TPPF Policy Orientation, Day 3 Highlights

Okay, folks, for the five of you who care, here are highlights from Day 3 of the Texas Public Policy Foundation's 2013 Policy Orientation.

In the morning I attended a policy panel entitled, "In the Crosshairs: A Look at For-Profit Providers of Higher Education."  Panelists included Dr. William Pepicello of the University of Phoenix, Jeff Sandefer of the Acton School of Business & Acton Academy, and Dr. Lynn W. Tatum of Baylor University. 

I found this session particularly enlightening, and was disabused of some prejudices against the University of Phoenix.  Contrary to some narratives, UOPX is more regulated than any other university.  Not only must they answer to the federal Department of Education, but state agencies in 36 states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.  UOPX is also required to be far more transparent than traditional institutions of higher learning, and openly invite all to scrutinize their Academic Annual Report online.  Dr. Tatum was less enthusiastic, and presented the viewpoint of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP,) and expressed concern over the for-profit model for faculty accountability.  Jeff Sandefer dismissed AAUP as being essentially the "professors union," and suggested the argument was very much about money and AAUP's protection of the status quo against innovators like UOPX. 

The second panel I attended was "The Classroom of the Future:  Improving Learning Through Technology."  Panelists included Utah State Senator Howard Stephenson, President and CEO of the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) Susan Patrick, and Director of Government Relations for TCEA Jennifer Bergland.

This panel gave me the most concern.  All three panelists were positively giddy about embracing technology in K-12 education, but didn't really touch on the drawbacks.  They used some of those old progressivist buzzwords that decry teachers as authorities, and one speaker even showed a photo of a baby in a crib using an iPhone and uttered that phrase I find so troubling: "The next generation is different."  I would suggest that the next generation uses different tools and methods of communication, but are still the same human souls that were born 100, 1,000 or 4,000 years ago.  Embedded in those statements about how children today are 'different,' is the potential for dismissing anything and everything that is actually true for human souls at all times and in all places.

For the record, I'm not exactly a Neo-Luddite; I have spearheaded efforts to bring numerous organizations into the technology age, and in our home we have kindles, iPhones, an iPad, laptops, and one desktop.  My 12-year old can crank out a highly professional PowerPoint in about 20 minutes, but that same child checks out the maximum 15 books allowed from the local public library each week and reads them.  In our home we have embraced technology as a tool, but acknowledge the dangers and drawbacks of an overemphasis (sleep disruption, physical and emotional health, etc.). 

Technology in education?  Sure, as long as we emphasize solid content, recognize the inherent flaws, and keep it in its place as yet another tool, but not one that will replace real knowledge and advanced thinking.


The last event was a closing luncheon featuring Newt Gingrich, who was introduced by Lt. Governor David Dewhurst, the latter sounding much more conservative these days.  Gingrich also jumped on the technology in education bandwagon (suggesting that Texas invite the folks at World of Warcraft to come up with quality educational games,) and even stating that computers are making students better writers.  Of course this prompted one of my fellow bloggers to tweet:  "newtginrich iz sayin puters mk kdz wrt btr. I iz skptical. #tppf "  Yep.

Gingrich did boldly propose that the current political climate could bring about a dramatically better American government, and encouraged all to engage the 311 million Americans who want a better life.  We on the Right must listen to their concerns and show them the better value of Conservatism.

I was very pleased to see that all four members of Williamson County's legislative representation, Senator Charles Schwertner, Representative Larry Gonzales, Representative Tony Dale, and Rep Marsha Farney, attended some part of the orientation.  They have a tough five months ahead of them, and my prayers are with them.

TPPF 2013 Policy Orientation: Highlights from Day 2

TPPF Banner at 2013 Policy Orientation.

As I warned my readers in Part I, I'm not much of a 'live blogger,' so I haven't yet posted on Thursday's  Texas Public Policy Foundation 2013 Policy Orientation.  Here's just a few highlights from Day 2 for those who are not policy geeks.   

Highlights for non-geeks:

Bill Bennett:  "California is the Lindsey Lohan of the states."  And much discussion about the "Texas Model." 

Rick Perry:  2013 Legislative Session faces quite a different scenario from 2011, but in some way having ample funds might be more of a challenge.  (grossly paraphrased.)  He asserted that the best use of the people's money is to give it back to them.  Very pleased that the Governor also called for new abortion restrictions based on fetal pain studies. 

Jonah Goldberg:  "At the end of the day, if you are not persuading people you disagree with, you lose."

