High School Journalism Gets the Ax in Hillsboro

Those of us then serving on the HSD 1J Board of Directors, i.e., the school board, were somewhat stunned to learn recently — via letters of protest and/or appearances at school board meetings from/by students, teachers, parents, a USAF officer, two professional journalists (who are alums of the Glencoe journalism program), and other Glencoe graduates — that although the District had been able to backfill some of our cuts, including some athletic programs that had been consigned to fund-raising, high school student newspaper advisor stipends (and thus the newspapers) remained on the cut list.

The high school community, the current Board and former Board members, and, I suspect, the entire District community, would like to know why…

John Peterson, a local trial attorney and fellow Board member emeritus (we both declined to run again after two four-year terms ending June 30th) frames the issue well in his letter of July 28, 2011 to the current Board…

From: John Peterson
Sent: Thursday, July 28, 2011 2:17 PM
To: ‘schoolboard@hsd.k12.or.us‘
Subject: Plea for Journalism

July 26, 2011

To:  Hillsboro School Board

Re:  Cancellation of Journalism Advisor Stipends at High Schools

Dear Board Members:

It is with some considerable disappointment I address you on this subject once again.  After receipt of grateful news the State of Oregon would be providing slightly more funding than originally projected, we had a discussion of where to “backfill” budget cuts already planned.  I then made the statement such decision-making should be pursuant to a prioritization of deserving programs.  I urged programs supporting our academic curriculum should be of the highest priority.  My failure was in not insisting we have a debate then and there about what we believed as a board should be funded once again with these unexpected revenues.

I apparently placed too much faith in the belief that anyone with an educational background would recognize that the school district is first and foremost an academic institution.  It was with great dismay the next word I received was that our district administrators had decided non-academic athletic stipends were apparently to trump the stipend for academic faculty support and supervision of journalism.  The budget document does not require administration to spend allocated money as it might appear in the document.  The funding of stipends is entirely a decision of administration unless the board specifically directs a reversal of a decision made.  It is just such a reversal I urge upon you.

No one enjoys high school athletics more than I.  However, that is not the issue.  We should be ashamed of ourselves in the decision to fund any non-academic activity before we assure that those traditional and excellent activities directly supporting and complimenting our academic curriculum are first served.  Are we or are we not an academic institution above all else?

As the sports editor of my high school newspaper I can attest it was one of the most enriching educational activities of my life.  Concise writing, persuasive writing, deductive reasoning, appreciation of access to a broad working vocabulary were but a few of the skills acquired from my experience.  Organization of thought and words to state a point succinctly and accurately is a skill honed well in the pursuit of a journalism experience.  Writing under time deadline and pressure is yet another.  Confidence to interview others and speak for and against and defend positions is likewise fostered by an experience with journalism.  I was certainly impressed by the young lady from Glencoe who eloquently explained to us the disappointment over loss by her and many others of the ability to continue to develop their journalistic skills.  I found her arguments extremely persuasive when she shared how much of the funding for the newspapers is raised by the student’s own efforts and the large number of students directly involved in the production and publication of a newspaper.

Far more students are involved in this activity than are involved in many of the athletic programs we offer our students.  If you want to count heads you would find far more students are served by the journalism advisor than are served by coaching stipends for small team sports.  I hate to make this a contest over numbers as I would hope we could fund all stipends to maximize what we offer to all students.  But, I feel compelled by our Strategic Plan Mission Statement to make the point that sports coaching stipends should never trump the funding of stipends for traditional academic support of activities such as journalism.  The classroom in which journalism is taught and will continue is but a fraction of the learning associated with journalism.  The journalism laboratory, where the nitty-gritty real world lessons are learned is in actually assembling and publishing a newspaper.

Why would this school district choose to abandon decades of journalism excellence exhibited by those of our schools that still have a student newspaper?  Alas, I suspect principals are not excited with the prospect of conflict possibly arising over issues of censorship which has afflicted some schools in this country.  But, this is another compelling reason why we should embrace and encourage student newspapers.  It is the very reason we have faculty advisors to instill a sense of responsibility in our students and accuracy in the written word.  In my opinion this decision to abandon student newspapers is a “cop-out” on the part of district administrators and high school principals of this district.  It should not be permitted to stand.

