Our recommendation: Springboro voters should say 'yes' the first time to school levies

[Now What]

Just Watching, you certainly like to write your thoughts but as usual there is actually no plan in what you wrote. No specifics, how is any of this going to be accomplished (especially with no budget).

1) Good ideas – how are they accomplished? Should we have more parent-teacher conferences? Better websites for classes/teachers/subjects? How do you make parents better parents?

2) I don’t know anyone that would say “all teachers are great/excellent” although from your point #1 –“It involves the parents backing up and supporting the teachers at home”. Good point. Whether you like the teacher or not, you need to help your students at home. FYI, bashing the unions isn’t helping the students.

3) How is this done? Do we use different tests? Do we test prior to the State tests to make sure we are doing better? This is a good idea but again, how do you do it? Who will be the one to identify what standards need to be raise and how it can be accomplished. I’m looking for specifics, not generalities.

4) What are you suggesting that the students spend more time on their math tables – maybe a good idea. What else? FYI, 70% of students are not in the Honor Society (it’s closer to about 10%).

5) I agree. What environments are you suggesting? STEM, Arts, Language, hands-on learning? Who identifies these learning environments and how are they funded, taught, etc.?

6) Again – lots of pretty words with absolutely no beef behind it. If you want to use your words for good then come up with specific things that this school can do (with basically no budget to do it).

7) Takes a village!

[Lurker]

Why no answers wrote:

<quoted text>
How many kids did that serve and how many credits did the kids earn?

In 2011, according to the ODE website, Springboro schools had 25 students participating.

[Inquiring Minds]

Does the OEA encourage teachers to indoctrinate Ohio’s Kids?
Is the OEA monthly newsletter to teachers posted on public websites?
Do we parents know what our children are learning from teacher unionists, who believe along with the OEA, that teachers should not only be members of a labor union, but also should indoctrinate our children on unionism?

As the OEA dictates teachers in their monthly newsletter,“It’s essential that they not only be teacher unionists, but teachers of unionism. We need to create a generation of students who support teachers and the movements of teachers for their rights.”
How about they focus on just teaching our kids the core skills they will need in math, reading, writing, and science? How about they leave their political ideology and unionism out of the classroom? As the National Assessment of Educational Progress results show, more than half of America’s 8th graders fail basic civics tests. Clearly, our teachers have enough to do already.

The OEA needs to keep its left-wing views outside of the classroom and its hands off our kids’ curriculum. This type of indoctrination isn’t a surprise coming from a group with a leader who once boldly admitted it was more concerned with getting more power than the best interest of our kids.

[Inquiring Minds]

The worst part of this indoctrination dictate is that it involves a captive audience that lacks the knowledge and power to challenge what they are being brainwashed to believe. The OEA does not even attempt to be responsible about its desire to create a Union Youth---they encourage teachers to aim this message at children as young as the 4th grade. The OEA approvingly recommends a website that “aims to inform children (grades 4-7) on current news and world events from a progressive perspective, and to inspire a passion for social justice and learning.

[Lurker]

Inquiring Minds, can you provide the link?

[Inquiring Minds]

This “progressive” website for 10 year olds contains links on the main page titled “Bush Wanted Abroad” and “Global Warming Causes Snow.” The Bush Wanted Abroad article consists of this reporting gem:“In February, former President George W. Bush canceled a trip to Switzerland to avoid being arrested for human rights abuses. Bush admitted to allowing the torture of prisoners held by the Untied States. This is a violation of international law. There are now several countries in which Bush may be arrested if he enters them.” Nice objective “news” for a 10 year old to read, right?

[Inquiring Minds]

Resource links for teachers can include a link to “Radical Math.” The Radical Math website thinks that teaching math should be overtly political and teachers should include propaganda about social justice into math lessons. So, the days of trains leaving Chicago traveling 55 miles per hour are over. Our kids apparently will now do math problems about the death penalty, global warming, enhanced interrogation techniques, and the greedy rich.

