ISD 197 SRAC (part 4 – yes or no?)

Posted on by August 25, 2015

(for those catching up: see  and  and )

The question on Nov. 8th will be whether we should vote to raise taxes on ourselves and our neighbors.  I take tax increases very seriously.  I might not mind paying more, but I have no right to force my neighbors to pay for something just because I think it is worthwhile.  Consequently, I put a high bar on the tax question.  There must be a strong case, and all citizens should see some benefit.

In , I wrote about the priorities and fiscal discipline of ISD 197.  In , I wrote about the cost – roughly $11,000+ dollars per student.

Should we spend more?  Has ISD 197 made the case that they should get more of our hard-earned tax dollars?

The answer is no, for three reasons.

First, I dislike being strong-armed.  The ISD 197 board has chosen to combine two separate issues into a single ballot question in order to cast a no vote in the worst possible light.  The two issues are the extension of the existing levy, and additional money from a new levy.  By posing only a single question, voters are forced to choose between increasing funding, and decreasing funding.  Keeping the status quo is not an option.  A yes vote is painted as essential, and a no vote is portrayed as armageddon.

In the case of a no vote, armageddon means an immediate operating deficit in FY12, growing quickly to a $6.1 million deficit in FY 16.  However, a yes vote yields an operating margin of only $300,000 in FY 13, but still results in a deficit of $1.0 million in FY 14, rising to a $2.6 million deficit in FY 16.

Whether we vote yes, or no, either more cuts or more tax increases will be required in the next year or two just to maintain the status quo.

At best, this is poor planning.  At worst, this is an attempt to coerce the voters into providing more funds.

My second reason is that I do not believe that the required fiscal discipline is present in the ISD 197 school board.  The board’s job is to set priorities, allocate taxpayers’ dollars according to those priorities, and ensure that priorities are met.  The board works for the taxpayers as their representative and watchdog.

From what I see, the board has drifted into a state where its decisions are dominated by politics rather than management discipline.  Satisfying every constituency has become the guiding principle.  The result has been indecision.  The SRAC appears to be intended to address politics, not management.  (Any committee of over 50 people is unlikely to get much work done, nor agree on much of anything.)

This is not going to be fixed by giving the district more money.

My third reason is that I do not see a focus on the curriculum.  As I said in , the public schools are not there to entertain the students, nor to satisfy every need of every student or parent.  The public schools have a claim on our tax dollars to provide a basic education.  That education is about fundamental citizenship, like English language skills, history and civics, and basic mathematics.  Things beyond that are optional.  They may or may not be offered, but are lower priority, and are subject to cuts in hard times.  It is the difference between desired and required.

Satisfying everyone is not a workable policy.  Sooner or later, the money runs out.  When that happens, those hard conversations about what is required and what is desired take place.  Priorities must be set, and followed.

Far from being disasters, though, those hard conversations provide focus, and tend to improve the quality of what remains.

When times are tough in the community, household budgets get cut, and school budgets should fall, too.  The school district operates by taking tax money from those struggling citizens.  It cannot operate as though it has a right to continue unscathed.

ISD 197 needs to make some hard choices, and those choices are not likely to be made if the checkbook remains open.

It is time to say no.

ISD 197 SRAC (part 3 – cost)

Posted on by June 28, 2014

(for those catching up: see and )

In , I wrote about the appropriate and required functions of the public schools.  The next question is: How much money is being spent?

The “output” of the district is the “education” of roughly 4,400 students in grades K-12.  A little simple math tells us that we are spending about $11,000 per student per year. ($50 million divided by 4,400 = $11,363)

If you read the ISD 197 literature about the levy, you might come away thinking that the cost is only the “local” property taxes, but the local taxes are only part of the story.  The state and federal governments pay 74% of the cost.  That is still our tax money.  It just took a trip to Washington or St. Paul.

