Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Is Money the Real Issue?":
Suzala, Perhaps you can start a new thread for this comment.
Why should I vote for the budget? My child attends school in the district. He/she does not qualify for any special services, special needs or Project Challenge. All the extra curricular activities come out of my pocket as they are not school sponsored activities. These include sports, music lessons, karate, you name it, we're doing it outside of school. The academic education is mediocre at best so the bulk of instruction comes from homeschooling and basically our academically oriented lifestyle. Homework is completed in less than 15 minutes. I have yet to see any test or assignment with less than one wrong, if that. From what I've seen of friends, Project Challenge is a waste of time to begin with but as my child's OLSAT score falls in the 120-130 range, he/she does not qualify so that's that. We do not take advantage of the district's busing as the bullies on the bus made it too uncomfortable for our child. I've met some wonderful parents and the children are great but that would be the case with or without the school system. It's been my experience that of all the administration's priorities, my child's education is of little or no importance.
Tell me please. What does the school district offer that I am getting my money's worth? Why should I vote for the budget?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
Descibing our school as mediocre at best is definitely inaccurate. We have a good school district that is far above mediocre. As far as the special services are concerned, just because your child does not need the acedemic support does not qualify these programs as a "waste of time". POB has seen plenty of their students in the newspapers in science and math competitions such as the Seimans and Intel .If your child does so well attaining their educational knowledge from home you should consider homeschooling them fulltime. As far as the bullying. If your child was a victim of bullying then you should of contacted the school which can not only prtect your child but also protect other children who are most likely being bullied by the same children. What I do not agree with is the way the BOE communicates with the residents and their fiscal responsibilities with the budget . I look at my school budget and do wonder why I should vote for this budget. This is mostly because of our BOE and not because of your claim that we have a mediocre school at best.If you are unhappy with this school , the best thing you can do is VOTE at the school board elections and vote out the long term incumbents and get some new people in their. If you do not vote , you can not complain
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, if you want your ideas to be taken seriously especially in your defense of a mediocre academic environment, you should peruse your statements prior to posting. Your spelling and grammatical errors do not support your points. If a statement written in the way you have posted is what you would consider indicative of an educated individual, then there is not much more one can say. If all one knows is mediocrity, then that is all one will expect.
ReplyDeleteI do vote at every election but that is irrelevant to the fact that I am a taxpayer and thus have the right to an opinion. Any individual who believes in a democratic society should understand that freedom of speech is integral. Thus, your last sentence, "You cannot complain," further indicates someone who perhaps lacks a strong education to begin with. Although I agree that voting is an extremely important civil right to exercise, it is incorrect to suggest voting as a precondition to exercising the right of free speech which includes complaining if that is what you call it.
As far as your remark about my claiming "these programs" are a waste of time, please reread my posting. It states that from what I have seen, Project Challenge is a waste of time. It focuses on projects that focus on one learning modality. An appropriate gifted program would address the multitude of learning modalities so as to stimulate every area of a gifted child's brain. As far as any other "special" services are concerned, my posting said nothing to suggest them as a waste of time as you assert. On the contrary, they are both legally and morally the responsibility of the school district to provide to all children that need them. The problem is that so much of the district's resources are directed at them that the child who does not qualify for such services is cast aside as if his/her education is of somewhat less importance. That is not a fair use of public money.
As far as bullying is concerned, I did bring it to the attention of the school. Efforts were made but in the end the lack of supervision made for a circumstance of one child's word over the other so there was only so far the administrator could go. Either not enough parents have brought such problems to the attention of the administration or situations that were revealed were not effectively dealt with so it has resulted in a school bus climate that such behaviors are acceptable. In other words, the perpetrators have been acting this way for years to the point that it's been institutionalized as acceptable. Even the best administrators will face a plethora of challenges to change it at this point. For us in the end, it was not worth the aggravation so we just bring our child to school.
