Byron Yankey's blog

Here's another one....

Today's Our View in the Idaho Statesman states,  "Consolidating school districts must be a consideration in these tough times."

A brief history of the consolidation of the Riggins School District with the Grangeville School District and then the "deconsolidation" of the two might be a case study worth review.  Distance, different time zones,diverse needs and equity were some of the issues that locals could tell you about. It is seldom as simple as it seems.

There truly might be ways to reduce some costs for services and purchasing if districts were to join some of these functions.  But these would have to result from a case by case review and cost reductions may not result in the long run. 

As for administrative costs, I return to a previous perspective, "It is counter intuitive to me to call for school consolidation to reduce administrative costs while some are calling for the elimination of the caps on the number of charter schools."   I support schools of choice. There should be a variety of educational options for students. I know if school districts received the same funding for magnet schools as charter schools receive, more options would result.  

If we want to consolidate something....how about highway districts.

This makes me laugh....

Should Idaho consolidate school districts?  Every time this comes up, I laugh.  Why, because it is so ironic to hear people say,"We need to consolidate the smaller school districts and we will save money." These are often the same people who say, "We should remove the cap on the number of charter schools."

What are they missing?  Every new charter school is like adding a new school district!

Now, I agree there are probably some services or business functions that could be combined. If so, those should be considered. But for fun, why not look at the Our Idaho website.  Cruise through the salary section of the few charter schools listed, check out the salaries of staff and administration and then look at the same information for some of the small school districts and see what you think.

Facing another year of dismal education funding, all choice should be carefully considered. 

Nampa Classical Academy

From the Opinion page of today's Idaho Press Tribune comes this:

"A number of troubling revelations have occurred at the new Nampa Classical Academy — and they warrant close attention from the state's Public Charter School Commission."

The troubled start of the Nampa Classical Academy charter school has been chronicled in local newspapers and on tv. Along the way, the difficult task of opening a new school has been plagued with numerous mistakes or errors.  As pointed out be the IPT, the initial concerns reported to the Charter School Commission came from within the school community. Things have not gotten better and it appears many issues remain unresolved. 

Whatever the outcome of reviews and investigations, I hope the needs of the students become the priority as solutions are crafted. 

H1N1...what an experience!!!

I tried really hard to avoid getting H1N1 flu, really I did.  I used hand sanitizer and washed until I lost the feeling in my fingers. I tried not to breath deeply around coughing people.

Let's face it, my work environment is filled with hundreds and hundreds of little  germ carriers.(Remember, I'm an elementary school principal.) I even used a mask when helping sick kids in the health room.  All my precautions were for naught!  I got it, boy did I really get it.

Here are some things I learned from my "swine flu" experience.

• Women must be genetically superior!  As proof of this, I rode 4 hours in a car with two women while I was a sick as a dog "actively shedding virus" (medical term) and to date neither one of these women have become sick.
• You know your temperature is higher than your IQ when you can hear the hair growing on your arms.
• If you are hacking and coughing through a surgical mask and sweating as if you have just finished a marathon, people let you go first in line at the pharmacy.
• At any given time on satellite tv there are at least 4 reruns of Law and Order playing simultaneously
• If the world had a few more reality tv shows, the rest of us would feel much more normal.
• There is no limit to the level of crankiness I can achieve...just ask my wife. Even the cat stayed away from me.
• Saltine crackers are a survival food.
• When the nurse says, "Most people say this shot really hurts", it really does.
• When you think you hear growling and it is really you trying to breathe, it is time to return to the doctor.

The list goes on and on.

When I returned to the living, In certain settings I felt a little status when people found out I had H1N1.  After all anyone can get the seasonal flu...

I'm glad it is over.

Wow, it has been a long, long time...

I have spent time each day for the past 4 weeks feeling guilty about not writing in the blog.  I even received an email or two from readers asking if I was still alive. I have come to realize, writing in the blog is important to me and something I will not drop.  During my absence, there has even been some changes to the software I use to blog.  Oh well, I guess I will figure them out through my usual search and destroy learning strategy. 

It feels like I have just tuned in again...watch for more.

Luna calls for 9% increase to stay even

Public schools need a 9% increase in funds.

State schools Supt. Tom Luna says Idaho’s public schools need a 9.2 percent increase in state general funds next year, just to keep even and fund student growth. In a budget request for fiscal year 2011 that Luna’s scheduled to present to the state Board of Education on Thursday, he calls for a $1.34 billion general fund appropriation for public schools next year, $1.73 billion in total funds. That’s up from $1.23 billion in general funds this year - the first year that Idaho’s schools have taken a cut in state funds from what they received the year before.

