Comments for The Whistling Kettle at http://www.theind.com , comment 1 to 32 out of 20 comments http://www.theind.com Tue, 21 May 2013 15:33:08 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://www.theind.com/re/8108-the-whistling-kettle#comment-17130 The LPSB has consistently collected more money each year in sales taxes and property taxes. More money, not less. Property values have increased, so more money is collected, so talk in actual dollars collected, not in millage rates!!! And the LPSB has consistently been negligent in spending those monies wisely. Never once do I hear of how the school board or administration tries to cut back or save money. I am paying enough! I do NOT want to pay more. In fact, I hope, hope hope the renewal fails. Maybe the school board will have something to keep themselves busy with and stop trying to get more money. It is NOT my responsiblity to give the school board as much money as they want. I don't give a rat's apple about all those career schools. Teach those kids how to get a degree & the universities can teach them careers. That's a great place to start cutting! Every highschool has to be a career center. That's a way to jack the taxpayer around and give the impression they are absolutely necessary. Bull corn! Let trade schools do that & let students prepare for university. NOW, THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS SAVED! No need for more money. - BoFred Fri, 29 Apr 2011 17:40:36 +0100 http://www.theind.com/re/8108-the-whistling-kettle#comment-16847 Problem 1 - the 'whole community' does not pay close enough attention to school system leadership, or school system affairs, and qualified leaders just don't seem to run for, or get elected to, leadership positions,....for various, and often, legitimate reasons. Problem 2 - problem 1 leads to the election of incompetent or unqualified (not necessarily bad) people,....although some turn bad, it seems. Problem 3 - problem 2 often leads to corruption by, and manipulation of, incompetent leadership. Problem 4 - problem 3 has created a school system which resembles a welfare recipient addicted to welfare checks and unwilling to work for a living. Problem 5 - problem 4 leads to a bunch of griping about the system and how it is failing because it does not get enough money every pay period. Solution - It all starts with Problem 1. Pay attention to, and care about, the school system. Set higher qualification standards for your leadership and verify their past leadership track records. Institute a better system of checks and balances between leaders and divisions within the system. It's really all about great leadership, which includes competence, effective communication, and likeability. - Dudley LaBauve, III Wed, 20 Apr 2011 15:38:39 +0100 http://www.theind.com/re/8108-the-whistling-kettle#comment-16704 written by Gaius Cilnius Maecenas "Gary McGoffin, Esq., Madame Layne St. Julien, Madame Molly Bloom & Mademoiselle Barbara J. Conner's reflective and thoughtful comments here." ------------------------- If you mean, by reflective and thoughtful, the willingness to waste taxpayer funds, then you are correct. Nonetheless, McGoffin differs from the others as he is looking for accountability. - William Morvant Mon, 18 Apr 2011 09:50:42 +0100 http://www.theind.com/re/8108-the-whistling-kettle#comment-16688 Lafayette Parish Schools did not suddenly become in need of millions of dollars of maintenance. The process has been ongoing for decades. Gary is correct. Until we "fix" the administrative problems of the LPSB/LPSS we are doomed to repeat the failure of our past. Hiring consultants to do their job is not the solution. I am not willing to pay for consultants to do the job of the people we pay in central office. Lemoine was an "easy hire" for the present LPSB. Too much of our money has been spent on his raises and contract extensions. He keeps saying he is not interested in the job, but he continues to stay. While he pats himself on the back, our scores remain low, our schools overcrowded and our facilities crumbling. The citizens of Lafayette bear the major brunt of the blame for the condition of our schools. We elected and left alone, board after board and allowed the problem to continue. There is no accountability or fiscal responsibility in the LPSB/LPSS. We spent almost 1 million dollars to hire consultants to draw up a plan to fix what our paid employees allowed to crumble. A suggestion has been made we pay