Elk Konnected Hand out at County Commissioners meeting on 4/25

[Diane Amberg]

I didn't intend to nor will I write a long piece on Common Core.
No, I won't thank you for posting other people's thoughts. I wanted to know what YOU thought about it. But apparently you don't know enough about it to have your own opinion, so you rely on other people's information, as usual, mostly negative, so never mind.
As far as the Moline school is concerned, you better see what it really costs to reopen a school that has been closed for some years. On the surface it would seem to be cheaper since the walls are there. But there are costs associated with up grading a building for today's kids in todays world.... as you say, in an area of declning enrollment. Ask the parents what they want and are willing to pay for for their kids. It might surprise you.

[Ross]

I didn't intend to nor will I write a long piece on Common Core.
No, I won't thank you for posting other people's thoughts. I wanted to know what YOU thought about it. But apparently you don't know enough about it to have your own opinion, so you rely on other people's information, as usual, mostly negative, so never mind.
As far as the Moline school is concerned, you better see what it really costs to reopen a school that has been closed for some years. On the surface it would seem to be cheaper since the walls are there. But there are costs associated with up grading a building for today's kids in todays world.... as you say, in an area of declning enrollment. Ask the parents what they want and are willing to pay for for their kids. It might surprise you.

Well figment at least one Elk Konnected Follower has a voice. even if it doesn't say anything.
The links were not all negative there were pro's and con's.
But I guess you don't think those teachers that had con's are intelligent enough to voice those cons. Oh. well.

And since you apparently think that any thing the feds say is acceptable that you will run right out tomorrow and sign up for Obama Care. And I am also left to assume that the school systems should also be Federalized because you didn't say otherwise. All great choices for a liberal in my opinion. Federalize everything and if people don't comply fine the hell out of them --- you liberals rock -- but you don't rock my world.

And as a Elk Konnected Follower I suppose you think everything should be positive, but where are all the positive things coming out of Elk Konnected?

As far as asking the people about what they want in a school, the West Elk School Board did exactly, them and their Elk Konnected Followers on the board really did ask. So I don't have to! The voters told them "NO" by a 75% vote on the school building mjust 2 years ago. Did you forget?

And since when does "NO" mean "YES", when does "NO" mean do an end run on the voters?
Doesn't that show a lack of Morales and fortitude and honesty?

A whole lot like them folks on the federal level isn't it?
A whole lot like President Obama isn't it?
A whole lot like the guy that doesn't take "NO" for an answer from his girlfriend isn't it?

Doesn't "NO" mean "NO" to politicians?
Aren't School Board Members elected officials and there-by politicians?

Where is Senator Weiner with an explanation of politicians and the word "NO" when you need him?
Do you reckon he could explain Morales to the locals?

Thanks for your input my fine figment, I truly appreciate at least one Elk Konnected Follower.

[Ross]

I didn't intend to nor will I write a long piece on Common Core.

One more thing my figment you say you won't write a long piece on Common Core but yet you expect me too?
That is really weird especially since you have all that edumacation!
But, that's quite alright, since no one would probably read your follower, liberal slanted view.
Just my opinion.

Perhaps you could start a thread on Common Core and see haw far it goes and good luck with it.

Tomorrow is your day to sign up for Obamacare.

Have a great day and thanks again.

[srkruzich]

simply put, if you give a damn about your kids you won't allow them to be taught by common core. it will make them stupid.   Number one thing it does is eliminate the use of the English language as taught by the great authors of old.  No longer are you required to read Ivanhoe, Shakespeare, Mark Twain, Edgar Allen Poe, but are now required to read x rated sex novels and boring white papers as well as documents that have nothing to do with education.

Sorry but when you destroy intelligent thought  you get stupidity.  What better teachers of word smithing than Thomas Jefferson, Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Wordsworth. 

