Comments on: Monday update

By: Zarwen

Zarwen — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:29:45 +0000

Don’t forget about Humboldt, too!

By: Miss Merry Sunshine

Miss Merry Sunshine — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 23:22:40 +0000

Yeah, and Portland chose Bierwirth instead of Katz, and what did we get? Jefferson restructuring..and that really worked, didn’t it…NOT.

By: howard

howard — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 18:32:04 +0000

Some years ago one of the Oregonian’s better reporters did a comparison, touching heavily on finances, between Beaverton and PPS. I will try to find a link.

A few advantages Beaverton has enjoyed over the years are as a growing district they have often been pleasantly surprised by added per-student funding reflecting added students, for about ten years they benefited from the services of Superintendent Yvonne Katz and labor-management relations in Beaverton have been relatively calm.

By: Steve Rawley

Steve Rawley — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 18:11:20 +0000

@getrowdy, I don’t have a comparative analysis of BSD vs. PPS spending.

In broad strokes, BSD provides what they do by 1) having relatively large schools — around 600 for K-5s, 600-1000 for 6-8s and 2000 for HS — with enrollment balanced by disallowing neighborhood-to-neighborhood transfers.

That doesn’t mean they don’t have school choice.

They have a very nice selection of focus options, starting in 6th grade, but enrollment in these schools is limited. I don’t know the percentages, but the 6-12 arts academy, for example, only takes 60 sixth graders each year.

Suffice it to say, if you don’t get into a focus option, every neighborhood middle and high school offers a similar selection of art, music, world languages, theatre, and other electives to keep students engaged.

By: Steve Rawley

Steve Rawley — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 18:06:27 +0000

People always want to make it personal and drag our kids into it, without any knowledge of our situation. (I would no sooner discuss my children in a public forum than ask these people to 1. identify themselves, and 2. tell us all where their kids go to school.)

I don’t bother with the comments on OregonLive, because I rarely see any useful discussion there. But I hear it’s gotten pretty ugly.

By: Zarwen

Zarwen — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 03:43:03 +0000

Steve, who gave you the flack? And what form did it take?

By: S. Wilcox

S. Wilcox — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 23:41:12 +0000

I sent in my ballot today (YES on 66 and 67) but do sympathize with others who say that government mismanages the money it does get. Our illustrious district does not have a good track record when it comes to spending and accountability. I have no doubt that this whole redesign will end up benefiting exactly who the board and the superintendent and her cronies want it to. If you do not dismantle the transfer policy, then the WHOLE issue is moot. There is no redesign without looking at changing this policy.

By: getrowdy

getrowdy — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 19:25:47 +0000

Steve , you often use the Beaverton School District as a ” model ” of a well functioning school district, one that seems to do a better job of spreading school funding evenly amongst it’s schools, and so on. I’d like to see a cost analysis of PPS vs. Beaverton as far as what the districts spend on what and what disparities show up between the two. Perhaps you have shown this in the past and I just need a refresher course. Does the Beaverton School District also hire their non-teaching staff based on fancy resumes and credentials rather than experience in education like PPS seems to?