Worcester Public School funding blog
A kind reader just pointed me in the direction of what appears to be the early (very early) stages of a public call for increased funding of the WPS. There is not a ton of info up right now, but they have drafted some nice ‘fill in the blank’ style letters to the City Manager and City Council as well as collected contact info for just about every player involved. There is also a link to a google group that has been set up for communication.
I hope to see something come from this, my son will be of age for public schools next year and there is absolutely no way we’ll even consider them in their current state. Which feels pretty terrible for someone raised in a family of educators, mostly in the public sector.
link (thanks for the tip, T!)
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13 Responses to “Worcester Public School funding blog”
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Brendan;
I have no kids, expect to never have kids but I am well aware of the benefit of a good education and the benefits it has on a city and the folks that reside there..I finally after owning real estate for years decided/well attempted to find out about the school systems in the locations I owned real estate..Worcester the number 1 priority..
I had been chatting with kids in the local school system and they tell me awful things about the local school system, read the blogs and again one reads awful things, read the MCAS scores in the paper and they are poor, have heard Kate Toomey state on a number of times that we have award winning schools, listen to Mike Perrotto state on his TV show that we have great schools and then I fired off a e-mail to all on the school committee asking some basic questions
1. was it true that we had 20+ non-performing schools in the system and how many schools did we have in the system
2. was it true that 80% of the kids in the system receive free breakfast and lunch and if so why was the school system in the food business and not spending this money on books and educational items
3. was it true that we had anchor baby day care and if so why was the school system in the day care business and not spending this money on after school programs
I got a long winded e-mail from John Monfredo that did state we had a “few” under performing schools but they were being fixed-nothing substantial in regards to my question even after a follow up from me and no answer the the other two questions even after a follow up….the other school committee members did not respond substantially..one did respond stating she was new on the board and not ready to comment…the John Monfredo e-mail was basic John Monfredo In City Times stories…more money is the only cure and nothing else..
As a taxpayer on three properties it is very disheartening to continually hear about schools that are more like zoos than educational facilities..I went to a tough Catholic School in the 70’s - Malden Catholic and it was made up of many tough kids from Charlestown, East Boston, Dorchester, Chinatown, North End, Somerville, Chelsea, Everett ecetera…we had a strong Xaverian Brother as the headmaster, the teachers were tough but compassionate and the athletics & after school programs were in place if we wanted them..I played a little football..we didn’t dare to treat the school as a zoo and I am talking about kids who made these kid’s in the Worcester School System seem like pixie queens.
Paulie, don’t you kno whow scary these kids are? I mean according to many people in and out of Worcester they are really really scary. You should have your own blog by the way. I love what you have to say in the comments sections of many of the local blogs.
I am eager to see how comprehensive these census numbers are going to be and whether you can break them down by zip code so you can get a more general feel of what is going on in the different zips.
Breandan, can I already do that somewhere? Is there a resource for this?
Paulie,
1.According to the DoE website (http://www.doe.mass.edu/boe/docs/0107/) the following Worcester schools are underperforming as of January 2007:
Sullivan Middle School
Chandler Magnet School
Burncoat Preparatory School
Chandler Elementary School
Forest Grove Middle School
Burncoat Middle School
Lincoln Elementary School
2. The 80% number is right for kids receiving free and reduced lunches. That’s a federal program, federal money, and has nothing to do with other funding OTHER THAN having a particular percentage of children eligible for free and reduced lunch means that we are eligible for other kinds of funding. It’s determined by household income level.
3. I haven’t previously heard the term “anchor baby.” If by that you mean children of illegal immigrants, yes, those children are in the schools if they live in the city of Worcester. The only day care I’m familiar with that’s run by the Worcester public schools is that for school age mothers, in a (successful) effort to keep them in school.
And I’m sorry you didn’t get much of a response from the School Committee. I’ve always had good luck with them. Do keep in mind that the main reason that schools are going to make the news is when they are more like zoos than otherwise. With 47 schools in the system and 25,000 students, the vast majority of kids are in there doing what they should every day.
