JaBbA's Hut

I attended, and spoke at, the Cleveland Hts-University Hts school board meeting last night. If you live in this area, I'll actually be on local cable access TV soon!

The issue was that the board has to close an elementary school, and we are trying to save our local school. It happens that our local school has the best academic performance, but is top of the cutting block because of some odd intra-district boundaries. Our argument is that you don't close the only school that is gaining attendance because of it's academic performance. We'll see if the board comes around.

Anyway, I sent the following email to as many members of the board as I could:

Dear Board Members:

Mr. Phillips stated last night that people in Cleveland heights send their children to private schools for only 3 reasons - Religion, Tradition and Racism.

I know many parents who have moved either their families (to Solon, Orange, pepper pike) or their children (To Beaumont, Laurel, Hawken, etc) for 2 perceived reasons: School failure academically, and school discipline problems.

Many of these families lived on my street when their children were small. NONE of them ever bothered to actually set foot in our schools, but it was NOT tradition or religion that drove their decision. Whether racism was a factor is more difficult to determine, but they didn't even bother to set foot in the schools - they had "heard" that the schools were failing and would be in academic watch, or they had "heard" that there were discipline problems in the classrooms. Add to that one family that got so disgusted with the problems with the board and the superintendents that they wouldn't even consider CHUH schools.

So denying that there is a problem of perception in this community by claiming that the factors that drive a private school decision are out of the control of the school district is a clear case of ducking the issue. Academic performance, which is unfortunately drive by the federally mandated test scores, is absolutely an issue driving people away from our schools.

If our district was Excellent across the board, don't you think people would be asking to come to our schools????

On another issue, Mr. Phillips made it very clear by his body language and demeanor last night during the presentations that he has no interest in what the citizens of this district have to say. While every other board member paid attention to the speakers, Mr. Phillips spent the entire time reading some papers and making notes, never once looking up. It struck me so strongly that I watched his behavior during every presentation.

Mr. Phillips, I'm sorry to say I voted for you. Your rudeness to the people who were counting on you is an embarrassment to our city.

Justin Alcorn

I'll be sending a letter to the editor of our local weekly this evening. It'll be a little shorter than this

UPDATE Mr. Phillips replied to me. He says he was paying attention and was reviewing the scenarios. Maybe, but I have been told by other people that they have felt that he has done things during these meetings such as turn his back to the speaker, etc. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt on that. But he's still ducking the issue of academic performance. It DOES impact whether we can attract people to our schools.

An email was forwarded to me, with a personal request for help. Apparently, the truck referenced here will be leaving from somewhere in the northeast -- the email came from a peron in Buffalo, NY, and was sent to people involved with the Cleveland Hts schools. Use the Contact Me in the sidebar (which will require you to confirm your email address), or put a comment here, and I'll get you the contact information. Or, of course, if you know me just email me.

Slidell High School is part of the St. Tammany's Parish public schools. I got confused for a short time with a Seventh-Day Adventist school also called "Slidell School", but the call for help is from the public school system. We've all dug deep to help, but there's always more that needs to be done.

TO ALL:

I have received several emails with lists of needs at Slidell Schools in
Louisiana. You will notice the lists are extensive. It is not a list to fill
completely. But it is a complete list of items needed immediately. This will
give some direction to any others who may have items on the list they can
donate. Please pass this information on to them.
As it stands, the donation cut-off date is Tuesday, November 1, 2005. I will
help coordinate packing the truck on that date.

SLIDELL HIGH SCHOOL:

School Supplies:
Book bags - 1,000
spiral notebooks - 2000
Binders - 2000
Packages of looseleaf paper 2000
Pencils - 6,000
Pens - blue ink - 2,000
Pens - black ink - 2, 000
Calculators - TI84 Plus Silver - 250
Calculators - TI-30X IIS - 500
Copy paper - Premium No 4 Xerographic
paper 8 1/2 x 11, White 20 lb.
Spectrum DP Xerographic Bond -
400 cases
Dry erase markers - various colors - 500

Personal Items:
We need school uniforms. Until our students return on October 3 and
thereafter, it is difficult to provide specifics on this information. Our
student uniforms are khaki slacks; white, grey or hunter green collared polo
shirts; white, grey or hunter green sweatshirts or jackets. It costs about
$25.00 for a shirt and pants for a uniform. You can donate cash, checks, or
gift cards for Walmart, Target or Sears and the students can pick out their
own uniform.
We will accept donations of personal hygiene and toiletrie items. Special
needs are feminine hygiene and shaving products.

