Adequacy Case from a Rural Viewpoint

The adequacy case, against the state of Missouri, has gone over for several years and still continues, costing us millions of dollars so far. To date, the total money wasted hovers around $4.6 million. In 2004, the Committee for Educational Equality (CEE) claimed that the State was not paying enough into the education program, the minimum being set at 25%. During the trial, experts testified the state was actually spending over the required amount, almost 36%. The Committee to Fund Excellent Schools (CFES) and the St. Louis School board join this fight with the CEE, involving about half of the 524 school districts in Missouri. Judge Callahan ruled against them, saying the state is paying the required amount and saying the legislature has the power to set any such funding formula. Many districts have pulled out of this case, realizing it will just waste more of their students’ dollars. Columbia, a city near mine, is in unsure of their decision. Tom Rose, Karla DeSpain, and Michelle Gadbois, of the Columbia School Board, are all questioning Columbia’s involvement in the case.

Once Columbia pulls out, it will hopefully influence the surrounding small towns to follow suit. Our school has a limited budget and I am appalled to see that have wasted money on this case.

School funding does not have a direct correlation to student achievement. Study after study has shown that more spending does not increase achievement or graduation rates. Hopefully, the districts will realize this and stop wasting the tax dollars on this suit.

The Adequacy Case, Paid for by the State, not the Teachers

Using the schools’ money to sue the state is a breach of faith. Taxpayers assumed this money was being used directly in the schools and did not approve it to be used for this lawsuit.

However, the school adequacy case is a nice deal for the school unions. While they use money given to the schools to sue the state, they only managed to donate about $7,100 to this case. All the while, they spent over $4.6 million of the taxpayers’ dollars. Suing the state cost double what it cost to defend the state. Either way you look at it, it was all money wasted.

They argue it is a case fought for the children, but it would actually raise wages for the teachers. Furthermore, if the case was won, the money would have to be siphoned from another area, such as higher education, Medicare, mental health, etc.

Tax Dollars Spent on this Case:

Local School Districts have spent $3.2 million, which excludes district personal time. The state, from the Attorney general’s office, has spent $1.4 million, which excludes any state personal time. According to the CEE, the total contributions from the teachers’ unions total just over $7,000:

• Missouri Association for Rural Education $3,500

• Missouri State Teachers Association $1,000

• Missouri Retired Teacher’s Association and Public
  

School Personnel $200

• Missouri Nation Education Association $1,500

• Missouri K-* Schools Association $900

If the teacher unions were so concerned with the welfare of the children, why did they use money allocated to them to sue the state instead of acquiring more donations of their end?

This lawsuit needs to come to an end and stop wasting money. Many school districts are planning an appeal. However, there are several districts that have pulled out of the case. Hopefully, the other districts will follow their example.

How are we spending our money in our public educracy?

My family moved from the city to the county when I was a child--we, like many 'white-flighters' from the city, left in pursuit of a better life--safer community, better schools, promise of a future. We pay our taxes--plenty of taxes. Now, though we've been feeding the community pot for generations, we are left wondering why the promise of a better future through public education is not delivered?

It's time we look at alternatives to the standard inferior model of public education. What's working elsewhere that could work here? And why are we not accomplishing more? I found very exciting information on educational reform in Chicago. With the introduction of 80 new PUBLIC charter schools in a depressed city demographic, they are seeing results.

In an area where only 45% of Chicago Public School students graduate from highschool and only 3 out of every 100 African-American and Latino males earn a college degree, the introduction of competing schools has raised the standards of academic achievement dramatically.

They are now seeing the percentage of Kindergarteners reading at grade level rise from 18% to 84%! A 400% jump in just one year! Prior to the new competition, college prep schools for boys were only available to families who could afford tuition.

The approach to teaching in these newly created schools allows the following:

• Innovative and rigorous academic curriculum
• School leaders with a strong record of performance
• High expectations for every student
• More classroom instruction through longer school days
• High levels of parent involvement and support
• Safe, healthy and supportive learning environment
• Sufficient resources to help all students achieve
• for the boys' prep school: small classes, positive male role models, 6-week summer program

Parents get to choose which schools to apply to! How do you like that?! School choice by PARENTS! Who would have thought of that?! Why aren't we doing this in Missouri!?

Sad Story in Utah

Unfortunately, the school choice came down to a vote in Utah and it did not pass. It goes to show what over $4 million of teacher’s union money can do. They told untruths about school choice, somehow convincing the public it was not the way to go.

One argument they have says that school choice takes money away from the public schools. However, the opposite is true. As seen in various cities and states, when school choice is implemented, student achievement and spending increases. What is the down side here?

Academic success is the greatest opportunity to the children’s future success and financial security. A child stuck in a failing school makes their chance at a successful future harder to attain, creating a vicious cycle that is hard to break.

I hope this vote in Utah will not discourage people in the fight for choice. It is a valuable and necessary step to striving for a good education system. Missouri needs still needs to not give up, still needs to fight the battle for choice!

Adequacy cases

The recently debated adequacy case has really hit home. Our district has been using our tax dollars to sue the state for more money. Our district is small, therefore there are fewer people paying into our schools so they need to make every dollar count. No one told us they were going to be spending our money this way. I have only found out recently; after they had already wasted thousands on this case. Statewide, over $4.6 million dollars has been used on this case. Every other district involved with this case should analyze their involvement seriously.