“And I’m sorry you didn’t get much of a response from the School Committee. I’ve always had good luck with them. Do keep in mind that the main reason that schools are going to make the news is when they are more like zoos than otherwise. With 47 schools in the system and 25,000 students, the vast majority of kids are in there doing what they should every day.”
>>>>the Massachusetts DOE posting is 1+ year behind and I am hearing that more than what you have kindly posted are non-performing..the amount you have posted is high percentage and if more are non-performing than we are in real trouble.
I am not an expert on the MCAS scores but they do not seem to solidify the statement nor do so many underperforming schools and the lack of folks buying into the local schools this year that most “vast majority of kids are in there doing what they should every day.”…lastly if there is a PR problem regarding the good things that the local school systems produce then the school committe should be doing a better job to promote the local schools cause from what I am hearing out on the street “good” local kid’s, hearing from off the record City Councilors, and from parents-see Brendan’s coment above that started this thread..we are in big trouble.
As I stated on another local blog..I would like to see Congressman McGovern and our local leaders spend less time & money on how to cure homelessness (we have more than cured our fair share with all the local low income housing we have in this city)and spend more time on Education Reform….if there are laws on the books that are assisting the takeover of our schools by troublemakers then we need to repeal them and now..
As for the Federal $ for breakfast and lunch - it should go to books and educational materials..schools should not be in the business of feeding kids other than in the cafeteria at a fee or the kid brings his own lunch except in extreme conditions and day caring kid’s of kid’s..the family of the kid having a kid should be doing this…thanks for responding..I appreciate the response.
Paulie,
The underperforming schools list is determined once a year: it’s the most up-to-date list that exists.
7 out of 47?
Without getting into the ins-and-outs of school evaluation (something which takes up blogs and blogs of its own), sufficice to say that the MCAS and the No Child Left Behind act are not the best determinants of what’s actually going on in schools. It doesn’t chart individual student (or even a particular grade level) improvement, they’re notoriously bad at evaluating kids who are minorities, and they have their detractors, our own superintendent among them. It’s a stacked deck.
I can’t speak for Brendan, but I can say that if we’re in big trouble, it has much less to do with the kids themselves than with what the kids are given. The school lunch program was started, very simply, because kids who are hungry don’t learn. Kids who have had lunch (and breakfast) can think about something other than being hungry.
But we’ve also got kids who are now wondering if it’s going to rain and the classroom roof is going to leak today…if the volunteers for the library are going to show up…if that nice second grade teacher is going be there next year when they get to second grade…what sort of fundraising they’re going to have to do to keep their sports team in uniforms…and on and on. Things kids shouldn’t have to think about.
Add that to the home life that some kids in Worcester are facing (where will we live? will we have dinner? heat? a coat?), and you get some kids who are lucky they can think about math or reading at all. There’s a marked lack of stability in the lives of many Worcester public school students that has nothing at all to do with the schools.
I have major problems with the public schools in general. I will say however that a big part of the problem is kids from homes where parents dont care about anything, especially education.
I agree with the blogger Paulie, because typically the kids whose parents do not care at all, too often live in low income housing and we have too much of it in Worcester. We currently have 13% low income housing. We are mandated by the state to have at least 10%, so why on earth are we continuing to build more low income housing? Meanwhile Shrewsbury, Holden, Paxton, etc all have 1% of their housing stock as low income, a clear violation of state law that they have been allowed to get away with for years.
Answer: Jim McGovern supplies money from Washington to construct more low income housing. More low income housing equals more students for the Worcester schools which eqauls more anchor babey sitting which equals more school system baby sitters which equals more teachers which equals more voters for McGovern. Additionally, the low income housing residents do not exactly vote republican. A vicious, self destructive cycle for the schools and the city.
