The 23 Sept " Dallas Morning News" reports that the following ISDs plan on raising the M&O tax rate:
Allen, Arlington, Birdville, Carrollton, Cedar Hill, Coppel, Denton, DeSoto, Fort Worth, Frisco, Grand Prairie, Grapevine, Hurst, Keller, Mansfield, McKinney, Mesquite, Royce City, Southlake.
The following promise NOT to raise the tax:
Dallas, Highland Park, Irving, Lewisville, Northwest, Plano, Richardson, Rockwall.
MISSING IN ACTION -- No news whatever either way:
Lancaster?
Now why do you suppose that is?
Surely the district has plans. Surely they wouldn't keep secrets.
Why don't they tell the newspaper?
Of course, this is the district that won't release news about "A" and "B" honor role students, either ...
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Let’s do some math. Pre-K math.
If the school system has about 400 students per grade, then about how many students are in the system? Assuming grades 1-12, that’s about 4800 students, right? And assume you want about 20 to 25 kids per classroom for each grade. That means you need between 16 to 20 classrooms per grade, times 12 grades to get an estimate of somewhere between 192 and 240 classrooms, right?
Now suppose you want to add a kindergarten. Can you figure out how many additional classrooms the system needs?
TRICK question! It depends on whether you want full day kindergarten – in which case you need another 20 classrooms for the extra 400 kids in grade “K” -- or whether you want the traditional half-day program. Traditionally, an elementary school might use the same classroom for two half-days, and so could add the 400 kindergarteners with only 10 new classrooms.
In more modern efforts and newly constructed schools, we see a push toward full day kindergarten, and so the system needs twice as many classrooms for K-graders as it used to.
And lately we’re seeing a big push for Pre-K programs. School for 4-year-old toddlers.
How many classrooms does the system have to build for 4-year-olds? Assume no population growth, no demographic bulge between the number of 4-year-olds from prior years and numbers of 6- or 10-year olds, and no difference in number of students per classroom. Did you figure on adding 20 new classrooms? Good for you!
That’s (partly) what’s been happening in Lancaster ISD lately. We’re seeing a LOT more pre-K students.
Did you know that classrooms for pre-K and K-level students cost more, each, than classrooms for first, second, on up to fourth graders? No?
We'll discuss why it costs more for a pre-K classroom in another post... (in other words, "to be continued" )
If the school system has about 400 students per grade, then about how many students are in the system? Assuming grades 1-12, that’s about 4800 students, right? And assume you want about 20 to 25 kids per classroom for each grade. That means you need between 16 to 20 classrooms per grade, times 12 grades to get an estimate of somewhere between 192 and 240 classrooms, right?
Now suppose you want to add a kindergarten. Can you figure out how many additional classrooms the system needs?
TRICK question! It depends on whether you want full day kindergarten – in which case you need another 20 classrooms for the extra 400 kids in grade “K” -- or whether you want the traditional half-day program. Traditionally, an elementary school might use the same classroom for two half-days, and so could add the 400 kindergarteners with only 10 new classrooms.
In more modern efforts and newly constructed schools, we see a push toward full day kindergarten, and so the system needs twice as many classrooms for K-graders as it used to.
And lately we’re seeing a big push for Pre-K programs. School for 4-year-old toddlers.
How many classrooms does the system have to build for 4-year-olds? Assume no population growth, no demographic bulge between the number of 4-year-olds from prior years and numbers of 6- or 10-year olds, and no difference in number of students per classroom. Did you figure on adding 20 new classrooms? Good for you!
That’s (partly) what’s been happening in Lancaster ISD lately. We’re seeing a LOT more pre-K students.
Did you know that classrooms for pre-K and K-level students cost more, each, than classrooms for first, second, on up to fourth graders? No?
We'll discuss why it costs more for a pre-K classroom in another post... (in other words, "to be continued" )
Friday, September 22, 2006
Sample Ballot on the Bond Proposal:
The language of the ballot will read:
"The Issuance of Bonds in the Amount of $215,000,000 for the Construction, Renovation, Acquistion, and Equipment of School Buildings and the Purchase of new School Buses and the Levying of the Tax in Payment Thereof."
( ) For
( ) Against.
I don't see anything explicit in that about laptops.
There's nothing in there about the 30 year repayment period, either.
