Oh, and here's another thought on creative management of limited funds. While the Youngstown City schools board of education is required by law to transport kids attending charter schools, is there anything in the law that states it has to be to their convenience? Let's be realistic - charter schools take ycsd money, ycsd - send one bus per school to the charters. Parent's have your kids ready for the bus at 5:12am tomorrow - still want to send your kid there?
Most of these comments are stating that it would be a bad thing to put kids "on the street" for one day a week to cause problems. Are you kidding me!? So lets identify the elephant in the living room - if kids roam the streets committing crime, why aren't they arrested and put in jail???? The real problem here is that the juvenile justice program (probation as well as courts) use the city schools as free incarceration. Violent kids, criminals, bullies, and even felons are "ordered" to be in school by the same system that is not doing it's job to keep the city safe from some juvenile offenders. "Mediation" programs and other diversion programs aren't keeping crime down, they're just alternatives to keep conviction statistics down, therefore making it appear that crime is reduced. Ask the residents of Youngstown if their kids feel safe in school - or on the walk to and from, then you can analyze from a real perspective, not a statistical one, if the system is working. Ask the administrators if they can expell a student who is ordered by the court to attend school? Maybe I'm commenting out of turn, and if someone in the justice system can prove me false, I'd welcome the opportunity to apologize, but from what I've seen over the years, this is what is happening.
OK, I'm not an accountant, or a school treasurer, but according to my calculations from the article above, only about 30 percent of the money leaving ycsd is going to open enrollment and voucher programs. Therefore, the balance (about 16 million) is going to charter schools in Youngstown. It is true and can be verified on www.ode.state.oh.us that Youngstown public schools outperform charter schools on the state report card. So why do parents send their kids elswhere in the city? The theory that the charter schools take the worse behavior problem kids is false. The charter schools can pick and choose who they keep, even if they (by law) must offer enrollment without preference to student ability or other factors. Same is true for the districts offering open enrollment. By law, if they are accepting public funds, enrollment acceptance must be arbitrary or on a first come first serve basis. Why, then do districts offering open enrollment to city students require applications? Some districts have stated publicly to their residents that they will only take the "best applicants" - which is totally illegal, but it's so much money for them, and it's what the taxpayers want to hear & the voters will accept. So the problem is twofold. I don't begrudge anyone the opportunity to have their children educated in a "better" school if it is available to them; therefore, that 6 million or so deserves to go with those kids, but there is no excuse for this state to continue to throw away good money after bad - public tax dollars hard earned by residents of Youngstown - to charter schools that have proven year after year to not perform as well as the city schools. They should all be closed and the kids return to ycsd - then, with all the money back where it belongs, the board & Dr. Webb can no longer cry poor and use it as an excuse to not expel the students that disrupt the process for those who are trying to learn because they need every dollar for every kid, and the parents who support those efforts don't have to feel their kids are ignored, endangered and undereducated. Make no mistake, if the teachers in Youngstown were placed in Austintown, Canfield or Poland, their scores would only go up - guaranteed! That is a hypothesis though that will never get the opportunity to be proven. Residents of Youngstown, keep your eye on the ball, focus on the real problem - not the teachers - discipline, and discipline must be maintained from the top down. Let's also start being more vocal with our state assembly to get cracking on the legislation to close charter schools that don't perform - not just allow them to play "pass the charter" and remain open on Youngstown's dime.
Schools take $29M hit with loss of pupils
Oh, and here's another thought on creative management of limited funds. While the Youngstown City schools board of education is required by law to transport kids attending charter schools, is there anything in the law that states it has to be to their convenience? Let's be realistic - charter schools take ycsd money, ycsd - send one bus per school to the charters. Parent's have your kids ready for the bus at 5:12am tomorrow - still want to send your kid there?
January 24, 2009 at 9:08 p.m. permalink suggest removal
City schools may consider 4-day week for savings
Most of these comments are stating that it would be a bad thing to put kids "on the street" for one day a week to cause problems. Are you kidding me!? So lets identify the elephant in the living room - if kids roam the streets committing crime, why aren't they arrested and put in jail???? The real problem here is that the juvenile justice program (probation as well as courts) use the city schools as free incarceration. Violent kids, criminals, bullies, and even felons are "ordered" to be in school by the same system that is not doing it's job to keep the city safe from some juvenile offenders. "Mediation" programs and other diversion programs aren't keeping crime down, they're just alternatives to keep conviction statistics down, therefore making it appear that crime is reduced. Ask the residents of Youngstown if their kids feel safe in school - or on the walk to and from, then you can analyze from a real perspective, not a statistical one, if the system is working. Ask the administrators if they can expell a student who is ordered by the court to attend school? Maybe I'm commenting out of turn, and if someone in the justice system can prove me false, I'd welcome the opportunity to apologize, but from what I've seen over the years, this is what is happening.
January 24, 2009 at 8:29 p.m. permalink suggest removal
Schools take $29M hit with loss of pupils
OK, I'm not an accountant, or a school treasurer, but according to my calculations from the article above, only about 30 percent of the money leaving ycsd is going to open enrollment and voucher programs. Therefore, the balance (about 16 million) is going to charter schools in Youngstown. It is true and can be verified on www.ode.state.oh.us that Youngstown public schools outperform charter schools on the state report card. So why do parents send their kids elswhere in the city? The theory that the charter schools take the worse behavior problem kids is false. The charter schools can pick and choose who they keep, even if they (by law) must offer enrollment without preference to student ability or other factors. Same is true for the districts offering open enrollment. By law, if they are accepting public funds, enrollment acceptance must be arbitrary or on a first come first serve basis. Why, then do districts offering open enrollment to city students require applications? Some districts have stated publicly to their residents that they will only take the "best applicants" - which is totally illegal, but it's so much money for them, and it's what the taxpayers want to hear & the voters will accept. So the problem is twofold. I don't begrudge anyone the opportunity to have their children educated in a "better" school if it is available to them; therefore, that 6 million or so deserves to go with those kids, but there is no excuse for this state to continue to throw away good money after bad - public tax dollars hard earned by residents of Youngstown - to charter schools that have proven year after year to not perform as well as the city schools. They should all be closed and the kids return to ycsd - then, with all the money back where it belongs, the board & Dr. Webb can no longer cry poor and use it as an excuse to not expel the students that disrupt the process for those who are trying to learn because they need every dollar for every kid, and the parents who support those efforts don't have to feel their kids are ignored, endangered and undereducated. Make no mistake, if the teachers in Youngstown were placed in Austintown, Canfield or Poland, their scores would only go up - guaranteed! That is a hypothesis though that will never get the opportunity to be proven. Residents of Youngstown, keep your eye on the ball, focus on the real problem - not the teachers - discipline, and discipline must be maintained from the top down. Let's also start being more vocal with our state assembly to get cracking on the legislation to close charter schools that don't perform - not just allow them to play "pass the charter" and remain open on Youngstown's dime.
January 24, 2009 at 8:12 p.m. permalink suggest removal