God, how depressing...an e-mail I received this week

Mass e-mail from a Vashon School Board member:

The Budget Crisis: What’s At Stake for Our Vashon Schools?

Do we give up the educational program we have now; a program that balances academics, arts, and athletics and that gets students who want to go to college into fine schools? Are we willing to settle for a bare-bones program, that isn't sufficient preparation for most colleges? Can we give up classes in physics, chemistry, foreign language, math, creative writing, and much, much more?

If we let the quality of our schools go downhill, the entire island community will suffer. Who will buy homes here and who will patronize our island businesses if families cannot get a good education for their children here? Will we lose the vitality that comes from our present mix of talented people when families move away?

The state of Washington has broken its promise to provide a free, adequate public education. Our state ranks 45th in the nation, behind Mississippi, in state funding per pupil for K-12 schools. But islanders are good at taking charge of things we care about. If we care about maintaining the quality of our schools, then we have to raise the funds ourselves.

Other island communities such as San Juan and Bainbridge have formed schools foundations to sustain excellence in education in their communities. The future of our schools is at stake and we must do the same.

Our immediate fundraising goal is $500,000 – that’s what is necessary to sustain current programs and avoid devastating cuts. It’s the beginning of a commitment to develop an independent schools foundation to ensure adequate funding for our future.

Please donate what you can to help us reach our $500,000 goal.

We are looking for at least 10 families to donate $10,000 or more each.

We are looking for at least 100 families to donate $1,000 or more each.

If you cannot donate that much, please consider a donation of $500 or whatever you can.

You can donate at our website, http://www.vashonsd.org, using PayPal in monthly installments
or a single lump sum. PayPal charges us 3%, so if you want all of your donation to
benefit the schools, please drop off a check at the District Office, located on the lower floor
of Chautauqua, or mail it to: P.O. Box 547, Vashon, WA 98070.

Wow, that is so depressing. We are still trying to figure out how much to cough up this time.

What are the teachers doing wrong?

Let's test them until they yell uncle!

"During the month of September, your child will take standardized tests to evaluate their skills in reading and math. September 14th, the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIEBELS) will be administered to all K-5 students."

I got this memo on Friday, September 11th.

I was not asked if I would like my child to be part of the testing as a kindergartner. I was told he was going to be tested. I was given 3 days, over a weekend, to try to make a educated decision about this testing program. It was not stated that, of course, my child does not have to participate. I, of course, know this but many new parents may not. In fact, they do need your permission to test your child.

They are testing literacy before they can read? Testing math before kindergarten is 2 weeks old. They want to give a verbal test to my kid with Apraxia. Anyone want to guess how that will go?

No, I don't think kids need to be labeled and tracked at this young of an age whether they have special needs or not. No, I don't think a one-size-fits-all test should be the great determiner of my child's supposed intelligence. No, I don't want someone labeling my kid when he is 5 and having that determine how people feel and treat him down the road.

And, yes, I do think teachers can make their own assessments of an individual kid's strengths and weaknesses if allowed to do their jobs without being hassled by ding bat administrators to do standardized test all the time!

I informed them that Shea would not be participating.

Teachers strike for reduced class size

It seems class size is the crux of the Kent teacher's dispute. With no class size cap for the Kent school district, perhaps it is not unexpected that they have some of the highest in the area.

30 - 32 kids in an over crowded classroom, many who are English as second language and special needs kids who need extra help is hardly an optimal teaching environment.

I don't know how many parents would think those numbers are ok. Perhaps that is why, for now at least, the parents seem to be strongly supporting the teachers. This dispute has much bigger ramifications and people from all over the state are watching what happens closely.

Now we find out, the Kent teachers are defying a judge's order and may potentially wrack up daily fines if they do not return to work on Monday. Talk about shooting the messenger!

How can this end anything but badly?

Washington state voters repeatedly have shown they want reduction in class size and are willing to pay for it. It's better for the kids. Its better for the teachers. The state saves money in the long run by students having the best chance at a good education the first time around. Yet, the state still does not fund it appropriately and leaves school districts, like Kent, and so many others holding the bag.

The Kent school district, in this case, says they just don't have the money to reduce class sizes and unfortunately, I believe them. School districts have their hands tied all over the state where the funding has been slashed.

