Where is Public Education Headed?

 

     Many of us have begun to wonder where education is headed as January 20, 2017 moves closer to the present. Some have mused, "Our lives will be relatively unaffected by the election". I wonder if you asked a public school teacher or administrator if their professional lives have been relatively unaffected by any of the past several election cycles? I don't think so. Many political mandates and policies have arisen; many initiatives have materialized as politicians jockey to achieve their favored educational goal. Language and descriptions may change, but the underlying political directions, one way or the other, usually don't change. Let's examine the historical role of local, state, and federal government as it relates to education.

     From the beginning of our country a 'well educated citizenry' was considered important 'for the general welfare of the people'. Depending on your interpretation of the Constitution, the responsibility for education either lies with the federal (and state and local) governments to promote the general welfare of the people or this responsibility lies solelywith the state and local governments. A history buff will tell you that this has been a long-standing philosophical tug of war. The 10th Amendment stipulates that any power not specifically delegated to the United States is reserved to the States. Does the federal government have a role to play in education? In the 1800's the federal government granted land and surplus funds to the states for the support of public education. Even during these early times, education was one of the largest expenses of state and local government just as it is today and many states used the funds to support education. Fast forward to 2016 and you will find few public school systems that don't depend on federal monies received to support ongoing operational costs. You will find few states that can afford to ignore these federal dollars. And certainly few local communities can afford to pay for their public schools solely through citizen-supported taxation.

     This philosophical difference people hold about the federal government's role in education has contributed to those politicians who try to abolish or lessen the federal Department of Education and the cabinet level roles. Without a federal Department of Education and the public tax dollars that support and advocate for access to public education for all, education becomes less public and more competitive. Some in our country, in our state, in our cities and towns will have the means to afford education and some will not. We can see this in our 'public' health system. 

     Back to January 20, 2017. President-elect Trump has chosen Betsy DeVos as his Secretary of Education to head up the Department of Education. Reportedly, she has not worked in schools as a teacher nor superintendent. She is a 'school choice' advocate and supports school vouchers and charter schools, philosophically and financially with big political donations. Reportedly, Trump himself is a product of an independent high school (which today charges about $36,000/year tuition) which he left for a military high school education (which is a private academy which charges about $14,000-$41,000 plus fees per year depending on whether one is a boarding student). According to a 2013 PICUS report, the Maine 2010 per pupil cost was $12,259.  Even this lower yearly student cost of $12,259 would be beyond many Maine families.

     Without a federal Department of Education and its historical initiatives, states would be free to envision and enact their own education goals. This is what many southern states tried to do for years. The wealthy were able to control much of the access to education and over time were coerced by federal courts to comply with equal access and education for all laws. The education mantra was separate schools and vouchers then, and now we see a President, cabinet level people, and perhaps, a Congress, willing to at least use the same language as was used in the 1960-70's. Will their actions be the same? Could we now count on Jeff Sessions as Trump's Attorney General to advocate and diligently pursue litigation to ensure equal access to integrated public schools for all?

     This bears watching.

 

 

 

 



The Role of Mass Media

    

The Role of Mass Media



The mass media plays an important, and changing, role in our society. Web media, including the internet and social media, has joined the ranks of the more conventional TV, radio, newspapers and other sources. Anyone can very easily publish various entertainment and informational pieces with little effort. In a perfect world everything in print would be factual. In a perfect world everyone who writes and exchanges ideas for public consumption would have good intentions. Reality faces us and we know we do not live in a perfect world. Sometimes that which we read is not factual. Perhaps the truth has been distorted by errors, omissions or deletions. Perhaps unintentionally or purposefully. Each and everyone of us is obligated to read these sources with thoughtful and inquiring minds and seek out reliable sources of information to either corroborate or dispel that which is printed. We, individually and collectively, are responsible for truthful 'news'.
     The changing nature of news outlets contributes to the varying level of trust one can have in public news today. One only has to look nationally at the increasing consolidation of media ownership into fewer and fewer hands, resulting in message dominance, increasingly with political overtones. The race for amassing viewers who need to be entertained listening to news has hijacked the conventional purpose of news in a free democracy. If a story is 'spun' with 'facts', with enough intensity, duration, energy, passion, the audience then broadens and surely then the story has become true, even if it isn't. In the race to be the first to publish a story, who spends time to research the complete history of the story? Who spends time to corroborate the veracity of the facts being offered? And, equally important, who spots the editorial process? What about the website that pops up on the internet? Who is the author(s)? What about that Monkey Survey that collects supposedly true and representative data upon which news articles and reports are based?
     Having worked in education for many years, backed up with a liberal arts college education, I can attest to the changing nature of the message the public is being served on mass media's public education platter today. The message is in many respects replete with errors, omissions, deletions, distortions. The political message being spun about how our public schools have been failing our kids and society, en masse, since our race with Russia to be the first to travel to the moon, is inaccurate. Compared to today, that message took years to take hold. Tweets, Facebook posts, blogs, Instagrams, all capable of sending millions of messages instantaneously today, effectively eliminate time for researching issues prior to release to the public. Public education news become sound bites of negativism. Sound bites. Each and every one of us has a civic duty to become well versed about all of the facts about the state of our schools, locally, state, and nationally. Preschool, K-12, and postsecondary institutions. Many schools perform very well. Some schools do need assistance. These schools usually are those where there are large concentrations of students with lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Testing outcomes, including the SAT, usually are correlated with socioeconomic background. Rightfully, these schools need support to lift up the children attending into higher aspirations and achievement. However, the real takeaway here is that academic conditions mirror social conditions. And schools have minimal capacity to find parents good jobs so they can feed their children healthy food; to give families affordable, stable homes and health care, to reduce the violence children are exposed to. In other words, schools can't do much to change the social conditions that contribute to a child living in poverty  and daily arriving at school tired, hungry, afraid, academically delayed. A quick reminder of most psychological research will tell us that our basic needs for safety, food and love must be met prior to any of the other higher needs such as learning.  A good book, with reliable sources cited, to read to begin the journey to understanding the state of public education is, "The Reign of Error" by Diane Ravitch. She traces the present day, "Race to the Top" and other national and state 'school improvement' initiatives that have been inflicted upon public schools today back to the earliest days of insidious intentional school segregation and poverty. She reveals the 'follow the money', yellow brick road illusion of modern day school improvement which is accomplishing a big transfer of public education dollars into the coffers of private wealthy individuals/businesses. Public education money which could be spent on teaching students to read, write, calculate, think critically....become successful citizens.
     Locally, let's start with complete information about our schools. It's everyone's responsibility to know all the facts about student achievement, facilities, and yes, even in Brunswick, the efforts made to avoid segregating students based on socioeconomic factors. Our administrative staff and teachers are diligent about integrating all students and advocating for the robust support services any student may need for academic and social achievement. We need to advocate for new facilities (and maintain our newer schools) that can accommodate modern educational practices that support teaching and learning activities. And most of all, we need to celebrate the successes of our schools and the students and teachers working within them together everyday. There are many astounding achievements that are newsworthy! And to accomplish all of these things, the press, the 'tweeter' journalists, us bloggers.... ALL of us would do well to know the complete history of whatever the issue and the related facts.
    

