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Brazil, Indiana ~ Tuesday, January 6, 2009
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There's Good Sense and No Sense, but Common Sense Doesn't Exist
Posted Friday, July 18, 2008, at 1:36 PM<< Previous | Read comments | Respond | Email link | Next >>
We have all observed someone do something that we simply cannot understand why they did what they did. It may have been something such as losing a little money at poker betting on an ace high hand while their opponent has a pair showing or something that could have caused them serious injury like stepping in front of a moving vehicle when you know that they looked right at it.
This is how I have become so worried about the Clay Community Schools Corporation and the state of education within it. I have asked many questions publicly, yet received very few answers. Most of the answers that I have received appeared to contain flaws in logic in light of facts that are readily available to anyone with internet access and the inclination to do even the most basic research. I started out questioning a proposed $53 million dollar building project. Over the past eleven months, I have found much more to question the CCSC about. From the answers that I have received from the CCSC and some members of the public, it has appeared that they are not looking at information and data that I've seen even when I give them my references yet they refer me to things that do not pertain to the subject or expect me to accept their opinion as fact. Are people so uninvolved or disinterested that they are ready to believe anything that they hear? Are we, as a society, moving back to the belief that we stand on a flat Earth at the center of the cosmos? We have called ourselves Homo Sapiens but are we thinking for ourselves or do we expect others to do it for us? I realize that we are busy, but where are we headed if we abdicate thinking to someone else? The title of this piece comes from a conversation I had a while back. A man brought up a point and justified it with the statement that it was "common sense". I gave him three reasons why his idea made no sense at all that he could not refute and then made the statement that "there is good sense, there's no sense, but there's no such thing as common sense!" In 2005, Dr. Shad, the former Superintendant of CCSC, asked for a list of our building needs. Recommendations were submitted by building level committees and employees. I have no doubt that these recommendations made sense to these people. These recommendations went to a committee of 28 people who, supposedly, represented the entire county. Do I think that these people thought their recommendation that was passed on to the school board made good sense? I do not, because in all of the meetings on this subject only one person stood up, identified himself as a member of that committee, and advocated that the plan be adopted. Even at the final public meeting when the board voted, three people not associated with the CCSC except as taxpayers spoke against this project while twenty-eight spoke for it. Of those twenty-eight, only three were not employed by the corporation or was not married to an employee. We all know that we must maintain these buildings. Roofs need to be replaced in a cyclic manner just as you need to change oil in the buses. But buildings also need to be replaced just as cyclically as we replace our buses or the future will see us trying to replace many buildings at the same time. We need to get our school corporation back to educating with a goal of awarding more diplomas without lower standards. The way to do that is with more teachers in smaller classes so that there is more one on one time, especially in grades kindergarten thru three and in high school mathematics. We need to provide security for our schools, but only by practical means. If we do not have a policy of locking the doors, we need one. If it does exist, but has no disciplinary enforcement for not keeping the doors secured by the lock or being monitored by staff it needs to be changed to include such. We must also realize that there is nothing short of building our schools into prisons or forts and staffing them as such that will make them secure from anyone who intends to commit a crime. We need to make our schools as safe and as healthy as possible but we cannot stave off "Acts of God" such as tornados or earthquakes. We can, if we will, prevent some loss of school time by removing the pollen trap that is carpeting the floors of our schools that pumps it into the air with every step. We can protect the handicapped that the law requires us to provide access to our buildings by eliminating multi-story buildings or providing egress routes by which the handicapped can evacuate themselves without assistance. We need to eliminate safety hazards built into our buildings, such as the open balcony in North Clay that is just waiting for a student to fall from it or a book to be thrown from it. We need to start replacing buildings that need to be replaced before we end up replacing them all at the same time. It makes good sense to do these things. It makes no sense to proceed with the current plan. Comments Showing comments in chronological order [Show most recent comments first] |
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My son is attending Forest Park Elementary for summer camp. The ceiling is leaking so much that he slipped in the water even with the rugs down and busted his chin open. I definitely feel that the schools should not be permitted to be in this type of condition. So now I have a $750.00 charge for the emergency room and my son has a pretty nasty scar. This is uncalled for. So, is the school board going to cover this? Unlikely!
Then I suggest you sign the remonstrance in favor of the repairs getting done. If not, maybe Mr. Southworth and his tax money saving group will pay your bill!
I often wonder how an entire generation of intelligent people came out of the older more intimate schools and now it is all about the buildings. Lets fix up and repair what we have and focus on the education. It doesnt have to be a state of the art building to make a building conducive to learning.
1. To my recollection, there is nothing in the current plan as far as roofing or overhead plumbing renovation scheduled for Forest Park.
2. Leaking water, whether from the roof or pipes demands immeadiate mantenance and has no bearing on a construction project that cannot start until after the first of next year.
3. Contact the school corporation about their insurance coverage. They should have insurance that covers this, if not, I'd like to know why not.
