Boise Guardian » Education

Some Educated Thoughts To Consider

dave — Mon, 14 May 2012 21:12:13 +0000

Its an annual event this time of year: students graduate either high school or college, there are inspiring stories of old immigrants getting degrees, students overcoming emotional and financial hurdles, and of course politicos making commencement addresses to show they are “pro education.”

Just today we encountered a couple of youngsters (nearly everyone is a youngster to the GUARDIAN) mixing those foo-foo latte drinks at a local java joint who graduated from BSU “Magna Cum Laude.” Asked their plans for when they “grow up,” they both planned to go to grad school. A fellow barista is already working on a masters degree.

We also contacted a guy who left a flyer in the door that was NOT from a politician, so we read it. He wanted to do yard work. We gave him a call and caught him in the middle of a high school shop class where he is a senior about to graduate.

From a business standpoint (return on investment), the highschooler is much more “profitable” than the brilliant baristas. He has low overhead, little investment and can make upwards of $20 an hour.

The college grads have at least 4 years and perhaps $40,000 invested, are probably in debt to the government for student loans and have no job prospects on the horizon. This picture is common in the USA and something’s wrong with it.

This doesn’t mean we should be training landscape laborers, but it certainly offers food for thought regarding the value of a college degree, the “right” course of study, and the state of economics and education in America. Your educated thoughts please.

A New Month Brings Hope For Future

dave — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 23:51:55 +0000

This morning we awakened to all sorts of good news.

First it was Team Dave announcing they have abandoned plans for not only a downtown baseball park, but they also promised to not use any public money to further the desire named Streetcar (also known as the Trolley Folly).

Next thing we heard was the legislature realized how much impact they put on cities with the Land Board going into business against those who actually pay taxes. Plans are afoot to discontinue owning tax exempt businesses that would otherwise be private and pay taxes.

The new Urban Renewal director said it was simply wrong on too many fronts to continue to divert tax money to the agency at the expense of schools, cities, counties, and the highway district. He also noted citizens need a voice in long term debt issues.

With the tourist season upon us, we were thrilled to learn the Boise Depot was actually going to be open to visitors on a daily basis with tours to the bell tower to view the city.

Boise officials actually started talking to taxpayers and the media instead of hiding behind costly public records requests and claims of “personnel matter.” The new transparency is expected to cut down on costly records requests and lead to better understanding of all parties.

Then we realized today is APRIL FOOLS day. It doesn’t hurt to be positive, but sometimes it makes you feel like a fool.

Voter Turnout Above Average For School Issue

dave — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 15:13:51 +0000

Candidate advice. If you want to get elected, contact the “Friends” of Boise Schools–they know how to get out the vote. For a single ballot question with little personality, no religious issues, or gender gaps the turnout was great in Ada County–a Whopping 29%.

Compared to the Boise mayor/council election the turnout was nearly double. In Dave Bieter’s landslide election, 89% of registered voters declined to vote for him. Turnout in that election was 16% and he got 69% of the votes cast–which was a mere 11% of registered voters.

Here’s how the school levy vote broke down according to the county election office:

PRECINCTS COUNTED (OF 136). . . . . 136 100.00
REGISTERED VOTERS – TOTAL . . . . . 190,951
REGISTERED VOTERS – MERIDIAN SCHOOL. . 92,675
REGISTERED VOTERS – BOISE SCHOOL DIST . 98,276
BALLOTS CAST – TOTAL. . . . . . . 51,393
BALLOTS CAST – MERIDIAN SCHOOL DIST. . 22,817
BALLOTS CAST – BOISE SCHOOL DISTRICT . 28,576
VOTER TURNOUT – TOTAL . . . . . . 26.91
VOTER TURNOUT – MERIDIAN SCHOOL DIST. . 24.62
VOTER TURNOUT – BOISE SCHOOL DISTRICT . 29.08

BOISE SCHOOL LEVY BOISE SCHOOL DISTRICT
YES . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,373 71.36
NO. . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,177 28.64

MERIDIAN SCHOOL LEVY MERIDIAN SCHOOL DIST.
YES . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,245 53.69
NO. . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,562 46.31

Ada Elections Office Busy Fielding Calls–Voting SNAFU In Pct. 50

dave — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 21:50:25 +0000

BULLETIN– 10:08 p.m. MERIDIAN VOTERS CAST 47 BOISE BALLOTS IN PRECINCT 50
Ada Election Central has issued this statement:

“A pad of the Independent School District of Boise City Supplemental Levy ballots was inadvertently placed with those of the Meridian School District Supplemental Levy resulting in 47 ballots being issued to Meridian Voters. This occurred at Precinct 50 (Seventh Adventist Church, 1115 N. Cloverdale, Boise), which votes patrons located in both Meridian and Boise school districts.

After the mistake was discovered, the ballot box with the improperly cast ballots was secured and isolated. A new ballot box was then used for the subsequently voted ballots. When the polls closed, the two ballot boxes were reconciled with the signatures in the poll book separately. The ballots were then transported to the Election Center in two respective transfer cases. This matter was also brought to the attention of the Idaho Secretary of State’s office and representatives of the Boise and Meridian School Districts.