 

Election Results

 

 

     Congratulations to Ben, Mandy, and Elizabeth on your election to the Brunswick School Board. Thank you to all who supported my candidacy and voted for me. It is time to move forward and continue the work of supporting public education. I plan to continue regular blog posts on google at clough747.blogspot.com and will soon be launching a mechanism for collecting and disseminating public opinion that represent all voices on the issues our schools in Brunswick face.    

Local Politics, Part 2

 

 

     On Election Day eve, let's all do our civic duty and cast our ballots for our choices for national, state and local positions. Many of us have already cast our vote via absentee ballots. Good luck to all! I have encouraged everyone to become fully informed prior to casting votes and signing petitions that inevitably appear in various locations near polling places. One such petition that has been talked about in the press is a petition attempting, again, to overturn the Brunswick Town Council's vote to sell a coastal piece of property acquired through non-payment of taxes. A proponent group for retaining the land for public use gathered signatures and presented the signed petition to the Council prior to its vote. This group was upset and will plan, as reported in the Times Record on Oct. 20, 2016, "...to circulate a petition on election Day that seeks somehow to reverse the council's course. The petition will be in support of letting Brunswick voters decide if the land should be made a public park..."

     One of the councilors who strongly advocated for the land to be retained for public access to the coast, also wrote an opinion piece in the Times Record on Sept. 23, 2016. He admonished his fellow councilors who voted to sell the land that their interpretation of the town's 2008 Comprehensive Plan was 'very contorted'. He thanked the town's professional and volunteer staff (I will write more about our town's volunteers in another post) for their support. A reading of these groups' reports to the council could also be considered neutral, ie that the parcel had some value vis a vis their group's particular focus, not necessarily advocating directly for or against the town retaining or selling the land. This councilor ended his opinion piece with additional strong words, 'rejecting this remarkable opportunity should mean we reject Council representatives who do not reflect our community in the future.'

     The town's 2008 Comprehensive Plan advocates for obtaining water access, as funds permit. See it here: http://www.brunswickme.org/departments/planning-development/comprehensive-plan-2008/. The town's finance committee, of which this councilor is the chair this year, also recommended to the full Council a plan to fund this Capital Improvement Plan for 2017-2021 and it was adopted on May 28, 2016. See this funding plan here:  http://www.brunswickme.org/departments/finance/financial-documents/capital-improvement-program-cip/ .  It details a funding timeline for future town projects, including school department projects. There are many projects planned and recommended for funding and projects in development as well as desired projects but not recommended for this 2017-2021 cycle. Spending money on the development of this land is not included.

     I speak to this example of using the petitioning process as ineffective in achieving town planning.  We all acknowledge the citizen right to petition their government. But it is also not cost effective. The petition process will be divisive, in fact, it has already been divisive. It will cost the town money that could be allocated to achieving town projects, including school department projects such as a new elementary school. I believe some Councilors were speaking to the fact that the town has many and should prioritize those of immediate need, such as school replacement and closure of the landfill and they stated their financials concerns of being able to balance all these financial commitments and still be mindful of the annual tax rates.

     Please become fully informed before voting and signing petitions. It is convenient to stand with a petition and engage citizens as they enter or leave the building. It is another thing to engage in a fully informed discussion on whatever the petition issue is, examining all the facts leading to every side of the issue.





 

Pros and Cons of Social Media

 

 

     Recall a September 11, 2015 Bangor Daily News article by Beth Brogan, "Brunswick Officials Ask if Closed Facebook Group Skirts Open Meeting Law".  See the article here: http://bangordailynews.com/2015/09/11/news/midcoast/Brunswick-officials-ask-if-private-facebook-group-skirts-open-meeting-law/?ref=comments.  At the beginning of the article, an exchange between three school board members detail a discussion of an upcoming budget vote. "I will not support the....", writes one school board member. "I'm seconding ----'s post", writes a second school board member. "I am as well", writes a third school board member. Then a former town councilor, and lawyer, who must also be a member, warns in writing, "Don't accidently vote before the meeting." While I was not, nor am I now, a member of this group, it is obvious that a lawyer among them seemed to warn that they were about to do something inappropriate, perhaps a violation of Maine's public access law, for which every school board member and town councilor must sign in writing testifying that they have engaged in the training regarding this law.

 

     At that time in 2015, there were 4 school board members (and 4 town councilors) who were members of this Facebook group, which was by invitation and permission to join only. One year later, there are 5 school board members who belong to this Brunswick Community United Facebook group. Following this election there is a possibility there will be more members, perhaps even more than the current five, who are members of both the school board and the Facebook group. The town attorney at that time 'strongly recommended against allowing a 5th member of either body to join the group." The Superintendent of the school department commented, ...."If it's one person talking to another, that may not present a problem.  If there's a quorum - of board members and/or town councilors - talking about a particular issue, I think that could be a problem." 

 

    Regardless of all the pros of social media, increasingly, when social media is used it is very easy to forget or disregard not only minor social norms and values, but also laws like Maine's public access law.  Perhaps the time is upon us for a continued reminder of the town attorney's strong recommendation against 'allowing a 5th member of either body to join the group'.  Unless school board members confirm their membership in Brunswick Community United, how would we know if a quorum of elected officials are members, given that this is a closed, invitation only group? Perhaps it is also time that the Brunswick Community United become more transparent and 'open its doors to all'. 

Local Politics

 

 

     At the beginning of this post, let's acknowledge our right to freedom of speech and to petition our government. Let's acknowledge the desirability of community participation in our schools. These are fundamental and accepted. I will focus this post on how the use of petitions and other political organizing affect our schools.