Texas energy boom is underway and contributed some $8.5 billion in taxes and royalties to state and local governments.  Watch out for the EPA! (From "Unleashing the Texas Energy Colossus")

Legislature is encouraged to control spending while addressing "Big" Issues like water and transportation.  Rep Phil King calls for Texas Constitutional amendment regarding state spending cap. (From "Getting a Grip on Government Spending")

Immigration Debate- Introduced by Texas Ag Commissioner Todd Staples, and featuring Congressman Joaquin Castro, Linda Vega of Latinos Ready to Vote, Brad Bailey of The Texas Immigration Solution, Brian Kennedy of the Claremont Institute, and moderator Steve Moore of the Wall Street Journal.  

The United States needs to have an immigration policy, and Texas is uniquely positioned to lead on this issue.  (Debate on "Immigration: The Texas Way")  Interestingly, the Twitter feed for #TPPF on this one elicited quite a bit of hostility from non-attendees.  TPPF was immediately attacked for being 'Open Borders,' which is completely bizarre. In the first place, this was a debate, with several different ideas up for discussion, and the speakers were from both sides of the aisle.  Secondly, we have got to be able to discuss possible solutions without hysteria.  As several speakers (and my own State Rep Larry Gonzales,) have noted, the Democrats are the ones benefiting from immigration as an unresolved issue.  We need solutions and have to answer some tough questions.  As Todd Staples, whose book Broken Borders, Broken Promises will be published this year, asked, "Do we really want to grow a government big enough to round up 11 million people?”  I don't think so.

School Choice is the civil rights issue of our time.  Our current one-size-fits-all system is lousy for kids. (Joseph Bast)  Florida's tax credit system has benefited the state's public school system as a whole.  Louisiana State Rep Steve Carter was on hand to detail how they passed sweeping education reforms in his state, and it was just lovely to hear someone inside the state of Texas pronounce "New Orleans" correctly.

The final event I was able to attend was a press conference with the National Association of Scholars.  NAS has just completed a study of U.S.  history courses offered at the University of Texas and Texas A&M that shows that these courses "downplay the nation's economic, military, and political history and dramatically overemphasize the role of race."  As a former history major and teaching assistant, this study comes as no surprise to me.  Read the study for yourself at the NAS website.

Okay, Day 3 summary coming...soon.  And lots of wonderful blog fodder for the next few months...

TPPF Policy Orientation for the 2013 Texas Legislative Session: Updated

Will be spending the next three days as a guest at the Texas Public Policy Foundation's Policy Orientation for the 2013 Legislative Session.  Having attended a TPPF orientation previously, I know the next three days will be akin to 'drinkin' from the fire-hose'.  True to form, the Foundation will be providing an impressive quantity of quality research and analysis for those interested in public policy. 

Theoretically, I can engage in 'live' blogging during the event; but I warn my readers that I'm not so great 'off the cuff.'  As a true introvert, I prefer to spend time processing before daring to offer up interpretation.  But who knows?  Perhaps I can share a few nuggets of TPPF wisdom.

Stay tuned:  Today's sessions will focus on "The Movement and the Media," and we'll be hearing from Senator Ted Cruz, Jonah Goldberg, Michael Ramirez, Erica Grieder, and others.

10:00 A.M.  This morningTPPF's Joshua Trevino and Erica Grieder are discussing Grieder's forthcoming book, "Big, Hot, Cheap, and Right: What America Can Learn from the Strange Genius of Texas."  She has highlighted some of the inherent strengths of the Lone Star State that have made Texas a powerhouse state, but also presents concerns over the state's ability to adapt to shifting economic realities.

11:21 A.M.   Second session with Joshua Trevino and Ben Domenech (The Transom and a founder of Red State).  Session is entitled "What Went Wrong and How We Get it Right:  Conservative Media in 2012 & Beyond."  Domenech points out that Schools of Journalism don't effectively prepare reporters for media jobs; writers in the media have little knowledge or experience in the areas on which they report.  Consequently, many 'informative' articles are riddled with errors and not reliable sources of information.  Also, conservative viewpoints are largely absent from mass media 'non-political' publications.  (I've noticed women's magazines in particular are extremely left-wing and very, very political!)