What happens when already cash strapped school districts have even deeper cuts? Mayhem! Like in Kent. And, frustrated, annoyed, cynical parents and teachers fume all over the state.

When will our state finally deal with this burr under the saddle? Where is the leadership on this issue? It is long over due and time our state government took their jobs seriously and get down to business and do the hard, uncomfortable, heavy lifting that is needed for education. State government is not just for assuring cushy tax breaks for corporations and negotiating trade deals. Education funding should be, MUST BE, at the top of the list!

I would suggest creating a brand new revenue stream earmarked for education. It is as simple as that. Introducing a moderate state income tax could take care of this, and quickly. Obviously we can't continue on the path we are going. But, does anyone in Olympia have the “cajones” to even suggest it?

Where is the leadership? They are failing our kids.

Naked dad calendar: update

Well, the naked dad calendar supporting our local school district is rocking!

I went to the release party on Thursday evening at Cafe Luna, Vashon Island, WA.

Most of the dad were there, slightly bewildered by all the attention and quickly getting writer's cramp from all the autographs. And, may I say, what a nice bunch of folks. Special kudos to all the excellent wives/moms for organizing and promoting this whole thing.

Check out this article from the Tacoma News Tribune which is great exposure but seems to miss the whole point at how extreme it is to have to raise money like this. Titter, titter aside - be it bake sale, car wash or naked dad calendar; we are NOT appropriately funding public education.

I have gotten so much great feed back about this project! And, I just know this could be an annual model. Any other dads out there ready to go au natural for schools next year! Hurray!

So, how are they doing? They printed 1,000 calendars, uped it from 500. At $20 a piece, that could be $20,000 for the school district.

Word has it that Amazon.com sales are good. Apparently it is the #4 calendar sales only behind the Twilight calendar AKA the sexy vampire.

Anyway, it is all good fun, despite one school board member worry. I guess, it takes something like this to get the conversation going. Mission accomplished!

Oh, and how many did I get? 5, for x-mas gifts for some lucky loved ones.

Team Shea

An informal IEP update meeting happened yesterday morning. It was really just a meet and greet with the new kindergarten teacher, a new Para educator, a new SLP for grades K-5. Plus the old favorites; the preschool SLP, the ESY teacher, the case manager and the principal.

Quite a turn out.

It went really well.

They always act like they are afraid my head might pop off my body but when they realize that I am not going to cry or yell it usually settles down.

I really think it is going to be fine but I will watch real close the first few weeks. Because he is going to have AM Kindergarten and afternoon Preschool, it leaves over and hour for lunch time, recess, rest time between classes. They are going to do a little social skills teaching during that time too. Now that I write it all down, I expect they will whip through that hour with no problem.

The 4 special kids will be together in the same class which a very experienced, beloved teacher and they will get a Para educator for the whole morning in class and during the lunch transition.

It could be really good. Or it could be a horror show. When I found out they have 50 Kindergartners at recess at once, I started to get nervous. He really gets way too cranked up at recess and the more people there are makes it even harder. I am afraid the hitting and stuff will pop up again.

So, that may have to be adjusted and I felt like I was able to say that I may want to take a re-look after a few weeks.

But, all and all, I was pretty pleased with how caring and responsive they were about Shea. Setting off on the right note.

Tuesday morning will just be an open house so we will just go and visit and hang out for as long as he wants. Then the big first full day is Wednesday.

Good thing we live so close, I think I might hover a bit more than usual for the next month or so.

Back to school: look for PVC-free school supplies

Keep your eyes open for PVC-free labeling this year as you shop for back to school supplies. It turns out that polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, is a major source of phthalates, the same dangerous plastic softeners that was successfully banned from children's toys last year!

Phthalates have been banned in children's toys, but they're still legal in PVC school supplies our children come in contact with on a daily basis. Phthalates harm children's health and development by interfering with natural hormone functioning and have been linked to birth defects in baby boys, testicular cancer, liver problems and early onset of puberty in girls-a risk factor for later-life breast cancer.

Thanks go to Momrising for all this really great information! They are promoting a campaign to push for legislation to ban PVC use in children's school supplies. You can sign the petition here.