consultants to oversee the new plan and ongoing maintenance. Does not sound like much of a plan to me. Sounds like we will continue to throw more money away. Hunter Beasley seems to be the only board member brave enough to ask questions and disagree with the current administration. Before I renew taxes or approve new taxes, I want accountability and stability in our system. I want to worry less about hoodies and cell phones and more about education, tenure and scores. I want great teachers/administrators rewarded and bad teachers/administrators fired. - Pedro Sun, 17 Apr 2011 12:48:53 +0100 http://www.theind.com/re/8108-the-whistling-kettle#comment-16683 These are very thoughtful comments! May I suggest the group read, Chris Hedges 4 pp. article, "Why the United States is Destroying its Education System?" http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/04/11?print We are talking about an aweful lot of money in a very uncertain, murky economic climate! I attempted to read all of these posts fairly carefully, and I assurdely enjoyed Monsieur Gary McGoffin, Esq., Madame Layne St. Julien, Madame Molly Bloom & Mademoiselle Barbara J. Conner's reflective and thoughtful comments here. However, I need more pertinent information. My only concern are our local teachers & students [the ones who do the actual work in learning], How will these two groups benefit by this proposal? Lastly, as the group has so well expressed above, I want to thank Walter Pierce, as well, for bringing this timely topic to our attention! Kudos! - Gaius Cilnius Maecenas Sat, 16 Apr 2011 19:45:29 +0100 http://www.theind.com/re/8108-the-whistling-kettle#comment-16679 written by Barbara J. Conner "Look at Finland" ----------------------- Yes, looking to others is interesting but there is a wide gulf between the United States and Finland. Most notably, Finland is a small homogeneous country with a more consistent culture. Something the United States will never be. Nevertheless, there is nothing in the reference article about new buildings. So what was your point? - William Morvant Sat, 16 Apr 2011 13:56:53 +0100 http://www.theind.com/re/8108-the-whistling-kettle#comment-16677 I applaud the voices of reason and responsibility on this thread; my thanks go out to Marthe, Layne, Barbara, Gary. Of course we own these facilities and we should be ashamed and appalled at the conditions we allow to continue. I would especially caution everyone to beware of cynical, misinformed and doublespeak comments from Cajunhiker who, on one hand, says that we need three new schools, one of which is the Thibodeaux Career School. On the other hand, he tells us that some middle schools are closing because of low enrollment and he lists Moss Middle as one such. The truth is that Moss Middle is becoming the Career School. He also cites the old LeRosen Elementary -- correctly called the Lafayette Charter School -- as the place where dropouts go. The fact is that school is an alternative school that caters to students on both ends of the distribution: ones for whom the traditional classroom moves to slowly. Because it is entirely self-paced, students can complete entire courses much more quickly than usual. (And, having had a child go through Allemans Middle, I can tell you that it is no huge prize. The best thing about it is the arts and technology focus.) - MollyBloom Sat, 16 Apr 2011 12:32:04 +0100 http://www.theind.com/re/8108-the-whistling-kettle#comment-16667 by Barbara J. Conner "James Melancon "A monkey behind the wheel a new car is still a monkey." Whom are you calling a monkey? Put good teachers in sound, safe buildings. ------------------- A good teacher under a open sky is still a good teacher. Buildings have nothing to do with good teachers. Besides, I said management, not teachers. - James Melancon Fri, 15 Apr 2011 15:12:44 +0100 http://www.theind.com/re/8108-the-whistling-kettle#comment-16666 We own the school buildings, and we have to maintain them. Do you let your own roof leak? Would it be wise to do so? These schools are our property and turning our back on maintaining them will only cost us more in the end. You can ignore the leak until the roof falls in, but where does that get you? The people you seem to be most upset with -- the LPSS superintendent, the staff, the school board members -- are not the ones who spend their days in these buildings; they all have offices elsewhere. What you're suggesting is continuing to house our students in