Desks/Chairs/Computers:
Computers - Windows XP - 50
Laser printers - 20
Presentation Projectors - 25
ELMOs - 25
Switches - 10
27 inch TV's with carts - 50
Overhead projectors - 25
CD's - rewritable - 500
Blank VHS videotapes - 50
Mini DV videotapes - 50
Mini DV camcorder - 2
Digital cameras - 3
Student desks - 1 piece - 50
Folding tables - 60 inch - 50
File cabinet - 4 drawer, locking - 25
Teacher desks - 15
Teacher chairs - 15
Computer tables - 15

Textbooks/Curriculum Materials:
Until our students return on October 3 it is difficult to determine
specifics.
If possible, we will post this later. We have a large influx of new students
from other parishes and the Mississippi Gulf Coast and many of our students
lost their homes and all their belongings.

Counseling:
Following resources would be helpful when counseling students. Many would be
beneficial in the group setting, others could be shown on the school tv
site. Materials are available at School Counslelor Resources, P.O. Box 802,
Culver City, CA 90232-0802/ www.counselorresources.com
1- BX120V-56, Lifesteps: Building Character, Resiliency, and Emotional
Intelligence in Youth (12 series video set) $799.00
1- TMW180V-56- Real Life Teens (21 videos, guides, $945)
1-JAG190V-56-Character in Action 6 video set ($370.00)
1- EUF152V-56 Bullying, Fear, and Depression Video, $99.95
1-JAG150-V-56- Teen Suicide: Finding the will to live (2 video set), $149.00
1-PBS176V-56- The Silent Epidemic: Teen Suicide, $39.95
100-DR102-56-Helping Teens Cope with Death ($9.95each)
2-JAL103-56- The tough stuff series: Immediate guidance for troubled
students ($90.OO each)
2- RPC119-56- Passport Program: A journey through emotional, social,
cognitive, and self-development ($37.95 each).
2-IN128-56 Anger Workout Book For Teens ($23.00 each)

Other Items:
Avery mailing labels 5160 - 5 boxes
White No. 10 regular envelopes -10boxes
9x12 Catalogue envelopes 28 lbs -3boxes
Manila 1/3 cut folders - letter -10boxes
Manila 1/3 cut folders - legal - 10boxes

SLIDELL HEAD START:

School Supplies:
We need bulletin board paper and borders. We also need sleeping mats for
preschoolers (150) We also need outdoor equipment such as a swing set. We
need 150 composition notebooks. 180 book sacs

Personal Items:
Children's underwear for approximately 200 Children's socks for
approximately 200/Similac Isomil Baby Items

Desks/Chairs/Computers:
10 computers for classrooms

Other Items:
We would like for a red cross representative to come to Slidell Head Start
and help out staff and parents apply for the Red Cross finanancial
assistance. We have not been able to send our staff to apply in person since
they have been working with assisting children in shelters and in our
center. We have attempted to call the 1800 number given but we have not been
successful. It is always busy or we get the recording letting us know that
we must keep trying. Many of our staff members have lost either homes or
personal belongings. They are also facing financial difficulties as a result
of Katrina. Please help us!

There's been a spate of good news about the Cleveland Hts-University Hts schools lately.

It's been a year, but the courts have finally ruled that RIVA truly did fail in their attempt to repeal the levy last year. Not only that, but they have to pay the costs incurred by the School Board in defending against their constant court challenges.

And what happens when you fund a school system?

Well, you get national recognition as a school system that provides "What Parents Want". About 16% of the public education systems in this country qualify for this award - less than 1 in 6. The award criteria include:

Criteria used for award selection include:

- A close match to what SchoolMatch users most often request. Compilation of over 97,000 parent questionnaires completed by SchoolMatch clients reveals parents most often look for school systems that are:

1. competitive in academic test scores and academically solid, but not so rigorous as to intimidate their children
2. accredited
3. recognized for excellence by a national foundation or by the U.S. Department of Education
4. competitive in teacher salaries
5. above average in instructional expenditures on a national percentile basis
6. above average in expenditures for library/media services on a national percentile basis
7. known for small class size

- Availability of programs at the secondary level.
Since relocating parents often focus upon finding a school system that produces a certain quality of "end product" (a high school graduate), only school systems that provide secondary school programs are eligible for the award.