Many children's school supplies, such as lunchboxes, backpacks and binders, can be made out of PVC-a toxic plastic that is dangerous to our health and the environment. PVC contains dangerous chemical additives including phthalates, lead, cadmium, and/or organotins, which can be toxic to your child's health. These toxic additives can leach out or evaporate into the air over time posing unnecessary dangers to children. Evidence is mounting about the health risks of PVC, why would we put it in school supplies?

Children are at risk from even small exposures to these toxic chemicals. That's why it's important to tell manufacturers and retailers we want PVC-free school supplies.

Here's some school supply shopping tips you can start using today:

• PVC Labeling: PVC products are often labeled with the words "vinyl" on the packaging, such as vinyl 3-ring binders. PVC can also be identified by looking for the number "3" inside, or the letters "V" or "PVC" underneath, the universal recycling symbol. Just remember, bad news comes in #3's, so don't buy PVC!
• Backpacks and lunch boxes: Avoid backpacks with shiny plastic designs as they often contain PVC and may contain lead. I checked with both LLBean and Landsend all their backpacks and lunchboxes are PVC free..
• Art Supplies: Modeling clays are often loaded with phthalates. Look for clays made without PVC and phthalates like Crayola Air-Dry clay.
• Notebooks: Avoid notebooks containing metal spirals encased in colored plastic. The colored plastic coating on the metal spirals usually contains PVC. Select notebooks with uncovered metal spirals to avoid PVC.
• Paper Clips: Stick to the plain metal paperclips. Colored paper clips are coated with PVC.
• Shoes: Crocs are PVC free, however many similar shoes (or 'knockoffs"), like the Kamid Doodle, are made with PVC. Many of the charms for Crocs are also made with PVC. All Nike, Puma, and L.L. Bean shoes are PVC free.

Other brilliant crisis school fund raising ideas....

...other than just calling people and hassling them for a check!

Hat tip to gal pal, Deirdre.

- One day a week Granny's dedicates 50% of proceeds to the Teacher Fund. I recall about a year ago Granny's had a Too Much Money problem. Not sure if that is still the case, but certainly much of their clothing is donated by the Lost and Found at schools and the families that attend schools. Could they spare 1/6th of their proceeds for the next 3 months? A definite sunset date would ensure that this not become an ongoing embedded program that burdens that organization.

- A partnership with Thriftway like their breast cancer fundraiser. Cards and promotion at the checkout - Save Our Teachers! Again, who are TW's best customers? Do they want to lose families and teachers to the mainland? Maybe they will see such a drive in their own best interest...?

- Could Parks and the YMCA add a voluntary surcharge to their summer programs - ask parents signing kids up for summer classes and camps to check a $10 for Teachers box on all their forms? Or, would these agencies be willing to convert 1-5% of their program revenues to a teacher fund?

- We talked, briefly, about the state now allowing Districts to move to a 4-day week to save teacher positions - is that politically explosive? Why not give the teachers a chance to save their colleagues? I don't know the details of their contract, but am wondering if anyone's tapped into the teachers themselves for suggestions.

- I know librarians are also affected - maybe the Friends of the Library would be willing to donate their book sales revenues for the summer and spearhead a Save the Librarians drive?

- Also, no one cares more about the teachers than their students. Has anyone tapped the students for ideas? Car washes, bake sales, dances, festival - what could be more powerful for a teen than knowing they helped save their favorite teacher from a layoff? The Horticulture program is already doing this with their plant start sales - these monies go directly to fund a summer mentor for students in that program.

Bake sale anyone?

Our little school district has a budget shortfall of almost a million dollars for next year. Therefore 9 teachers have gotten the ax. These are sad, tough times for public education.

Our school board has approved a fund raising effort to try to help. They are asking each parent to chip in $150 per kid they have in school. And, they are passing the hat in the community. They are seeking volunteers to call 25 people to hassle them about the money. Or perhaps more diplomatically phrased; remind them of the dire straights our school district is in.

Frankly, I am not sure how successful this is going to be. It's not like we are unique. School districts around the state and country are hurting and purging teachers.

Our community has about 5,000 households. That would take every single household donating $200. I suppose it is worth a shot.

