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Commentary, Education, Community
Commentary, Education, Community Monday
06Aug
Reporting from Education Summit 2007
Monday, August 6, 2007 at 02:56PM I've been busy working on a few things trying to improve the blog but I've also taken up a new task that sent me to Honolulu Saturday. That excuse for why I've been a slacker here recently involves becoming a parent member of the School Community Council at Hilo High School. I was asked to serve (my son attends the school) and got onto the SCC as an alternate following an election held last spring. At least I think that's how it worked.
As a result, I was also asked to attend the Department of Education's "Education Summit 2007" Saturday in Waikiki on the DOE's dime.
It was pretty swank at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. I always wonder about cost and why they don't save money and hold these things at schools. But then of course I realize that the DOE probably wants to promote a first-class image, and our public schools are not first class facilities.
So I felt resigned simply to enjoy the hospitality and fine lunch.
One of the big ballrooms was filled with Board of Ed members, DOE officials, principals and SCC members from schools all over the state, who heard a couple of interesting mainland education experts talk about education reform and the future. They each gave a couple of engaging talks but like many movies I see, they entertained but left little of substance to chew on later.
The principals are too busy running their schools day-to-day to think long about the high-concept stuff. There were plenty of muttered "yeah but" responses where ideals and reality intersect, such as, "Yeah we'd like the kids use their cell phones on campus but they don't use them appropriately." Several nodded at the suggestion that summits like these are exciting for a couple of weeks until the more mundane demands of running their schools from take over.
But an advantage of attending an event like this is making contacts. Seated at the next table was W.H. Shipman Ltd. President Bill Walter who works with Jamil Ahmadia on the Keaau Middle School SCC which is already taking innovative approaches to the SCC's role in school policies. Neither of us knew the other was on an SCC and now we can compare notes.
The speakers did instill a couple of thoughts that I realize may be valuable, especially after reviewing the SCC members' handbook. Innovation and creativity should be important in the SCC's approach to improving student achievement. The SCC has no real power to effect any change, after all. Everything is subject to DOE veto or approval at every step so there's no fear an SCC will ever get too rowdy. But good ideas are always in short supply and if the SCC can provide a few for the principal that would help make a better public school then I suppose we may be successful.
The next meeting is Thursday and I needed to prepare a report on the Summit. I was having trouble sorting out my thoughts so that's what this post was all about. Thanks for letting me work it out on you.
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Reader Comments (8)
"It was pretty swank at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. I always wonder about cost and why they don't save money and hold these things at schools. But then of course I realize that the DOE probably wants to promote a first-class image, and our public schools are not first class facilities."
The DOE does not have a facility anywhere, swank or otherwise, to hold this size of conference. (It really should, but it simply doesn't.)
I'd guess that you are well intended, but upon reflection I hope you see that tone of your comment was unnecessarily snarky, even if inadvertently so.
It will be interested to hear what the Hilo High SCC comes up with to help move my Alma Mater forward. Good ideas are, I am sure, welcomed! Glad you are pitching in to help there.
A few years back, I was on a high school council (in South Australia) during a large policy change that empowered the local council and, especially, the principal in making decisions about how to allocate funds within the school rather than using a DOE one-size-fits-all policy.
You will have a good time and make a worthwhile contribution!
+++
A. Parent,
Over the years I have been to various types of conferences -- academic, agribusiness, economics, farmers associations, and others -- some on the public dime and some a mix of private and public sponsorship.
More than once, I have been compelled to wonder if buying swank was the best use of either the public dime or the private tax deduction.
Not sure how many people were at the DOE conference. However, there are some large high school campuses on Oahu, with cafeterias for eating, gymnasiums/auditoriums (for plenary), classrooms (for smaller sessions), lots of free parking and, I would hope, high-speed internet connection.
So, capacity might or might not be the major issue here. As for me, this citizen is particularly skeptical on this one and reckons there is a lot wrong with spending big dollars at swanky hotels so that the self-defined DOE and BOE VIP's do not, even for one day, have to confront and contend with the realities of facilities that students and school staff/faculty contend with on a daily basis.
p.s. Hunter, what was for lunch?
If not, a fair question would be if the DOE sought bids or had less than alturistic reasons for staging it there?
Traveling from these N-Isles these days is no treat, given the time investmentt, the federal harrassment of airline passengers and the connection issues at one of world's truly unfriendly airports in Honolulu.
Give Hunter credit for subjecting himself to all that for his son alone, if not also for Hilo High which needs all the help it can get.
Case in point: I just heard the Gov. Lingle announced $14.5 million for improvements to Keaau and Nahalehu schools. At the moment I can only recall the report on Nahalehu. $4.5 million for six much needed classrooms. That is $750,000 per classroom. If the classrooms are very large, say 1,500 square feet each (the size of a reasonable house) then the budget is $500 per square foot. Having had a little experience with state procurement I have a good idea where the excess costs lie.
This same formula repeats itself across the state bridge by bridge, road by road, classroom by government office.
Am I wrong? Is it just me that finds this offensive?
The result of all this is that our schools and other public facilities are in a disgraceful condition despite our being one of the most highly taxed states in the Union. One of my big disappointments in Linda Lingle has been that she apparently is willing to tolerate this.
If this post sounds more shrill than usual, it is because I find this sort of corruption to be third world and unnecessary.
Oh yea, let alone the example that sets for kids.
James was absolutly right, even if the numbers were large, there are plenty public facilities it could have been housed in. Sleep in the gyms w/sleeping bags. What's more important, their comfort or the children!
Please don’t get me wrong, I’m not anti union. They do great things for their people and stand behind them all of the way. But keep in mind union help is very expensive to have and maintain in the field, with the benefits and perks they receive. A journeymen in the trades cost about $50.00 an hour and up to have on the payroll, people that’s $400.00 a day and up.
Now if you don’t want to hire union people for a public works contract the contractor MUST pay prevailing wage. That means the contractor has to meet the same amount for his tradesmen that it would cost to hire a union worker. The only difference is that the contractor gets to choose who works for him and doesn’t just have the union send him people. This is called the Davis Bacon Act. By doing this the union keep the cost of all public works up to these outrageous high prices no matter who dose the work.
Now folks you can’t have it both ways, you want strong unions it will cost you. You want to fight the union that will cost you too, remember the politicos are behind the unions. After all it’s only money.
The Lack