The premise here is to stay even.  That is an impossible concept.  To stay even would mean such things as; utility costs don't increase, diesel for buses won't go up, the cost of paper,services, textbooks all would have to remain the same and oh, no buildings would need repair.   See what I mean?  The logic of staying even is unfathomable.

From Eye on Boise

One in five Idaho school districts have declared financial emergencies, legislative budget analyst Paul Headlee just informed lawmakers on the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee. He said 23 school districts, 20 percent of Idaho’s 115 districts, made the declaration as permitted by HB 252, legislation that passed this year. Many reduced school supplies, eliminated or reduced positions, reduced their textbook budgets, and left vacant positions unfilled; some have negotiated cuts or freezes in salaries.

So what is next? It surely is not removing the caps on the number of charter schools. Some legislators are calling for school consolidation.  Every new charter school is exactly opposite of that sentiment. In some cases, maybe consolidation should be considered. Considered by local patrons, not compelled by law makers.

Let's watch and see what is next.

Luna calls for 9% increase to stay even

Public schools need a 9% increase in funds.

State schools Supt. Tom Luna says Idaho’s public schools need a 9.2 percent increase in state general funds next year, just to keep even and fund student growth. In a budget request for fiscal year 2011 that Luna’s scheduled to present to the state Board of Education on Thursday, he calls for a $1.34 billion general fund appropriation for public schools next year, $1.73 billion in total funds. That’s up from $1.23 billion in general funds this year - the first year that Idaho’s schools have taken a cut in state funds from what they received the year before.

The premise here is to stay even.  That is an impossible concept.  To stay even would mean such things as; utility costs don't increase, diesel for buses won't go up, the cost of paper,services, textbooks all would have to remain the same and oh, no buildings would need repair.   See what I mean?  The logic of staying even is unfathomable.

From Eye on Boise

One in five Idaho school districts have declared financial emergencies, legislative budget analyst Paul Headlee just informed lawmakers on the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee. He said 23 school districts, 20 percent of Idaho’s 115 districts, made the declaration as permitted by HB 252, legislation that passed this year. Many reduced school supplies, eliminated or reduced positions, reduced their textbook budgets, and left vacant positions unfilled; some have negotiated cuts or freezes in salaries.

So what is next? It surely is not removing the caps on the number of charter schools. Some legislators are calling for school consolidation.  Every new charter school is exactly opposite of that sentiment. In some cases, maybe consolidation should be considered. Considered by local patrons, not compelled by law makers.

Let's watch and see what is next.

"It's going to be horrible..."

At the end of today's JFAC budget committee meeting, Betsy Russell reports:

With so few options, the Rupert Republican (Dean Cameron) is blunt about the task of making ends meet starting in January.

“It’s going to be horrible,” he said.

Yes, he is right. And,it will be made more horrible if the majority party does not move to a reasonable perspective and seriously considers additional revenue sources. Those sources should include after thoughtful review, the repeal of some tax exemptions and exclusions.

The implied appeal to Idaho citizens to "suck it up" and "tell us what they can do without", is a cop out. Here is what Vice Chairwomen Sen. Shawn Keough said after hearing the catastrophic possibilities in Idaho's Medicaid program.

It’s breathtaking,” said Sen. Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint, vice-chairwoman of the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee. “I think everyone in Idaho needs to understand where we’re at, and be prepared to sacrifice in a lot of ways. They need to communicate to us what their priorities are - what can they do without in services, and what do they feel they absolutely have to have, and how do they want to pay for that?”

Last legislative session many Idaho citizens tried to do just that. They testified at hearings. They wrote letters and emails. They made phone calls. What evidence has been provided that this legislative session will be different?

 

Enough is a enough

Take a moment and read Superintendent Tom Luna's comments about public education.

"There are very few things the Idaho Constitution says the state has to fund, but K-12 education is one of those. That should set the priorities," (...) "The governor has been clear that some things state government is doing now, we may not be able to do in the future if we're going to meet our constitutional obligations."

Superintendent Luna has proposed level funding for public education next year, plus some additional money for projected student growth. These early statements are positive in that between now and the start of the legislative session all sorts of trial balloons are floated. What is not included in this article is the developing positions of Superintendent Luna with regards to lifting the caps on charter schools and teacher pay for performance.  These are both high ticket items under any circumstance, but given the economic realities facing budget writers, I find it hard to imagine any scenario where these two issues should compete for already limited revenue.

And so it begins again...

Tug of war over state revenue reserves ,that's how the Idaho Statesman characterizes one of the few options available to lawmakers as they face another difficult budget year. New revenue will be needed as another option to preserve public services, education and health and welfare. Nearly $225 million dollars remain in budget reserves. These are dollars that were set aside for just such a time as now.  Hopefully, a combination of resources will produce a solution.  Idaho citizens do no deserve a repeat of the last legislative session where politics and egos created a session of near record breaking length.