Do schools really need class size reduction?

What is the true reason for smaller class sizes? Is it really that there is a student discipline issue that needs to be addressed? Many educators, administration officials, and parents have said that bad behavior in the class room has more effect on the ability to teach and learn than does a higher class size. In the light of the facts of lower student population, financial issues, and poor performance it stands to reason that MPS needs to take a very close look at what it is trying to achieve with the referendum. Even back in 1999 President Clinton did some rethought on the need for lower class size. http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=11916

Minneapolis Public Schools want $60 million, but they aren’t specific what they will do with the money

It’s the old shell game once more from the MPS, and they keep missing the core issues. The school administration is asking for the already strapped taxpayers to cough up another roll of dough for another eight years. This for a failing school district that just doesn’t seem to get it. The last time they came to the citizens asking for money, they ended up not really holding up their end of the deal. Keeping class size low was the deal, but they continue to play with the numbers and not produce results leaving parents feeling that the district has on “auto pilot” for the past eight years. Their words, not mine.
This time the referendum comes with the “promise” of change in the academic approach and focus on some of the basics like reading, math and science. Shouldn’t they have been doing that all along? When pressed for details on where the money is going to go the administration representatives give vague answers and say that ‘we’ll get back to you”. When, after the November election?
In every meeting I attend the administration and supporters of the school system are very quick to blame everyone else but themselves for the problems the education system faces. They blame the governor, state house, and senate. Hello, is there anyone home here? Public confidence in MPS has waned a great deal, so much that they “must hold the vote on the referendum this year during the presidential election cycle for maximum DFL number of voters or face possible failure”. Their words, not mine. What is really needed here is a huge change in the fundamental approach to funding education. On previous postings I have laid out a number of steps that need to be taken. Are they really up for the task?

The city can’t put out the flames of the Fire Chief fiasco

Once again the city of Minneapolis is facing a lawsuit stemming from the harassment and discrimination lawsuit regarding former Fire Chief Bleskachek. Now Captain Kristina Lemon is alleging that she was subject of poor treatment stemming from the settlement of the lawsuit. Good greif, when is it all going to end? If is unbelievable that while “adults” play the taxpayers’ pay. Why can’t we all just get along? Ugh!

Why do Minneapolis Schools continue to fail?

One of the key problems is that the school administration continues to place focus on the wrong areas. Instead of focusing on the barriers to educating children, they are focused on an agenda based curriculum. Take the focus of Katherine Kersten column in the Startribune http://www.startribune.com/local/18846129.html for instance. The “Welcoming Schools” program is suppose to be designed to address bullying issues, but has the sound of a pro-gay agenda. Looking at this from a strictly education standpoint, neither of these takes on this program will address the issue of educating kids in math, science, history, economics, reading, and so on. The issue of bullying has been around since Moses worn short pants, and borders on the basic behavior expectations that the school administrators can’t seem to do anything with anyway. The issue with gay lifestyle acceptance is a personal issue within a family, and has no business in the public school system. No more business in the school system as does a straight lifestyle agenda.I tend to think that there is something bigger at work here than pushing one agenda or the other and that is money. It would be interesting to study the relationship between the public school system and the gay agenda groups. The public education system, in Minneapolis and the entire country, is in crisis and has been for decades. When are the educators and administrators going to drop their act and stop throwing generations of kids to the economic wolves? We taxpaying voting citizens are also to blame for allowing our young to be sacrificed in the name of laziness. We need to hold these people accountable for the dereliction of the duty of educating our children in the name of easy money to cover up their failures. When, I ask you, are we going to stop the madness?

Where Is The Minneapolis Shadow

Last Week: The Lowry Ave bridge

Minneapolis City Council is moving to rescind a 40-year-old agreement over jail fees.

Well, when you can’t balance your budget I guess the thing to do is stop paying bills. Great policy, not! The charges for Minneapolis jail fees are estimated to exceed budget estimates by $700,000 this year. I look at this as bad budgeting. This action is being taken only after they did an internal audit and it looks as if Minneapolis is being charged more that the state law allows. It took them 40 years to discover this? According to Paul Ostrow they are only looking for a written contract. The Minneapolis City Council is looking to force the County into renegotiate a contact that has been in place for 40 years because they are paying too much. They are paying so much because of the crime in the city. The city council is tihnking about not paying more that the state law amount if a new contract isn’t agreed upon by July 1. I’m paying too much for gas, can I stop paying more than state law allows? There isn’t one, so I guess it’s free! Cool…fill her up!

St. Bonifacius officials are considering seceding from Hennepin County

The officials of the town of St. Bonifacius are considering seceding from Hennepin County and into Carver County. Between the high taxes and having to push to get county services completed, it just doesn’t seem worth staying.
According to the Startribune Mayor Rick Weidle said, "Our tax dollars seem to find their way, very quickly, to Minneapolis and its pet projects”.
The Minneapolis Shadow has pointed out before that the problems Minneapolis officials create don’t stop at the boarders of Minneapolis. Here you have a town that is part of the same county as Minneapolis, and finds itself questioning why they should have to pay for the freight brought on by the reckless decisions made on behalf of Minneapolis. The folks in St. Boni have it figured out. A well run affordable government is better for the citizens. Take a hint Minneapolis and city bound Hennepin County officials.