Strategic Plan for the Delaware DOE: Lesson #2

Lesson #2: Turning an even bigger liability into an asset

Now that the Delaware DOE has successfully sold its collective soul for $100 million, we’re going to need to make some obvious changes to our educational system so we can salvage some small semblance of dignity and respect. Once the seed money is squandered on additional administration and consultants, this may possibly be the only lasting legacy from this whole debacle (besides the massive debt, increased taxes, and teacher-less public schools).

Educators state-wide have been making headlines lately, but not for excellence in English, math, science, or even sports. No, in Delaware, our news-worthy teachers seem to excel at teaching sex education…to minors…with one-on-one classroom, car, or apartment ratios. For years, students have been wasting their time selling donuts and carnations in the halls and classrooms when it turns out they could have made a lot more money “fun-raising”, selling condoms in the school’s colors to their faculty “boosters”.

I know what we really need is more consultants and standardized testing strategies, but we must take advantage of the Race To The Top money and use at least a little of it to better our schools and improve the safety of our students.
Therefore:

• since we’re going to waste the bulk of the $100 million on overpriced consultants anyway;

• since hundreds, if not thousands, of experienced teachers will be laid off (in the sense that they will be “reformed” out of a job; no gratification with minors implied);

• since all new teaching positions will be filled with relocated recent college graduates from Teach America making just $18-$20k a year (not nearly enough to go out after work, date, rent an R or X rated movie, or even to live indoors really);

• since none of the $100 million will improve classrooms, student ratios, the quality of teachers, etc.

and

• since S&M in our schools should once again refer to science and math (thanks a lot, perverts!);

I propose that a portion of the RTTT funds be used to create a dating service for all DE DOE employees and independent contractors. I’m quite confident that hiring an over-paid match-making firm to “consult” with individual districts and to implement social networking opportunities for educators, administrators, formerly unemployable and now newly educated 21 yr old “instructors”, and over-priced consultants will be well received. Taxpayers with school-aged children would definitely support this. In fact, this advice should have made it into the Cambridge report. If it didn’t, then I think we should freeze all payments because they didn’t do a very thorough job in evaluating the needs of our schools!

While this might be accomplished for free using an existing social networking site or even Craig’s list, think of the positive media opportunities and recruiting power that a professional dating service run by the DE DOE could provide. No more messy investigative reports and paid administrative leave for district employees facing probable indictment. We just need to point the “more experienced educators” in the direction of the 21 year old Teach America kids instead of allowing them to mingle and exchange phone numbers or text with the easily corrupted minors in our classrooms, that’s all.

We get it. You’re underpaid and frustrated in every possible way. You want a ream of something and, since paper is apparently out of the question... We get it! All we ask is that you keep your hands off the children, okay! Relief is on the way.

What better way to harness this untapped, unbridled carnal energy into actually improving our schools for 8 hours a day and then unleash it in a flood of release after the end of the day announcements and the last bell. Happy hour starts at 4, but only after carding everyone to ensure that they are actually consenting adults. A win-win, my friends!

Let’s be honest - Delaware is a long distance from the “comforts” of home in MA and wherever the TA kids will hail from, and what happens in DE tends to stay in DE - except for baby-daddies. We need to be pro-active, professional, protective, prohibitive, and pro-prophalactic. If we do not stop these promiscuous proclivities we can expect procreation, probes by proctors, profanation, probation, protests, and proliferation of pro-life proponents via progeny at or around the night of the prom. Lest you think this is propaganda meant to proselytize, progress will only begin when a protagonist (like your friend, MI) prognosticates then professes and proclaims proficiency in problem solving and promptly proposes provocatively profound, yet promotable, processes without promise of proceeds or profit.

Lesson #2: Educators - Keep it in your pants, out of our schools, and out of the media. Comprende?

BIG BUSINESS vs. the little defenseless children

If you haven’t noticed by now, the showdown has started. It’s high time that parents, taxpayers, educators and all dedicated union employees united to protect the sanctity of our public school system.

Our public schools should be a place of classrooms and childrens’ playgrounds, not class/race and corporate battle-grounds! It is unconscionable to allow the corporate interests of Mass Insight, Cambridge Education, the Broad Institute, Vision 2015, Northwest, Renaissance Schools, Innovative Schools, JP Morgan Chase, RODEL, AIRS, DSTP, DCAS (the list goes on and on) and ANY other self-serving corporate entity to rape our districts and fleece our coffers. No, our children deserve to be protected, our district employees also deserve to be protected and we, the adults/taxpayers/parents who stand to lose the most by this criminal activity, must take responsibility for our actions or lack thereof.

