Recover - Rebuild - Renew
Vote For Progress
TIMES PICAYUNE: Keeping school reforms on track
Saturday, July 12, 2008 Times Picayune
Scott Cowen and Dan Packer
In short, our public education system is improving and getting better each day. And it is largely because principals and teachers have been empowered to do what they do best: Run their school to best meet the needs of their students. We're proud of this hard work, and like most New Orleanians, agree that this historic effort to rebuild and rethink our public schools has led the recovery effort in Orleans Parish. Student performance, management accountability and parental involvement are all on the rise.
Now it is our turn to keep this recovery going. Read more at:
http://www.nola.com/timespic/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1215840008268100.xml&coll=1
GAMBIT: Vote FOR Public Schools
"We urge all our readers in New Orleans to heed this call. Get out and vote for each of these vital propositions on Saturday. The quality of our public schools serves as both a mirror of our city's current state and as a crystal ball fortelling New Orleans' future."
CITYBUSINESS: Tulane's Cowen backs school tax renewals
"Renewal of all four propositions will not increase taxes but will continue to provide about $4 million toward textbooks and instructional supplies, $6 million for facilities maintenance and repairs, $18 million toward teacher salaries and benefits, and $4 million toward early childhood and dropout prevention programs in our schools."
TIMES PICAYUNE "OUR OPINIONS" Endorses all Four Propositions on July 19 ballot
"The bottom line on these millages is that it is crucial to keep the momentum of change going."
What the Media is Saying...
LOUISIANA WEEKLY: School Millage Renewal: VOTE YES
At the recent Charter School Conference, held in New Orleans, the keynote speakers repeatedly issued the same thought; the eyes of the world are on the educational reforms that this city has undertaken post-Katrina. And, these experts were not just being kind to their hosts.
By disaster and intervention, the public schools of New Orleans have embarked on the greatest set of comprehensive reforms on a district-wide level in U.S. history. There are as many Charter Schools in the Crescent City as in many entire regions of the United States. The reforms in the Recovery School District and throughout the remains of New Orleans Public System, amongst the most sweeping in the nation, bring money directly into the classrooms to a greater degree than almost any other major urban school district.
At times this newspaper has disagreed with elements of the reforms, but the need for systematic restructuring has been evident to nearly every New Orleanian. After just three years, the reforms have provided real improvements in student test scores and learning environments.
Average class size has fallen to 24 students per teacher, down from the mid-thirties. Textbooks are actually in the hands of those seeking to learn. And, school facilities, many of whom were collapsing before the floodwaters, are being upgraded and in many cases replaced--with up to date educational complexes.
By now, though, the post-Hurricane money is gone. The school system relies almost exclusively on its income from property taxes, and a key millage renewal is up for a vote this Saturday, July 19th.
The Louisiana Weekly urges you to vote in favor of its renewal. Some argue that a school system that has gone from over 66,000 students before the storm to 33,000 today does not need more money, but less. However, that would mean that the average money spent per student would fall from $7500 to $6500, a potentially catastrophic drop. Class sizes would increase, and educational outcomes would fall drastically.
One charter school principal argued to our editors that the loss of the millage would mean a loss of over 10% of her working capital in a year when food and fuel costs have skyrocketed. ³I¹m already doing more with less. We can barely make it as it is,² she explained.
The Orleans School Board members could have claimed a higher tax revenue without going to the voters. They choose to seek your approval instead. That means we should trust the school system this Saturday, and vote for the renewal.
Through their reforms and surprisingly good financial management, they deserve enough money in order to educate our children.