Ballots from precinct 50 will be tabulated after all other ballots have been counted. Election workers will count Precinct 50 ballots in two separate groups. First, the Precinct 50 ballots that were not impacted will be counted. The Boise School District ballots impacted will be isolated and counted after that. These totals will then be combined. It is uncertain what effect this may have on the results of the elections. In the event of an election contest, a judge will be able to determine the effect of the isolated ballots involved on the outcome of the elections.”

4p.m. Report–
Ada County’s election office had seven people staffing the phones to direct voters to the proper polling place for today’s school levy election and they were reportedly “swamped with calls.”

As of 3:45 p.m. it was reported the election was running smoothly for the Boise and Meridian levy races. Boise seeks $70 million over five years and Meridian wants $28 million over two years.

Chief election officer Chris Rich told the GUARDIAN he expected a turnout of less than 15% of registered voters, but they had printed enough ballots for a 35% turnout. Since there is only one question in each school district, he predicted an early tally–barring a mechanical failure.

Polls are open until 8 p.m. and generally speaking voters are being directed to the same polling place where they voted in the last election.

No related posts.

Update On School Levy Elections

dave — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 19:40:05 +0000

We have received several comments from readers regarding the Tuesday School Elections. First are allegations that Boise’s ballot language disguises the fact they are seeking $70,000,000 which is broken down into $14,000,000 every year for 5 years. One reader claims the Meridian ballot is much clearer, adding the Boise cost pegged at a mere $7 a month on average, really amounts to nearly $500 over the 5 year course of the levy.

We have also been informed the “IDAHO VOTES” link previously posted is no good. Ada County Clerk and chief election officer, Chris Rich, told the GUARDIAN Monday voters in Tuesday’s levy elections should vote where they voted last fall. Polling places are not changing for the Tuesday election, in which school levies in Meridian and Boise school districts will be decided. Polls are open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. You call the Ada County Elections office at 287-6860 for specific polling information.

Judge the ballot language for yourself.

School Levy Election Tuesday–Be Sure To VOTE!

dave — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 16:26:13 +0000

A bunch of school levy elections set for Tuesday because the Idaho Legislature has shifted much of the cost of education to property owners while proclaiming legislators have “held the line” on tax hikes. They may have held the line, but only with a massive shift.

To learn where to vote following the statewide redistricting and countywide precinct adjustments, visit IDAHO VOTES. You can also call Ada County Elections at 287-6860, but the lines will probably be jammed.

The DAILY PAPER has a nice round up of school ELECTION FACTS which is worth a look. Boise voters are being asked to approve a five year, $70 million tax hike.

While there is plenty of room to manipulate the figures, we were struck that annual per–pupil expenditures ranged from $4,769 in Meridian to $7,733 in Caldwell. Boise School District spends $7,400 per student. Which begs the questions: “Are Caldwell kids nearly twice as smart as Meridian’s students? OR “Are Meridian’s administrators nearly twice as efficient as Boise’s?”

Our constitution and laws are intended to leave the education of our students and administration of public schools up to “local control.” Board members serve without pay and administer budgets equal to the cities and counties in which they exist.

The GUARDIAN previously posted a PRO-CON story on the Boise SCHOOL ELECTION.

No related posts.

Boise School Levy, YES or NO?

dave — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 21:50:21 +0000

After a coin flip at the GUARDIAN world headquarters, the YES folks won top billing for this story, but the GUARDIAN will stick with long standing policy and not endorse issues or candidates. We provide the forum to further public discussion of important issues. The election is March 13. (We really did flip for top billing).

YES on School Levy, Schools Do Great Job
By Mike Lanza

Boise’s public schools are a great success story. All four of Boise’s traditional high schools have made the annual Washington Post list of the top high schools in America—one of just 20 large districts in the entire country to place all of their high schools on that list. Our District has outstanding Advanced Placement, music, vocational-technical and numerous other programs.

Thanks to three years of cuts in state funding, our schools now face an operating deficit of $14 million beginning with the 2012-2013 school year. Voters will decide March 13 on a temporary, five-year school levy to fill the gap. All revenue will go toward maintaining the low class sizes and existing programs that have made our schools and students successful. In fact, the Boise School District spends less on administration, as a percentage of total spending, than all but one school district in Idaho. In making $22 million in administrative and operational cuts over the past three years, the District has accountably balanced its budget without affecting classrooms.
The math is simple. Staff makes up about 87 percent of the District’s budget. If the levy fails, our schools will have to make the biggest cuts in District history: $14 million equates to about 230 teachers. Larger class sizes and losses to popular programs would be unavoidable, compromising the quality of education delivered by one of America’s best school districts.

The school levy is supported by many civic and business leaders, including Mayor Dave Bieter, the City Council, KeyBank of Idaho, Treasure Valley Family YMCA, the Idaho Technology Council, and residents from all over Boise. They all agree: This levy represents an investment in our children’s future, our local economy, and our quality of life.
On March 13, vote for our future: Vote yes for Boise schools.