The fact that POB has seen "plenty of their students in the newspapers in science and math competitions..." is wonderful for those students and for the district's PR but it has more to do with the families these students come from than with anything the school district provides. Furthermore, if my child is not one of them, what difference does it make to me? Yes, we are a community but are you suggesting that I should paying taxes for the benefit of other people's children at the exclusion of my own and be satisfied with that?
The bottom line is simple. What my child gets from the school district is not reflective of what I pay in taxes. The district focuses its spending primarily in areas that do not benefit my child. Therefore, all the parents whose children reap whatever benefits the school district offers can vote for the budget while I will vote against it in favor of putting whatever money I can toward my own child's education something that when I moved here, I would have hoped would have been more of a priority for the school district.
In essence, an effective school district should have every student's best interest at heart. In Plainview, that simply is not the case.
Please allow me to recommend what is commonly known as 'real-estate therapy'. Please sell your home where your child is receiving a mediocore education (thank goodness your academically orienteted lifestyle is teaching them) and MOVE. I would bet my life on the fact that you will be equally unhappy in your new location. Why, you ask? Because you like to complain. You complain your child isn't academically weak enough for remedial. You complain your child ins't academically strong enough for project challenge (but that's okay, because you complain that pc is a waste of time). You complain about our art and music programs (since you take your child/ren to better ones outside of school. Do you see a pattern? Hopefully, it's clear that what you do best is complain. So help us all out and move and become a headache for someone else!
ReplyDeleteI can see the writers point of view, and share it in slightly different way...
ReplyDeleteI question the effectiveness of a school district that places sports above education. I hear at board meetings how we are going to pay for sports teams transportation but not transportation for school trips. How about using the money to provide for students in elementary and middle schools with support for writing in addition to reading help. What about not loosing a speech teacher, or a library aid, or a social worker? When the school district sees sports, as a higher priority than basic education, we have a problem.
Yes, I know that sports is an important part of development,and is good for children both mentally and physically, I just think that classes should have enough books for everyone, before we plan to buy new team uniforms.
I am sure the many households whose children partake in sports will take great umbrage to my statement. Please save your breaths; for my taxes I want to see the emphasis (and money), going into the classrooms and not, on the fields.
In response to whether education here is mediocre, let's look at elementary ELA education in our school district.
ReplyDeleteWhat fabulous books did your kid read in school and discuss with their teacher this year? Mostly all my kid sees in ELA are unrelated spelling words, vocabulary words and awful reading comprehension xeroxes with multiple choice questions. The class read one simple book together. One. All year. Reading happens at home, motivated by parents and lied about on weekly logs.
Did your kids reading level improve? Supposedly kids are monitored several times a year. Did you get your kids reading level scores from school this year? Has your child improved, stayed the same, regressed? Are they on grade level, above, or below? They used to send home reports with Lexiles in middle school but I never got anything and no one I know did either. I guess its a big secret.
Does your kid answer homework questions in a complete sentence? Does anyone care? Do your kids get any feedback from anyone in school on their written work? Do they really do much written work at all?
Forget about an essay, most kids can barely write a coherent paragraph beyond the simple RAFT format. They cringe whenever they see a group of empty lines to fill in. And rightfully so since our kids have learned to write by answering questions with one or two words to fill in the inch-long line in a Weekly Reader or smudged xerox. This writing instruction progressed into last minute test prep instruction on completing whatever the state assessment long answers require.
Kids do a lot of creative writing in elementary school, drawing maps of their hearts, writing about things familiar, in one big paragraph that extends for as long as they like. Fill up the page!! This of course does not prepare them at all for writing specific answers, essays, research papers or even book reports, all required in middle school.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the over-the-top ELA projects involving drawing and coloring and numerous craft items. These art components overshadow any ELA-related educational purpose the project might have had to begin with. Since when did ELA become an extension of art class?
I find ELA instruction here to be very unusual. Disappointingly lacking in instruction, absolutely necessary to supplement, and less than medicore.