And then the all-important test scores go up. What makes this all the more remarkable is that scores across the region went DOWN - CH-UH was one of the few bright spots in the report.

The district made pretty deep cuts, even with the levy. But they're showing that given the opportunity, the kids are getting a first-class education.


UPDATE Here's the Schoolmatch report for CHUH

Cleveland Hts has this nice new utility for doing your city taxes. Use the PIN number sent on your tax forms, log into the city website, click the link (which goes to a service bureau of some kind - 'citytaxtools.com'. you didn't think they'd actually do this on their own, did you?), fill out some info, and presto! A completely filled out city tax form to send in.

Pretty nice, really.

Except they made an amateur mistake. Used floating numbers internally, displayed decimals to the hundredths, and ended up telling me that $.79 minus $.45 = $.35.

That's pretty basic coding practices that are being forgotten here. Always check the rounding error.

There's a new blog fighting the repeal of the CH-UH levy we just passed - Stop The Repeal. Information on the Anti-Tax group's lies, and how to fight them.

From the Levy@list.chuhschools-yes.org list:

As reported today in the Plain Dealer, this past weekend levy opponents
began circulating petitions to repeal the 8.5 mill levy passed this March.

We are still researching the law on repeal petitions and will update you as
soon as we can send you accurate information.
While repeals are rarely successful, we would still need to run an
aggressive campaign to keep this one from becoming so. So much for our
vacation from levy campaigning.

When talking with friends and neighbors, it is important to alert them to
the serious nature of this petition. Because we failed to pass a levy in
2003, the school board has cut $6 million permanently from the school
budget--cuts that have caused real pain in losing good teachers, increasing
class size, and decreasing vital services such as school social workers.

I still don't get how people can refuse to support our local schools. The public schools serve everyone who comes through their doors - long time residents, transients, kids with special needs. I guess many people just don't realize that we're all in this together. Our American me-first mentality is going to kill this country.

Mean people suck. Do not sign the petition, vote against repeal if it comes up. And let's turn over the Ohio State congress, get some people in there who will address school funding instead of worrying about keeping marriage safe for straight people.

Deep education cuts, plus the unfunded mandates of the No Child Left Behind act, have left CHUH with a $9 Million deficit. Among the cuts being considered are the media teachers (who have built one of the best middle-school high-tech curriculums in the country) and the Journalism teacher. The kids involved in the High School newspaper are asking for help in saving their teacher's job.

JaBbA says check it out.

A letter from the Citizens For Heights Schools:

A guest blogger, from the Citizens for Heights Schools:

PARTIAL VICTORY: Today, the Ohio Elections Commission found that there was "probable cause" that CFOC has "violated Ohio election law by knowingly, or with reckless disregard for the truth" distributing literature with false statements about the CH-UH school district. Vanessa Whiting made the trip to Columbus for the hearing. So, the ruling was in our favor with a subsequent hearing(s) to follow after the election.

The "partial" victory is because CFOC has sent its misinformation in a bulk mailing to voters, so it is definitely reaching a broader audience and getting into people's homes. It is a major concern that this could have a negative impact on how people feel about the levy.

Well, I survived listening to Trivisonno. I even got through the lines to try to correct some really misleading statements some people made...but I sat on hold for 55 minutes and they never took a single call in that time.

I finally gave up -- I've got kids to take care of. Unfortunately, Triv talks as if he's some kind of expert on everything, and he really doesn't understand what he's talking about. Oh well.

And he still kisses up to all the sports figures in this town. He pretty much gushed over Paul Dolan while I was waiting. It was pretty disgusting.

I'll go back to ignoring him now. I'm figuring that most people who would listen to him are probably pretty set in their levy vote anyway -- it's the undecideds we need to convince.

