Yesterday, I heard from Pat B – you may have noticed she hasn’t posted much recently. I knew her 50th wedding anniversary is this year, so I checked my calendar, and, sure enough, it is April 6 – just a week from today. I sent her a note to check if that was why we hadn’t seen her , and she responded that that is exactly why (and from the tone of her note, she is over the moon about it.) So in case anyone is wondering, Pat is just fine and will be back once she is down to earth again.
Margaret Atwood has not finished with the French Revolution. This link is to Part VII, and she promises at least one more to come. She references an opera at the beginning, but her point is essentially that there is no such thing as a good state religion. Because (my wording) religion under compulsion is null and void. And she has the solid history to convince anyone not a cultist.
Privatization strikes again. My opinion is that the town needs to recall all four councilpeople who voted for this, but particularly the one who works for the company they are looking at. That’s a conflict of interest pure and simple.
Yesterday, I did a little constructive oversleeping. Even when everything goes slowly, any time I drive anywhere farther away than 5 or 10 miles, I stress and get very tired. (When I was in my twenties, I could actually lose weight drving long distances, even when eating as much as (or even a little more than) usual. I’m pretty sure that’s not true any more, but it’s still tiring. Hence the need for a little extra sleep. And it helps – though it probably would have helped more if I had awakened to a happier news day.
Click through for graphic article. I like vultures. I had very few plushies when I was a kid, but one day on my mid-teens I saw a lushie vulture and had to have it, and “Nigel” became a beloeved companion. So this story – which is less about vultures than about the many ways we contribute to loss of biodiversity, even when doing things which seem very positive, caught my eye.
Los Angeles Times – Column: Cops, not books? This town’s library may become a police station
Quote – [Frank] Cervantes [Library Associate] didn’t want to give too many opinions, partly because he had a bunch of kids to look after. But he did emphasize the importance of having a library in a small town like McFarland. He himself grew up in the even smaller agricultural community of Mettler, an hour away. His hometown had no library, but his mom was able to take him to libraries in bigger cities. “It was the difference,” he quietly said, “between a bright future and the futures that some of my peers had.” Click through. I can guarantee tht if they do this, crime (or at least “crime”) will increase. If your only tool is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
No More Mister Nice Blog – The CDC Really Needs to Look into This Cluster of Right Wing Amnesia
Quote – I think I understand what’s happening here. The right needs to make the reaction to this decision the real story, in order to distract from the decision’s unpopularity and radical nature. Part One of this attempt to manufacture consent was the phony outrage at the leak, which the right blames on liberals, despite lacking any evidence to do so. Click through for full blog. Right wing amnesia is nothing new But it’s getting worse … and their attacks on public education suggest that it’s currently far from bad enough to suit them.
Yesterday, I accidentally went into “Tom@7thStep.org” instead of “TomCat@politicplus.org” Trunsout there were about 1400 emails there too. Including some from subscription which also need to be closed. I had asked Nameless to close TC’s Daily Kos membership for us, and he CC’d me on th beautiful email he sent and CC’ed me on the almost equally beautiful reply, sending ondolences to all of us. I started the process to close TC’s Twitter an d LinkedIn accounts – I gave LinkedIn everything they asked for and I think they will close it – Twitter wants a little more, but I have it. But there are more accounts. Sigh. It’s Ok, it will get done.
Cartoon – 07 Portland Loaded
Short Takes –
Crooks and Liars – Beyond Banned Books: Wingers Are Destroying A Library System From The Inside
Quote – In some instances, the communications between appointed public officials betray an ulterior motive shared by several board members, who characterized their positions, as well as their reason for seeking them, as being more about changing the library’s governing policies than serving as trustees of a community resource. As a result, morale has plummeted within the public library’s leadership ranks… Click through. This is a mayor, but library boards are being targeted exactly like school boards now, and for exactly the same reasons. (Smewhat off topic – the CEO of Wonkette and her family live in Montana, but have made an offer on a home in Michigan, and things like this are why.)
Twitter Thread Reader – Mueller She Wrote – “Open and Shut” (not)
Quote – All told there were over 790 documents for this ONE GUY ALONE. Did you hear about Costello getting interviewed? Not until now. Did you know about the 2703 orders for phone and email records? Nope. So you see, these cases aren’t as “open-and-shut” as we might think. Click through for details. You don’t need to belong to Twitter and you don’t need to read endless repetition. (There is a little swipe at skeptics which I consider a bit unfair. Not everyone – well actually, no one – is an expert on investigations and/or court proceedings unless actually involved in the process – and maybe not even then.)
(Black History) The New Yorker – The Rediscovery of Florence Price
Quote – In 2009, Vicki and Darrell Gatwood, of St. Anne, Illinois, were preparing to renovate an abandoned house on the outskirts of town. The structure was in poor condition…. In a part of the house that had remained dry, the Gatwoods made a curious discovery: piles of musical manuscripts, books, personal papers, and other documents. The name that kept appearing in the materials was that of Florence Price…. The couple got in touch with librarians at the University of Arkansas, which already had some of Price’s papers. Archivists realized, with excitement, that the collection contained dozens of Price scores that had been thought lost. Click through for the full story (if paywalled, let me know – I can send a PDF). This breaks my heart. At least she has success in her lifetime, and at least we have the music now (and it is being widely recorded.) But to think of all those manuscripts just sitting in a house which was falling apart for 56 years….