     I will share that I am not a politician and don't have any political aspirations.  I am an Independent voter.  One might ask why have I chosen to run for an elected seat to represent District 2 on the School Board. Because I am a public school advocate. I don't view my service on the school board as political. In fact, you will not see me campaigning with signs posted all over our roadways. I engage in face to face, email to email discussions with people rather than give campaign speeches or give radio interviews that make promises on issues. I reluctantly offered the Forecaster and Times Record reporters responses to their questions they published. My personal opinions are secondary to actions/votes I may cast that support what is best for Brunswick schools, all children and their access to a great education.  What I support today may be different when a vote is called during a publically noticed school board meeting. My vote depends on all the information available to me at the time of my vote. As a school board member with responsibility as an employer, I want to see professionals collaboratively engaged in the work required to promote teaching and learning. As I shared in a previous post, School Board Roles and Responsibilities, just as soon as a school board member takes the oath of office, they represent the school department and make decisions that are in the best interest of the school department and all children within the schools. I firmly believe that politics have no place in school board deliberations nor the operations of our schools. Political actions only create winners and losers, the complete opposite of what I believe public education is all about. Political actions create divisiveness and bitterness, fueled by the press, public media and increasingly, the use of social media. More on the press and social media in a later post. Schools and the professionals who work in our schools open their doors, hearts and minds to all children who walk through the front doors every day. None of our children should find themselves in a school, program, class, or any other school activity that is the result of winning and losing political actions. We should encourage continuous active staff collaboration with each other to do what is in the best interest of the children they engage with. No staff should be put in the position of siding with one group or another of community members who are using the petitioning process or other political organizing tactics to win at something that they are promoting. It is hard work for educators today to meet the diverse academic and social needs of students. It requires a high degree of knowledge, perseverance, and teamwork. It requires a steady, forward thinking and moving staff.  Forward thinking. Forward moving. Aiming for great educational opportunity for all.

     Enter the petitioning process and our community full of politically active citizens who have no hesitation to use political organizing to influence the operations of our schools.  I have intentionally used the word 'operations' as opposed to a vision, direction-setting. I am amazed that many of our staff are able to stay above the political fray in their day to day activities and create amazing learning and social opportunities for all the kids they greet each morning.  It can be draining to collaborate with your professional peers and then realize that you may have to restart pending the outcome of a petition or other political process. It can be draining to realize that although you, your school leaders and school board are working to better the facilities that you work in daily, it may still be years before your new school is ready because of stops and re-starts caused by petitioning community groups, as well as other external factors. It can be draining to know that these political actions drain resources away from programs, services, supplies. Does anyone know how much inflation has added to the cost of a new school the school board has been planning for 6 years? Imagine what could be done with these millions of dollars - other school maintenance projects, other programs/services, reduction in tax rates.

     Let's ask ourselves - is there ever a time when petitioning and other political organizing does not create divisiveness, an aura of winning/losing, additional cost to the school department, additional cost to the town, additional cost to the taxpayer?  Is there ever a time when we can move forward without the use of petitions for the common good of our schools (and now our town)?

Blue Ribbon Commission



Blue Ribbon Commission



                                                           Blue Ribbon - of high quality

     I have been attending the meetings of the Commission to Reform Public Education Funding and Improve Student Performance in Maine. It has been referred to as the Blue Ribbon Commission since it was created by the Legislature last year. After a controversial closed door first meeting in April, the following 4 meetings have been open to the public. There are 2 more scheduled meetings. The primary focus of the committee has been:

1. "Public Education Finances and Expenditures - How do we more

effectively and equitably raise and spend over $3 billion

of local, state, and federal tax revenues per year for Maine's

public K-12 and higher education?" (Pre-k has since been part

of the discussion.)

2. "Educational Achievement - What are Maine's overarching public

K-12 and higher education student achievement goals and how

do we better align them with Maine's prosperity and quality of

life's aspirations?"

 

"Commission Outcome: A transformative grand bargain/action plan"

Potential : Commission members, together, have the capacity to carry

out substantive change where there is 'consensus' on desired 'outcomes'.

 

 

Here is a link for reading the specific supporting documents for each meeting. http://www.maine.gov/doe/blue-ribbon/index.html   Look on page 3 of the agenda of the closed door April 25, 2016 meeting to read, in part, ...."identify specific data/analysis needs for subsequent executive discussion, policy formation, and decision-making.."  Executive discussion, policy formation?  This sounds like reference to the Governor rather than the Legislature? Who will this Blue Ribbon Commission report its recommendations to, the Governor or the Legislature? It has been reported that this Commission's report will go to the Legislature. Look at the list of possible items the commission members might examine.  Might is a good word. The list is exhaustive and represents enough data for much debate.

     Now let's review some recent past statements made by the Governor. He has criticized.the MEA, the state's teacher's union. He has told local school boards to 'get out of his way'. He has most recently indicated that he will not include money for school superintendents in this coming year's budget. Teachers (through their negotiated contracts), school boards, and superintendents are all targets. He sees them as obstacles to getting his education agenda operational. The BOCES system in NY is one that he might like because it essentially has few checks and balances on state control over local education.

      Examine the BOCES October 31st agenda item and the documents provided. BOCES is New York's Boards of Cooperative Education Services and was established by law to 'provide shared services when 2 or more school districts have similar needs; 77 geographic entities were originally established and have since geographically consolidated to 37; the BOCES services schools can purchase include regional information centers (student information systems, school library systems, technology support to school districts); administrative and back office services (business services, payroll, substitute/itinerant teachers); advanced career tech programs (computer science, medical and dental assistants, LPN, food services)and remote learning/TV instruction (on line classes, especially specialized subjects like physics, foreign languages). Once a consolidated school system joins and begins using services, it is required to stay 'for life', there is no withdrawing from BOCES. The state approves the terms of a cooperative service agreement to receive BOCES aid, then school districts pay for services in the year service is provided, file claims for BOCES services and, if approved, the school district is reimbursed in varying amounts in the following fiscal year based on factors like district property wealth. Most districts can't afford not to use BOCES services because the aid is more favorable than the base aid districts receive.