Then you go to the math, have you actually seen the way they teach math. If i were a kid i would say screw it.   Gone are the methods of adding up in line, and now you have to draw boxes and work on 1 problem a day to meet the standard.  No longer are they requiring memorization of times tables and God help us all if any of these kids actually get a job in a bank, much less a better job like nuclear physicist.   You won't get the geometry, calculus.

Those are two topics that i know about, as well as the fact that if they don't learn math, they won't get jobs in electronics, or anything involved in physical science, must less the engineering jobs to create and build.

Yeah our country has come up with a new socialist plan to make its citizens more stupid.

[Ross]

Hi srkruzich good to hear from you.

I just stumbled onto this and thought you might be interested.

Here are the Top Ten things you need to know about Common Core

#10  Our children are unique. Our State is unique. Common Core is one size fits all
www.nccivitas.org/2013/common-core-one-size-fits-all-curriculum

#9  Unelected beaurocrats created the standards with money from special interests and 5 experts refused to sign off on its validity    www.commoncore.fwsites.org

#8 There was NO legislative vote...state boards of education approved Common Core    truthinamericaneducation.com/uncategorized/south-carolina-education-committee-vote-calls-common-core-scrutiny/

#7 Very expensive to implement      www.scribd.com/doc/82477413/Common-Core-State-Standards-Implementation-Cost

#6 Private data collection on your child may include religion, medical and psychological info    www.conservativeteachersofamerica.com/2013/03/13/common-core-is-not-just-about-data-mining

#5 Little effort being given to accomodate gifted learners and struggling learners    www. alabamaeagle.org/2012/04/11/brookingsinstitute-predicts-common-core-will-have-no-effect-on-student-achievement

#4 It will likely cause teachers to "teach the test"      www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/03/04/principal-i-was-naive-about-common-core/

#3  Classic literature study will be lessened and students will read "informational texts" in language arts     www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/10/common-core-nonfiction-reading-standards_n_2271229.html

#2  Parents, teachers and local schools will  have less control over education     www.heritage.org/research/reports/2012/04/states-must-reject-national-standards-while-there-is-still-time

#1 YOU have the power to STOP COMMON CORE      www.whatiscommoncore.wordpress.com/2013/02/25/what-one-person-can-do

[Ross]

Have you ever wondered what a School Board Meeting Minutes should actually look like?

How about comparing the State School Board Meeting Minutes to the West Elk School Board Meetings!

Can you see that the State School Board Meeting Minutes actually use statements to show what happened at the meeting's.

Can you see where West Elk School Board Meetings are in an outline form lacking any real information?

The out line form is often used by private organizations with minimal information for the sole purpose of keeping information to a minimum!

Is that what West Elk School Board is all about?

And I have often heard them say the public should be involved, how do they propose to do that in sincerity with an non-informative out line?

Check out the big difference in the folder labeled "Board of Education Meeting Minutes" at:

https://app.box.com/files/0/f/1079448563/1/f_10724720011

And then ask yourself why all the secretiveness?

Thank you to all of you that have visited and reviewed and downloaded documents @ https://app.box.com/s/7nbnimqqr6b2tkzudw6f

[Ross]

Copy of e-mail I sent to the West Elk School Superintendent:

Dear West Elk USD 282 School Superintendent Mr. Moore,


Since the school board members do not have their e-mail address listed on the West Elk web site I am requesting that you forward this to each School Board Member. I am also posting this request on the local Elk County Forum. I have posted at: http://www.cascity.com/howard/forum/index.php/topic,11780.msg213516.html#msg213516
And also posted at: http://www.cascity.com/howard/forum/index.php/topic,15631.msg213517.html#msg213517



Thank you ever so much.

Sincerely,

L. W Ross


_____________________________________________________
Per the AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT OF 1990, AS AMENDED I had verbally requested of the West Elk USD School Board President just minutes prior to the meeting that he ask that speakers at the school board meetings speak up loud and clearly due to the fact that I have a hearing problem and even with hearing aids I have problems understanding what is said. He informed me he would do so, but failed to follow up at the meeting.