The school system continually whines about charter schools taking money from the public schools. Charter schools are public schools. Charter school pay 20 to 25 less than public schools, so maybe Mr Allen and Mr Caradonio and his pencil pushers should cut teachers pay and privatize the school custodial staff. School custodians make 2 to 3 times what custodians in other venues earn. The Worcester Municpal Research Bureau has made this recommendation time and again to the school department and its school committee, but just falls on deaf ears. How come?
A school teracher in Worcester with 10 years experience earns $70,000. That is over $108,000 on annualized basis. Their benefits are second to none, yet all we hear about is we need more money. When I need more pay and cannot get it from my current job, I find new work. Let a few teachers go out and try to find a $108,000 job. Maybe then they will realize how good they have it.
The school committee is the same group of actors year in and year out. If 15% of our schools are non performing, maybe it’s time to find some new actors.
Here’s how it works. The school department emloyees all make sure their candidate gets elected or re-elected each election cycle. Once elected, the school committee sees to it the teachers get their cost of living and step raises year in and year out. Then the school committee praises all the policy wonks over on Irving St for doing such a great job, pats them on the back gives, and them a raise, too.
I cannot wait to see the results of the nationwide search for a new school superintendant, once Mr caradonio packs his bags and heads south on the new Rte 146.
A survey should be conducted to see how many Worcester teachers who are Worcester residents put their kids in private schools. A former mayor and school committee person put their kidsin private school and lives in Worcester. The rationale: It’s a private, personal decision. If you work at General Motors you should not drive to work in a Toyota. Of course many teachers live one town out of Worcester. Ever wonder why?
I love how the Teacher’s advocates always lapse into the trap of crying “We need more money, we are the future of your children!!!! Help, help, help!!!! whenever they’re striking for another plum in their contract, but when you point to the abysmal success rate that accompanies those dollars they claim “We have no influence on how these children behave or at what rate they learn, that’s all a product of socio-economic conditions and demographic shifts.” Or some such twaddle.
So, are you teachers vital or are you useless? If you’re vital, then your failure is a public policy disaster and the system should be replaced. If you’re useless, then quit yammering about hard you have it.
Yes, 7 is to many especially if they are in one section of the city..and how many are on the verge of non-performing?
And if these non-performing schools are due to laws on the books cause we can not do what needs to be done to get them performing then we need to change them-plain and simple…I would rather see our federal and state delegation dealing with this instead of more low income housing and food stamp programs…all I ever hear about is more low income housing being built in my neighborhood..it is time for good market housing that will attract folks who care for their children in a proper way, young professionals and blue collar workers…replace 30,000 of what is here now with the above and watch how quickly Worcester transforms:>)
WE are a compassionate society that has allowed ourselves to be brought to the brink of ruin..while Worcester Urban burns the slackers dance and then move to the next city of fools to dance longer!
Make a pledge to yourself Tracey or any Pol on this blog to live in the urban core of this city 24/7 for a year and see what is happening and why we are falling apart - you won’t wonder why the urban core has fallen to decay..it will be a lesson 101 on “Citizenry” and lesson 102 on “How We Are Being Taken To The Cleaners”…..
I am trying to be part of this city’s revival..my contributions pale to a new Hanover Theatre 30M restoration or a City Square…but to win the urban core back it needs to happen house by house, block by block..it is seven am on Sunday and my tenant just left the building for his seventh day of work this week to run his convenience store on Park Ave..his wife will follow with their young daughter..I can’t tell you how hard it is for them or me to live next door to the numerous three deckers full of folks and I mean full of em who do not work a single hour in the day yet live better than them..do not clean the streets they stink up with trash, do not clean up the yards they dirty up with their stink trash…yet we as a city keep inviting this instead of working folks who may actually be the key NOT more bars, restaurants and pricey theatres to revitalizing what was once a great city…
I am all for helping the the tired, the poor, the huddled mass…it used to be from the history books I have read to be free and to prosper..TODAY it seems to be on the dole at mine, some of my neighbors and the city of Worcester’s expense that we can no longer afford:>)..