dilapidated, over-crowded, antiquated, and inadequate buildings as a way of sending a message of disapproval to LPSS. This is misguided and unfair. - Layne St.Julien Fri, 15 Apr 2011 15:08:45 +0100 http://www.theind.com/re/8108-the-whistling-kettle#comment-16654 I'd venture to add that the dropout rate is still as it was 50 years ago in Lafayette Parish in the grades 9th. through 12th. In 1960 the schools were fairly new, not new, but fairly new, but the system had much better teachers then, and caring parents, still the drop out rate was horrendous. - NORTHSIDIAN SHOTGUN Thu, 14 Apr 2011 21:13:38 +0100 http://www.theind.com/re/8108-the-whistling-kettle#comment-16652 Barbara -- NP Moss was the newest school in the Parish, and it was the worst school in the parish until the LPSS repurposed it. One of the best performing schools in town is one of the oldest ones -- LJ Alleman. Also, instead of fixing what was wrong at NP Moss, they repurposed it, over the objections of the voters who live in that district, and they're gonna spend some money to remodel it, too. I see a pattern developing here. - ragin_cajun Thu, 14 Apr 2011 20:34:49 +0100 http://www.theind.com/re/8108-the-whistling-kettle#comment-16650 @James Melancon "A monkey behind the wheel a new car is still a monkey." Whom are you calling a monkey? Put good teachers in sound, safe buildings. Watch the difference. Look at Finland, the top educator: "Annual salaries range from about $40,000 to $60,000, and teachers work 190 days a year." They test as little as possible. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2062419-2,00.html - Barbara J. Conner Thu, 14 Apr 2011 20:07:39 +0100 http://www.theind.com/re/8108-the-whistling-kettle#comment-16643 VOTE FOR MORE TAXES!! IT WILL MAKE THE POLITICIANS AND THEIR FRIENDS VERRRRRRRRRY HAPPY!! Also the ruling elite who no doubt would be connected in some way to the construction contracts!! You know, the ones who build SCHOOLS that LEAK!!! - The Original Northsidian Thu, 14 Apr 2011 15:54:40 +0100 http://www.theind.com/re/8108-the-whistling-kettle#comment-16641 by Layne St.Julien "One idea that... we should not be asked to put up money needed to maintain/build/remodel school buildings because our school system is not doing an adequate job of educating the children. These are two separate issues. ----------------- I disagree. There is no logic to having first class facilities if management is poor. A monkey behind the wheel a new car is still a monkey. - James Melancon Thu, 14 Apr 2011 13:58:56 +0100 http://www.theind.com/re/8108-the-whistling-kettle#comment-16627 One idea that seems to run through many discussions of this issue is that we should not be asked to put up money needed to maintain/build/remodel school buildings because our school system is not doing an adequate job of educating the children. These are two separate issues. If LPSS's leadership hasn't brought about the results it should in regard to student achievement, they should be replaced, just as in any endeavor. Any citizen can work toward that issue. Start by talking to your school board representative. But it's shameful to condemn children, teachers, and school administrators to do their work in buildings that leak and crumble, that have too little light, inadequate electrical systems, aren't adequately wired for communications, or in ones that are woefully overcrowded or lack sufficient bathrooms. It's unfair to demand that teachers adopt modern methods that require different sorts of space than the old standard 30-kid classroom, when we aren't willing to remodel schools to give them that space. It's not right to expect students to care a great deal about their education, when we house them in buildings whose condition says, "We don't actually care all that much." Lafayette, with one of the highest per-capital incomes in the state, lags behind many other parishes in the millage rate for supporting its schools. Are we going to become the wealthy parish that allows its schools to crumble? If so, we won't be happy with any of what happens next. Dedicate the new tax to maintenance and new construction (I believe the Coalition has already recommended this) and vote it in! - Layne St.Julien Thu, 14 Apr 2011 11:34:04 +0100 http://www.theind.com/re/8108-the-whistling-kettle#comment-16622 Mr. McGoffin has the public schools best interests at heart but explains it as only a lawyer can---loquaciously. Nevertheless, the root of the problem is the term public. Until