Trivisonno is arguing with his sidekick, and she's getting REALLY upset. She seems to care about the levy - she says it's important to support the schools. Trivisonno is saying "You have to send a message to politicians and not give them taxes". His sidekick is saying that it hurts the kids, and when Triv said "Oh, they won't cut the busing" she shouted "THEY ALREADY CUT THE BUSING".

She was so upset she cut into the traffic report time. Good for her - I think Triv is a little taken aback that she's actually serious about this. She's PISSED.

Trivisonno got a fax from CFOC yesterday and gave them an hour of airtime. His defense today is that he was saying "according to this fax" but he knows as well as anyone else that just putting in "in the air" gives it power.

I heard that the CFOC has been fined, but I haven't confirmed it yet. Stay tuned.

(gotta go take a shower. I hate listening to that man)

I've pretty much figured Mike Trivisonno (WTAM, Weekdays 3-7pm) a blowhard who isn't worth my time since the first day he decided to spout his drivel about something besides sports, but I have to comment on this.

I just got a report that he decided to slam either the CHUH Board or the Levy committee on his show yesterday. If you heard the show, please either comment here or email me (jabba /at/ jalcorn.net) . Triv lives in Lyndhurst, so if he wants to use his bully pulpit to talk about the SEL levy (which, BTW, they DESPERATELY need. If you're a South Euclid-Lyndhurst resident, please vote for the levy) then it affect him, and he might actually have some say in the matter. But he has NOTHING to do with CHUH and doing more than inviting listeners to call in with opinions is just callous political baiting.

This is MY kid's education he's messing with. Stay out!

(Apparently there's going to be more today, although that's an unsubstantiated rumor. I hate to prop up his ratings, but if you get a chance, let's call in and tell him to keep his opinions out of our schools!)

A complaint was filed against the Citizens Financial Oversight Committee (CFOC) this morning by Vanessa Whiting about the flyers that they are distributing advocating a NO vote on the school levy. The complaint alledges that the CFOC is distributing leaflets which contain false and misleading information, specifically:

- The District spends > $14k per year per student (They actually spend a little more that $13k per student)

- The district is "on ACADEMIC WATCH very close to ACADEMIC EMERGENCY" (The district is in "Continuous Improvement" status)

- District proficiency test scores rank in the bottom 10% of all Ohio students (This is just false)

- The district's teaches are among the most highly paid in the County (CHUH is 11th of 31, the average salary is just over $55k)

- The leaflet states that the majority of the District's certified staff makes > $80k. The Average is $55k, with the MAXIMUM being $72k for a PhD with > 14 years experience!

- The CFOC states that teachers get 13 weeks of paid vacation every year. Teachers are employed for 190 days per year. They get NO paid vacation. (I find it SO offensive that people would use the school year as a reason not to pay teachers! Canadians have it right - teachers are well paid in Canada.)

- The CFOC claims that the BoE has implemented NO auditor's recommendations. 29% have been implemented, 78% have been accepted.

The hearing is tomorrow morning. Hopefully, the Elections Commission will come out STRONG AND CLEAR that the voters of Cleveland Hts/Univ Hts are being fed a load of BULL about the state of our schools system!

The Cleveland Hts/University Hts school levy is coming down to the wire. Some positive signs:

- The Sun Press has endorsed the levy this time (They endorsed a NO vote last time)

- University Hts Mayor Beryl Rothchild has endorsed the levy - which I can NEVER remember her doing. I'm convinced she was always pissed that the BoE was not under her control.

- The school board named Deb Delisle the Superintendent and gave her a contract. People seem to really like Ms. Delisle, and she has done a great job under VERY tough circumstances as Interim Superintendent.

- Mark Phillips and Wendy Leatherberry, the new BoE members, seem to be doing what they promised and are bringing the process out in the open.

--
Our local version of Al Sharpton, CH City Council member Rev. Jimmir Hicks, Jr., has enlisted the help of an anti-gay lawyer from Cincinnatti and has filed suit against the city to have the Domestic Partner Registry stopped.

His stated reasons? He doesn't want the city to spend money on it, and he says it is against state law.

Of course, he has never seemed to mind making the city spend money on lawyers. Even when a clear majority of voters in this city supported the registry, he continues his bigoted and religious-based opposition.