A quick survey of a few local private schools tells me ISD 197 is about in the lower-middle of the cost curve.  The other schools I contacted ranged from $5,340/year to $18,600. No, these are not “apples to apples” comparisons.  The other schools vary in what they offer, and some are dramatically different, but these schools are offering an alternative education and are charging thousands of dollars for something the taxpaying parents of ISD 197 have already paid for.  One in four (28%) of the potential students in ISD 197 enroll in these private schools.  Some of these schools have waiting lists.  These schools offer something compelling that ISD 197 parents are willing to sacrifice mightily to get.  (Another 10% of students choose charters, or open enrollment in other districts, so only 62% of ISD 197 students attend ISD 197 schools.)

To provide an idea of where our tax money is spent, I encourage you to visit the ISD 197 web site.  The biggest question in my mind is whether this $11,000 is being spent on things that I consider essential for public schools, and how much is going to “shiny objects”.  Core curriculum – reading, writing, history, geography – are not sexy, but in my view, they are the essential parts of public education.  (see )  Unfortunately, it is difficult to tell from the budget documents how tightly the schools are focused on this essential core.

My opinion has been guided by what I have learned about the non-core spending.  A look at this document – the 2011-2014 Technology Plan – gives an idea of where ISD 197’s priorities are.  Note page 32, which details a $2.6 million cost for “technology”.  Is this core to education, or a “shiny object”?

I do not pretend to know all the things being done in the district, but I know that there are programs that are not “core” to my vision of education, and I know that the members and leadership of of SRAC have resisted talking about setting firm priorities to guide that spending.  The priority in SRAC appears to be to satisfy all the constituencies that want different things from the schools.  This is not an environment dominated by fiscal discipline, but one dominated by politics.

Next up – ISD 197 SRAC (part 4 – yes or no?)

ISD 197 SRAC (part 2 – vision)

Posted on by June 28, 2014

So, what is “worthwhile” in a school district?  How do we judge whether the schools are doing a good job?

With snow plowing, or parks, I can see the results, and even enjoy them. I can look at the streets after a snowfall and see that they are efficiently cleared, or take a walk in the park, and note whether the park is well maintained.

School districts are much harder to evaluate.  In the first place, school districts are huge, and they have a very difficult job to do.  ISD 197 is charged with educating about 4,400 students in grades K-12.  These students come from a wide variety of backgrounds.  Some don’t speak English.  Some have difficult home lives.  All need a good education.  Every parent and every student has a different set of expectations.  ISD 197 has to serve them all.

Where do we stand?  Does ISD 197 do a good job?

From what I hear and read, almost no one is satisfied with the schools.  Some of this is the natural desire to make whatever we have better, and to make the case that things are not nearly what they could be.

I am a software engineer, and the harshest assessments of a project are often from those working on it.  Engineers love to poke holes in their own work, because they like to fix things.  The bigger the impending disaster, the bigger the hero who averts it.

I hear a lot of that sort of thing in the SRAC committee, and with parents.  It seems everyone is an armchair quarterback, and willing to criticize, and then tell others how they can do their jobs better.  It’s natural, and not all bad.

That said, I am not convinced that we even know what the schools are supposed to do in the modern age.

I see a constant stream of critiques of education where high school students can’t read, and college freshmen don’t know who George Washington was, or can’t identify China on a map.  There is a drumbeat that the schools are “broken” and must be “fixed”.

SRAC was born of a desire to adapt to tightening budgets and rising expectations.  I had hoped that when I joined the SRAC, I would see a sharp focus on determining priorities.  What is really important in education, versus what is trendy and appealing?

Sadly, I do not see that focus.  The SRAC meetings have addressed a wide range of options for the future of the district, from the mild to the wild.  We have never seriously asked the question: what are the most important things that students in our district must learn?

Without a focus and clear purpose, it is very difficult to say whether ISD 197 is successful or not.  Without a clear vision of what the schools must do, and what can be set aside, decision making is impossible.

I see a lot of activity in ISD 197.  I see excellent facilities, talented and well paid staff, and happy students, but that vision is not clearly defined.

I can tell you what I  think that vision should be.