This was done in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. It is not required to be done in writing according to the ADA. However if the School Board President were to ask I would have gladly accommodated him.

The ADA also states that I may ask for accommodations in any form of communications available. Therefore I am using this forum and sending an e-mail to the West Elk School Superintendent.

I am now requesting that they limit themselves to one person speaking at a time.
The ADA also states that I may ask for accommodations in any form of communications available. Therefore I am asking using this forum and sending an e-mail to the School Superintendent asking that he forward this request to each of the School Board Members.
SUBCHAPTER II - PUBLIC SERVICES
Part A - Prohibition Against Discrimination and Other Generally Applicable Provisions
Sec. 12131. Definitions
As used in this subchapter:
(1) Public entity
The term "public entity" means
(A) any State or local government;
(B) any department, agency, special purpose district, or other instrumentality of a State or States or local government; and
(C) the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, and any commuter authority (as defined in section 24102(4) of title 49).
(2) Qualified individual with a disability
The term "qualified individual with a disability" means an individual with a disability who, with or without reasonable modifications to rules, policies, or practices, the removal of architectural, communication, or transportation barriers, or the provision of auxiliary aids and services, meets the essential eligibility requirements for the receipt of services or the participation in programs or activities provided by a public entity.
Sec. 12132. Discrimination
Subject to the provisions of this subchapter, no qualified individual with a disability shall, by reason of such disability, be excluded from participation in or be denied the benefits of services, programs, or activities of a public entity, or be subjected to discrimination by any such entity.

The service I am requesting is that each board member speak up loudly and clearly and that only one at a time speaks so that I may understand what is being said.
         Reference:  http://www.ada.gov/pubs/adastatute08.htm#12131

[Diane Amberg]

As I said several years ago, Obama Care does nothing for me. I'm on Medicare with a local supplement. Don't ever presume to project what you think you know about how I think, you'd be very short sighted and wrong most times.
Typical though, if ya don't understand it, insult it. You " assume" I'm  pro Common Core, why?... Not so fast there. It's only language arts and math right now.  It's a trial and may not fly if enough parents complain, if they can show real reasons. I do hope they have a workable alternative in mind though. All states have a lot in common when it comes to how American children learn and all states are unique in some ways too.  Good programs can accommodate all of that.
As I always say, no system will work for the child who isn't there.... or for parents who do not see their own kids realistically.... or for communities and states that have low expectations for their kids. Most bright kids will learn no matter what system is used. It's the kids who aren't ready to learn and have little school routine or support from home who become adults who still can't read.
Keep on 'em about being able to hear at the meetings though. They should accommodate you as long as you are not unreasonable about it. Please ask them to use a microphone, not shout.

[Ross]

As you know I requested information under the freedom of information act from West Elk USD282 concerning pay of all persons working for the school district and requested they provide overtime pay and summertime pay as well. I do not see anything in the documentation that shows the requested overtime pay and summertime pay. I documented this @ https://app.box.com/files/0/f/1079448563/1/f_9748943098 .

Yet they saw fit to charge me $65.71(shown in the above documentation) for the very document they had provided to another taxpayer for free.

Why was I charged and the other taxpayer was not?

Was it because they can do whatever they want?

Why didn't they provide the overtime and summertime pay that was requested?

What are they hiding?

Should I take this to the attention of the Kansas State Education Department that they failed to follow the law, "The Freedom of Information Act"?

Should I take this to the attention of the Kansas State School Board that they failed to follow the law, "The Freedom of Information Act"?

Should I take this to the attention of the State Attorney General that they failed to follow the law, "The Freedom of Information Act"?

Should I take it to the attention of all three? Questions, questions, questions!

I have been hoping a school board member would recognize this situation and discuss it with their employee "The School Superintendent"!

I guess that is simply wishful thinking. Still I'll give them a little more time.