But, I sure would like to see some of that boundless creativity put to work to raise some money. Can we please be a little more creative than just asking for a check?

Will I send a check? Yes. But, I am not going to call and hassle anyone about it. People are hurting out there and I am not going to put the screws on someone who maybe just got laid off, is in foreclosure or just experiencing tough economic times. People know if they can give or not and I don't need to be the one to pressure them.

This is one of my pet peeves. Can we please come up with ANOTHER fund raising idea other than an auction or a phone-a-thon?

These are unprecedented times, calling for unprecedented fund raising measures.

So, when I say bake sale, I am serious. Or a talent show or an art sale or an fun run or whatever. Or all of the above, repeatedly. The point being someone may be able to donate a plate of brownies but not a $150 check. Someone may be able to donate time to coordinate an event but not a check. Someone might be able to come up with a really good idea for a fund raiser if the barn doors where blown off and everyone was thinking outside the normal box!

Or may be we should institute a state income tax so that we can fund public education properly!

But, since that isn't happening. Those of us who can, will whip out our checkbooks, write the check and send it in. There. Our responsibility is done.

Or is it?

Here's an idea! Let's arrest the teachers!

This is getting bad!

Question:

Would you be willing to protest your local public school teacher lay offs? How about get arrested?

From the LA Times:

Hundreds of teachers call in sick and hundreds of high school students walk out of classrooms. The teachers union president is among 39 arrested at a sit-in outside L.A. Unified headquarters.

The head of the Los Angeles teachers union was among 39 people arrested Friday during a sit-in outside the school district headquarters, one among dozens of peaceful protests around the city by teachers and students outraged by plans for deep cuts in education spending.

"Don't raise class size!" the protesters chanted before Los Angeles Police Department officers moved in to break up the demonstration.

United Teachers Los Angeles President A.J. Duffy was among those who had raised his fist in response to police requests to disperse, and who was bound with plastic handcuffs and taken away in an LAPD bus for booking on a charge of blocking a public street.

Perspective on "special"

Not everything has changed since I was a kid.

When I was in 5th grade, the boys and the girls voluntarily sat separately during lunch time. Why? Just because.

Well, it isn't much different for my 5th grader but they are now getting pretty close to starting middle school and things start, only just a little bit at first, to look a little different between the boys and girls.

Yesterday for some unknown reason, a few boys came over to sit with Molly and the other girls. Something about getting away from a messy table or some other such excuse. They larked about, making jokes but one boy began being snarky about a 4th grade boy who was not around at the time and calling him a retard.

Molly piped right up and said, "He has autism, he is not retarded just a bit special."

The boys took that in but continued to snark, "He is so special with his specialness." Jokingly, probably not meaning real harm, maybe just intending to amateurishly flirt with the girls, just trying to get their attention in a ham handed pre-pubescent boy sort of way.

My Molly, my wonderful, intuitive, insightful, empathic big sister to Shea said, "You probably shouldn't say that kind of thing around me because my brother is special too and they can't help it."

That stopped them up short. "Is he retarded?", they soberly ask. "No." says Molly.

"Is he autistic?"

"No."

"What's wrong with him?"

"He has a real hard time speaking. He has to work really hard to make the words come out and still they sometimes sound different. He can't help it. He is special."

"How old is he?"

"Almost 5."

"Wow. That must be hard."

And, then they all moved onto other subjects with a bit more knowledge and hopefully a little bit more compassion.

There are times where I would give absolutely anything to be a fly on the wall or an ant on the lunch table. This was one of the those times.

Transitions, outreach and what do the kids do after school?

I just got back from another one of those Special Education Advisory Committee meetings. Why are these meetings always held in the evening? I find it particularly ironic when we parents should be home, you know, parenting.

Anyway, it was another interesting meeting. Since we are just getting this committee up and running, tonight we elected a chair and banged through some housekeeping. But we did have some time at the end to bring up our individual issues of concern.

This is where all the administrators look kinda scared as a parent member begins to speak. I am afraid this is illustrative of the "defensive crouch" that many school districts exhibit concerning special needs issues.

One parent brought up the question of transitioning from elementary to middle to high school: what is the procedures and practices and how can we make it go smoother.