The Show Me Institute, a Missouri based think tank describes the case in more detail. This think tank also recently sponsored a school finance conference that covered areas such as adequacy cases that are emerging all over the country. The scholars presenting their papers

clearly demonstrated more money does not increase achievement. Expert witnesses at the trial also showed that more funding does not increase student achievement. This just goes to show we need to find other ways to improve achievement in our schools. For starters, we need to hold our school boards more accountable---they have wasted our money. The judge ruled against the school districts, saying that Missouri is paying the required amount, actually more than the required 25% of revenues to education. All the districts involved need to convince their school boards not to go through with the appeal. This appeal will only waste more money and most likely end in the same verdict. Or it could go back through the costs and possibly cost millions more.

Making choices for my sons

My children are the most important things to me. Therefore, the education of my children is incredibly important to me. I am very involved in their schooling. We have interactive homework time everyday, discussion time every evening at dinner with the whole family, and weekend “fun” learning time. Needless to say, my children are very interested in learning.

Unfortunately, I am unable to pay for my school of choice and have been forced to send them to the public schools in the St. Louis School District. Where and when I grew up, the public schools were pretty good. Now, the schools I send my boys to have been unaccredited, which really did not surprise me. I am trying to make the best choices for my boys. However, I am currently standing in front of a brick wall. I cannot seem to get them transferred out to better schools. I hope this is taken care of quickly. There are so many wonderful students within these districts that deserve a chance. Their futures may be plighted forever. I have the time to keep up with my children and teach above and beyond what they are learning in schools. There are so many parents in their schools that do not have as much time, some work two or even three jobs. There are single mother and single fathers. The schools should be able to do more for the children.

WHEN YOU CHOOSE NOT TO DECIDE, YOU STILL HAVE MADE A CHOICE

CPS decides not to decide….

All citizens paying tax dollars within the Columbia School District should take note of the districts intent to appeal the decision of Cole County Circuit Court Judge Callahan where it was decided that Missouri does indeed honor its obligation of providing 25% of revenues for education.

In fact, upon evaluation, the state has provided anywhere from 26-35% of its revenues. Yet, the same people who decided to join in the lawsuit and spend over $80,000.00 of our taxpayer money have decided to spend even more.

It was announced on November 1st in The Columbia Daily Tribune that school board members were going to decide at the November 12th meeting whether or not to remain part of the appeal. As of today, November 7th, Karla DeSpain, the President of the School Board has stated that ‘the meeting is already expected to be lengthy with discussions about a new high school site and some new achievement data.’ So basically, she is saying that it is not terribly important right now. Why the change? And will they wait until less than a week out from the NEXT meeting to postpone their decision again?

In theory, the School Board should be acting in the best interests of the students and their parents, and finally the community they serve and who pay them to educate the children. However, they instead take the tax dollars designated for educating children and divert them to sue the tax payers for more money when they have consistently (and with continued increase in tax dollars) showed stagnant educational performance. To continue remaining active in the appeal is to continue adding up the costs to the tax payers for actions that do not reflect the desires nor serve the needs of Columbia’s constituents.

Postponing the decision to remain part of the CEE’s appeal is an active choice to continue paying attorneys for preparing the appeal. If they are not going to stay in the law suit, then they should get out now and stop the tax dollars from bleeding away from what SHOULD be there mission to educate. By postponing the decision, Columbia residents should take that as the board’s intent to stay committed to an appeal that will cost more than the $80.000.00 already spent on a failed and frivolous lawsuit.

Frankly, all of this failed effort to acquire more money distracts from the real issues at hand: Why can they not educate the students, when they have consistently received more and more money? An historical look at performance vs. funding shows that, though spending has more than doubled over the last 30 years, student performance has remained stagnant.

Douglas Adams once said, “Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so.” It is easy to claim that more money will solve the problems—in fact the teachers unions and school boards have been getting away with this for 3 decades. It is not easy to reform the system. Yet, for the benefit of our children, and, ultimately, the benefit of society as whole, we need to slow down and look at this growing problem of failing public educational systems and CHOOSE a new path.

The Chairman of CEE (the group of School district leading the appeal) is also the superintendent of Van Buren School District, Jeff Lindsey. Mr. Lindsey clearly has failed to learn our educational history as reflected in his statement, “We continue to believe the current school funding system and level of funding deprives children of their fundamental right to a quality education.” Mr. Lindsey should learn the lesson of the other school districts that have rightfully dropped from the appeal. So when Columbia School Board President Karla DeSpain says the board isn’t deciding yet, it is clear they have already made their choice—they just aren’t intending to tell the citizens in time for them to respond. Citizens should unite and cry out “NO MORE LAWSUIT!” NOW would be a good time to do this….

The Biggest School Border Battle in Missouri Wasn't Against KU

This Tuesday, over 32,000 voters in the Kansas City and Independence School Districts weighed in on a border war more important than the upcoming MU vs. KU football game at Arrowhead Stadium. Voters overwhelmingly decided that transferring to their local district was best after nearly three decades of unanswered failure from the Kansas City Public School bureaucracy.

Adequacy Case

The CEE has decided to use more money and appeal the case they so obviously lost the first time around. They have already wasted over $4 million, which includes what they state had to use in defense, and now they want to use more. So, the school districts have used your money to fight for more of your money when they clearly already have more than enough. The law says the state must spend at least 25% of revenues on education. Judge Callahan initially said the courts should not be involved, but then came out later and announced the state was without a doubt giving more than enough money to the schools.

The appeals will most likely cost millions more. That is millions of our money. Money that I thought was going towards education, not lawyers! And who knows how much more will be wasted on this. Studies have shown recently that more money does not increase student achievement. So, that goes to show the children will not even benefit from this case if they would happen to win the appeal. It would be more money the taxpayers have to spend.

There is still hope though…urge your district to get out now!