4. Mr. Reberger has had to delay many maintenance projects, such as re-roofing buildings, because the Capital Projects Fund only retains about $800,000 per year for emergency major projects such as roof or boiler failures. That is about 1/4 of what his budget should be from the tax levy. The rest goes to pay for utilities, insurance, BAND EQUIPMENT, computers, and to shore up the General Fund that simply will not cover day-to-day operating costs because WE ARE WASTING MONEY ON THINGS THAT HAVE NO EDUCATIONAL VALUE!
This is why I'm involved with our schools. We need to fix them, replace them, and run them with education in mind while spending money only when there will be an educational pay-off. For example, how does carpeting the buildings contribute to education? Carpet traps pollen and other contributers to respiratory ailments, but, unless properly and throughly cleaned on a regular basis, pumps those contaminants right back into the air with every step upon it. The EPA and American Association of School Administrators have recommended the removal of carpeting from schools since 2003 due to the millions of school days missed by students every year due to respiratory problems. Why does the current plan call for replacing worn carpeting with more carpeting.
That is two questions of about a thousand that I have on this project. But the way it is, I have the chioce to approve the project or reject it, I cannot change any portion of it without rejecting it totally. That is why I'm working to defeat it. We need the questions answered openly, then decide what NEEDS to be done to meet the educational needs of the students. If you think that that has happened, I suggest that you start researching this project and the operations of the school corporation. I think that in a very short time, you'll be as worried, dismayed, and disappointed as I am with the situation. We have a lot of great people in the corporation, but we need to make some drastic changes in how things are done and re-make education our priority!
Leo L. Southworth
unoit - I would love to see a return to the small township schools, but it is not feasable. The cost is prohibitive because of the demands placed on our schools to replace the family. Now, we have to feed students, when I started school lunch was something you brought from home. Now, we have to hire a nurse to be on premises, I remember the principal at Freedom School, Freedom, IN., pulling my baby teeth when I was in second grade. If you had a headache, the teacher reached into her purse and gave you an aspirin.
Times have changed and there is no return.
How can the school be liable? Isn't the program run through the YMCA. I would think it would be their insurance that should cover it.
I really am sad to think that carpet is one of the main things that you want amended. There are so many things that need changed and you are urging people not to step up to security because of carpeting??? WOW
I have a very allergy prone child and I am not fighting over carpet. I would rather him be in a safe school than worry about him sneezing!
And I am also sad that you can use the blogs to try and sway people to sign your way. Does the other side have the same option?
I have signed the remonstrance. The Y shouldn't be held liable for maintenance problems with the school Sassypants; what are you talking about complaining about carpet? I simply stated that the leak is huge when even rugs don't hold the water on a tile floor. I don't think carpet was mentioned????
sassypants:
Do you realize that school corporations elsewhere are being sued over carpeting in cases where students have DIED due to asthma attacks that occured at school? Do you realize that carpeting costs money, not only to purchase initially but to buy and maintain the cleaning equipment? Which costs more to purchase and maintain, a vacuum sweeper or a dust mop? Do you realize that carpet is more difficult to sanitize, which is why you don't often find it in hospital rooms? As I asked, why replace it? Carpeting is not a main issue, wasting money is.
Define "safe" school, as there is no such thing!! There is always a safety issue you can spend money on. Do you think cameras prevent anything? They don't prevent bank robberies, yet they are in every bank! Do locks prevent anything? They do not stop anyone determined to do wrong, they just slow them down, if that. When I was in the Marines, a 12 gauge shotgun was referred to as a "master key". This is because it will open most doors. Our schools will never be safe and secure against anyone with intent to commit evil. It is time to face that fact. Law enforcement cannot protect us, either. They can only respond and deal with the aftermath. Any security arrangement that we have can be overcome if someone wishes. That the current building plans in any way enhance security is pure wishful thinking and a waste of money.
As to who's insurance covers this is an unanswered question. Ariesgirl needs to persue the answer to recoup her loss.
Ariesgirl:
Sassy was not commenting on your son's misfortunate accident, she was commenting on an example of a question that I raised at a school board meeting on the construction project that still has not been answered by the school corporation.
ariesgirl
My comment was not directed at you. Sorry to ruffel your feathers! And I am very glad to hear that you will be siging the remonstrance when the petition drive starts. By doing that, you will help fix some of the things that are wrong with our schools! The drive has not started yet, but thank you in advance for your support!
sassypants:
A point of clarification that I think that should be made. If you wish the plan to proceed, you want to sign the petition. If you wish to stop the current plan, you would want to sign the remonstrance.
ariesgirl:
You have mis-stated. You may have signed a petition to ask the school corporation to begin the petition and remonstrance process. That would have been prior to Mar. 22 of this year as that was when I filed those petitions. You cannot have signed either a petition to proceed with the project or a remonstrance to stop it that is valid. The school corporation's public notification of their intent to proceed with the petition and remonstrance process was published on July 9th in the Brazil Times. That started a 30 day period in which no action can lawfully be taken. After that period, the forms must be picked up at the County Election Office and signed for. They are not printed yet and cannot be issued before Aug. 8th. I do not know what you have signed, but I am pretty certain that it was not a remonstrance on the school project.
