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Home > Blogs > Lakota Schools News and Issues > Archives > 2010 > March
March 2010
Students show support
If you haven’t seen the photo of Lakota East students lining Main Street this afternoon, check it out here. It brings tears to my eyes when I see the support these students have shown for their peer.
Hundreds of them wore purple today, because it was Sodany April Phan’s favorite color. Read the story here.
Private services have been planned, but there will be a visitation at Lakota East High School. Keep reading for more information.
Sodany April Phann, 15, beloved daughter of Sothy Prim and Kimmean Phann, dear sister of Aaron Prim and Anna Phann, granddaughter of Than Lim and Moeung Ham, and Ou Prim and Yoeut Im, niece and cousin of many. Passed away Monday, March 29, 2010. Visitation from 5-8pm on Friday, April 2, 2010 at Lakota East High School, 6840 Lakota Lane, Liberty Township, Ohio 45044. Private family services will be held on Saturday. Contributions may be made to “We Care Lakota,” 5572 Princeton Road, Liberty Township, Ohio 45011. Arrangements by Mueller Parker Funeral Home, Mason, Ohio, 513-398-9100. For further information or to send a condolence, visit www.muellerparker.com.
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Sad day in Lakota
Student deaths are never easy, but this one is especially difficult. If you haven’t heard, a Lakota East sophomore died today after getting struck by a bus.
Here is an e-mail sent out by Principal Keith Kline. I thought I would share it, so people who don’t attend East know what is happening there.
“Today was a tough day for Lakota East. Thanks to caring staff, supportive parents and great kids, we made it through the day. There were tears and lots of questions but that is to be expected.
As you may hear in the media, Sodany April Phann was a fifteen year old sophomore here at East. She was involved in a terrible accident this morning that resulted in her losing her life. The incident is under investigation by local law enforcement officials. I know you join me in sending our thoughts and prayers to her family and friends.
Throughout the day, students who needed to take a break were allowed out of class to talk with our own guidance counselors as well as counselors from Journey Grief Support. Those students who were closest to Sodany spent most of the day with counselors. We have communicated directly with those parents about what has taken place. This is one of those cases where we need to use our entire community to help support our kids.
For some, losing a classmate or friend may be a first time experience. I have spoken with grief counseling experts and they have shared the tips provided below. Please touch base with your teen this evening. We are concerned about how each of our students might react to such news and want to make sure we are here - partnering with you - to support them through this tragedy.
Thank you for your continued support of your student and our school. We are fortunate to have such a strong school community.
Other information to use in working with teens experiencing grief.
Expect tears or simple quietness. Teens may not know what about the situation is bothering them and may, in fact, respond in different ways. Swings in behavior are not uncommon. Encourage teens to ask questions and talk. Answer their questions honestly and simply. Unanswered questions, many times, are worse than the truth. Just listen to their expressions of hurt. Supportive responses include: ‘I can see that you are really hurting.’ ‘It is hard to accept the death of someone you know.’ ‘I know…it just seems unbelievable.’ Responses that are not typically helpful - ‘You will feel better tomorrow.’ ‘Don’t think about it right now.’ Many times, teens feel helpless in these situations. We are working to create a way for our school to appropriately remember and honor Sodany’s life. Information about our plan will be shared with students, staff and parents as soon as it is finalized. Lastly, if your teen knew Sodany, help him/her talk about happy memories. This will help them remember her life, not her death.
Again, we are going to need the support of our entire school community to help our teens work through what has happened. As we come together, I am confident we can help them through this tragedy and remember the great things that were part of Sodany’s short life.
If your teen seems to be in distress over today’s news, please email or call your student’s counselor immediately. We will work with you to do whatever we can to make sure your child is okay.”
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Budget questions and answers
I had several people ask questions in a previous blog, and I wanted to take some time to respond with the answers I found.
First of all, check out my story here about where the district can and cannot make cuts based on negotiated items, non-negotiated items and state mandated items like retirement.
Briefly, here are some of the answers to questions:
The district pays an average of $10,000 annually per employee for benefits. Total cost to employees ranges between 11 and 12 percent, but Treasurer Craig Jones said the most expensive plan costs a total of $1,200 a month. Staff members at Lakota pay between 11 and 12 percent of that. Administrators pay 15 percent.
Retirement fund: The district is required by state law to pay 14 percent of a teacher’s salary to a retirement fund. Teachers contribute 10 percent. At the end of the teacher’s career, the district stops paying. The teacher receives a pension from the state that is a percentage of the years the teacher worked, the teachers age and an average final highest three salary years.
The past two years, union members have received a 2 percent cost of living raise in addition to step raises.