     What is the role of the 'District Superintendent' in New York? This position is part time local and part time state. It is the chief administrative officer of the BOCES and oversees BOCES operations, but is also a field representative for the state Commissioner of Education, carrying out state initiatives. BOCES boards hire the District Superintendents, but only with the approval of the Commissioner.  Whenever a District Superintendent leaves or retires, the state studies the BOCES and usually results in further consolidation of BOCES units over time. Fewer and fewer true representatives of the towns' schools, larger and larger consolidated districts, and more and more state control. When the presenter, James Kadamus a former deputy and associate commissioner of school finance in NY, was asked if there had been any evaluative studies about the effectiveness of the BOCES system, the answer was 'no'. When asked if any studies had been done to determine if the BOCES system produced any cost savings, the answer was 'no'. Is this the model we want for Maine? It is if you want less local control, more state control. It is if you want to effectively eliminate superintendents in Maine and make them agents of the state to carry out state initiatives. It is if you want a state wide teacher contract which would reduce the strength of the teachers' union. Mr. Kadamus said during his presentation, "It gets pretty political at times." 

     Maine needs and wants teachers who can concentrate on their daily teaching and student learning while backed by a strong union to support a professional salary and working conditions, rather than a state contract controlled by politicians in Augusta. Maine needs and wants strong superintendents who are local leaders supporting educational programs for local students rather than a state education commissioner who might be manipulated by the political winds blowing in Augusta, and increasingly other parts of the country which bring their political agendas to Maine. And Maine needs local school boards to establish local policies and budgets that support their local schools.

     Maine needs and wants stability in its educational system.





Turn Back the Progress We Have Made?  

                         

 

 

 

 

     "I promise to restore chalkboards, overhead projectors, and ditto machines", writes Ben Tucker running for School Board in District 2 on his Facebook page. Sounds like going back in time. According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, chalk dust is an irritant that triggers asthma, allergy attacks, coughing, wheezing, rashes and eye irritation. Allergic reactions and asthma attacks lead to increased school absences which directly affect learning.

     Even more toxic than chalk dust are the isopropanol and methanol found in the ditto solvents used in ditto machines invented in 1923 and long ago abandoned by schools. Modern Material Safety Data Sheet guidelines recommend the use of personal protective equipment during exposure to methanol.  Suit up, all you staff you use these machines. 

     Overhead projectors come with their own drawbacks. Unless securely attached, both projectors and electrical cords could present a fall hazard in busy classrooms.
 

     What other school progress would Mr. Tucker like to turn back?
 

     I, Brenda Clough, candidate for Brunswick School Board in District 2, support healthy school environments and practices for kids and staff and continuing to explore how modern technology integration supports teaching and learning.

 





School Board Roles and Responsibilities-What a Balancing Act!

 Roles and Responsibilities of School Boards   

 

 

 

 

          Since I have joined the Brunswick School Board, I have attended several training sessions that presented information on Maine school law as it relates to school boards. At one of the sessions, I received, Maine School Law and Practice for Board Members, written by Drummond/Woodsum law firm and edited by Larry Pringle, Ann S. Chapman, and Eric R. Herlan. The Maine School Management Association also publishes, MSBA Handbook: A Guide for Maine School Board Members and Maine School Superintendents. I have found these resources to be helpful in understanding my role as a school board member. Recently, our board had a refresher workshop on our role as a school board member presented by Melissa Hewey, an attorney at Woodsum and Drummond law firm.. This workshop reviewed the most basic, yet probably misunderstood, powers and duties of Maine school boards which is set forth in Maine law:

 

"a school board 'acts as a public board. It in no sense represents the town. Its

members are chosen by voters of the town, but after the election they are public

officers deriving their authority from the law and responsible to the State for the

good faith and rectitude of their acts'."

 

Ms. Hewey went on to say that school board members do not represent constituents, but rather represent what is best for the school department. It is difficult to reconcile this. The school department is made up of students of all ages with varying learning styles and educational aspirations. The school department also includes many employees, including teachers, support staff, and administration all who have different roles, but all responsible in their own way for creating a safe, welcoming learning environment for students. A school board protects the right of students to a public education, a free appropriate education for those with special education needs, and other support services such as transportation to and from school by following pertinent laws. A school board protects the rights of employees to due process. In summary, a school board, who acts as a whole, not as individuals, is:

 

A Legislative body and policy maker which

1. adopts policies and budgets                                                              

2. adopts a course of study that aligns with Maine's Learning Results

3. adopts a student code of conduct, emergency plans, etc.                 

 

A Judicial body which

1. decides student expulsions         

2. teacher and principal dismissals

 

An Employer who

1. selects and supervises a superintendent                

2. approves teacher/principal nominations                

3. eliminates teacher/principal positions                   

4. builds, manages, repairs, insures school buildings

 

 

It's a balancing act to hear individual constituents' concerns, follow the laws, and promote what is in the best interest of the school department and all students. It's a balancing act to present a budget that advocates for a comprehensive education for all students to the Town Council which does represent the town. It's a balancing act when interest groups use formal and informal powers to influence a school board or one member to do something that falls outside of the legislative, judicial, employment responsibilities of a school board. It's a balancing act to balance current needs with unknown future needs when building a new school knowing it is a huge financial investment for taxpayers. It's best to listen and solicit the recommendations of the superintendent, who in consultation with employees, knows the strengths, needs and constraints of the whole school department.  School boards will then find what's best for all students and employees and, thusly find what's best for their school departments. Finding the balance, finding the 'sweet spot' is delicate indeed. 

 











 



 

 





 

 

 





 

 

 

'. 



 

 

 









 

Question 2 and EPS Funding Formula

Many people I talk with can't believe the state of funding for public education. They believe pre-K through postsecondary levels of education to be priorities for our towns, state and national governments. They believe that education provides the foundation for a good job and a good citizenry. They see the struggle every year at budget time that school boards go through to build  budgets that support their public schools. Why does this struggle happen? Why do we allow our schools to endure such political upheaval every year, year after year when schools are one societal institution where stability is most beneficial to our way of life?