Update:  8:12 P.M.   "We should champion every day the 47%." -Ted Cruz
Lunch speaker was Senator Ted Cruz- amazing how the entire audience seemed enraptured by our junior senator, and they were not disappointed.  He spoke about the problem for Conservatives in the 2012 elections:  "47%"  Our mistake, according to Cruz, was that we did not address the concerns of the 47%, when we should have articulated that conservative policies work and would actually improve their daily lives.  Cruz noted that Obama's policies have hurt, not helped the poor, and that African-American and Hispanic unemployment rates have risen significantly since 2009.  Also noted that school choice reforms would empower the poor.  "We should champion every day the 47%."

Afternoon sessions included a highly entertaining discussion with Michael Ramirez, the two-time Pulitzer Prize winning political cartoonist of Investors Business Daily, and later discussion with Jonah Goldberg of NRO (National Review Online.)  Goldberg included an interesting assertion that young voters are the "iPhone Generation" and accustomed to having access to choices and freedom, but strangely vote for the "one-size-fits-all Post Office Party."  He hopes that the logical disconnect will eventually dawn on them, and believes Libertarianism is the path to reaching younger, uninformed voters. 

We finished up with a special screening of "Rebel Evolution," a documentary by Anna Zetchus Smith that featured several former liberal activists who had 'evolved' in their thinking about politics and the Right.  (Including the delightful Ted Hayes.)  The main protagonist of the film Brandon Darby was on hand for Q&A about his persecution for turning FBI informant on violent 'peace' activists.

Okay, that's about as good as it gets for this writer for 'live blogging.'  More to come for the next two days, and plenty of blog fodder once I've gotten to properly process. 

Round Rock Push Poll Backfires

Political activists are quite familiar with 'push polls' in which a question is asked in such a way so as to 'push' a particular point of view.  After pushing an answer, the pollster happily trots out the results to support the chosen narrative.  But every once in awhile the public gets informed and the 'push' attempt backfires. 

It is so blatantly obvious that the newspaper's question is designed to skew votes against Romere, (and doesn't even mention the issue at stake!)  Shameless, but happily the people rejected the 'push' this time. 

And the print media wonders why they have lost the public trust.

Dismantling Democracy in Public Ed

I'm afraid I've been negligent in posting my newspaper columns on this blog site, and have missed several of the most recent.  Here is my "All In Perspective" column from the week of December 12.  "All In Perspective" currently runs in the Georgetown Advocate, Hill Country News, and Jarrell Star Ledger print newspapers.  

Americans have long believed that providing education is essential to a successful society. The Constitution leaves education to state and local governments, and typically public school administrators answer to parents and voters via the democratic process. Now, however, it seems there is a determined effort to dismantle voter control of public schools.

Control of curriculum content has been very much in the news in Texas for several years now. Elected State Board of Education members review and approve content for public school textbooks, and work to ensure that our values are reflected in the curriculum. In response, many left-wing advocates have called for curtailing SBOE powers or even abolishing the SBOE altogether.

Now, however, the political Left is working to circumvent SBOE curriculum oversight via a program called CSCOPE. Created by educrats at Texas’ enigmatic Education Service Centers, CSCOPE is not an acronym; apparently the term has no meaning whatsoever. CSCOPE is presented not as ‘curriculum’ per se, but a “curriculum management system,” and therefore does not require SBOE review. Furthermore, the Texas Attorney General has stated that while CSCOPE is subject to the Public Information Act, it is a copyrighted product, and public review would give competitors an unfair advantage. (Never mind the ‘advantage’ wielded by a government entity creating and selling product to school districts.) Teachers must sign contracts preventing them from sharing CSCOPE content, and parents and taxpayers have been denied the right to review elements of the program now used in more than 70% of Texas school districts.

Last month the Texas SBOE did hold hearings on CSCOPE that included testimony from numerous teachers and parents concerned about the content and usability of the CSCOPE program, but it is unclear as to what state agency has jurisdiction. While CSCOPE may very well have educational merit, as implemented the program severely limits public scrutiny of curriculum content.

Voter control over public school districts is also being limited from within the districts themselves. Although voters in each community elect a board of trustees to govern the local school district, school superintendents have been pushing rules to limit trustee authority. In the Round Rock ISD, elected trustees are not permitted to visit schools without the superintendent’s permission and are not allowed to conduct investigations into school district matters. Earlier this year, the RRISD also implemented a new rule requiring that a majority of the seven board members agree before even taking up an issue for discussion. Since the RRISD superintendent sets board meeting agendas, an unelected bureaucrat wields disproportionate power over the elected board.