I can only now speak to you as a concerned patron of the district.  I beg this board to reconsider the defunding of the journalism faculty stipend and support the publication of student newspapers.  Our mission as stated in our current Strategic Plan is to “Engage and challenge all learners to ensure academic excellence.”  Glencoe’s newspaper is a model of academic excellence.  With the many student members of newspaper staffs we were engaging and challenging them as our mission statement would charge us to do.  Now, we have chosen in this instance to ignore our own mission by elevating funding of non-academic pursuits over those of direct support of curriculum and the classroom.  Shame on us!  It is not too late to reverse the course and decisions of principals.  Abandonment of student newspapers is not chiseled in stone.  I remind everyone, demanding accountability and adherence to our mission statement is a board responsibility.  In fact, as this board learned from the last two years of involvement in the Lighthouse Project, it is school boards who demand accountability and adherence to their mission who govern the most successful schools in this country.  Please direct a reversal of this wrong-headed decision.  Do the right thing!  Following the spirit and intent of our mission statement is always the correct path to take.

John Peterson

Making Sense of Economic “Information”

Here’s a post from Mark Hurst’s blog, Good Experience, that discusses what we need to make sense out of economic information, i.e., “plain talk.”

Short Update On Board Activities

Short story: there’s a lot going on.

Long story:

1. Oregon’s in a whopper of a recession and we’re looking at budget recommentdations. Stay tuned.

2. A new charter school (Knova) is looking for approval.

3. Board incumbents are looking to hold on to their positions (and I recommend  that you support them).

4. The Board is in the process of hiring a new superintendent. That’s the most important function of the Board, and I can’t say a thing about it yet.

5. We are in the bargaining process with the Hillsboro Education Association (teachers’ union).

There’s a lot going on, and I would seriously advise anyone looking to replace an incumbent that they take an honest look at their health, the scope of the issues they’re concerned with, and the other issues they’ll have to deal with, plus their willingness to be a good, functional Board member (which, for some candidates, should they slide in, means getting along with some folks they’ve totally dissed). That will be interesting.

As always, the Board’s goal is to maximize the educational experience of our students.

Help Upgrade [Ruben’s] Classroom Library

Some of you are familiar with Ruben’s Bronx, New York, elementary school teacher’s blog. Ruben has a classroom book drive going on, and the goal, graded readers for his students, is worthy and attainable.

What do ya say we pitch in? We can’t support every classroom in the USA/World, but I’m willing to go an extra mile for someone who’s willing to ask.

Click here to read what Ruben is asking for and how you can help.

Thank you.

Not On the Test

NCLB (the federal No Child Left Behind law) makes me grind my teeth for lots of reasons.

This very cool song pretty well sums them up…

Now go visit Tom Chapin’s web site, Not On the Test.

For those of you who want the lyrics, Tom generously published them on his other web site, tomchapin.com.

Not On The Test
by John Forster & Tom Chapin
© 2007 Limousine Music Co. & The Last Music Co. (ASCAP)

Go on to sleep now, third grader of mine.
The test is tomorrow but you’ll do just fine.
It’s reading and math. Forget all the rest.
You don’t need to know what is not on the test.

Each box that you mark on each test that you take,
Remember your teachers. Their jobs are at stake.
Your score is their score, but don’t get all stressed.
They’d never teach anything not on the test.

The School Board is faced with no child left behind
With rules but no funding, they’re caught in a bind.
So music and art and the things you love best
Are not in your school ’cause they’re not on the test.

Sleep, sleep, and as you progress
You’ll learn there’s a lot that is not on the test.

Debate is a skill that is useful to know,
Unless you’re in Congress or talk radio,
Where shouting and spouting and spewing are blessed
‘Cause rational discourse was not on the test.

Thinking’s important. It’s good to know how.
And someday you’ll learn to, but someday’s not now.
Go on to sleep, now. You need your rest.
Don’t think about thinking. It’s not on the test.

Thanks to Tom Brandt for hooking me up with the video!

Board Takes Official Position on Four Measures of Significance to Oregon Education

It’s not often that I can speak for the entire Board, but this is one of those times, because we voted this way in an official meeting that was attached to our work session on Tuesday, October 14, 2008.

Of the many measures that will appear on the November ballot, four, in the opinion of your school district’s Board of Directors, merit not only our attention, but our active participation to defeat three of them, and pass the fourth.

The initiative we support is Measure 56, which calls for the restoration of the simple majority voting requirement.