[Why no answers]

Lurker wrote:

<quoted text>
In 2011, according to the ODE website, Springboro schools had 25 students participating.

How many this year?

[Just Watching]

Now What wrote:

Just Watching, you certainly like to write your thoughts but as usual there is actually no plan in what you wrote. No specifics, how is any of this going to be accomplished (especially with no budget).
1) Good ideas – how are they accomplished? Should we have more parent-teacher conferences? Better websites for classes/teachers/subjects? How do you make parents better parents?
2) I don’t know anyone that would say “all teachers are great/excellent” although from your point #1 –“It involves the parents backing up and supporting the teachers at home”. Good point. Whether you like the teacher or not, you need to help your students at home. FYI, bashing the unions isn’t helping the students.
3) How is this done? Do we use different tests? Do we test prior to the State tests to make sure we are doing better? This is a good idea but again, how do you do it? Who will be the one to identify what standards need to be raise and how it can be accomplished. I’m looking for specifics, not generalities.
4) What are you suggesting that the students spend more time on their math tables – maybe a good idea. What else? FYI, 70% of students are not in the Honor Society (it’s closer to about 10%).
5) I agree. What environments are you suggesting? STEM, Arts, Language, hands-on learning? Who identifies these learning environments and how are they funded, taught, etc.?
6) Again – lots of pretty words with absolutely no beef behind it. If you want to use your words for good then come up with specific things that this school can do (with basically no budget to do it).
7) Takes a village!

1) You can't make all parents better, but the ones who do want the help will certainly take advantage of whatever is offered. If we are able to reach more parents and make them aware of the resources we have at hand through say a combination of old fashion notes sent home, phone calls, emails, or texts, then more will move in the direction that benefits all. Communication is the key, just as it is in so many endeavors.
I like many of your suggestions and quick brainstorming in this section. That kind of free thinking, when applied over a community, will almost certainly develop the winning strategy to accomplish our goals.
2) Listen to the union mantra, its Animal Farm on steroids.
3) I would suggest utilizing existing tests from an international level. After all, that is who our children will be competing against in the future. The international tests far exceed the state tests so our bases would be covered from a state level.
4) Classes devoted to learning how to learn. These may seem rather silly but the main reason employers like to hire college graduates is because they have demonstrated the ability to learn.
Developing an ongoing program that builds year upon year, we would take what is assumed to be a universal skill and turn it into an actual skill set weapon that can be employed now and in the future.
Learning how to learn is when the light bulb goes on in a student's mind and they finally get what we have been talking about.
5) As I said, all children are different and we are free to reinvent the wheel here. From traditional books, to multimedia, to home learning, to rigid programs of study to free wheeling exchanges of ideas, we are not chained to the past.
6) We have plenty of money, it is a matter of how we deploy that particular asset to its best use.
You appear to have rather open and inquisitive mind, what would you do? Ask that question of enough people and plans begin to develop.
7) It doesn't really take a village, it takes a few lonely souls to stand up and be counted for a change.

Neither I, nor anyone else, have all the answers or even a fraction of them. Collectively, however, our individual experiences and knowledge when brought together gives us something that can become great. Our Founding Fathers spent years honing a constitution, great works require great effort.

Are you in or are you out?

[BoroWise]

Any teacher can study books, but books do not necessarily bring wisdom, nor that human insight essential to consummate teaching skills.
-Bliss Perry

[Boroparent]

The Death Of Common Sense
12-13-10

Obituary

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.
He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:

- Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
- Why the early bird gets the worm;
- Life isn't always fair; and
- Maybe it was my fault..

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge). His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason.

He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers:
I Know My Rights
I Want It Now
Someone Else Is To Blame
I'm A Victim
Not many attended his funeral because
so few realized he was gone..
If you still remember him, pass this on.
If not, join the majority and do nothing.