Unfunded mandates from all levels of government represent the interests of politicians and their constituents, increasingly businesses. These unfunded mandates drain money away from support for programs and services that directly educate children. In Maine, the Essential Programs and Services (EPS) funding formula is used by politicians to determine how much state money each school district receives each year. Maine law also requires each town/city to raise money to supplement the amount of state aid to education received each year. Together these sums of money theoretically should be able to support a  basic education, ie. to offer instruction to meet the Learning Results, including special education and other related services. These last sentences seem simple enough. Each school's budget also pays for extracurricular activities, to operate school buildings (and any debt service), transportation, etc. As with all organizations, employee salaries and benefits make up the majority of the total budget. And now imagine that many of us want our children to have a comprehensive education, not just a basic one, to prepare them for good jobs and to be good citizens. So, many local school boards develop budgets that go beyond just the basic education in order to offer an excellent educational experience. This creates a gap in funding which some local communities choose to address by raising additional funds. Now imagine that Maine governors and state legislators choose not to honor a citizen mandate to comply with paying 55% of the costs of public education. Imagine also that reimbursement for special education costs have never reached promised levels. Imagine that our State of Maine reduces a town's state funding amount by whatever amount they receive in federal awards for assistance in educating disadvantaged students.  The gap increases and local communities must decide whether to raise more money.....local property taxes increase more. Now consider the refrain heard over and over, 'schools must control their budgets better'.  How can schools offer comprehensive education when the political process creates so much uncertainty and instability in their funding? How can schools control their budgets when so much money is drained away year after year (where does the money get transferred to anyway....another future blog post!)?  Year after year, financial obligations not fulfilled by a political process that appears to just not care about the fact that public education is slowly being strangled? 

In 2012, our Maine Legislature commissioned an independent firm, Picus Associates, to study the EPS formula to determine if it was effective in determining the appropriate amount of state aid for education AND whether equitable funding of public education can be achieved using this formula. The PICUS study concluded that the EPS only accounted for funding that would cover a basic, not comprehensive, education. It concluded that Maine underfunds public education by $260 million dollars a year. It concluded that the formula itself accomplishes equity in public education money. But it also added that because the formula only addresses the programs, services, and costs that support a basic education, many communities exceed the local share of education funding required by varying amounts to pay for things they wanted their children to have that their state share of education funding did not cover.  Communities that raise these extra funds do so by raising their local property taxes. Thus, they concluded inequitable educational opportunity exists across the state. They also noted that some local communities choose not to raise even the minimum local share required, further exacerbating the inequity.

So, as Maine underfunds public education and falls behind all other New England states (except Vermont) in per pupil spending, we now have the people of Maine speaking again in 2016 through a referendum process Question 2 calling for Maine politicians to meet their obligations and appropriately fund public education.

People have asked me my position on Question 2. How can I answer that? I started by doing research and informing myself of all the details related to school funding and Question 2.  I have traveled the state asking 'political leaders' and educators how Question 2 will benefit public education. I asked how will the money collected through Question 2, passing through the EPS formula/political process change the current state of funding issues? Answer: more legislation is required to solve the issues. Unequivocally, I support adequate funding for public education in Maine. Equally, I support equitable funding of public education in Maine. What I have little faith in is the political process that currently is eroding public education. I have several more days of weighing all the information I have gathered before I cast my absentee ballot.  In a successful 2003 referendum, Maine people first asked that the state pay 55% of the costs of public education. Thirteen years is a long time to wait while several terms of governors and legislatures have made their funding priorities. I probably will lend my voice in support of Question 2 and hope that the political process will be successful in changing the course of funding for public education.

Where Has All the Money Gone?

In Brunswick, we have been struggling with declining federal, state, and local revenues to fund the programs and services in our public schools.  We are not alone, most other Maine cities and towns face similar challenges. The municipal side of government has also seen declining revenue in recent years. Brunswick is home to formal and informal politically active groups of folks who regularly voice their views regarding town and school issues. Diverse community input presents positive opportunity for all. It also presents challenges for both the town side of government and the schools. As you might imagine, with a diverse citizenry there will be times when views on issues are different on either the merits of the issue, the timing of implementation, how to implement, or even how to fund or not fund an issue. Acknowledging the value of community input, I would like to focus this post on the financial implications of politically active groups in Brunswick and how the tactics used add to the financial challenges faced by both town departments and the school department. I will illustrate this using two examples.

An October 20, 2016, a Times Record newspaper article shared the continuing story of the fate of a tax acquired coastal property. The property included a dilapidated house, steep eroded banks to the shoreline, which became mudflats for great distances at low tide. After examining the issue, the Town Council voted to sell and return the property to the tax rolls of Brunswick. Proponents of selling the property reasoned that the property wasn't suitable for a public access park and the best use of the property would be returning the tax rolls to generate continuous tax revenue for the future. Proponents of retaining the property for town use believed the property to be a prized coastal access point and suitable for picnicking, swimming, clamming, and other public uses. Information related to both sides of the issue was gathered and considered. There was much public debate representing both sides of the issue. In the end, the prevailing vote centered on the town's need for revenue to support both town and school departments. After several days passed, the proponents of retaining the property announced their filing of a "formal request from the town for detailed information regarding the council's deliberations, including a complete record of all exchanges between councilors and the public, including letters, emails, and phone records".  It has been publicly stated they intended to formally petition all of Brunswick's citizens in an attempt to overturn the Town Council's vote. Now the town must spend money, the amount to be determined, in order to comply with this formal request and pending petition. Money which could be spent on programs and services that have been cut from the budget over the last several years.

The school department's School Board receives similar community input and action. Brunswick's school facilities include two schools which have serious issues and need to be replaced not only because they are old and outdated for modern programming, but they are also overcrowded. The school administration has had to develop a contingency plan for how students would be housed if a serious malfunction of the outdated systems within either of the two buildings failed and either one or both of the schools have to be closed. The public understands that there are no longer enough classrooms to accommodate the school population and doesn't want class sizes to increase. They also understand the serious nature of the health and safety issues of the buildings and don't want to have schools to have to run double sessions necessitated by a facilities malfunction. For the past 5 years, the School Board has attempted to plan for the building of a new school, hampered by the reality of the cost of a new school which would be locally funded because the state had not opened any rounds of state sponsored school construction applications. (The state has recently done so.) Additionally, organized groups within the community keep delaying the planning process because they would like to add a school configuration plan to the planning process. The School Board has discussed this several times and voted several times over the course of several years to not include it in the initial stages of planning process, agreeing to planning a 'configuration free' school, in which any grades can be housed. Meanwhile, in addition to the regular costs of planning a new school building, money has had to be spent on repairs and renovations on the very schools that would be replaced with new buildings to maintain the health and safety of the buildings. The crowding issue is unresolved after a petition process stopped a plan to move some children from the crowded schools to another school. In addition to the repairs and renovations costs, money has been spent on at least 15 different architectural drawing options and other costs in the first 5 years of this process, with more money spent this current year. Various cost budgets in the last 5 years have indicated probable sums of money for construction costs inflation from year to year.

