Papa@Home's blog

The NG article is here http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2008/03/13/officials_disappointed_with_planning

The turnout was very low (under 100), but not surprising given the community mood. It brings to mind around a year ago when all eight BOE candidates were saying almost with one voice, "The community-school relationship is broken". It was often the first issue that came up in forums and discussions, it was likely the only issue that all of the candidates agreed about. Interestingly, there was some discussion about whether community forums are an effective way to reach 21st century Americans. It was suggested that perhaps we need blogs, chat rooms, and radio call-in-shows along with other non-electronic techniques for extracting community opinions about the school system.

One thing I know we cannot do was expressed privately by a senior administrator during the forum. That person said, "People complain all the time and then they don't come to talk, its apathy." I don't agree. The district cannot get resentful or defensive that people aren't coming to forums, they have to try something until it works. A "good faith effort" isn't good enough.

Maybe we need to come up with a controversial threat to get people riled up. (like We're going to bulldoze Barkstall and replace it with a dog park.)

Teachers like incentives and competition, perhaps we have each school host a forum and the school with the largest participation rate compared to its population gets a prize. (A cheap option would be for the winning principal to get to move five maintenance items to the top of district's 500 item todo list.)

WCIA's advertising their Home and Garden Show with raffles in place and they just want to sell you stuff. There is a $5000 prize and a $1000 prize to try and get people to come out. It couldn't hurt.

I'm really getting tired of so many people saying "we can't" rather than figuring out how to get it done. The official reason given at the forum for why we can't have an interactive blog is because there are no resources for an administrator and it takes so much time. WHAT?! It may not be trivial but isn't hearing from our community worth some resources? It doesn't feel like there is a lot of "want to" involved here.

Maybe it is as simple as simplifying the process.
Can we ask, "What are the top ten things we need to do to make Champaign Unit 4 the best K-12 education in the state?"

Please find attached pdf flyers for the first of the Unit 4 Community Forums to be held for the purpose of listening to the community about our schools. It will be held at Centennial High School March 12 at 6:30 pm.

(beware, personal opinion)
While I am not yet confident in this process, I hope everyone can take advantage of the opportunity to speak up regarding how our kids are "employed" each day. I believe that decisions are made by the people who show up. If we show up and the process fails us - we can move on from there. If we fail to show up then at least some of the failure of Unit 4 is directly on us.
(end of editorial)

There is poster and also 4 cards to a page to pass out to people. If you have facility to print these out on brightly colored paper and hand them to people you know, plaster them around town, e-mail them to your most distant acquaintance, please do. In the near future, Unit 4 will be providing a location where you can pick up the posters already printed. I will send that out when I have it.

The goal is to have everyone with something to say, including people without a connection to the schools, come to the forum. Many times, the discussion itself prompts your own opinion so you don't have to come with an axe to grind - just come and participate. The forum will be that everyone is divided into small groups of 15 or less so there is no public speaking involved. The plan is for there to be at least ten forums but this first one will help us run all the rest.

For more info go to www.greatschoolstogether.org

An excerpt from a NYT article (currently tops on the most viewed list):

The farm bill helps determine what sort of food your children will have for lunch in school tomorrow. The school-lunch program began at a time when the public-health problem of America’s children was undernourishment, so feeding surplus agricultural commodities to kids seemed like a win-win strategy. Today the problem is overnutrition, but a school lunch lady trying to prepare healthful fresh food is apt to get dinged by U.S.D.A. inspectors for failing to serve enough calories; if she dishes up a lunch that includes chicken nuggets and Tater Tots, however, the inspector smiles and the reimbursements flow. The farm bill essentially treats our children as a human Disposall for all the unhealthful calories that the farm bill has encouraged American farmers to overproduce.

Obviously Ag is pretty important around here. Discuss…