I thought this was a very good point. Transitions, whether they are throughout the day, from day to day or year to year, are big deals for all kids let alone kids with special needs. Our director of special services brought up examples of how these transitions were handled and all the hard work that staff does before hand to make it go smooth. And, the point of the discussion ended up being; the parents just don't know. They don't know what all is done, behind the scenes, to help facilitate a transition. And, that parents basically feel out of the loop.

This has been my experience too. I think that staff and administration are so nervous of "Special Parents" they tend to deal with them on a need to know basis. If the parent needs to know something legally or makes a point to ask they get the information but it isn't readily available. Now part of this is due to the wide range of needs for the children within a school district. It could be very difficult to make blanket procedural comments. But, my thought is: well then tell the parents that as well. More information for a parent is always better than not enough.

My pet concern is expanding communication channels to the community. Because of the "defensive crouch", the school district may think "no news in good news"; meaning no lawsuit or group of organized pissed off parents. I would like our school district to be proactive and reach out to the community with positive information about the programs and services offered. There are moving success stories that take place every single day and sharing these could greatly improve community perception of the program. This should not be ignored.

I pointed out that we are a small "high touch" community and that the school district should be singing it's praises more. We should be tooting our horn when appropriate and welcoming special needs family into the fold. I mentioned that if a family had a bad experience early on with the special ed program, chances are we have lost them for good. I would hope we could repair some of that lost goodwill and invest in more community involvement. I also feel that by being proud of how we take care of our special kids, we can emulate empathy and tolerance to the community at large.

Another parent brought up the issue of after school activities for special needs kids in middle and high school. Many of these kids may not be able to do sports or other activities after school as a typical kid. They are out of school early and what do they do? There was discussion of some sort of after school tutoring, reading time, game playing, or social time which could be available but of course the old funding bugaboo reared its head. Although, there may be various grant opportunities or mentoring possibilities that we can pursue.

All good stuff. Feel free to add your own.

Special gifts series, Part 5

Just had to share this one.

I don't know about you but I want to shake this coach's hand. Plus give a big hug to everyone of those kids on that team and that school who supported this special young man with kindness and inclusion.

Maybe it's not how "special" they are but how we as a community react to them?

A teacher's perspective of the economy

I'm not sure if you are all familiar with the DailyKos website. Normal, everyday folks submit their written posts on topics, mostly political, but ranging all over the gambit.

I read a post yesterday, that I just can't get out of my head. Here is a snippet but it is well worth reading the whole post. I am constantly amazed at the extra heart, money and time a teacher provides their students. In hard economic times, I guess the need obviously ramps up too. Most public school teacher contribute $300 - $1000 out of their own income to enhance the learning in their own classroom. And, this is during normal economic times. One can only imagine what is happening now.

My hat goes off to every single teacher out there but I am going to let Mrs. K share her story, she captures it so well.

"Mrs. K, I have nothing to barter." "Mrs. K, I don't have lunch money"

"The American Public School system is the the only institution where there is compulsory attendance for a huge percentage of Americans, everyday. And, those young Americans who pass through our doors bring with them a diverse and immediate picture of the state of America, because in their eyes and with their stories, we see and hear about their families, hopes, dreams and fears.

If you want to know how a community is really doing, you don't have to wait for unemployment statistics. Just ask a community teacher. We have been hearing how children are moving around and moving in with Grandparents. We began scrambling in October to to meet the needs of initially just a few kids who suddenly started to show up dirty and rumpled. We've arranged for them to use the locker rooms in the morning to get cleaned up.

We've been seeing signs like these that Main Street's kids and families are REALLY hurting for a few months, even in the pretty well-off, suburban community we live in.

BUT, today took the cake for me. It was a BIG wake-up call, and I'm still crying. I have a story and Call for Action after the fold."

Progress or deciding to do something

You should have seen the gathering; a Middle School lunch room with lots and lots of chairs, microphone, big powerpoint screen. They were ready for a wowzer of a school board meeting, that's for sure, and gradually over 100 people showed up. An impressive turn out on a chilly and wet Thursday night.