Let's acknowledge that community input is valuable. Let's acknowledge that citizens have a right to petition their elected officials. Let's also ask the question, "At what point do the financial costs that have to be added to planning town or school projects because of these formal and informal actions of community groups become too great for the common good?" 

New Schools, Old Schools

                                                        New Schools, Old Schools

                                                                              

The School Board heard public comments on Oct. 19th on the architectural plans for a new elementary school on the Jordan Acres site that will replace Coffin School. Currently, the price is $27,920,474 based on the project budget submitted by architect Lyndon Keck. We are getting closer to finalizing this phase of architectural planning.  Members of the public spoke about ways that may decrease the size/footprint of the school that might, in turn, result in a smaller overall price. An idea offered was to build out the second floor rather than leaving a middle part of the second floor unfinished, perhaps producing the possibility of reducing the length of the wings of the school. Other members of the public supported the plan as is, ie. 2, two story wings with the second floor wings disconnected, creating two smaller schools within a school. Inquiries about whether the School Board has considered a private/public partnership for the pre-K program delivered at an offsite location offered another possibility to reduce the size/cost of the building. Another member of the public offered that she fully supported a Brunswick School Department pre-K program and that her children attended the private preschool/daycare program referred to and she didn't think a private/public partnership was a viable option. Other public comments supported the school within a school model whose goal is to create smaller learning communities for the children attending.  Personal experience was shared that a new school in Connecticut was built with the school within a school model, but after a number of years it did not meet the needs of the school, and currently has been repurposed as a community center. Another parent spoke saying her kindergarten child was having a wonderful experience at Coffin this year and despite all the facilities issues, he is enjoying every part of his educational experience....classroom learning, playground time, and even his ride on the bus to and from school. She offered that it was the school leadership and teachers that are making his kindergarten experience so positive. However, she said, for all his joy and positive experiences, it was difficult for her as an adult/parent to see the different conditions that he is experiencing compared to her childhood experiences while attending the now-closed Longfellow school. A parent spoke about the Brunswick Junior High School in much the same light. His children were also having positive experiences at BJHS with high praise for the leadership and teachers, but referred to the school facilities as needing serious attention. He hoped the School Board would not lose sight of the condition of BJHS. He asked that we look to the future when considering the design of the new school. The School Board entered into discussion with the public about the benefits of including the geothermal and slanted roofing ready for solar panel investment at a later date. The increasing year-round use of the school buildings by the school department, recreation department, and members of the community would be more appealing with the ability to support cost effective air conditioning using geothermal and solar panels. These features cannot be added in later years.

We are getting closer to finalizing this phase of architectural planning for the new elementary school. Let's keep our focus on the reasons we need a new school: overcrowding at both Harriet Beecher Stowe and Coffin elementary schools AND aging buildings. We have limped along with the aging building issues for too long. One resident declared he would not want to spend one day in Coffin school. Prolonging this process will exacerbate the issues and continue to add to the inflation costs that we have experienced for the last 5 years. The cost cannot be reduced, still solve our current problems, and have an eye toward the long-term future. When Harriet Beecher Stowe school was built, one cost saving strategy was to not build out the second floor of the building. Only a few short years later, we find we could have used the 4 extra classrooms this build out would have allowed to ease the overcrowding. It is the School Board's responsibility to not only keep in mind current issues, but have a future focus as well. It is likely that Brunswick's elementary population will continue to grow. Since the naval base closure, we have seen population variability from year to year and building a school to meet only current populations, doesn't offer a release valve for future years of population growth. Building a school now with just one intended use, doesn't offer the flexibility for changing conditions, 5, 10, 20, 75 years from now. I was glad to hear the architect say that planning for school buildings now include a moving away from 'the lowest cost' mentality to realistic building standards that allow for building lifespans of up to 75 years. I have no doubt that our school leadership working in collaboration with the teachers can continue to offer excellent academic and social experiences we heard the public speak about now and in the future. Small learning communities can be achieved with the proposed current design and also with the addition of the build out of the second floor. Adding the build out of the second floor now not only connects two parts of the building adding to the ease and functionality of its use, it also could add another smaller community of classrooms. According to the architect, like the solar panels and geothermal capabilities, adding this area in future years is not possible. Let's not fail to maximize the potential of this new building by trimming costs here and there that reduces the flexibility of future use. I am concerned with the cost as much as all of us. If we are investing millions of dollars, let's make it a school that is flexible in use and capacity for far into the future. Let's solve this elementary facility problem NOW so we can act to solve our next facility issue. We need to move on and address the junior high school's aging facility. Although the junior high is not overcrowded now, let's remember these elementary grades of increasing population will be knocking at the junior high school's door in the very near future.

Experience Counts



Experience Counts

 

 

 



I have worked in education for over 30 years and have seen many trends that fade over time. I have seen the nature of curriculum change as society changes. Students are different today, bringing new challenges and opportunities. As a School Board member, I have spent considerable time and effort over the last 6 years supporting the mission of the Brunswick's schools. I have participated in training opportunities related to Maine school law and board effectiveness. Education laws, and therefore our policies, change quickly today! Change is constant but continuity can ease the pressure felt by many students and staff when small or dramatic changes occur. I would like to continue to serve on the Brunswick School Board to lend my experience to the continued evolution of Brunswick's schools.

I believe the greatest issue facing our schools today is the constant need to be vigilant and proactive in creating stability in our schools so students can learn and teachers can teach. The potential for in-stability created by rapid changes in society and national, state, and local politics is great. We all are aware that many mandates come from Washington and Augusta that require large time commitments from our staff and teachers. Parts of these mandates have educational merit and are good for students and teachers, other parts are not. Some of these mandates come with funding to accomplish them, many do not. Two examples of mandates our staff and teachers are collaborating on are:

• Revamping the teacher and administrator evaluation processes, and
• Making progress toward implementation of standards based graduation requirements.

Both mandates have the potential to add positive benefit to student learning. These mandates also included initial requirements originating from national and state levels that were counterproductive to positive teaching and learning. Our staff and teachers have been diligently and thoughtfully working to accomplish these two mandates in the most effective way that benefit teaching and learning. Our School Board must continue to be proactive in creating stability in our schools, to make decisions based on the best interest of all students and what is good for the whole school department. If waivers are needed, we should advance that.