Even more disturbing were comments made regarding public information and transparency at a recent Round Rock School Board meeting. After denying an elected trustee data regarding attendance, RRISD Superintendent Jesus Chavez stated that he had the right to determine what district information was given to the school board. (The trustee was also censured for pursuing the question.) Chavez’ attitude may come as a shock to voters and parents who thought that the school superintendent was the employee of the voters via the trustees. Voters should be aware, however, that newly elected trustees are sent to ‘training’ by the Texas Association of School Boards, where they are admonished to always defer to the superintendent.

There is a prevailing attitude amongst education ‘elites’ that they alone know what is best for children, and that they must work to disentangle education from voter and parental influence. Unfortunately, these elites are ever finding new and creative ways to manipulate education and evade scrutiny. Parents and taxpayers should be paying very close attention to the activities of educrats at both the state and local level.

Powerful Voices Speak at Round Rock School Board Meeting: Updated 12/15

While I was unable to attend last night's Round Rock ISD board meeting, one nationally-known activist did:  Texas Americans For Prosperity Director Peggy Venable.  Venable presented an open letter to the Round Rock School Board on behalf of Americans For Prosperity, in which she reminds the trustees that they work for the taxpayers and citizens and have no right to censure elected officials with whom they disagree. 

She also noted that similar behavior on the part of the El Paso ISD Superintendent prevented that board from gaining information about illegal activities that eventually led to jail time for Superintendent Garcia.  Venable correctly stated that public records belong to everyone, including elected members of the board.

Regarding the School Health Advisory Council (SHAC,) it seems the Superintendent finally got around to reading the state's education law code and created a new presentation that includes detailed information.  The new document is in stark contrast with the sloppy and unprofessional work submitted by Superintendent Jesus Chavez' administration for 2011-2012.  Of course this battle is far from over; Planned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards' group, "Texas Freedom Network," has been trying to use local SHAC's to impose radically leftist sex education programs in Texas schools.  Watch for the RRISD Superintendent and the liberal-progressive members of the school board to try to stack the district's SHAC with TFN activists.

If you are not too busy with those Christmas preparations and would like to send a note of support to Peggy Venable and the two board members who are standing up for transparency in government, here is their contact information:

Texas AFP Director Peggy Venable:  Comment on her Open Letter here.
RRISD Elected Trustee Terri Romere:  terri_romere@roundrockisd.org
RRISD Elected Trustee Pauline Law:  pauline_law@roundrockisd.org

Update:  It seems I missed another powerful message that was delivered to the RRISD Board of Trustees on December 13.  A Round Rock citizen by the name of Scott Campbell addressed the board and circulated a copy of his comments.  Campbell's well-written letter reminds me of the scare-mongering perpetuated by RRISD Superintendent Jesus Chavez during the 2011 Legislative session, and the erroneous information he put forth.  Regarding recent board conduct, Mr. Campbell notes that five board of trustee members "have fallen short" of our trust.


Scott Campbell's letter to the RRISD Board of Trustees.
 

Thank you for the opportunity to address the Round Rock ISD Board of Trustees.

Our message this evening is about "trust", the root of the word "trustee", the trust we as parents and community members placed in you when electing you to make decisions maximizing our children's quality of education while optimizing the use of funds financed by the taxes we pay. Recent decisions by five board of trustee members have fallen short of this trust.

The board member these board members have censured on multiple occasions represents a minority viewpoint within the board of trustees. The legitimate concerns she raises on behalf of the community stakeholders are being marginalized. She asks questions and digs deeper for data in the interest of making informed decisions. This due diligence is met by resistance from other board members with statements such as “I/we don't or can't ask those types of questions". While community input is solicited, these board members generally vote with the administration's recommendation.

During the 2011state legislative session, as the state budget proposal was becoming clearer, an error in calculating the remaining RRISD budget impact, including the benefit of $7m additional federal funding, forecasted a $33m deficit rather than a $13m deficit, a $20m error. The board approved a tentative action allocating $15m from the available fund balance to reduce the $33m deficit, while continuing to communicate fear and anxiety to the employees, students and parents. I brought this error to the attention of the board president and superintendent. Rather than examine the numbers more closely, the board president's only response was that the state hadn't finalized the budget. Ms. Occhiuzzi called me at the superintendent's request and after I explained the error, she had Mr. Flores call me who confirmed the error in the district calculations. That day, the incorrect information was pulled from the district website, thereby reducing stakeholder anxiety.  At the time the board of trustees acted on this data, a basic ''gut check" should have exposed the magnitude of the error. In the course of this process, I contacted Ms. Romere. She took the time to understand the data in the interest of making informed future decisions.