The Vashon School Board decided to make a bold and confident step. After various boards spent over 20 years talking about it, they have approved going forward with a Capitol Bond; a $75.5 million honey that has created quite a stir in our little town. This bond, if approved by a 60% vote next spring, will quite literally change the face of Vashon High School for many years to come. It will solve many of the nagging, unhealthy and derelict problems that face our current buildings and move forward on a decision that has, quite literally, festered for generations. If you are interested, check this out.

The first hurrah really has to go to Bob, Oz and Terry. Kathy and Laura came along eventually and Dan abstained. Thank you all for your service to our community and to all the thankless work that you do for our schools.

Vashon folks of all ages and backgrounds came out in a full throated affirmation for this investment in the our children's future. People were here to walk the walk. It was an emotional night but very feel goody. People seemed to have really looked inside themselves and consciously decided to stand for investing in our kids future. Many people spoke; thoughtful, profound and nobel sentiments were expressed.

I was wondering if the heightened mood and sentiment has anything to do with our recent presidential contest. It seems that recent election still resonates. So many of us really stopped and thought about what we really are about and what you wanted to align ourselves with. Our community, perhaps still with a little Obama buzz , has decided, confidentially, to move forward. The right direction for all the right reasons. A pretty damn wonderful thing to see.

We're on the way to the ballot in Feb, maybe March. Interestingly, this vote will be the first one since Washington State will go to an all absentee vote. I wonder how that will effect the vote? We need about 2,000 voters to approve this thing. It goes without saying about the bad timing, but I am remaining confident. We'll have to wait and see.

And, there is an interesting economic irony; due to the downturn we stand to save some money by doing the project now. So, the crappy economy is making our project less expensive (!) or as I have decided to think of it as stimulating the local economy.

I'll keep you posted.

Free lunch?

It seems more and more kids are accessing the free lunch program through their public schools. In fact 80% of schools show sharp increases in their free lunch programs says an article from Newsnet5.com.

WASHINGTON -- There is such a thing as a free lunch. And school districts across the country report that kids are eating many more of them as the flailing economy hits families hard.

The National School Lunch Program fed more than 30 million children in the 2006-07 school year with federal and state funds.

According to the School Nutrition Association, which represents workers who provide the meals, almost 80 percent of schools surveyed by the organization are reporting an increase in the number of free lunches served this year.

Crystal FitzSimons of the Food Research and Action Center in Washington said more families are signing up for free school lunches for their children as they look for ways to trim their food budgets.

"One of the easiest things families can look to for support is the school nutrition program," she said.

Children from families with incomes at or below 130 percent of the poverty level are eligible for free meals. Children from families with slightly higher incomes are eligible for reduced price meals, which were also being served at higher levels. The organization said an average of 425,000 more students are participating in the programs overall.

As those numbers rise, schools could feel their budgets stretched as well."

Yow! This isn't good news. Thank goodness the families have some relief but we have got to get this economy back on track!

Capitol Bond: new high school

Speaking of tight budgets, guess what we are trying to do in our little community? You got it, put a big Capitol Bond on the ballot for a new high school next spring.

I can't imagine a worse time to try something like this with this economic recession and all. But, what are we going to do?

Our high school is in deplorable shape. There are myriad problems including blatant code violations all over the place and we have been slapping band-aids on it for some 20 years. It's understandable. No one wants to pull the 79 Million dollar trigger. Ouch. Well, that is what it costs these days.

Apparently, at the school board meeting last night a veritable broo-haha went down. 3 out of 5 school board member refused to vote on moving forward with a proposal vote. They wanted to table the bond proposal until the next meeting. Yet more feet dragging, you know, how we got into this problem in the first place. I heard all this 2nd hand but I guess the packed house audience stood up and started yelling at the 3 "feet dragging" board members and furiously stomped out of there. Tears were shed, emotional raving, and local newspaper person scuttling and getting statements.

Wow! High drama on little old Vashon. Needless to say, lots of feathers are ruffled. I don't really care. I know they will have to put the bond measure on the ballot eventually and I know I will support it. Yea it hurts. Yea it is a horrible time to have to do it. But, I will support it because I believe in real investment in our kids education and upgraded buildings and classrooms and technologies are all part of that.

So there.

Budget short fall: education taking a whack

Here in Washington state we are staring a big budget shortfall in the face and it ain't pretty.