Mike Lanza is a co-chair of the volunteer group Friends of Boise Schools (yesforboiseschools.org).

NO On Levy, Just A Union Effort To Increase Salaries
By Jim Auld

The union inspired Boise School District levy election is based on the myth of insufficient funding. To scare patrons into supporting the election the BSD suggests the potential loss of 200 teachers. The facts say otherwise.

The 200l budget was $171 million with a student population of 26,778 or $6413 per student. The worst case suggested by BSD is a budget of $166 million for 25269 students or $6569 per student. So in the worst case there is more spending per student than in 2001.

Would class sizes increase? BSD says there are currently 1420 teachers with 25269 students, a student teacher ratio of 18 to 1. BSD tells us current classrooms average 24 students per teacher. So if BSD did release 200 teachers the class size would still be around 21 if all teachers were actually teaching. So what is the problem?

Is BSD having a problem with the truth? Isn’t this levy election just to raise money for salary increases, something most BSD patrons themselves have not seen for several years.?

This is a result of the almost total control of BSD by the teachers union. The union according to the Idaho Freedom Foundation receives about $850,000 in union dues paid by the taxpayer. (New teachers are told they don’t have to pay union dues.)

So it appears from my view the levy is a cynical attempt to raise funds for salary increases and to keep up the union cash flow while making it appear BSD is in dire financial straits while placing little Johnny”s education in jeopardy. What a crock!

Please send a message to BSD and vote no on Mar 13.

Jim Auld represents theAda County Property Owners Association

Meridian Sexting Ban Better Suited For Coppers

dave — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 22:39:15 +0000

While well intentioned, a proposed “sexting policy” for the Meridian School District may be better suited for law enforcement. As written, the policy is constitutionally intrusive with potentially illegal searches into student telephones and communication devices.

Rather than the following proposed policy, the District may be better served to have a simple policy stating, “If you send or keep dirty pictures we will call the cops and notify your parents.”

Here is the proposed policy:
Definition of sexting: Sexting is the sending or receiving of sexually explicit or sexually suggestive images or video via a cell phone or electronic device.
1. The possession of sexually explicit images of minors on any device is prohibited.
2. Students involved in sexting (unless they immediately delete the images) may be subject to discipline.
3. Students involved in sexting will have their parents informed and may have police involved in the case.
4. Cell phones will be searched if there is probable cause that a criminal violation has occurred, and may be searched if reasonable suspicion exists that the phone contains evidence of a violation.
5. Any form of harassment related to sexting is strictly forbidden.

The GUARDIAN contacted Boise lawyer John Runft who has a background in constitutional law. He found item#4 to be “troublesome,” noting that teachers and administrators would be placed in a position of acting as police.

“Anything can be searched if there is probable cause and a judge issues a warrant,” said Runft, adding, “Criminal violations are the responsibility of police and it would be reasonable to direct school staff to call police if they suspect a student possesses a device with illegal material on it.”

U of I, Penn State Cases Share Similar Facts

dave — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 16:34:41 +0000

We are surprised how few seem to have connected the dots between the tragic murder of the University of Idaho Coed and the child rape allegations at Penn State.

In both cases university officials were advised of horrible crimes and/or threats, but no action was even taken to launch full fledged investigations. All concerned should take note and never let it happen again.

Only when the media shed light on these events did those in charge step up and take action. In the case of the coed murder, it took legal action by Idaho media to get the facts out of the university. At State College, Pennsylvania it was media revelations that led to the ouster of the university president and famed coach Joe Paterno.

Like the Catholic Church and the Boy Scouts, universities apparently worry more about reputations than protecting the victims of predators.

UPDATE–Apparently the Daily Paper had an EDITORIAL on the subject. We missed it.

“Paper or Plastic?” Goes To Polls In Hailey

dave — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 18:44:39 +0000

The question of “paper or plastic” will be answered by voters at the polls in Hailey November 8 when they cast their ballots on a proposed ordinance banning plastic bags.

The issue got on the local ballot due to the efforts of the Wood River High school environmental club, W.A.T.E.R. (We Appreciate The Earth’s Resources).

The issue goes way beyond the move to reduce pollution and use of petro chemicals. Not only is it a “greenie” political topic, but the folks in neighboring Jerome stand to get a bit of a slap in their collective face.

Seems the Hilex Poly Co.–the largest plastic grocery bag manufacturer in the USA–has a plant employing 125 workers in Jerome. The firm has a total of nine production facilities scattered around the USA. Hilex has hired a high powered PR firm, “Gallatin Public Affairs, formerly The Gallatin Group, to help defeat the proposed bag ban. Gallatin has a liberal reputation including that of former Idaho Guv and Interior Secretary Cecil Andrus who is “of counsel” at the firm.

Not only will the W.A.T.E.R club students get a lesson in environmental advocacy, but the kids will also learn about politics, unemployment, economics, and public relations–regardless of how voters answer the “paper or plastic” question.