We further know that incorrect data was presented during the boundary alignment process and that the recent Student Health Advisory Committee was not formed according to state education law. The Student Health Advisory Committee is only one example where the RRISD Board of Trustees and persons at various levels in the administration are unaware of state and federal law that should be guiding the decision process.

Data is "hard". This is why it is incumbent on each board member to ask questions to ensure they are    making informed decisions based on correct information.  

   

The recent censure of Ms. Romere resulted from her quest to ensure valid data. Based on data provided after the August vote allocating $25m for the Success High School, I calculated the cost per student to be 2-3 times that of the recently built Cedar Ridge High School. With more recent data, the cost per student appears to be on the order of 4-5 times. While we believe it is critically important to meet the education needs of the Success students, a more affordable option meeting these education needs would be  to allocate funding from this $25m to complete the final phase of Round Rock High School without the need for an additional bond election; and rather than tearing down building 100, remodel this facility to house the Success program. This will save taxpayers millions of dollars. Thus, Ms. Romere's request for more accurate data was justified. I have requested analysis of this approach from Mr. Albers and Dr. Chavez. I first shared this approach with Dr. Chavez at the August community meeting with the superintendent and more recently during the December community meeting with the superintendent.

In closing, we ask the five board members who represent a majority on the board to reevaluate their actions and ensure they are acting with the 11trust" placed in them by their stakeholders starting with a reevaluation of the plan for the Success High School, including community input.

Thank you for your time.

 

Round Rock School Board Meeting December 13: Chock Full of Fun!

For those who have been following the many "interesting" issues surrounding the Round Rock School District, you might consider attending the December 13 Board meeting scheduled for 7 P.M. at the Round Rock High School Lecture Hall.

According to the posted agenda, during the open session the Board will be discussing the School Health Advisory Council (SHAC).  Last month the Superintendent acknowledged that his administration had not followed state law in conducting the 2011-2012 SHAC, so now the Board must reformulate the council.  It will be interesting to see if they re-appoint Mr. Lynn Williams, the gentleman who called attention to the improper proceedings of last year's SHAC.

Also listed on the agenda is a Superintendent's report on "School Vouchers/School Choice."  In November, the administration invited the anti-choice group "Raise Your Hand Texas" to present a 'workshop' to the trustees, but as of yet the board has not heard from both sides of the issue.  It appears that the Superintendent is pushing the board to take an official stance on legislative issues.  If they do so, Superintendent Chavez will be free to lobby the State Legislature during the 2013 session.  (And we thought we paid him over $300,000 per year to run the school district.)

Finally, while the $25 million campus for drop-out students is not on the agenda, the Bond 2013 Study Decision is listed as an "Action Item."  Although the district is very much in need of elementary and middle schools, the board spent some $74 million on pet projects they knew voters would not approve.  Now, however, the RRISD can plead poverty and convince voters to approve new bond debt and tax increases.  Fitch reports that RRISD debt is already "Above Average" at $703 million, but this seems to be just fine with Fitch and our government culture of borrow and spend.(Supposedly RRISD isn't anything like Leander ISD with $1.3 billion in debt and a CAB Fiasco in the works.  Time will tell.)

Regarding the Success High School program for drop-out students, the district continues to maintain secrecy and only point to 'enrollment' numbers.  Voters should be aware, however, that students only need to show up for one day to be considered 'enrolled.'  Whether or not these students actually attend the program is another matter altogether.  As Trustee Romere discovered last month, average daily attendance hovers around 40 students per day.  At $25 million, taxpayers are spending $625,000 per student just to build the campus, never mind the maintenance and operation costs that will come after completion. 

Considering all of these issues, one finds it very difficult to trust the RRISD with such ample financial resources and/or the education of the majority of the community's children.  (Remember, RRISD academic rating has fallen from "Recognized" to "Acceptable," and now has several schools rated "Academically Unacceptable.")

Taxpayers and parents should be asking this board and administration for transparency and honesty.  The citizens of the community are entitled to the truth, and perhaps we need to be a little more vocal in asking questions.

If you wish to contact your elected board members, please strive to be courteous and respectful.  

Pauline Law:  pauline_law@roundrockisd.org

Brian Sellers:  brian_sellers@roundrockisd.org

Diane Cox:  diane_cox@roundrockisd.org

Catherine Hanna:  catherine_hanna@roundrockisd.org

Chad Chadwell:  charles_chadwell@roundrockisd.org

Glen Colby:  glen_colby@roundrockisd.org

Terri Romere:  terri_romere@roundrockisd.org