From: Dr. Tim Steinhauer [mailto:noreply@mtlsd.net]
Sent: Monday, April 02, 2012 7:22 PM
Subject: MTLSD Strategic Plan Survey
[Attachments to this email can be found by clicking on the links at the bottom]
Dear Mt. Lebanon Parents,
The Mt. Lebanon School Board has initiated a District Strategic Planning process. A key component of this process is to receive input from a survey from students, parents, staff, and community members that will be used to set District priorities for the next six years.
The survey is short, taking about five minutes of your time. The survey asks for basic demographic information and then presents four multiple choice questions and two open-ended questions regarding priorities you believe to be important for the District to consider. The list of responses to each of these questions was developed by a Steering Committee made up of a cross-section of community members. Please complete the survey by May 1, 2012. Click the link at the bottom of this email to take the survey.
Thank you for your participation in this most important process. Your answers to this survey will be reviewed by Strategic Plan Steering Committee members, District administrators, and Board members.
Sincerely,
Timothy Steinhauer Ed.D.
Attachment: http://forms.mtlsd.org/StrategicPlanSurvey
MTLSD DISCLAIMER: THIS TRANSMISSION IS INTENDED ONLY FOR THE USE OF THE ADDRESSEE AND MAY CONTAIN INFORMATION THAT IS PRIVILEGED, CONFIDENTIAL, AND EXEMPT FROM DISCLOSURE UNDER APPLICABLE LAW. IF YOU ARE NOT THE INTENDED RECIPIENT, OR THE EMPLOYEE OR AGENT RESPONSIBLE FOR DELIVERING THE MESSAGE TO THE INTENDED RECIPIENT, YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT ANY DISSEMINATION, RETENTION, DISTRIBUTION, OR COPYING OF THIS COMMUNICATION IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED. IF YOU HAVE RECEIVED THIS COMMUNICATION IN ERROR, PLEASE NOTIFY THE SENDER IMMEDIATELY.
According to the MTLSD Disclaimer at the bottom of Dr. Steinhauer's email, I guess I am doing another no-no since I am copying this communication and distributing it on this blog. My bad.
4 comments:
This questionnaire is allegedly designed specifically for parents, and presumably only for parents. It is a "cheerleaders delight", full of motherhood, apple pie and flagwaving, leading multiple choice answers. It's full of more of the same + more programs, more spending, more employment. The only tough multiple choice answers are between more of this v. more of that for questions 1-4.
This questionnaire was obviously designed by teachers, administrators and the PTA Council, is obviously biased, self serving and would fail standards for objective survey research. It will likely be used for staff & students as well.
Can't wait to see the version for the "community". Even if different it makes little difference, because the District will likely weight the responses so that community input is *worth* only 25% or less of the total. And that total in turn will then be referred to as "The community says....".
Veblen Good
The questionnaire states, "A key component of this process is to receive input from a survey from students, parents, staff, and community members that will be used to set District priorities for the next six years." Being a "community member" I thought I'd give it a shot; but "Veblen Good" is correct - the form is a "cheerleaders delight," and does not address any issues existing outside of the very narrow box of District wants and desires. In my case the only options I could check off were in the demographic section. The questions themselves, and the options provided for them, assumed the respondent approves of the District in toto.
Ironically, I had just finished reading an article by Peter Suderman of the Reason Foundation entitled "The Liberal Legal Bubble," and while the subject had to do with Obamacare and the Supreme Court, Suderman cites research conducted by University of Virginia psychologist Jonathan Haidt, suggesting that "..Liberals just aren’t as good as conservatives and libertarians at understanding how their opponents think." That description certainly can apply to our Board/District.
From the Commonwealth Foundation:
Public school advocates tirelessly demand more money for the classroom, but fail to support cost-saving prevailing wage law reform that would end the debilitating mandate that inflates school (and all government) construction costs by 10 to 20 percent. Whether it is willful neglect of the facts or myopic math, proponents of more spending refuse to recognize that prevailing wage mandates cost Pennsylvania taxpayers $1 billion to $2 billion a year, increasing costs for school districts.
Another fact many spending advocates conveniently ignore is that student enrollment since 2000 has dramatically decreased by 35,510, but the number of staff employed by public schools increased by 35,821. This begs an important question: Would anyone invest in an endeavor that doubles its spending and significantly increases its staff to serve a shrinking customer base, all while making a product that isn't improving?
Ultimately, these increases were enabled by failing to fully fund pensions for public school teachers. But like family budgets, the bill is now coming due like at Central Dauphin School District where officials announced the cut of more than 70 teaching jobs and a tax increase of more than three percent just to make ends meet.
But they are not alone as total taxpayer contributions for school and state worker pensions will increase from $1.7 billion in 2011-12 to more than $6.1 billion in 2016-17—a 257 percent increase. Next school year, the average homeowner will pay an additional $370 just for increases in required pension contributions.
Unfortunately, those with perpetual palms up are repeating the popular narrative that simply blames state lawmakers. This old yarn ignores how the Pennsylvania State Education Association was complicit in the crisis. The PSEA lobbied not only for increases in pension benefits, but also for the 2003 and 2010 legislation to delay pension payments.
Finally, many discussions on education spending ignore the most exciting part of the story: the great success of school choice. School choice programs such as charter schools, cyber charter schools and scholarships offered through business tax credits give Pennsylvania's children quality education with fewer tax dollars. Schools of choice—private, charter, and home school—save taxpayers $4.3 billion annually.
Moreover, school choice has shown to improve student learning, including higher graduation rates. Since graduating high school is tied to long-term success in life, improving performance via school choice will also save taxpayers in future welfare and corrections spending.
As parents and taxpayers, Pennsylvanians should hear all the facts on education spending. The next time education unions and other special interests bully and demand more money "for the kids," remember what they aren't telling you—the rest of the story.
Are they asking what I think they are asking?
"Provide support to retain top quality administrators"
Elaine
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