Thank you for the clarification. wouldn't want people signing the wrong plan! ;)
I really dislike misunderstandings, mistakes, and mistatements. They can clutter and confuse situations. This is why I write so much, especially about our schools. I don't know everything, but I know when things being said do not tell the whole story or, sometimes, even the truth. I have always challenged "spin" and "hype" that some people use to manipulate other people. I know, sometimes you just cannot go into all of the details in a briefing, meeting, or writing, but you should aways make an effert to answer a question. I got involved with the schools by asking three questions that were blown off. I went looking for the answers on my own and that opened "this can of worms."
Last week I vowed to abstain from making remarks online, but carpet comments stir feelings deep inside of me! When I first became a teacher there was no carpeting...then there was....then there wasn't....then there was, and so goes the story. In all my MANY years of teaching I can honestly say that the majority of my students with asthma came from homes where the parents smoked. (Whoa.....that's opening another can of worms!) I'm not sure removing the carpeting will alleviate students' asthma attacks. However, I do know that removing the carpeting will create a noiser classroom less conducive for learning. I vividly recall teachers bringing in carpet squares, rugs, etc. to soften the noise level in their classroom. So, as we say in my neck of the woods, "It's six of one and half a dozen of another!"
Does that mean I need to think of myself and change my mind as to whether or not I want to sign on a line for or against? Hm-m-m-m-m....let me think about that a minute.
I too was not going to get caught up in this again but feel I was called into action.
Carpet... Are we really arguing over carpet when there are so many other things that need to be addressed?
Soon everyone will be asked to sign for or against this renovation. I would hope people can see more than carpet and see the big picture here. The facts will come out. Your taxes will not increase but neither will they go down. As I was told, you are trading in your old car for a new model and not being asked to increase your payments. The choice is yours. I hope that everyone reads the facts, thinks about the teachers, students and buildings and then makes the choice they can live with.
My choice is easy. I want improved buildings and a few safety measures put in place! Justify your signature however you must. I can sleep knowing I did what I feel is right.
and I agree with Bigpappy... let's worry about what the kids are exposed to at home when throwing the stones at carpet!
We are not, in the analogy, given, trading cars for a new model. The current plan has us rebuilding the drive train of an Edsel and a DeSoto,slapping on a coat of yellow paint, and calling them school buses at the cost of over half of the purchase price of the new bus that we could buy.
On carpeting in the schools, the schools are not responsible for what the students are exposed to in their homes. While carpet may reduce noise, I have found no research that the benefit of noise reduction is great enough to be of any great contribution to education. However, there is a benefit to not having the students miss school due to respiratory problems. There is also the question of legal liability. While the adult employees choose to work in the schools, the taxpayer provides these public facilities and the law requires that the students attend. If the carpet can be questioned regarding the health of the students or the employees, then the school may be held liable. The American Association of School Administrators elaborated on this in a publication in June of 2003, along with reccommending that carpeting be removed from school buildings. If we remove this one factor and its cost, we save the money and can use it for something that contributes to education and remove the specter of the legal liability from the future.
Bigpappy and Madmom:
Sorry to make you break vows....lol. I was wondering what had happened to you.
Leo
Glad to hear from you again bigpappy and madmom !
My son is attending Forest Park Elementary for summer camp. The ceiling is leaking so much that he slipped in the water even with the rugs down and busted his chin open. I definitely feel that the schools should not be permitted to be in this type of condition. So now I have a $750.00 charge for the emergency room and my son has a pretty nasty scar. This is uncalled for. So, is the school board going to cover this? Unlikely!
-- Posted by ariesgirl on Mon, Jul 21, 2008, at 8:26 AM
I have been in the building at Forest Park for the last three weeks. There is only one area where a pipe for the air conditioning is leaking. There is a can to catch the dripping water. Furthermore it is in an area where the YMCA camp is not permitted to be.What's uncalled for is the lack of supervision these children have. I have seen first hand this "supposed" camp. It's a JOKE!!
Thanks for the observation, Clay Reader. Still the condensation drain should not be leaking and we have a maintenance issue.
As to the observation on the lack of supervision, we, as parents, are responsible for checking out where we leave our children. Some of the places you can leave a child and some of the people you could leave a child with, I agree, are a JOKE! It's up to the parent to insure that they leave their children in "good" hands, but sometimes the name of the organization doesn't indicate the caliber of the individual caretaker.
FlyinLion,
Perhaps you should run for school board. It's always easy to be an armchair quarterback - but it's a lot tougher when you're 'in the game'!
-vor
If we really wanted to help our kids, we would have their classes seperated by boy/girl. THAT has been proven to be more effective than the coed classes we have had forever. Be bold, make a difference, make a change that has been proven to be beneficial to the kids.
VoiceofReason,
LOL........My name was on the ballot......lol. But politics is not about thinking, it is about convincing people that you are going to do what they want, even if what they want is not in their best interest. Ask any person the question "Would you rather go get a tetanus vaccine or a candy bar?" Most will take the candy bar, even though most of us are out of date with our tetanus vaccinations.