The average teacher salary at Lakota is $59,041. At Fairfield it is $54,587. At Mason it is $57,063. Princeton it is $62,055.
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Understanding teacher contracts
I listened in on a phone conference yesterday and found this information helpful. Go to this link to learn about teacher contracts and what you might find in them. Also, there is a survey to gauge you opinion on contracts and how districts are organized.
One of the main things I learned from the presenters is that contracts are a hot topic across the nation and more people are paying attention. The two contracts compared in this information session were both traditional and “thin” contracts which give more school autonomy. It is a helpful tool to understand the concept of contracts.
To view Lakota’s contracts, click here.
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Poll: How will you vote on the levy?
Thanks for all your questions on the previous blog. I will track down information to put in both a story and to provide to you here.
In the meantime, here is a new poll we just put on our site. I am curious to see what our unscientific poll will reveal.
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How much do Lakota employees cost?
People have asked me for some numbers relating to Lakota’s budget, of which 80 percent goes toward personnel. Here are some of the numbers I gathered.
The cost of education: $100 million: salaries for Lakota’s 1,700 employees $33 million: benefits $60,000: average teacher salary $10,000: average district share of employee health insurance $79,000: average cost of a teacher including retirement/benefits
I will be writing a story on retirement plans for next week per requests from several readers. What other numbers would you like to see. How about story ideas? Leading up to the Lakota levy and contract negotiations, I will aim to write a finance-related story each week.
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Lakotafest writing contest honorable mentions
The third Lakotafest writing contest has just wrapped up, and we selected the winners today. I sifted through stacks of entries, paring them down to the best. Then, I polled the office staff and anyone else who would sit and read the selections. It was a tough call, but we selected six winners. You will get to see those in next week’s Pulse Journal. But, for now, I want to share with you some honorable mentions.
The Birds and the Hawks By Amanda Weisbrod Age 14, grade 8
We fly high, out of reach from our sisters. The Comets, as hard as they try, cannot meet our Excellence. Cowardly, are the Lions compared to the Bravery, we hold in our hearts. Because we, come together, from the East and the West, To stand tall; stand strong. We are Lakota, The Birds and the Hawks.
The Mirror of Excellence Patrick O’Connor Grade 7, age 12
The Mirror of Excellence It reflects all of us, showing our hearts, souls and minds reflected through us.
Reflecting Lakota’s excellence Really isn’t hard Just show it through anywhere You decide to go
Anythign you want to do Doctor, Lawyer, Author Can be done When your heart shows through
Be good to people And follow the golden rule: Treat others the way you want to be treated And you’ll reflect Lakota’s excellence
Do your work And be yourself And anything is possible And this is showing Lakota’s excellence
Lakota’s excellence Sines through us all The students, the community, Everyone
Make the right decisions And don’t get hit by peer pressure And you will shine on And show Lakota’s excellence
Break your old bad habits And reform, reshape, redo Getting it right is good But learning from mistakes is better
These are what Lakota teaches And what I do everyday You can do these too, And show Lakota’s excellence.
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Support for a levy?
More than half of the 600 Lakota residents surveyed this past summer said they would not support a levy in November. The goal for Lakota’s levy committee now is to convince those same people to support a levy in May. The argument is that the economy is tough on everyone, but the excellent school district of Lakota needs its community’s backing. This Thursday I will have a story about the levy details, the survey and what the levy committee is doing to try to get voters to say yes. However, I am looking for a Lakota resident or two that has strong feelings why he or she plans to vote yes or no. Send me an e-mail at lhilty@coxohio.com if you would like to share your thoughts.
Thanks!
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Lakota parents appeal to LEA
I hear a lot of grumblings from both sides of this budget crisis in Lakota (and in schools across Ohio).
One thing that rarely is addressed is contracted salaries. Whether you agree with unions or not, the salaries and benefits are 80 percent of a budget and typically aren’t cut when all other non-negotiated items are on the chopping block.
Lakota parents have been speaking up more frequently, saying something has to give or they can’t continue to keep paying Lakota taxes. What are your thoughts? Read here to find out what parents are saying.
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Is No Child Left Behind working?
Ask any school administrator what they think about No Child Left Behind, and you will probably get a response like this: The concept of accountability so that all children succeed is a good one. However, there are numerous problems with the program, such as a requirement that all students achieve at the same level on a standardized test, including those with developmental disabilities.
The U.S. Department of Education’s budget takes a look at NCLB. Apparently, they are looking at adequate yearly progress and the 2014 deadline for eliminating the achievement gap. The budget proposes a 6 percent tax hike in k-12 public education funding and replacing the AYP program with a plan that takes a broader look at school performance, student growth and school progress, according to the Ohio School Boards Association.