[PSEO]

Just Watching wrote:

<quoted text>
Undergraduate students, 2012-2013
The table below shows the total cost of tuition per semester, including General Fee and Network & Technology Fee for in-state and out-of-state undergraduate students, for the academic year 2012-2013.
Credit Hours
Lower Division,
IN-STATE
2012-2013
1.....$223.10
2.....$428.20
3.....$633.30
4....$838.40
5...$1,043.50
6....$1,248.60
7....$1,453.70
8....$1,658.80
9.....$1,863.90
10....$2,069.00
11....$2,274.10
12...$2,479.20
If you have more kids in college garning college credits then you would need fewer teachers at the high school teaching current event classes, film classes, etc. Reducing our unneeded staff, redeploying our unused resources in the high school to other areas of high need throughout the school district would certainly save us money and benefit all of the children who are now struggling within our system.
2000 plus children are still not getting it according to the data provide by the state assessment tests. Redeploying our forces to best serve and advance these children's education is of paramount concern for every taxpayer in this district. If the taxpayer is going to pay for it, we should demand something for our contribution.
If we can spend less on college than we do in the high school, how can we say no to 2000 children who are not getting the education they deserve by redeploying resources to better serve that population?
How can we say no to parents and children struggling with ever increasing costs of higher education?
How can we say no to providing the basic assistance to give our children the boost forward in life?

Is this why the high school never pushed PSEO?
Never mind the kids needs we have staff to keep employed.

[Just Watching]

Inquiring Minds wrote:

Resource links for teachers can include a link to “Radical Math.” The Radical Math website thinks that teaching math should be overtly political and teachers should include propaganda about social justice into math lessons. So, the days of trains leaving Chicago traveling 55 miles per hour are over. Our kids apparently will now do math problems about the death penalty, global warming, enhanced interrogation techniques, and the greedy rich.

This is rich, right out of Stalin's Young Pioneer's teaching guide. Long live the proletariat!

(tongue in cheek sarcasm for those with a defective sense of humor)

http://www.radicalmath.org/

[PSEO]

Now What wrote:

Now that we all have read the Grading on a Curve document that everyone is pasting on here - what are you suggesting we do? What recommendations are you making to improve Springboro school district? Are the common core standards going to get us where you think we should be?
There has been posting after posting about the cut scores and how bad Springboro is doing but I've seen no specifics from anyone as to how to improve.

Why do I constantly hear from this district that we are only teaching to the test? It looks like we are not doing that well. It is not good to use common core because Obama and the feds pick content. If you don't teach that content you won't score well on these standardized tests. I don't want Obama telling my kids what they have to learn and then testing them on the revisionist history and the socialist ideology. I don't think any of us are looking at the test of the future but, I want to know if the questions are such as.

Identify the bad guy in this story
A. Capitalist that employs 100 employees
B. A nonprofit worker working with government grants
C. A firefighter working to get me reelected
D. A Congressman outlawing all guns to reduce crime.
What is the answer?
This is Common Core. Federal "standards" for what is taught.

Everyone/anyone that write the standardized tests rewrites history because every public school will comply to do "well" on the test. Schools will always teach to the revised test. The current Standardized tests are fine we just need to teach the content contained in them and not use the textbooks that do not comply. Textbooks today have been revised to test on how socialist you child has become. I think we are all doing our teachers a disservice when we test what they have not taught because the content they are teaching does not match the test-course content has been revised but the tests are traditional. Please teach to the test, forget the revisions that have been put in place to indoctrinate our kids, go back to traditional education content and stop trying to make our kids little socialists that tolerate all points of view on history, you are making them confused. We have but one history and one reason for that history. Christianity.
See Hillsdale Charter schools

[Think about it]