Welcome to suburbia where sports rule.
ReplyDeleteLaw requires sports transportation to be paid for.
Rather than eliminate a team or two to free up money to cover the costs of academic field trips, field trips costs were given to parents. This was a unanimous decision, with little discussion.
$440k on sports transportation in budget
$70k on academic field trips taken out of budgetvto be paid for by parents
To the poster on 4/23 @3:15PM,
ReplyDeleteWe actually have been seriously considering other communities and plan to put our house up for sale when we find the right fit for us.
I happen to be an educator, taught for many years, currently an administrator. I am well qualified to assess the education my child is receiving. What Plainview provides is substandard in comparison to the taxes we pay. I call it an observation. Just because somebody has a different opinion than you, that does not make him/her a complainer.
Rather than making this a personal issue and calling my dissatisfaction with the school district a "headache" and "betting your life" on a suggestion to someone (and his/her child) that you do not know, perhaps you can provide concrete details as to why I should vote for the budget. Why should my tax dollars pay for other people's children at the exclusion of my own?
Incidentally, I grew up in Plainview, attended an ivy league school and chose to move back here because of the state of the art education I received here. Sadly, things have changed and not for the better. This used to be a community that cared about education, not focused on bashing teachers and their salaries as is so often to the exclusion of just about everything else in this school system. Does anyone out there actually care about instruction?
I hate to say this but if you want to be taken seriously, perhaps you should reread both postings, mine and yours. You claim I complain about the art and music programs. First of all, I said absolutely nothing about art. As far as music goes, nothing exists at the elementary level of my child thus far other than the once per six day cycle music class, which is fine but nothing more than that. Yes, I have seen districts with a better program all around even that young.
You say that what I do best is complain? Whoever you are, I think you are offensive. Again, I'll suggest you offer concrete details as to why I should vote for the budget which would be the answer to my original question.
What's funny is that you are so combative to my posting but yet offer no details as to how to support your point, whatever it is.
Are you educated at all?
To the poster on 4/23 @ 3:47PM,
ReplyDeleteWell said. It is possible that the focus you mention about sports over academic instruction is more indicative of what the community places importance on more so than anything else.
If that's the case (and I truly hope it is not), I guess Plainview is not as educationally oriented as it used to be. Sports are important as well as many other extra-curricular activities but to be placed above academics. Is that really the case? There are no words for that one.
The question posed here seems pretty simple to me. What does the school district offer to the average/above average student who does not qualify for services in either direction who, for whatever reason, is not a part of whatever extras might be offered that justifies the high taxes paid by the parent?
ReplyDeleteThe answer is not much. While I am sorry you are thinking about moving, I can definitely see where you could do just as well in a district with lower taxes.
As for the person who calls you a complainer and suggests you move for stating your situation and asking your question, I wouldn't take it too seriously. I loved the way you stayed above the poster's level and responded so professionally.
Just by stating that "voting is irrelevant" displays your ignorance. There are several issues that you may either not have a clue about or be unaware of. The facts are that most elections for politicians in this country result in only 40-45% of eligible voters voting. That is one of the biggest reasons why this country,New York,Nassau county,and our school district are in the current fiscal and economic postions right now because too many people consider the right of voting irrelevant as you say. Maybe if we had more residents in our district voting we might have a better representation on the BOE. Your other statements about why you should not pay taxes on services that your child does not use is also rediculous. Lets see , last year thank God I did not need the services of the fire department so I should be exempt from any of my tax money going to pay for the fire dept. That is basically what your saying.You state you have an academically oriented lifestyle. The irony is that ingnorance is ubiquitous in your respones. Nothing personal. The preceeding paragraph has been perused. :-}
ReplyDeleteFrom what I've seen and heard, here's the breakdown of schools in the district.