But in the meantime it looks like the same ploy adopted by: (my remarks are in parenthesis and red)

University of Kansas charges top dollar for access to public emails
By Travis Perry │ Kansas Watchdog

OSAWATOMIE — Just how much should it cost to get a few weeks' worth of emails from a government employee?
According to the University of Kansas, about $1,450. Yes, you read that right, and no, I didn't misplace a decimal. After Kansas Watchdog asked for two weeks of email (about 2,700 messages) sent and received by professor David Guth, KU set the estimated price tag on par with a cheap used car.

In fact, I looked it up out of curiosity. There are more than a few vehicles up for sale around Lawrence that would actually be cheaper than what KU is charging for access to Guth's emails.

(Isn't this man utilizing taxpayer funded resources and aren't the employees asked to process the information already paid by the taxpayer, my question?)

Guth, if you recall, is the Jayhawks journalism professor who posted an inflammatory tweet calling for the deaths of the children of National Rifle Association members following the Navy Yard shooting Sept. 16.

Undaunted, I revised my original request to pare it down to a mere two days (about 200 messages). While I thought this would make a significant dent in the cost, KU proved me wrong once again. For 48 hours worth of Guth's emails, KU said it would cost about $346.

The bulk of the cost was the 4 1/2 hours for a manager to review the 200 messages sent and received by Guth over the course of two days. Yet, somehow, that same manager is estimated to be able to handle an extra 2,500 messages in only an additional 90 minutes under my original request? (emphasis is mine)

(The politicians excuses!)

Sen. Jake LaTurner, R-Pittsburg, said this extreme cost is a prime example why reasonable limits need to be placed on the allowable charge for open records requests.

"It's their loophole to hide information, is to put an outrageous price tag on it," LaTurner said. "I question the character of KU in a lot of ways, and this is just one more, that is too much." (emphasis mine)

Earlier this year LaTurner introduced legislation aimed at capping over-the-top fees on public records. The bill never made it out of committee.

Rich Gannon, director of governmental affairs for the Kansas Press Association, agreed that KU's fees seemed excessive without further detail as to how they arrived at the final number. Gannon said it's a tactic he sees commonly enforced in state government.

"We are confronted by excessive fee complaints so often, nothing surprises me," Gannon said.

Jane Rosenthal, KU custodian of public records, blamed requirements in the Kansas Open Records Act for the high cost of obtaining the emails. Rosenthal said a manager — being paid $65 per hour — needs to comb through each message for exceptions to the law.

( I very seriously doubt that a manager does the actual work, most likely a much lower paid employee does the grunt work)

"If an exception is applied, we would then review to determine what, if any, information in that email could be released, and thus whether parts of the email would need to be redacted," Rosenthal said.

http://watchdog.org/108239/university-of-kansas-charges-top-dollar-for-access-to-public-emails/

Do you have an opinion to share?

[Ross]

Keep on 'em about being able to hear at the meetings though. They should accommodate you as long as you are not unreasonable about it. Please ask them to use a microphone, not shout.

Thank you for the encouragement Diane.

I truly want to know what is being discussed so I will stay on them. They have an obligation not only to me but to each member of the public.

Their higher education is failing to show through in the way they hold their public meetings.

They, I am sure know what they can do to improve things.

One of the key things I learned in school is that it is not only polite to face the people you are addressing but to speak loudly and clearly.

I was a member of a private Corporate Board of Directors and yes we did sit at a table facing on another. But the School board is not a private Board Meeting but a public one.

Our school board is set up at one table with the board members speaking mainly when facing the back of the room. This is not at all conducive to communicating with the general public and taxpayers. I believe you can understand that. If they were to follow the example  of the State School Board Meetings they would know the right way to hold a public meeting.

The same holds true for the minutes of the meeting, corporations utilize the outline and I believe that is mainly to limit information and to keep corporate secrets, secret. However, once again our meetings are not corporate and the minutes should show a lot more information and not the outline form.

Even the State School Board does not utilize the outline form of minutes. It just makes sense.

Perhaps we need a committee of common sense involved with our school district.

As always just my opinions.