This government and many before them have been on a power trip to become kings and to do what they have to to convince us that they are our saviors and that we are not responsible for our own behavior. If we "tolerate" all opinions than we really have none of our own, we accept all. There is a clear right and wrong if you read the bible. If we accept/tolerate all, we don't believe that the bible teaches us how to act and how to believe, the government does, right?
Our kids are taught not to bully but that has become more of a technique to tell them that their opinion and stand should not be asserted. They can get detention for standing up to a teacher for what is an opinion taught to them by their parents and church. The teacher can say NO, you have to tolerate the atheist opinion and respect their personhood. Kid gets confused and thinks that maybe they are right I don't want to be a bully, maybe being an atheist is OK and I should think about being one and let Government guide my behavior. After if it is not illegal it is OK, right? Premarital sex is legal. Kids believe they have to tolerate others fro doing it because it is legal and they may be a bully if they tell someone it is not OK.

[no budget]

Now What wrote:

Just Watching, you certainly like to write your thoughts but as usual there is actually no plan in what you wrote. No specifics, how is any of this going to be accomplished (especially with no budget).
1) Good ideas – how are they accomplished? Should we have more parent-teacher conferences? Better websites for classes/teachers/subjects? How do you make parents better parents?
2) I don’t know anyone that would say “all teachers are great/excellent” although from your point #1 –“It involves the parents backing up and supporting the teachers at home”. Good point. Whether you like the teacher or not, you need to help your students at home. FYI, bashing the unions isn’t helping the students.
3) How is this done? Do we use different tests? Do we test prior to the State tests to make sure we are doing better? This is a good idea but again, how do you do it? Who will be the one to identify what standards need to be raise and how it can be accomplished. I’m looking for specifics, not generalities.
4) What are you suggesting that the students spend more time on their math tables – maybe a good idea. What else? FYI, 70% of students are not in the Honor Society (it’s closer to about 10%).
5) I agree. What environments are you suggesting? STEM, Arts, Language, hands-on learning? Who identifies these learning environments and how are they funded, taught, etc.?
6) Again – lots of pretty words with absolutely no beef behind it. If you want to use your words for good then come up with specific things that this school can do (with basically no budget to do it).
7) Takes a village!

Someone has a great sense of humor. I will rebut your comments here;
See # 1 Springboro is blessed with the bast of the best parents. Education indoctrination and bullies have taken parent responsibility away and said never mind I will take your child. Examples= the 365 policy, preschool truancy laws.

#2 Bashing the union isn't helping the students", yes it does because we can identify the problem and that is the first step toward fixing education.

3. Keep the test we have now just make sure it is traditional math, traditional History, Traditional science and so on. We have revised all of these faster than we have revised the tests.

5. Yes funded with the $50 million we currently have. We have the money to teach we don't have the money to waste. Teaching kids is why we all pay property taxes State taxes and federal taxes, not to make some adults more comfortable.

#6 basically, no budget". Funny. So the $50 million or so is "no budget". I think this community has been enormously generous.

7. That "Village" is part of the let me raise your kid government spouts. This village is not raising my kids, I am. "It takes a Village" is a union stand so they can be the village taking responsibility away from parents. The village needs to get out of our home, they are just creepy.
Where is education? Education is a business that is paid well to educate kids it is not a charity, the complaints are that they are not doing what they are being paid to do. What happens in business if the client or customer does not like the job the business they hired is doing? They get fired and the client chooses another business. Parents need to be able to chose another business of education. There I just solved the whole problem of uninvolved parents. If the business they chose does not preform it is their duty to pick another. If the child does not learn than it is the fault of the parent because they did not pick the right school for their kid.

[seek Truth]

Inquiring Minds wrote:

The worst part of this indoctrination dictate is that it involves a captive audience that lacks the knowledge and power to challenge what they are being brainwashed to believe. The OEA does not even attempt to be responsible about its desire to create a Union Youth---they encourage teachers to aim this message at children as young as the 4th grade. The OEA approvingly recommends a website that “aims to inform children (grades 4-7) on current news and world events from a progressive perspective, and to inspire a passion for social justice and learning.

