Accountability

I attend the Tulsa area PLAC meeting today (Parents Legislative Action Committee) which was very interesting and at the same time somber.   The room was packed with about 200 parents, educators and people interested in public education.

 A Jenks principal gave a presentation about high stakes testing, which in his research takes away a full quarter from teaching and learning.  He talked about kids who get lost, using a bag of unpopped popcorn as an analogy.  Most kernels pop but there are always some in the bottom of the bag which don't due to a wide range of reasons.  Today's' high stakes testing leaves students from a wide variety of circumstances, unsuccessful with no way to become successful.  Several parents shared concerns about their personal experiences with high stakes testing and the stress which it brings to children.

There was a report from another Jenks principal who said that the Core Curriculum testing which begins in 2014 has a fatal flaw from the Oklahoma Department of Education.  The test that Barresi choose has only one test with no modifications for special education students.  All students have to take the same test.  A severely mentally handicapped child will be required take the same test as a gifted student.  The State Department of Education told districts to not give modified state tests this year, to get those students ready for next year.   This is criminal.  Under federal law, which supersedes state law, special education students follow an IEP, which is a federal document, and no IEP would allow such treatment of the child.

Janet Barresi chose this test because she thought it would be more challenging.  She doesn't have a clue.

  Senator John Ford was present and was asked some tough questions from audience members which ranged from questioning his support of high stakes tests, to lack of funding.  He stated that a high school diploma should "mean something", but had no answer as to what it should mean.  He, also, emphasized his concern that schools should be held accountable, saying that he knew some small schools which are not doing a good job after the statement was made that people think their own schools are great.
His comment on the recent passage of the two state questions which will cut public school funding even more, was that was what the voters wanted to do.

Debbie Jacoby, from Union, has two comments:

• If passing high stakes tests is the goal of having a high school diploma, instead of attending classes, passing class tests, and doing everything that is part of each class's requirements, shouldn't a high stakes test be given in order to get a college degree?
• How is Oklahoma going to recruit and keep excellent teachers when they are treated with such distain and disrespect by the state legislature?

We, public education supporters, have a long way to go in influencing and educating legislators, but as more parents become involved and more teachers break out of their comfort.  Everyone who cares about children have to step up and let their voices join together to stop the madness which has been coming from the state capitol.   Our children are our future.

Hope

Ahhh, it's over.  I lost.  My feet are a mess from walking.  State questions won which will cut more funding to public education.  More representatives were elected who do not value public education.  Do things look bleak?  Nope.

The sun is shining.  It's a beautiful day.  There is hope.  The future is bright.  

I am still committed to public education and children.  I will still work in any way I can to advocate for the future.

I am only 63.  In two more years I will be 65, not too old to run again.   It's that important!  My grandchildren are that important!

I see your true colors, shining through....

I knew it would happen.  I knew jumping into "politics" without being a politician might not be pretty.   I have been telling people I have talked with that David Brumbaugh, my opponent is a nice fellow, but just doesn't understand public education.

Today a friend brought me a postcard which went out to all Republicans in the area.  It proves that Brumbaugh is a "tea-partier", which would have rejected Ronald Reagan, Henry Bellmon & Dwight Eisenhower from its membership.   Mr. Brumbaugh came out swinging today, telling some lies about me and some slanted accusations.   I have removed Mr. Brumbaugh from my nice list.  :).  His true colors are shining through.

To begin with he said that I am a "tax and spend liberal" because I want to "increase spending on entitlements".   I agree.  The word "entitlement" means "a right"   I believe that an excellent public education is a right for every child in this state and  I do want to adequately fund it.  Brumbaugh still wants to lower taxes and remove the state personal income tax, which would close public schools.  So I guess from his own argument  he wants to do away with public education.  That's anti-American!

In the education qualification section of his list, he touts his knowledge of education because he was a school board member of a private school of 300 students where his children attend.  He brags about introducing HB 1493, the "Dollars to the Classroom" bill which would eliminate any position in a school that does not have a regular classroom, such as school librarians, counselors, reading specialists, specialty teachers, g/t teachers, psychologists, aides, special ed teachers.....  He has no idea of the needs of children in public schools.

He says my only qualifications are that I am a retired teacher and a "labor union activist".  Well, besides teaching in public school classrooms for thirty nine years and holding a BS and two M.Ed degrees in education, I am an activist.  I will stand up every day, in fact I gave up my beloved profession to stand up for public schools, children and teachers.  Being a education union activist is a label I proudly  accept because I have always tried to help teachers in their quest to teach, mediate misunderstandings between teachers and administrators and work for the best educational experience possible for each and every child.  The Union Classroom Teachers' Association, of which I served as president for several years is a professional union doesn't have the clout of a labor union.  In fact it doesn't have any clout, other than a collective voice for collaboration with administrators.

Mr. Brumbaugh also said I am against 2nd amendment gun rights, citing one of my blogs where I talked about being afraid of the open carry law because I was dealing with a crazy parent at school who continued to threaten me and I was uncomfortable thinking that she might have a gun.   I still am uncomfortable.  Does that mean I am against the second amendment?  I don't think so.

He said I am pro-choice and support abortions.  I am anti -abortion.  I would never get an abortion.  I do believe that the government has no right to be in a woman's or a man's body.  I  believe that the government should not have the right to interfere with a person's health care with their personal physician.  I believe that government has no place in bedrooms..  I do believe that every citizen of the United States should have equal rights under the Constitution.

At the bottom of Mr. Brumbaugh's publication, he superimposed a picture of me with President Obama.  I would like that to be true.  I would like to talk face to face with President Obama about his disastrous public education program, "Race to the Top", which I feel hurts students, teachers and schools.  I am going to vote for President Obama because I dislike Mr. Romney's position of vouchers and the disenfranchisement of public schools even more than Obama's policies.

Mr. Brumbaugh might  think that I am a woman who will be scared and back down from his accusations....but he doesn't know this grandmother.  I have talked with some people in neighborhoods who have said they are Republicans and that they are going to vote for me.  I hope they will continue to stand with me and defend public schools against Mr. Brumbaugh, Janet Barresi and others who are trying to take this precious right away from our children and grandchildren.  Our children are our future!!