Here is a press release I got today. It is another interesting debate on the topic.
NEW REPORT WARNS OF LIMITED IMPACT OF RACE TO THE TOP, COMMON STANDARDS; ASSERTS CONGRESS MUST REAUTHORIZE ESEA
Washington, DC - A new report argues that, despite the promise of education reform efforts such as Race to the Top and the state-led common standards movement, improvement can only be sustained if Congress and the Administration update and improve the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), currently known as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).
Released by the Alliance for Excellent Education and the Aspen Institute’s Commission on No Child Left Behind, the report, Don’t Leave Accountability Behind: A Call for ESEA Reauthorization http://www.all4ed.org/files/AllianceCommissionReport.pdf , credits Congress and the Administration for encouraging states to advance important education priorities by linking the stimulus dollars in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to reform. At the same time, however, the report argues that ARRA’s one-time funding will run out soon and cannot address long-term needs.
“Sustaining and building on this reform momentum is critical to assuring that all kids — regardless of zip code — receive an excellent education that prepares them for success,” said Gary Huggins, executive director of the Commission on No Child Left Behind. “While the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act includes many critical reform elements that should be part of a reauthorized ESEA, it is not a substitute for the systemic, durable reform that only a reauthorization can provide.”
In the years since the last reauthorization in 2002, the report notes, the nation has benefited from NCLB’s commitment to hold schools accountable for improving outcomes for all students by highlighting the achievement gaps among groups of students. Additionally, NCLB’s requirement to disaggregate data on student outcomes for accountability and public reporting purposes has translated into significant gains on the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) over the last decade, particularly in elementary schools. Unfortunately, the gains on NAEP have not extended to the nation’s secondary schools where achievement gaps remain large and pervasive.
“NCLB was groundbreaking when it was signed into law,” said Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Excellent Education and former governor of West Virginia. “Almost 10 years later it’s a compact disc in an iPod world — useful, but in desperate need of an upgrade. By reauthorizing ESEA, the Congress can address the aspects of NCLB that time, experience, and research have shown need to be significantly improved or updated and do more to help ensure that every student graduates from high school prepared for college and career.”
In an effort to provide temporary fixes to NCLB, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) created important pilot programs and offered waivers permitting school districts and states to experiment with different approaches to accountability and school improvement, the report notes. ARRA brought about even more rules and additional waivers. “In the absence of ESEA reauthorization, the myriad guidelines, rules, and waivers that followed NCLB and ARRA have resulted in a patchwork quilt of requirements that send mixed signals to states and school districts,” Huggins said. “There must be a clear and streamlined roadmap on how they all work together and more effectively support state and local reform efforts.” The report outlines four distinct reasons ESEA reauthorization is necessary to support long-term reform and ensure strong accountability for student outcomes and improvement: NCLB and ARRA have inconsistent accountability goals and measures that send mixed messages to educators and parents and have the potential to confuse local administrators and increase bureaucracy at the state and federal levels. For example, NCLB set the goal of all students becoming proficient in math and reading by 2014. On the other hand, ARRA requires states to set goals that are ambitious and achievable, but imposes no timeline. While ARRA’s programs rightly prioritize the lowest-performing schools, too many other low-performing schools and students do not receive attention and support. Under the competitive framework of ARRA’s Race to the Top Fund, not every state will receive funding and, in those states that do, only a subset of eligible schools will benefit. Although there are multiple reporting requirements and administrative burdens, states are not necessarily held accountable for the efficient, effective, and equitable use of federal education dollars. According to the report, ESEA reauthorization presents an opportunity to rethink and improve monitoring strategies to minimize the burden to states and districts, while maximizing accountability for results. The NCLB accountability framework needs to be updated to recognize the state-led movement toward higher, common standards and improved assessments while maintaining accountability for results. The report argues that an ESEA reauthorization is necessary to realign the accountability system accordingly, while simultaneously ensuring that all schools —including low-performing schools —are accurately identified for improvement and interventions. The report comes two days before U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will testify before the House Education and Labor Committee to discuss ESEA reauthorization and the role that strong and innovative education reforms can play in helping to rebuild the American economy and ensure the nation’s competitiveness.
In the report, the Commission on No Child Left Behind and the Alliance for Excellent Education call on the Administration and Congress to move swiftly to reauthorize ESEA in 2010. Over the coming weeks, the Commission and the Alliance will be reaching out to other national organizations to add to the push for ESEA reauthorization this year.
The complete report is available at http://www.all4ed.org/files/AllianceCommissionReport.pdf http://www.all4ed.org/files/AllianceCommissionReport and http://www.nclbcommission.org http://www.nclbcommission.org/ .
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