Let me as a taxpayer start hearing from the Pols that they plan to get tough on troublemakers in school by working to initiate new laws that protect the good guys and not continually the bad guys..that the zoo’s that I am hearing on the ground that they have become is being tackled..that less are non-performing or on the verge of non-performing then I will be the first to say this is a good house by house, block by block investment..keep throwing out the same John Monfredo pablum about it is “our future” “it is for the kid’s” and there are no changes then Worcester Urban continues to die and no matter how many buildings we renovate, no matter how many Hanover Theatres we renovate or City Squares we build will make good folks wanna put their kids in our urban schools or have good folks wanna live and work in the urban core of the city…
Just a few points. Don’t “annualize” teacher salary. My wife worked about 60 hours a week for 9 months out of the year when she was a teacher.
Trying to get a teaching job right now isn’t easy, either, when districts all over the state are outright stating that they are not currently considering candidates with Master’s Degrees or more than five years experience. They want newbies right out of college that they can cycle out for fresh newbies in a few years, before they can get tenure. If you don’t have tenure, all those union dues you pay each year are money down the drain.. when the school decides that you are too expensive, the union won’t lift a finger to save your job if you aren’t tenured.
Where to begin?
Keith is right about teachers, and the layoffs that we have every year aren’t exactly encouraging the best and the brightest to stay around. If you get a pink slip in the spring, you might get your job back…or you might not. So you go elsewhere.
I have lived in the urban core (as much as Worcester has one; we’re pretty spread out for a city) for almost all of my time in Worcester. We just got a yard for my daughters to run around in two years ago. Previously, we were lucky enough to live in a building with the landlord on the first floor. I’m sure that it’s not fast enough to suit you, but I also do think that the problems that accompany absentee landlords and so forth are being tackled by the city (witness, for example, the list of requests made by Councilor Haller at the end of the last City Council meeting).
Remember, those middle class people don’t only want affordable housing; they want good schools. I have a number of friends, products of Worcester Public Schools, who married and then bought houses in Worcester. They always intended to send their kids to public schools. When it came time to sign up their five year old, though, they balked.
And it wasn’t because the neighborhood school was dangerous. I have to say that I haven’t heard that from any parent. It was because it lacked supplies, had a high rate of teacher turnover, and so forth.
So yes, that’s a money problem. The number of underperforming schools bounces around every year, because they compare one class with the next (as if that tells us anything). They aren’t all in one area of the city, ‘though there are, because of the nature of the evaluation, always going to be concentration of “underperforming” schools that have a greater number of poorer kids. Our delegation has mostly (Kennedy unfortunately made the original deal with Bush on NCLB) been pushing to change it, but they’re a minority in the Congress and face big opposition from the White House. At the State level, up until the Patrick administration, these ideas didn’t even get a hearing.
And as the school committee just had two of six new members come in, there aren’t exactly the same actors there. Plus, if you compare the teachers’ union endorsements with who wins, they don’t always come out the same. As for the teachers, as the schools have lost 18% of their staff in the last six years, they aren’t increasing in size, either.
I would hope that there’s room between “useless” and “vital”! That’s where teachers (and coaches, and so on) are.
Did I get it all?
Has anyone researched the amount of WPS budget spent on busing kids?
Generations of Americans walked to neighborhood schools in past. Neighborhood schools lifted the value of neighborhoods. It fostered positive neighborhood relations and more. How much are we wasting with gas, personnel and maintenance cost. Why not simply ensure all schools are equally staffed and providing high clear standards? Minority issues in Worcester are mute. busing is one of the biggest waste not to mention the impact on energy and traffic congestion. Stop throwing money at the WPS.
nisa, last time I checked (and I’m claiming a fuzzy memory on this one) it was around 7 million for transportation. I believe about half of that is for special needs and kindergarten, which are both mandated by state law. The rest we can easily get rid of, as near as I can tell there is not a single residence in Worcester that meets the distance requirements mandated by the state. So it’s conceivable that half of the existing transportation budget could be redirected at the WRTA and classrooms.
does anyone knows if there is any other information about this subject in other languages?