For every dollar that some corporate weasel ferrets out of our district, cuts must be made elsewhere. Since teachers and hourly employees have the greatest numbers and are lowest on the food chain, they are the first to go. Budgets for textbooks, classroom supplies, and office supplies are also on the chopping block.

I don’t know about you, but when I went to school, we had textbooks; lots of them. My backpack would wear out every year or two. It wasn’t a piece of crap sold by Walmart that’s designed to fall apart each year. No, it was the weight of all of those textbooks that I was entrusted with. Textbooks meant assigned reading and homework. All I get home for my child is off-kilter photocopies, often without instructions. My teachers were career educators. They taught from both an approved curriculum as well as their hearts. Although Nixon, Ford & Reagan offered few frills, my public education resembled that of my parents. Will our children receive the same free and appropriate education that I received, or is this just some watered down, cut-rate, pathetic facsimile?

It’s a FACT that the facts are not, in fact, facts! Review an accounting of the hundreds of millions that filter through a Delaware school district over the course of a year and the spreadsheet will suggest that the bulk is spent on administrative costs and teachers. Review a random sampling of teachers’ W2s and you’ll be able to quickly surmise that they are not the drain on our budget. Tens of millions of dollars are wasted each year on contracted educational “support”. What do we get for our investment? We get constantly changing strategies that are proven NOT to work. After all, if they really worked, we wouldn’t need to hire contractors to fix the problem the following year.

Bottom line is that a handful of greedy bastards may hold the power over the district, but we still have the advantage and should rise to the challenge. We have the numbers, and each of us has a vote. Democracy can be such a beautiful thing. We can grant power…and we can, and should, govern those who govern us. If elected officials (Federal, Local, & School District) abuse their power GET RID OF THEM! Expose their shortcomings. Expose their fraudulent activities. Expose their weaknesses. Then, VOTE THEM OUT! If (over)paid EMPLOYEES, such as our School District Administrators, act out or sell us out, expose them for what they are and FIRE THEM! Let teachers teach and let business people seek their profits elsewhere.

We are living in historically challenging times. Like the current working poor, the generations to come will probably not have government retirement benefits, corporate pensions, inheritances, and any real sense of security. What will we leave to them? What will be our legacy?

RISE TO THE CHALLENGE!!!

Send Ms Bock a powerful message: sell-outs aren’t welcome here! We trusted you and you betrayed us. RIF her a new one! TEACHERS – Recall her. Impeach her. Vote for anyone else for CEA President.

Send Mr. Esquire, the Christina School Board President a powerful message: you’ve somehow been given almost 30 years to destroy the Christina School District…not another day on our watch! RIF him a new one! CHRISTINA CONSTITUENTS – Vote for anyone else for his school board seat. (by the way, you do not have to live within the city to vote in the MAY election!!!)

Contact your local legislators about your concerns. If they aren’t responsive or don’t represent your views, vote them out, too!

The easiest problem to fix in Christina is Schneider. She is an employee. Delaware is an “at-will” state. Ax her. Pay out her contract, if need be. Write HER off as a loss rather than the future of our current teachers and our childrens’ education. Send the bitch packing!!!

Please feel free to share this with message with EVERYONE you know at work. Get out the vote.

Master Insider: Amasses Delaware Turnaround Specs

Always remember: that which is leaked today can be changed tomorrow to discredit the leak.
However, the Master Insider has it from a solid Delaware Department of Education Source:

Tier 1 Partnership Zone Schools
Stubbs Elementary
Pulaski Elementary
Bancroft Elementary
Warner Elementary
Positive Outcomes Charter School (Dover)
Tier 1 Schools have 14 months move into turnaround although a minimum of 3 must be in turnaround position by Sept 2010

Tier 2
William Penn HS
McKean HS
Mt. Pleasant HS
Dickenson HS
Seaford Elementary
Tier 2 schools have until Sept 2011 to move into Turnaround Position

Tier 3
All other Title 1 Schools

The Negotiation Team will be in place within the next two weeks and will be comprised of

• The Governor and a select staff member from his office
• The Secretary of Education
• 2 Superintendents

In weeks 3 and 4 an Oversight Team will put together
and in week 5, Liasons to each county will be named.

Next week DOE is scheduled to post an RFP for 10 data coaches.

By May 3rd all pieces should be in place
By June 28th All Should Be FINALIZED

Oh, Snap!