Letters about education the Times Union won't print

Bus advertising
The Florida Legislature rather than properly funding education is discussing a bill that would allow advertising on school busses; I don’t know how that would work here in Jacksonville because school busses are privately owned but that is another issue.

Jacksonville’s Stephen Wise added an amendment which says 50 percent of the revenue would go to district transportation programs, 25 percent would be discretionary, and 25 percent would be used to set up an education endowment that can attract private contributions.

The original bill sent 50 percent of revenue to district transportation programs, made 40 percent discretionary, and gave 10 percent to district’s driver education classes.

You know what is most ridiculous thing about this bill? It’s not how it is more evidence that the legislature doesn’t properly fund education and it’s not how they are trying to make busses look like Nascar cars. It’s how once again the Florida Legislature is telling school districts how to spend money. It’s once again that they are trying to usurp local control and here I thought a tenant of the Republican Party was local control?

Hey Tallahassee how about letting local districts determine how they spend the money. What gives you the hubris to think you know better?


Better uses for money
At the cost of between 2 and 3 hundred thousand, the previously broke school district is looking to hire three people for its public relations staff. They already have a staff of four.

Instead of spending the money on a larger public relations staff, what about spending it on four art teachers for elementary schools? One hour every other week doesn’t seem like quite enough to me.

What about hiring four social workers? So often why kids do poorly in school or act up in school has nothing to do with school.

What about budgeting thirty more teachers for summer school? Many of kids need year around school to either get caught up or to stop from falling further behind.

What about so many other better uses for the money?

Hey school board it’s because of things like this that your image is so poor in the first place.


City deserves better
In case you missed it because apparently that was the plan; without public discussion and without a public vote the board approved the creation of three public relations positions (cost between two and three hundred thousand dollars). I was against the creation of the positions. In my opinion there are far greater needs than more mouthpieces for the school board.

But here is the thing; even if you disagree with me and think the positions are important don’t we all deserve to see how the school board would have voted. Doesn’t the public deserve to see how the board feels about controversial issues and to see how our money is being spent? Don’t we? The school board apparently doesn’t think so.


How uninformed are you?
Betty Burney thinks you are ignorant. That’s what she seemed to be saying when the Times Union quoted her saying “We have a lot of great things that are happening in Duval County Public Schools,” Burney said. “We take a beating because the public doesn’t understand and tends to think that we are a [district] filled with young people who are fighting all day long and not accomplishing things. We need to get the word out.”

So what do Burney and the district want to do to flip the script, change the narrative? They want to hire not one but three public relations people at a cost of up to 300 thousand dollars, or what four art teachers and their supplies would cost.

The thing is I believe people understand more than she thinks. They talk to teachers who know the system hasn’t changed for the better. They know kids that have been or are being pushed through. They have met former graduates and haven’t been impressed and they have read articles about grade recovery and the inflated graduation rates and school grades and think to themselves that just doesn’t sound right. Mrs. Burney I believe the word is already out and people do not like what they are hearing.

Mrs. Burney is right when she says there are a lot of great things going on in the district, teachers making a difference and kids learning but many of these things happen in despite of downtown not because of downtown. I am continuously amazed at well our schools do considering the obstacles put in their way.