The schools are the training ground for citizens.  Citizens need to be able to read and write, so they can be informed about, and participate in, public affairs.  They must understand the workings of our government, and their duties as citizens.  Students must be grounded in the ideas and ideals that make the United States unique in the world, and how the Rule of Law, private property and individual responsibility make self government possible.

This vision is not about technology or sociology.  It is about learning in the classic sense, and is seldom honored, from what I see.

(next up: ISD 197 SRAC (part 3 – the cost))

ISD 197 SRAC

Posted on by June 28, 2014

This summer, I was honored with an opportunity to join a committee of citizens to help hammer out a vision for the future of our local school district 197.  This is the SRAC – the Strategic Redesign Advisory Committee.

The roughly 50 members of SRAC have been meeting about twice a month since August 2nd.  SRAC includes school board members, ISD197 principals, teachers, and administrators, parents, and concerned citizens.  SRAC has discussed a wide range of options and ideas ranging from minor tweaks to proposals to radically “redesign” the school district.  SRAC is charged to produce a report of recommendations to the school board in December.

The SRAC process has provided me an opportunity to learn about our local district.  More importantly, it has given me an opportunity to get to know the people who make it run.  The discussion is much more interesting than a stuffy school board meeting, or a one-on-one meeting with any single participant.  In struggling with the issues and tradeoffs facing the district, we have all demonstrated our priorities and interests in education.  It’s a good group, with plenty of enthusiasm and talent.  As with any organization, the buildings and school books are important, but the people who run ISD197 are the main event.

In the next few blog posts, I plan to talk about a few of these issues, and detail some of the options we have discussed, and my opinions about them.  One big decision coming up on November 8th is whether our property taxes should be raised to help fund the school district. Citizens have a duty to be informed when casting their votes.

Has the ISD197 school district made the case that the only way forward is to raise taxes?

One purpose of the SRAC is in part to prompt community involvement in the decision making process.  This blog can help, by encouraging you to get involved and informed.

The public is welcome and encouraged to attend SRAC meetings as observers.  The last two meetings of the SRAC before the levy referendum are on the 25th of October, and November 2nd, at Henry Sibley HS.  I encourage you to attend.

Welcome Message

Posted on by June 28, 2014

Welcome to my new blog. I want to thank The Patch for giving me this opportunity to talk to you.

My blog is going to serve a single purpose. I want to raise and discuss issues of importance to all of us. I will talk about principle over policy – about what should be, rather than what is.

I want to talk about issues that are important for all of us, but the subjects will not be limited to local politics, or even current events. My focus is on ideas. I want to talk about principle, and how those principles should be applied to our lives.

What holds us together? What separates us? What values do we hold in common? Can we find common language to discuss the most volatile issues? Are we proud enough of what we share that we are willing to defend it? Are we committed enough to our common goals to sacrifice personal goals? We all favor a society based on “merit”, but do we agree what “merit” is? Do we know the difference between ordered liberty and simple license? Do we have a government, or does the government have us?

I want to find out.

I want your comments, and your ideas. I especially want your ideas for topics. What’s hot in Mendota Heights? Let me know, and we’ll talk about it.

Please feel free to post, and even to flame. The conversation in this blog is important. I hope to provoke you, and to make you think. If you read my blog and get mad, then I want you to tell me why. If in the end you come away with new insights about the ideas that have been guiding you, even if you hate them, then we have success.

Tom Nelson, ISD 197 Super

Posted on by June 25, 2014

The BPOU 39a GOP is having a speaker this month before the regular meeting.

Tom Nelson, the ISD 197 Superintendent, is going to come talk to us about the district and its challenges, and to answer our questions.

The public is welcome and encouraged to attend.

You can read more detail about the event here.

Crossing a line

Posted on by October 10, 2011

I don’t often agree with the editorials in the Huffington Post, but I am in total agreement with this one.

President Obama has indeed crossed a line by killing two American citizens, without asking for authority from either Congress or the courts.  This is the kind of executive lawlessness that Mr. Obama condemned in the Bush administration, but rather than following his own rhetoric, he goes far beyond what President Bush claimed was his prerogative.

Read the Huff Post article here.