
to date. For me, the other measure is my first hand experience.
As the parent of school-age children, I have the opportunity
to interact with my local branch of the school system on a regular basis. I
speak with my children’s teachers and principal. About once a month, I visit my
son’s school for an event or meeting. I keep up with the PTA news and attend meetings
when I can. I volunteer for different activities with my son’s class, and I sit
on the school improvement committee. All of this means that I have the
opportunity to know some of the teachers as professionals and as individuals;
to hear from the teachers and administrators about the challenges and successes
of Dearborn Public Schools; and to learn from the experiences of other parents.
I value this kind of access because, as a citizen investor, I get to see
firsthand the value of my investment.
Dearborn Public Schools is an investment, just as our homes,
neighborhoods, area attractions, and businesses are an investment. Investing in
the schools is not merely about the children, it’s about the kind of community
we want to be.
______________________________________________
This post is the last for Code Words—at least for a long
while. I am grateful to everyone who read this blog and encouraged me to keep
writing. I have loved this experience, but it’s time for me to try something
new. I wish you all the best. Keep questioning; keep observing; keep thinking.
Thank you!!
Sources:
“2011-12 Graduation
Dropout Snapshot.” MI School Data.
State of Michigan .
N.d. Web. 3 Apr. 2013. https://www.mischooldata.org/DistrictSchoolProfiles/StudentInformation/GraduationDropoutRate.aspx?Common_Locations=1-A,0,0,0~2-A,0,0,0&Common_SchoolYear=11&Common_Grade=Grade11&Common_Subject=ELA&Common_Subgroup_SchoolDataSet=Ethnicity&Common_Subgroup_GraduationDropout=AllStudents&Common_LocationIncludeComparison=False&Portal_Cohort=FourYear&Common_AssessmentType=SupportedIndependence
Carreras, Jessica. “Dearborn Schools’ Bond Refinancing Saves
Taxpayers Nearly $1M.” Dearborn
Carreras, Jessica. “Dearborn Schools May Ask for $76M Bond
from Voters in August.” Dearborn
Carreras, Jessica. “Graduation Rates Up 6.5% in Dearborn
Public Schools.” Dearborn
Carreras, Jessica and Jenny Whalen. “Dearborn
Superintendent’s Compensation Ranks 48th in State.” Dearborn
Hetrick, Katie. “Dearborn Public Schools Moving Forward with
Bond Plan.” Press and Guide. Journal
Register. 30 Mar. 2013. Web. 3 Apr. 2013.
Lai, Daniel. “Dearborn
School Dearborn
Wallace, Christina. “Eliminating Arts Teachers Hurts
Students, State’s Future.” Detroit
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