we move away from government control, we are doomed to mediocrity. - James Melancon Thu, 14 Apr 2011 07:46:47 +0100 http://www.theind.com/re/8108-the-whistling-kettle#comment-16619 Renewal of a 5 mill property tax? Go for it. I don't mind. It goes directly to a good local cause and in the grand scheme the number is peanuts. - Resident Thu, 14 Apr 2011 06:55:49 +0100 http://www.theind.com/re/8108-the-whistling-kettle#comment-16615 I'm sorry, I just believe the 1 BILLION dollar figure for maintenance and new construction is inflated - a lot. Follow me here: We have 40 to 50 public school campuses (depending on exactly what counts as a campus). The going rate right now for new construction commercial projects is around $600 per square foot in Lafayette. We could build 40 brand spanking new 40,000 square foot school buildings at $24 MILLION each for a little less than $1 BILLION. BUT, we don't need 40 brand spanking new school buildings, especially schools that cost $24 MILLION each. We need additional re-occurring revenue for maintenance that starts out large and is adjusted lower as major maintenance needs are addressed. I saw a figure of $50 million from LPSB to do exactly this in 2001-2002, with the figure adjusted downward accordingly as time went on over 20 years to a known figure that covered known regular maintenance cost. $50 million will get you a lot of new roofs and quite a few new HVAC systems. BTW, the best way to do this is by creating taxing districts around neighborhood schools, holding property tax bond elections for voters around those schools, then borrowing against those bonds and using the cash for very specific, dedicated needs in those neighborhood schools. All of this to be done with the property tax to expire in 20 years as the bond debt is paid off. We need 3 new high schools - 1. The new Thibodaux career high school; and 2 regular high schools - one in the Scott/Lafayette area and the other in the Youngsville/Broussard area. We are saturated with elementary schools when you account for public, Catholic and private schools. In fact elementary schools are closing or about to close for lack of enrollment in Lafayette, i.e. the Lutheran school behind Academy Sports, Moss Middle and the W.D. Smith Career Center School. Don't forget we have the LeRosen Elementary School on Pinhook Road where the expelled students currently attend. The exception being in the Youngsville/Broussard areas for schools like Gallet and G.T. Lindon Elementary. Youngsville alone has had over a 250% general population growth rate between 2000-2010. Lastly, I would dare say Dr. David Thibodaux, for whom the new career high school is named, would NOT say any money was misappropriated for lower class sizes, particularly for elementary schools. And in fact I know he would argue it was a good investment as our state rankings in the late 90s early 2000s hovered among the top 15-20 school systems in the state. Granted, the LPSB's goal has always been to be in the top 10, if not the top 5, and always ahead of the very comparable parish of St. Tammany. - Cajunhiker Wed, 13 Apr 2011 21:33:09 +0100 http://www.theind.com/re/8108-the-whistling-kettle#comment-16602 The entire community does pay since the School Board collects both sales and property taxes. And we all benefit because we need an educated workforce to provide the services and the quality of life that we enjoy. There are a couple of ways to make sure that our tax dollars are spent appropriately. The first, and most important, is for each of us to pay attention and get involved. Second is to dedicate specific revenue to construction and specific revenue to maintenance so that it doesn't get raided as happened in the past. Third is for the school system to become more transparent. This is in process because a new financial software package is being implemented that will generate meaningful data in real time. For example, there is no presently existing list of programs with the associated program costs. Hopefully, this will be operational by the end of the year. Then we can make meaningful program decisions based upon cost and benefit. - Gary McGoffin Wed, 13 Apr 2011 16:12:48 +0100 http://www.theind.com/re/8108-the-whistling-kettle#comment-16599 " The Lafayette Public School System serves our entire community whether or not individual members of the community or their children attend. " Then why doesn't the ENTIRE community pay? - ragin_cajun Wed, 13 Apr 2011 15:20:24 +0100