There was an amusing "My Turn" column in the Cape Cod Times last week. Although the paper didn't say it, the writer appears to be a Junior at Dennis-Yarmouth Regional HS -- and an avid volleyball player. (She refers to neighboring school districts as "opposing" schools.) The writer asked the question, "Could the end of school choice be the savior of struggling Cape districts?". It's an interesting question, but then logic sailed off into the left field wall.
A few points:
While accepting School Choice students is up to the local School Committee, allowing students to leave their Home District for another school system is a provision of state law -- not a local decision.
Then the math gets a little fuzzy, the writer claims it costs the sending district approximately $5,000/student, which is pretty accurate, but then says that the 175 student choosing to leave Dennis-Yarmouth costs that District "almost $2 million". I have no idea if the number of students is correct but, by my math, 175 x $5,000 = $875,000. Not a small number -- but less than half of $2 million.
The writer also points out the unfairness of D-Y paying out $1.5 million more than it receives (because outgoing students far exceed incoming students). While at the same time Chatham receives $1.1 million more from incoming students than it pays for outgoing students.
Assuming her numbers are correct, that says 2 things:
First, it indicates that the Chatham School Committee recognized they had the capacity to educate more kids and, rather than leave those seats vacant, they maximized the use of their facilities and essentially leased space to other Districts -- good move for Chatham students and taxpayers -- this revenue pays for services that otherwise would have either been eliminated or paid for with local tax revenue.
Second, it shows that enough people have a favorable impression of the Chatham Schools (and/or unfavorable impression of their own) that they are willing to drive their kids out to the elbow of the Cape to attend them.
I'm not sure what's "unfair". Many would point out that its unfair that parents feel they can't put their kids on the local school bus and, instead, become obligated to schlep them down to the elbow of the Cape (or some other District) each day.
School Choice is basic Free Market economics. If the local schools don't provide the product the parent want, they are able to find another that does. Rather than restrict access to other Districts, School systems should be seeing this as an incentive to improve programs and facilities -- to not only retain local students and reduce outgoing tuition, but also to encourage incoming student to fill otherwise empty seats and to generate local revenue. (With the caveat that there needs to be a proper analysis to ensure that a District is not over-committing seats to outside students who are entitled to not only stay until graduation, but also to bring in siblings.)
"The schools on Cape Cod are hardly different, and none are bad. They are all high quality, with athletics, academics, music, arts and more and have a lot to offer. There is no reason to want to go to one over another."As much as I appreciate the wisdom, knowledge, and experience of a 17 year old, and at the risk of sounding like a condescending old fart, I would only ask, "Says who?". She goes on to say:
"Many Cape Cod residents have strong beliefs on which schools are the stronger schools. Dennis-Yarmouth and Barnstable are usually on the bottom of that list. However, with Dennis-Yarmouth's recently Super Bowl champions and Barnstable's annual state champion volleyball team, ask students — the ones who have the most credible opinion of their school — what they think and maybe those opinions will be changed."That explains it! Forget test scores, or graduation plans -- the real indicator of a quality school system is the students' opinion of their football & volleyball teams!
OMG!
4 comments:
Maybe instead of their parent survey the School Commitee and Adminstration should read this over and over agian:
You wrote: School Choice is basic Free Market economics. If the local schools don't provide the product the parent want, they are able to find another that does. Rather than restrict access to other Districts, School systems should be seeing this as an incentive to improve programs and facilities -- to not only retain local students and reduce outgoing tuition, but also to encourage incoming student to fill otherwise empty seats and to generate local revenue.
I think there are a lot of low cost/no cost ways to determine WHY people are pursuing other options.
First -- ASK THEM ! Every kid who leaves the District requests a records transfer -- ask the parents WHY they are leaving.
I am sure there will be several recurring themes -- class time wasted on irrelevant movies & frequent off-topic discussion, nonsensical homework assignments, excessive "in-service training" days, lack of response to bullying complaints, favoritism/unfair treatment of certain groups, etc.
People are leaving traditional schools in droves to attend charter schools set-up in shopping malls, furniture stores, and old factories -- no cafeterias or gyms, no union work rules or contract negotiation theatrics, minimal sports offerings -- just a multitude of happy kids receiving a good education, with less bullshit.
Bob, you hit a really big nail right on the head. I have had the opportunity to observe first hand, a small number of kids who trek quite a way to attend the Lighthouse Charter School. These kids are anxious to get there. Once you observe their arrival activities you would understand why they enjoy the atmosphere. I would invite any parent to drive out to the Lighthouse charter school in Orleans..park in the parking lot and just watch the activity, the interaction and the smiles on the teachers faces. I would wager a large sum of life credits (I never bet real money) that this energy continues right into the classrooms. Yes, its an old strip mall. The kids come from everywhere. Yet, it takes me back to those incredible days in Boston as we gathered in the morning behind that old school on Newbury Street. The interaction between these kids and their teachers starts during those first energy filled moments of school and follows them into their respective classrooms. You have to watch it to understand the difference. Seems like simple reading, writing and 'rithmatic can be fun as well as challenging. So to those who scream their kids can't learn in a sub-standard building like the Wing.... you need to visit this charter school.
The Truth Maker would add that we had brought up the idea more then 4 years ago to have the students polled, as to why they were not choosing the Sandwich School District for educational purposes.
Like my friend Greg, who has also experienced an positive educational experience that only consisted of the three basic tools one needs in this world today to survive. perhaps we had more conviction to learn some thing that used ones brain cells, rather then brawn we succeeded in life???
If ones educational experience is just about sports and winning, we will have failed in our children's ability to rationalize why they exist in a free democratic society.
It is true, that a well rounded student has many attributes, but it does not include drugs, alchol or
,physical abuse in that make up.
It does not include parents, whom deny that there child can mature in a vaccum and are never wrong.
Sandwich Has been denying many of the reasons, why parents who care about education choose to seek out a more positive educational experience for there children.
It is time, that the truth of these problems be faced and exposed for what they may be
or the Public Sandwich School District will vanish like the sand from Town Neck Beach. The clock is ticking, as we post. It is not to late to turn things around, but we all need to be truthful in how we get it done. There in lies the irony of our delemma.
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