Sounds like the "FREE" Channel one. Channel One programing was 100% socialist indoctrination. This was brought to Springboro by one of its union reps and bought hook line and sinker. Thank GOD the BOE got rid of it.
Seek and you shall find more people. Many employees are in on it.

[Just Watching]

Eye on the prize folks.

2000 plus kids not getting it in Springboro Schools as demonstrated by their test scores on the state achievement tests

That amounts to 37% of the children enrolled are getting failing grades on the dumbed down state assessment test.

If we cannot provide 3/8 of the students flowing through our system the basics in reading and math, what does that say about that system?

Might be time to retool.

[Waste Watchers]

hey Don wrote:

<quoted text>
All members of this community were given equal opportunity to voice their opinions either pre-planned or in response to agenda items. A list of 15 pre-planned speakers had been completely filled up by mid-morning of that day, so many, that each speaker was limited to 2 minutes. Put yourself in the shoes of the board members. There was NO WAY Kohls could allow that meeting to dissolve into an incomprehensible two-way argument.
If you are a parent and you're not getting the answers you're looking for regarding conversion schools, first of all I suggest that you separate yourself from those within this district who attach themselves to a collective agenda that doesn't wholly and equally support the futures of...ALL...Springboro school students.

Mr. Miller has now attached himself to Mr. Petrey's District Parent Council whose members (including levy ladies Babb, Carlisle, Jobe) embrace Mr. Miller's tunnel vision of a collective agenda that doesn't wholly and equally support the futures of All Springboro school students. Mr. Miller and the levy ladies of Mr. Petrey's District Parent Council oppose and protest against our BOE majority elected officials who were chosen by our school district voters to implement our children first budgeting plan; which Mr. Miller continues to oppose and votes against our children's first best interest.
Isn't it time for board member Don Miller to step aside (due to his personal conflict of interests with our BOE majority's new philosophy of "children first budgeting" which is adopted by our school board's five-year budget forecast approval?)
Isn't it time for the levy ladies of Mr. Petrey's District Parent Council members to stop wasting the time of our highly paid school superintendent with their continuing Babb for Boro failed political campaign against the winning agenda of our children first budgeting school board representatives?

[Worth Repeating]

Just Watching wrote:

I thought Mr. Webber gave a fine speech, he presents well to the public and made some impassioned pleas that seemed to resonate with the home crowd.
The one thing that appeared to be lacking in all of the pro Babb speakers was any concern for the 2000 plus kids in our district who just aren't getting it academically as well as the speakers' children.
I never heard word one from anyone that their child who wasn't getting everything from their education in our school district. All of the men and women who spoke had children in the gifted program that were doing great.
They expounded relentlessly how wonderful their children were doing and what great teachers their kids have enjoyed.
But not a word for the 2000 plus children who are struggling academically in this school district each year. Get out the school report card and do the math, 2000 plus kids would nearly fill our gym at a basketball game.
Where were the pleas for those 2000 plus children?
Instead we have a group of speakers imploring the district to maintain the status quo, a place where their children get the attention.
Self serving?
Perhaps just a bit.
Concern about others?
Not in the least.

hey don, will you please concede to the people's will and admit that your Babb for Boro November 2011 campaign failed; and will you please stop wasting taxpayers time and money with your continued protests against a free election;
Will you please resign your status quo leadership position of just "sitting" on the board, year after year, protesting all changes for the good of all our students;
offering nothing in service to our schools and community except your time and money wasting protests against doing what's right; and offering only your whines and longings for keeping our kids left behind, just like during the long ago forgotten glory days of the good ole boys BOE pro-union rule in our schools and community.
Will you step up to honor the voter's trust in you as a board representative to finally do the right thing?
Will you please resign and join our former "has been a BOE president" as one who simply does not agree with the new direction of our BOE majority; in whom our school district voters have placed our trust to assure every child in our community a quality education, while living within our community financial resources.