ReplyDeleteK Center - Reasonably good but very much dependent on the particular teacher your child gets so for some it's exceptional, others just ok
Parkway - An excellent school all around
Old Bethpage and Pasadena - Reasonably good
Stratford - Mediocre at best across the board, decent for special services but lacking even there
POBMS/Mattlin - Ok, strong in some areas, just ok in others
POBJFK - Reasonably good
Administration - Lacking the necessary leadership and knowlege to make this district what it truly could be. Also lacking in some of the basics of PR
BOE - Volunteering their time for the community so commendable on one hand, not really well versed in the basics of education/dependent on the administration to educate them on this thus the administration can basically sway them to accomplish their own agenda
Teachers - a mixed bag - Some wonderful, others just so-so
Teachers' Union - a little militant on some things but not the enemies of the district they've been made out to be
Instruction - lacking uniformity throughout the distict
Extra-curriulars - ok, nothing spectacular, strong music program
Taxes - Entirely too high for what we are getting
In answer to the question raised by the poster of this thread, depending on which school/teachers' classes your child lands in, the education could range from mediocre to superior. I can see where you'd feel what your getting is mediocre. If it's any consolation, you're not alone in that feeling.
I am a teacher in a neighboring district. The person who started this thread brings up a valid point. There is a slant here in Plainview towards the extremes at both ends and not much of a focus on the middle. This phenomenon is not unique to Plainview. It's true though that there are other less expensive districts that do a better job in bridging the gap between all students so that everyone is getting their fair share of the school district. Voting against the budget will probably not affect your child as much as it will your pocketbook.
ReplyDeleteThere is someone posting on this thread that I think is trying to bring out the idea that not enough people vote but appears to have the wrong idea about going about it. My eyebrows also went up when I saw the jumbled paragraphs and inaccuracies in writing too but I don't think the poster or anyone else on this blog should get too involved in it. It's obviously coming from someone who has problems relating to people. It's possible to disagree and still be polite about it. Courtesy is something I think this community is seriously lacking.
Spelling and grammatical errors? Why do you leave out deficiencies in reading comprehension? This person doesn't represent everyone in Plainview. I am one who always votes for the budget as I believe it's in the best interest of the community as a whole. Wish I could give you more details than that. Your point is well understood. No such thing as an office for the average. Everyone really has to be their own advocates here. It shouldn't be that way but it is. I'd never call you a complainer or ignorant, ridiculous or anything else other than a person with a right to an opinion just because you see things differently than me. It saddens me that more people don't exercise their right to vote but that has nothing to do with someone's right to speak or complain.
ReplyDeleteEd's note: I have not written any comments about the ELA or otherwise. In addition, please, keep the comments on the subject and not get personal. I don't think that serves anyone.
ReplyDeleteSuzala, I've been following your blog for a long time now. Kudos to you for doing this. I am not the one who started this thread. Thank you for requesting these comments not become personal. Some constructive feedback here: It would have been better to post that request after the comment on April 23rd at 3:13. That posting did nothing to add to the conversation here. It was just spewing forth personal attacks on the poster. Free speech is one thing. That posting was way out of line and nasty; calling someone a headache, a complainer, telling them what they do best is complain. Is this really what Plainview is all about? It's nice that you want to keep this blog going but if that's the mentality of who's posting here, I won't be following it anymore.
ReplyDeleteBest of luck to you.
I agree with the poster from 4/25, 9:05am, as well as the editor. I believe that this blog can be helpful, but the nasty comments are not necessary. It seems irrelevant to talk about what is best for the kids/ schools if the posters cannot set a good example for the kids.
ReplyDeleteAs a person who has attending their fair share of BOE meetings, my response to all of the above is BECOME AN INFORMED VOTER. This is a lot of wrong information in the posts. Be the catalyst for change instead of complaining on a blog. I give kudos to Mr. Mazzochi for running for the BOE. We need new blood. The people who were on the BOE ten years ago, are not the right people to have on the BOE in 2011. Put your vote where you mouth is and get out and vote for change.
ReplyDelete