                                                                

School Funding 

Funding for our schools is an issue, made complex by the interaction of federal rule making, a state funding formula that some say is inadequate, and municipal budget processes. Funding will likely continue to be a challenge in the coming years and we can maximize the resources we have by:

• Defining and keeping our focus on our common shared vision
• Making wise yearly incremental investments in continued and/or new programs, services, and facilities that builds to the shared common vision
• Maintaining our focus and keep moving forward

Maine's Essential Programs and Services (EPS) funding formula was initially created to allocate statewide funding adequate to support school programs and services to meet the Learning Results, now being complicated by the additional proficiency based standards mandate. The School Board and school staff are working on a district policy and graduation requirements that will meet both the Learning Results and proficiency based standards. The new policy and graduation requirements will have funding implications, which are unknown currently, and we need to move ahead thoughtfully to maintain as much stability and predictability for our students/families and staff as we can. (Imagine being a freshman not knowing what courses you will need to take until sophomore, junior or even senior year.  We want to be purposeful in working through the standards and graduation requirements to give peace of mind.)  There are many necessary programs and services not included in the EPS that Brunswick and other local communities want to provide in our schools to achieve a comprehensive education for our children. Examples include calculus courses, AP courses, among others. Our newly adopted Strategic Framework will guide us as we take the next steps toward new programs and services. Change is constant, some predictable, some not. I can provide the continuity as we move forward in these initiatives.

Additional funding pressures have resulted when the Maine Legislature has added (or shifted) costs into the EPS formula for services which initially were not part of the EPS formula to meet the citizen mandated 55% state share of education costs. The most glaring and immediate shift the Legislature approved was teacher retirement costs which created the appearance that the state was getting closer to meeting the 55% state share threshold. However, that immediate change made without trans-parency caused, in Brunswick, a $350,000 additional budget cost in that first year and continues to climb. That alone represented about a 1% property tax increase. This continues to create competition for resources within our schools during school budget development, and also pits school needs against town needs  when the municipal budget process begins. Rhetoric about starting our Brunswick town budget at no more than a 2% increase in total town and school budgets is unreasonable given the political decisions made so abruptly in Augusta. Brunswick citizens and councilors get the impression that our School Board is not fulfilling its fiduciary obligations. By law, the School Board is supposed to advocate for a spending plan that will provide an (adequate, good, excellent, comprehensive) education to Brunswick's students. What is an adequate education? A good one? Is an excellent education the same as a comprehensive education?  Based on an independent review commissioned by the Maine Legislature, known as the PICUS report, if Maine wants to provide a comprehensive education to all students, the state will need to fund an additional $350 million for education across the state. This is unlikely to happen  so the PICUS report indicated priority areas the state could consider investing in and maintaining equity in education funding across the state. Even this level of funding will be great. The unanswered questions are: will politicians support funding for a comprehensive education vs the adequate inherent in the EPS (which they have never fully funded)? Will politicians agree on the same priorities? Additional funding for priority areas identified in this report include (among others):

• Programs for disadvantaged youth (including extended day and summer school programs);
• Full-day programs for 3 and 4-year olds, at least for children from families in poverty;
• Instructional coaches to provide embedded professional development for our teachers;
• Additional professional development days for our teachers; and
• Substitute teachers.

Regardless of the outcome of the political process in Augusta, the priority areas identified independently  by PICUS & Associates are exactly those areas that our Superintendent in Brunswick has been promoting through his yearly budgets since I first joined the board six years ago. We, Brunswick citizens, can make good decisions and create stability, at least for our schools. Other areas mentioned in the PICUS report for increased funding include:

• Additional central administration costs;
• Assistant principals;
• Technology resources, and
• Money for student activities.

Noteworthy in the PICUS report is the recommendation for ADDITIONAL costs for central office staff rather than the call by some in Augusta for a reduction in these staffs. I would like to continue on the School Board to provide continuity and advocate for staying our course on these priorities that support a comprehensive education. We can continue to make progress, incrementally, year by year, promoting best educational practices, implementing our new Strategic Framework, and continuing to make investments that enhance strong social and academic programs.

                                                                          

Facilities

We can make progress locally in Brunswick, and we need to be realistic and vigilant about the realities that exist in school funding. The possibility of successfully competing for new school funding through the state exists, but is slim. The reality is our facilities solutions will likely be paid for in total by our community. Our immediate and long term facilities solutions will be costly so we need to make every dollar count and plan wisely. Two aging schools and their portable classrooms, BJHS and Coffin, have outlived their lifespan and now hinder the educational programs we envision. Two schools, Coffin and Harriet Beecher Stowe, are overcrowded and unable to support the numbers of children enrolled at the time. Our School Board and community must maintain the focus on the problems we are trying to solve: overcrowded schools and aging facilities. We must make decisions and move forward step by step. I would like to continue to serve on the Brunswick School Board to support us to maintain focus on solutions to our overcrowded schools and aging facilities, while also maintaining our other facilities.  And most importantly, to keep us moving forward so we can say we have solved our problems of aging  and overcrowded schools in the near future.

                                                                         

Equity

Many local school boards across the state want to provide an excellent or comprehensive education to the children in their local schools. To do this they develop budgets that include:

• money from the state share,
• plus a minimum local share defined by the EPS,
• and then an additional amount above the minimum local share

Some local boards decide to develop budgets that include;

• money from the state share,
• plus only the minimum local share required by the EPS;

And other local boards develop budgets that include:

• the state share and;
• less than the minimum local shared defined by the EPS.

This minimum local share raised or not raised creates the inequity in education funding across the state. Some communities struggle to approve budgets that included only the minimum or less than the required  local share, while others approve budgets with amounts above. We can be thankful that Brunswick citizens have approved budgets that include amounts above the minimum local share.  This has allowed us to maintain equity and invest in some of the priority areas identified in the PICUS report. Our Superintendent has developed annual budgets that get us closer to providing a comprehensive education with a strong integrated system of student supports for all our students, even during the challenging budget times of the base closure and recession. I support the Superintendent's vision of strong integrated schools at all grade levels K - 12.  I would like to continue serving on the School Board to :

1) Further promote policies and budgets that achieve a comprehensive education with a strong integrated system of supports for all our students AND teachers.