If I torture the meaning of the phrase "for... the equipment of school buildings..." beyond all recognition I suppose that a general purpose "technology" project that STAYS PUT IN THE BUILDING could be construed as part of the bond proposal.
A few thousand inherently portable assets ... I'm not so sure.
If it's such a great idea to issue students laptops, why isn't that idea explicit on the ballot?
If it's legal to borrow money for thirty years for a bus or a computer, why isn't that loan period on the ballot?
Which schools are going to be renovated? (And aren't those the same schools that were supposed to be renovated with the 2004 bond money?)
How is this proposition specific enough to hold anybody accountable if plans changes and "Scope Creeps" in the next few years?
Are you comfortable being "for" such a proposal?
The language of the ballot will read:
"The Issuance of Bonds in the Amount of $215,000,000 for the Construction, Renovation, Acquistion, and Equipment of School Buildings and the Purchase of new School Buses and the Levying of the Tax in Payment Thereof."
( ) For
( ) Against.
I don't see anything explicit in that about laptops.
There's nothing in there about the 30 year repayment period, either.
If I torture the meaning of the phrase "for... the equipment of school buildings..." beyond all recognition I suppose that a general purpose "technology" project that STAYS PUT IN THE BUILDING could be construed as part of the bond proposal.
A few thousand inherently portable assets ... I'm not so sure.
If it's such a great idea to issue students laptops, why isn't that idea explicit on the ballot?
If it's legal to borrow money for thirty years for a bus or a computer, why isn't that loan period on the ballot?
Which schools are going to be renovated? (And aren't those the same schools that were supposed to be renovated with the 2004 bond money?)
How is this proposition specific enough to hold anybody accountable if plans changes and "Scope Creeps" in the next few years?
Are you comfortable being "for" such a proposal?
Thursday, September 21, 2006
While we're asking questions -- one more.
Houston Elementary cost about $11 Million. Maybe $15, by the time you figure in the cost of tearing down an old building and hauling the pieces away.
So we could build about 4 more just like it for less than the $62 million being called for (out of $215 Million) in phase one alone. We could build 4 new schools and have money left for a bus or two and a cop car or five.
Why aren't we voting to do that?
Why are we putting off constuction of elementary schools that we are assured are desparately needed until phase 2 and 3?
Why, if we are "bursting at the seams" and "stuffing kids into portables", are the phase 1 budget priorities anything other than classrooms?
Houston Elementary cost about $11 Million. Maybe $15, by the time you figure in the cost of tearing down an old building and hauling the pieces away.
So we could build about 4 more just like it for less than the $62 million being called for (out of $215 Million) in phase one alone. We could build 4 new schools and have money left for a bus or two and a cop car or five.
Why aren't we voting to do that?
Why are we putting off constuction of elementary schools that we are assured are desparately needed until phase 2 and 3?
Why, if we are "bursting at the seams" and "stuffing kids into portables", are the phase 1 budget priorities anything other than classrooms?
So we built a new high school with 2200 seats.
We built a new elementary school with 600 seats.
We built 2800 seats for $110 Million dollars.
We're out of money.
Enrollment is up by about 2000 students, between 2004 and today.
And instead of being 800 seats to the good, we're "bursting at the seams" and have to educate students in portables.
Anybody have any idea why?
We built a new elementary school with 600 seats.
We built 2800 seats for $110 Million dollars.
We're out of money.
Enrollment is up by about 2000 students, between 2004 and today.
And instead of being 800 seats to the good, we're "bursting at the seams" and have to educate students in portables.
Anybody have any idea why?
Anybody want to explain why the new Houston Elementary, with 600 slots or "seats" compared to the old building's 300 seats -- is still surrounded by portable classrooms?
When the district just TORE DOWN the 300-seat building last July?
Why are there portables in use at Pleasant Run Elementary when the 500 seats at the 4th Grade Center (used to be middle school) are ALL vacant this year?
Why are students in portables while the administrative staff uses the newly renovated Centre Street SCHOOL building as district HQ, while the old OFFICE building is vacant?
When the district just TORE DOWN the 300-seat building last July?
Why are there portables in use at Pleasant Run Elementary when the 500 seats at the 4th Grade Center (used to be middle school) are ALL vacant this year?
Why are students in portables while the administrative staff uses the newly renovated Centre Street SCHOOL building as district HQ, while the old OFFICE building is vacant?