To me, it is essential that JCPS gets reporting like this out to the public. I do like that Chief Academic Officer, Dewey Hensley is not using this as an excuse for not working to improve schools, but I think putting context around JCPS data helps improve public perception.
The LEO has done a good job of beefing up its coverage of JCPS recently. This week an article discusses the flawed method of measuring graduation rates, which compares numbers of entering freshman to the numbers of graduates, because it doesn't factor in people who transfer out of the school and graduate elsewhere.
To me, it is essential that JCPS gets reporting like this out to the public. I do like that Chief Academic Officer, Dewey Hensley is not using this as an excuse for not working to improve schools, but I think putting context around JCPS data helps improve public perception.
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Crosby Middle School pulled out all the stops to provide a tour of their school last night for prospective students and parents. Having now attended three separate open houses, although Noe is still our school of choices, I have to say this was the most impressive stop. There was a large staff turnout and the school made the effort to show us all sides of the school by having the staff lead us on a tour, rather than giving us a self directed one. But, by the end of the night I felt a little more overwhelmed then I already did by two hours of visiting classes and seeing presentations, so perhaps it's a bit TOO much of a good thing.
From the three open houses I've attended, I'd like to suggest the following to each school in the district.
Overall, I was impressed by what I've seen so far. We still think Noe is the best choice for our daughter, but each school has made a case for themselves. Have you been touring schools? What are your thoughts? I'm at the Crosby Open House and have noticed that each school has its own spin on how to do an open house. While I'm glad each showcases its strengths, it would be nice if every school had a fact sheet that discussed everything the school has to offer. More later.
The lousy photo to the left is a picture I snapped as I was leaving my polling place at Fern Creek Baptist Church showing one of the teachers twirling a sign for Chris Brady, dangerously close to the 300 ft electioneering limit. Like every other school board election, at least three people were standing in front of the church waiving signs for the candidate selected by JCTA. My understanding is that these are typically teachers who may or may not live in the district, may or may not know anything about the candidate, and are probably getting paid by the JCTA PAC, Better Schools Kentucky for their efforts. As I said before, I'm not happy that the candidate I chose decided to take the JCTA endorsement, but I do understand it. A school board position pays next to nothing and campaign material is expensive. JCTA's endorsement bring their own money machine that they use to buy billboards, tons of signs, and gets them in your face when you're trying to vote. Chris Brady mentioned their support in ads and two separate robocalls, but by using their PAC name, avoided connecting their endorsement directly to the teachers union. But does this spending matter? Chuck Haddaway won this year without their endorsement, and a few years ago, the JCTA made an embarrassing choice of David Toborowsky in the District 3 race that backfired. In the last District 7 race, Larry Hujo's only opponent chose not to put his kids in JCPS and was focused on fringe issues incidental to education. Given the attention to JCPS, the Student Assignment Plan, and busing, I have to think that the people of Louisville are paying some attention to the schools and the school board race. While I think seeing a candidate's name constantly might be an advantage in attracting voters who aren't informed, I would hope that there are enough people who researched, watched news reports, and possibly talked to the candidates themselves before making their decision. I'd love to see the hundreds of thousands spent by JCTA and others out of these races, and I'd also love to see our news media take a greater interest in the races than they have and assign reporters who will test the candidate's knowledge of JCPS and challenge their ideas for improvement. It's not enough to say you want to improve schools or want neighborhood schools, we need to understand your plan. So what do you think? Are school board elections swayed by JCTA, or do we elect the candidates that truly represent our views? My daughter, wife, and I attended the Noe Middle School Open House yesterday and I think we all walked away impressed. Noe is our number one choice because it offers both a gifted and talented magnet and a visual arts magnet. Our daughter is both highly gifted and a talented artist (see the picture). After touring the relatively new Ramsey Middle School (built only a few years ago) and Noe (built in 1974 and renovated this year) I realized that what Ramsey was missing was a sense of history. Noe isn't necessarily an architectural marvel, but the building has a presence and vibe that older schools give off. They carry the history of their students within their walls, chipped paint, and distinctive classroom. I was most impressed by the several gifted and talented teaches who made themselves freely available for questions, and the art teacher, Ms. Whitaker, who helped generate some incredible work from her young students. But what struck me most about Noe was a comment that one of the teachers made about Noe being the first place where a gifted student comes in and feels like (paraphrasing) "I'm surrounded by people just like me." Jefferson County Public Schools does an inadequate job of addressing the needs of gifted and talented students in my opinion. Not only should they be offering an advance program in every school, but they should also be offering a gifted and talented program in every school. Kids should be pulled out and given time for deeper learning experiences outside of the normal classroom setting. I can speak from my own experience that having this in my own life made my own school experience far richer than it would have been without it, and I think some of my daughter's own boredom and frustration could have been eliminated if she'd have had the same opportunities I did. So we're hoping that my daughter gets her shot at Noe. Thank you to the Noe staff for providing us with an excellent open house experience. Chris Fell sent me the Powerpoint presentation he created for his candidacy. Here it is.
Tomorrow I have to choose from among several candidates that haven't exactly inspired me in the 7th district for JCPS. Fell and Robertson support positions I cannot. Sexton and Bell have issues of their own and are both former JCPS administrators, which doesn't give me comfort. That leaves me with Chris Brady, who I've been pleased to see attending school board meetings, but who hasn't exactly inspired me with his ideas, his involvement in his own childrens' school or with his taking of JCTA money.
I encourage all of you to take a look at some of these links and vote for the candidate of your choosing. Remember that neighborhood schools, charter schools, vouchers, and other proposed fixes need a true plan behind them and won't work simply because they're different. WFPL Report on Candidates Courier Journal Voter Guide |
About Rob Mattheu
I created the Louisville BEAT to help JCPS parents become more informed and involved in the school system. You can contact me here. Archives
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