• I have chaired the Student Services Committee which serves the function of examining and promoting a strong integrated system of student supports, which in turn contribute to student academic and achievement.
• I  serve on the Curriculum Committee which, in addition to making recommendations to the full board for district curriculum, is responsible for examining professional development, new program development, and technology.
• I want to promote a strong evidence based professional development system for all our employees that provides professional growth and leadership opportunities, supports student achievement, and is affordable. As our overcrowded facilities problem is solved with a new elementary school, I want to promote the expansion of the current Cub Camp and a new pre K program at Coffin.
• I serve on the Personnel Committee which oversees contract and labor agreement negotiations. We have successfully negotiated 3 of these agreements. Continuity of people is beneficial when negotiating contract agreements. I have collaborated with the Superintendent and staff in updating job descriptions across the school department.
• I have served on the Cooperative Board for the Region 10 Technical High School. I will advocate for the new vision of transforming this program into a 4-year comprehensive high school. This comprehensive model of technical education is new for Maine and is exciting to imagine that our Brunswick's students, along with students from SAD #75(Topsham, Bowdoin, Bowdoinham, and Harpswell) and RSU #5 (Freeport, Pownal, Durham) could be the first students in Maine to benefit from it.
• I have served on the Strategic Planning Ad Hoc Committee and am glad that we accomplished our goal of producing a Strategic Planning Framework that will guide our future decisions. It will be exciting to see the implementation of this plan. I want to continue serving on the School Board to promote the active use of the document in future planning and budget discussions.

Experience and continuity count. I have dedicated myself to the planning and continued evolution of Brunswick's schools over the last 6 years and ask for the opportunity for3 more years of services. I would like all children to have a happy and healthy educational journey through our schools. I would like school staff to feel appreciated for the work they do under challenging conditions. Let's stay forward focused.    Thank you.  Brenda Clough, District 2

Looking Forward



Central School, South Berwick, ME

Everyone has experience with education. Some of us have been homeschooled, enjoying a family setting for personalized learning. Others of us have attended a private school, choosing experiences that match our future dreams. Many of us have experienced classroom learning, played on playgrounds and athletic fields, and performed on stages in public schools. I have experienced all three settings at all grade levels, including postsecondary, either as a student, teacher, and/or administrator. In this blog, I will write about education, past and present. The good times as well as the challenging issues that students and staff face in schools today.

Let's start with the present. I have served on the School Board for the public schools in Brunswick, Maine for two terms The beginning posts of this blog will highlight my views as I run for re-election for a third term on this board. Many people ask about my position on the issues facing our schools. I can summarize it: Every conversation a school board engages in should consider all students' well-being and achievement. My position is that school boards are most effective

 in promoting student well-being and academic achievement when they focus on policy and budget deliberations using student-centered decision making principles rather than affirming personal positions on specific issues or operational details. Realistically, a board must vote. I have voted for things I personally disagree with because the facts before me indicated it was in the best interest of all students. I also have voted against things that I personally
agree with because the facts before me indicated it was in the best interest of all students.

Having stated the above, I will share my view that the biggest issue facing our Brunswick schools, as is every public school today, is instability created by politics. National, state, and local politics have historically shaped our public schools, against the backdrop of whatever social, economic, or political issues our country was facing at the time. Equity and integration are popular themes that have resonated nationally, statewide, and locally. I have heard the saying, 'education is the greatest equalizer in our democratic society' and I agree with it. Equally important is the passage of time as political legislative debates go on and on. Given the present school year, children attend kindergarten for one year. Children attend middle school for three years. And most children graduate from high school after four years of attendance. Witness debates on educational matters that extend beyond these time limits and the loss that represents to children. Witness the accumulated mandates that result from years of national, state, and local legislation and the burdens they create for public

schools. Witness the enormous sums of money spent on these legislative processes and resulting laws that could be spent on programs and services for children. Sometimes one mandate opposes or competes with another but both must somehow be managed by school leaders because the political mandate world doesn't seem to include investigating the feasibility of implementing requirements prior to becoming law. Politicians, their political agendas and rhetoric can at best achieve 'winners and losers', and at worst, nothing, with the gridlock so common today. In public schools, teachers, administrators, and support staff strive daily for EVERY child to be happy and successful, not only those whose needs/wants fall in line with whatever political agenda is most forcefully debated and becomes law. Ideally, our school staff can be flexible and equitable in allocating resources and teaching strategies available to them, aligning them to effectively meet the needs of all students. The problem is that we have years upon years of political mandates that define much of what happens in schools today, ranging from Maine politicians trying to define 'essential programs and services' and how much money should be sufficient to pay for them; to prescribing specific initiatives that define how staff spend precious school day time. We can't forget the local budgeting and political processes that pretty much do the same. School staff feel intense pressure and demoralizing effects of all these polarizing political mandates and public debates. I will have more to say on the role of mass media in the public debates in a later post.

Brunswick is a "historic and picturesque New England town" with a total population of 20,278 as the town's website describes. It is "a college town offering rich and diverse arts and cultural resources...and (Bowdoin College) remains an important influence in Brunswick's continued development", as do other higher educational institutions located in town. Our public school population is 2,330 students, which has fluctuated mostly upwardly throughout recent years following a BRAC air base closure and redevelopment. Thirty-four percent of Brunswick's public school population is economically disadvantaged and seventeen percent receive special education services. Our students' academic and social needs and achievements are diverse in many ways. Students are recognized for many awards, ranging from academic, extracurricular, and athletic. The diversity of our students' backgrounds and expectations of our citizens can offer both opportunity and challenges for our schools. This diversity requires our school staff to find an equitable balance between the wide ranging wants and needs so that every child in our schools can be successful. I support our school staff and know that they put in extraordinary effort to not only educate all students, but they also persevere in times of great social diversity and political challenge.

I wish to continue serving on the Brunswick School Board to promote the implementation of the strategic planning that was finally achieved this fall. I initially ran for the School Board six years ago because the Superintendent had called for an inclusive strategic planning process. I had strategic planning experience in other school settings and believed I had something to offer in this initiative. After six years of persistence and serving on the Strategic Planning Ad Hoc committees, we have that behind us. We now have a forward looking planning framework that can be used to guide budget deliberations and decision making. I also would like to make sure we showcase the amazing things happening in our schools currently and in the future. I believe it is imperative for us to move forward in our new elementary school planning and then focus our attention on the facility needs of the Junior High School. Aging facilities and overcrowding require us to remain steadfast in our facilities planning and maintenance. Similarly, our staff deserves a smooth, seamless transition of School Board support for the intense work they are currently doing on the time sensitive implementation of legally mandated proficiency based education standards. I am able to offer continued time and dedication to the work of the School Board to enable the smooth transition our students and staff deserve after the election.