Experts in autocracies have pointed out that it is, unfortunately, easy to slip into normalizing the tyrant, hence it is important to hang on to outrage. These incidents which seem to call for the efforts of the Greek Furies (Erinyes) to come and deal with them will, I hope, help with that. As a reminder, though no one really knows how many there were supposed to be, the three names we have are Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone. These roughly translate as “unceasing,” “grudging,” and “vengeful destruction.”
There has been, and has been building, a lot of concern about the future of our nation. Even if democracy survives this round of the fight, how will it fare in the next round, or the one after that, if our nation’s schools are churning out the poorly educated? And how will those students become well educated, even if they want to and have the ability to do so, if they cannot get their hands (and eyes) onto the books which contain the material they need?
This artice is addressed to those of us who have the energy, ability, and inclination to invest in the future by serving on a school board – or even on a library board. If that isn’t you, don’t immediately eliminate the possibility that it might be someone you know.
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More than masks and critical race theory – 3 tasks you should be prepared to do before you run for school board
When people run for school board these days, they often are motivated to campaign on a controverisial topic. That’s according to Ballotpedia, a nonprofit that tracks political elections in the U.S.
Three issues came up the most. The most oft-cited issue was race in education, more specifically, the teaching of critical race theory. The second most frequently cited issue was school policies on the pandemic – that is, requirements to wear masks or get vaccinations, or school reopening. The third most-cited was sex and gender in schools, such as gender-specific facilities.
As of January 2022, Ballotpedia discovered 287 school districts in 25 states where candidates took a position on race in education; 199 school districts in 23 states where candidates took a position on responses to the coronavirus pandemic; and 144 school districts in 18 states where candidates took a position on sex and gender in schools.
A worrisome trend
As a former school board member – and as a researcher who studies educational leadership and policy – I find it worrisome when polarizing issues generate so much attention from candidates. The reason I worry is that I know from firsthand experience that being an effective school board member is never just about taking a stance on a few hot-button topics. Rather, it’s about much broader issues, such as meeting the educational needs of all students in the school district.
Too often, support for candidates hinges on the positions they take on the most controversial issues. For instance, in Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis, speaking on behalf of his state’s Republican Party, pledged to withhold support from “any Republican candidate for school board who supports critical race theory in all 67 counties or supports mandatory masking of schoolchildren.”
As impassioned as people may be about issues like mask requirements, keeping schools open or confronting issues of race in the curriculum, running a school district is about much more than any one of those single issues. With that in mind, here are three actions that future school board candidates should be prepared to take.
1. Set district policy
A primary function of the school board is to develop, review and approve district policy. These policies can include implementing state mandates – such as establishing high school graduation requirements – or formulating a plan to evaluate teachers.
One of the most difficult tasks that school board members must do is decide how to spend the school district’s limited revenue.
The vast majority of a district’s budget – about 80% to 85% – goes to personnel costs, such as salaries and benefits for school staff. Paying for these employee expenditures is becoming more challenging because of the rising cost of health insurance.
To stay within budget, school board members may have to cut positions or programs. It’s usually a matter of assessing tradeoffs: Do we cut our gifted and talented program to keep our school safety officer? Do we cut teaching positions to make the budget, and if so, which ones?
Each decision comes with consequences. For instance, cutting a gifted and talented program would make some families upset. Continued funding of a night school program might require a series of budget reductions in other areas, such as field trips or late buses.
A tough budget choice I remember facing as a school board member was deciding whether to renovate an outdated and undersized school theater. The board members all agreed the theater was in desperate need of an upgrade but decided to put off the theater upgrade to deal with other needs. The high school would soon need a new roof and boiler that ultimately took priority.
3. Select a superintendent
Selecting a district leader is critically important. So is deciding whether to keep or get rid of one. A good superintendent can make or break a district. The superintendent is the face of the school community and the district’s instructional leader.
Superintendents work with the school board to set the vision and goals for the district and then make sure they are achieved. They also hire and manage principals and other district leaders. Superintendents are expected to provide for the safety of children and staff and be good stewards of district finances.
Finding a good superintendent involves looking for leaders who have a proven track record in the areas of importance. Do they have a history of improving student achievement? Have they created a positive school climate and culture? Are they effective communicators?
If a school board chooses an ineffective superintendent, it usually sets a district back and the board ends up having to spend time and money to replace them.
A key distinction of American democracy is that candidates can develop platforms as they see fit, and it’s up to voters to decide if a particular candidate will represent their concerns. But when it comes to running a school system, it’s important to keep in mind that it involves much more than taking a stance on a few controversial issues. It’s also about making sound financial decisions and implementing policies that ensure all students get the education they deserve.
================================================================ Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone, I’m not sharing this article to be discouraging. I truly believe that any progressive, even if they need to learn in the trenches, would do a far superior job of setting policy, balancing budgets, and hiring superintendants that RWNJs, even though the latter might be more experienced. Even if only because the goals of progressives, and the directions in which they want to go, are healthier and wiser than anything RWNJs can even imagine. But all three areas are definitely something to think about. And the time to start thinking about them is, yes, before starting a campaign. Not only the district, but the campaign itself, will profit from that thought.