The three we oppose are Measures 58 (prohibition of teaching public school students in language other than English for more than 1-2 years); 59 (proposing full federal income tax deductibility from Oregon tax liability); and 60 (creating a state-wide teacher merit pay mandate).

Here are our resolutions in measure numerical order:

Measure 56:

WHEREAS, the 2007 Oregon Legislature adopted HJR 15, which refers a constitutional amendment proposal to Oregon voters at the November 4, 2008 General Election that would modify a portion of the double-majority requirement, restoring simple majority voting; and

WHEREAS, under the so-called ‘double-majority’ requirement, to get voter approval of a finance measure, 50 percent of all registered voters must vote, along with “50 percent plus one vote”, with the exception of General Elections in even-numbered years; and

WHEREAS, this requirement places more election power in the hands of citizens who do not vote, rather than those who have decided to exercise this right; and

WHEREAS, the so-called ‘double-majority’ requirement has resulted in many jurisdictions crowding the even-numbered General Election ballots with many competing taxing interests; and

WHEREAS, the so-called ‘double majority’ requirement has resulted in the failure of several finance measures, despite the measures receiving a majority “yes” vote; and

WHEREAS, the 2007 Legislature created a very workable compromise, restoring the simple majority voting requirement for local bond and levy measures on all November and May ballots;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Hillsboro School District 1J Board of Directors support the Oregon Legislature’s passage of HJR 15 to restore the simple majority voting requirement to all May and November elections.

Measure 58:

WHEREAS, Ballot Measure 58 and its resulting ballot measure would establish a statewide policy that English is the “language of opportunity” and mandate that non-English speaking students shall be immersed in English so they can be mainstreamed as quickly as possible; and

WHEREAS, Ballot Measure 58 proposes to place non-English speaking students in English immersion classes for state-specified, limited time periods based on grade level (a maximum of 1 year for K-4 students; 1.5 years for grades 5-8; and 2 years for grades 9-12); and

WHEREAS, current, district-specified courses being taught to assist non-English speaking students who are unable to benefit from classes taught in English would effectively be eliminated,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Hillsboro School District Board of Directors strongly opposes Ballot Measure 58 because it severely reduces our authority and ability to meet the unique needs of our students w2ho must learn English – while also learning academic skills.

Measure 59:

WHEREAS, K-12 public education receives the majority of its funding through a direct appropriation from the state legislature in the form of the State School Fund, generally comprising over 40% of the total state general fund; and

WHEREAS, the state relies on personal income taxes for almost 90% of all state revenues, making public services, including public education, highly sensitive to any changes in personal income tax collections; and

WHEREAS, Ballot Measure 59 proposes to increase the amount of federal income taxes paid that can be deducted from an individual taxpayer’s Oregon taxable income from a limit of about $5,500 to the entire amount of federal taxes paid; and

WHEREAS, the changes proposed in Ballot Measure 59 are estimated by the Legislative Revenue Office to result in a $1.244 billion loss of state revenue in the 2009-11 biennium and a $2.268 billion reduction in the 2011-13 biennium; and

WHEREAS, such a dramatic reduction and instability in state revenues would likely result in a direct reduction in revenues for public education.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Hillsboro School District 1J Board of Directors strongly opposes the passage of Ballot Measure 59 and its efforts to destabilize and dramatically reduce revenues available for public services.

Measure 60:

WHEREAS, Measure 60 would impose a statewide mandate requiring all school districts to institute a new teacher compensation program without regard to the existing local collective bargaining process; and

WHEREAS, the measure lacks realistic and comprehensible definitions and clarifications that would enable local boards to thoroughly understand and effectively implement such a statewide mandate; and

WHEREAS, the measure would likely result in discouraging collaboration among teams of teachers in schools and instead foster competition for highest test scores; and

WHEREAS, said competition for high test scores would reduce the quality of Hillsboro’s education offerings because an emphasis on testing and testing rehearsal leaves less time for higher level curriculum exploration, and

WHEREAS, the official state fiscal impact committee has estimated that Measure 60 would require additional spending of between $30 million and $72 million statewide in the first year and between $30 million and $60 million statewide in subsequent years without raising additional revenues to compensate local districts.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Hillsboro School District 1J Board of Directors opposes the passage of Ballot Measure 60 and its effort to implement an unfunded statewide mandate overhauling the existing local teacher compensation system; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Hillsboro School District 1J Board of Directors urges voters to oppose Ballot Measure 60, and that the Board of Directors will work to educate local voters about the negative impact this measure will have on the local control of public schools, employee relations with teachers, funding for the classroom, and, most importantly, the opportunity for students in the Hillsboro school district to enjoy the benefits of a world-class education.