It looks like our Democratic, public education supporting Governor is going to have to cut public education by a cool Billion. Yah, that is Billion with a B. From where I sit they should be increasing the public education budget by a billion not cutting it. But what do I know? I am just a parent who is up close and personal with public education everyday.

I don't blame the Gov. States have a legal obligation to balance their budgets every single year unlike the Fed's who just borrow more money from friendly and not so friendly governments abroad.

But, when we really talk about investing in America what does that mean? Does it mean new infrastructure and roads? Or does it mean raising future citizens that will be tax paying, productive participants in the society?

Heavy sigh and roll my eyes. So, here we go again. I sure hope we can figure out a way to avoid this cut. Like maybe take a good hard look at all those corporate tax exemptions and other goodies that Boeing and Microsoft get! Or, drum roll please, how about state income tax!

I can hear the collective gasp. But, I would like to know who pays for a civilized society? Wrong, not someone else. You, me and everybody! We pay for a civilized society and dab-blame it, a strong, healthy, supported public school system is part of that!

Ok, I guess I have made myself clear. Rant off.

Sheeple factory: when public school just isn't cutting it

As a self professed bleeding heart liberal, public education is near and dear to me. There has never been a public school bond measure or levy that I have voted "no" on whether I had kids at the time or not.

We were in West Seattle when we found out that our kid wasn't necessarily assured a place at the neighborhood school and may very well be bussed across town for Kindergarten. Alarm bells went off for both of us; perhaps explaining the exodus to Vashon Island by the time Molly was 2 and Shea was just a wish and a prayer. We chose Vashon for the excellent public schools; often times described as "quasi-private".

Now that I have been at this a while, I realize that public schools although legally supposed to serve all children, don't always. How can they when education funding has been cut left and right? It's abysmal really and pains me to acknowledge this.

I met a woman recently who had a son who is on the autistic spectrum and was dealing with many of the same food allergies that Shea is facing. We chatted gluten-free products and recipes and then jumped into the fray.

"How is it going at school?" I asked. She got a pinched, frustrated look on her face and replied, "Not well. They were very concerned with wanting him to just hang up his coat then sit down and shut up. He couldn't draw or cut paper the way he wanted to. It was very frustrating."

"Was?" I think. She told me they decided to pull him from the public school system and do home schooling which so far had been working fine for them. I asked about her 2nd child, a typically developing girl, "No, we won't send her to public school either."

This exchange has really stuck with me. First, no matter how you feel about public education, you make educational choices individually for each kid. If one thing is not working, you try something else. But, I was sad. One bad experience with an overwhelmed Kindergarten teacher chased this family away from our public school. Sometimes that's all it takes.

I see it as the bell curve. The majority of the kids get served pretty well, although that is always debatable. The kids that happen to be on the edges? Not so much. If your kid is on the edges, that can be a very frustrating place to be.

It reminds me of this trend to create "gifted programs" or "accelerated learning" in elementary schools. It seems parents just love hanging this sort of tag on their kid. We went through a period here, where there was a lot of pressure to start tracking and testing as early as Pre-K! We already had testing at 3rd grade to divvy the kids up for math in 4th & 5th grades but now they were pushing for more! The whole shebang! Let's test their little personalities right out the door and label them at 6!

Needless to say, I was really, really, REALLY against it. This is a big topic but in a nutshell; testing is not and shouldn't be the prime designation on determining a child's skills and attributes. Can't we let the kids just be kids for a while instead of shuttling them off into a category? "Here Johnny, you belong in the smart class! Bobby you belong in the below average class!" Does anyone else see the self fulfilling prophesies this much be creating? Not to mention the self-inflicted stresses labeling can cause.

I remember one of the arguments to pursue a gifted program was to give the smart kids appropriate work to do. By all means, go for it. Teach to the highest skills in the class and watch some of the others come up too. Create more opportunities for individualized instruction so that each kid can reach as far as they can. Give the teachers more professional development so they can recognize and work with a child who is gifted. All of the above probably just equate to more money needed; lower class sizes and more investment in our teacher's training. Don't hold your breath.

Maybe the new administration will take a long, sober look at No Child Left Behind and see if there is anything salvageable there. We can only hope.