Scoop! HSD 1J Budget Committee Passes 2008-2009 Budget!

And you’d think that as much as some taxpayers complain about public entities and how they spend money, we’d have had a full house at the Administration Center Board Room where the Budget Committee had its first (and as it turns out, only) meeting tonight.

But when we got to the public input part of the agenda, there was no public to give input! Not even an Argus or Oregonian reporter. (Where do they get their stories when they don’t show up? Did you ever think about the fact that when a reporter writes about something they didn’t observe, like tonight’s meeting, you’re getting it third-hand? How can reporters report accurately in cases where they get their information second-hand?)

Superintendent Jeremy Lyon and Chief Financial Officer Diane Van Blaricom presented to the Budget Committee — with great clarity — the 2008-2009 budget, and answered questions for committee members. (The committee consists of the seven school board members and seven gracious citizens appointed by board members.)

Most importantly, we’re in the second year of the 2007-2009 biennium and we’re not cutting any programs. That’s good news.

Budget Committee members voted unanimously to pass this budget. Next, it goes to the school board for final approval at the regular HSD 1J Board of Directors meeting at 7:30 PM, May 27, 2008.

Stay tuned and I’ll let you know how the Board meeting turns out.

Board Work Session This Tuesday

Coming up on Tuesday evening in the usual place (Room 105 at the Administration Center) at 6 PM is the monthly Board work session.

To be honest, sometime watching paint dry can be more exciting than a work session, but you never know what melts someone’s butter.

Tuesday (in a special session) we will appoint a Construction Management/General Contractor for the Poynter Middle School remodel; then we’ll go into the work session mode and 1) learn how to use BoardBook in our quest for a paperless Board meeting; 2) engage in communication training with Shannon Priem from the Oregon School Boards Association and Nicole Kaufman, our own Executive Director of Community Relations; and 3) review section D of our policy book as part of our ongoing policy review. Section D is the part that deals with how the district handles money.

There’s no opportunity for public input here, as there is at regular board meetings, but if you like to know how things work, please join us!

2008-2009 HSD 1J Budget Kick-off

From the 2008-2009 Budget Parameters: “Each fall the District conducts a preliminary discussion with Budget Committee members about the current and future financial position of the District. This workshop begins preparation for building the 2008-09 District budget.”

Budget Committee members joined the HSD 1J Board of Directors at the HSD Administration Center on November 13 for a budget process kick-off that will culminate May 25, 2008 when the School Board adopts the budget for the second half of the biennium, 2007-2009.

Paul Warner Presentation

Paul Warner, the head economist from the Legislative Revenue Office of the State of Oregon, led the session with a presentation on the facts of revenue life in a state (Oregon) that depends heavily on personal income tax for infrastructure funding.

The fact that impressed me most is that we currently suffer the second most volatile state public funding in the nation, a legacy of Measure 5.

According to Dr. Warner, economic expansion lasts an average of five years between recessions. The years 1991-2001 were the longest period of expansion we have enjoyed as a nation since 1920. And typically we don’t know we’re in a recession until we are well along into it, and we are currently due for one, according to the averages.

I personally benefited from Dr. Warner’s explanations of the Rainy Day Fund and the Education Stability Fund, both of which will help sustain school districts through “typical” recessions.

The effects of severe recessions will be mitigated, according to Dr. Warner, and we are, because of the two aforementioned funds, better off than we were five years ago. But clearly the message is do our homework and have a contingency plan, because if the going gets really tough, even the RDF and the ESF will not bail us out entirely.

Many thanks to Paul Warner for traveling to Hillsboro to enlighten us.

(Access Dr. Warner’s PowerPoint presentation from the School Board Work Session Agenda for November 13, 2007.)

2008-2009 Budget Parameters from Superintendent Jeremy Lyon

The next part of the work session consisted of a review of budget parameters for the upcoming second half of the fiscal biennium. Dr. Lyon’s message was that we are in good shape, and we will seek to sustain our gains rather than expand our services in any way that we cannot sustain. Our emphasis is on moving forward and keeping our gains, not spending money when we’re fat and making drastic cuts when times are tough.

Click here to access the School Board Agenda page that leads to the HSD 1J 2008-2009 Budget Parameters.