Our Euclid Public Schools

Dr. Joffrey Jones has now officially retired as Superintendent of the Euclid Public Schools.  We thank him for his service.  A warm welcome to Keith M. Bell who began his duties as Superintendent August 1st.  He steps into a challenging environment. 

9-mill Levy on the November Ballot.   This tops the list of issues that Superintendent Bell is facing.

Cuts in the Schools budget are planned no matter what happens in November.  The question is the depth of the cuts.  If passed, the 9 mill levy would last ten years and generate 5.4 million dollars annually.   For the owner of a 100K home, the cost would be $275.00 per year.

Perhaps a different way to look at this levy request is to ask your self:  What are we "buying" for our levy money?  In other words, what kind of education philosophy, administration, teachers, are we getting for our money?  What are the results of our dollars spent?

I came across a couple of articles that maps out a way that our money SHOULD be spent to get better results

What is listed below comes from articles published throughout the country by Karin Chenoweth and Kathleen Porter-Magee.  Each takes a little different approach, but the core values are the same.

1)  Set High Standards:  Believe that no matter where children live, they can learn.

2)  Accountability:  Make school Administrators and teachers truly accountable for results in the

     classroom.  This is meaningless without the following:

3) Teacher Autonomy:  If we are to hold schools accountable then, they must have the true ability

    to create the lessons and use the tools to teach the children based the educational needs of the child.

4) Focus on what children need to know:  This means focus on the basics so that children are ready for

    college or vocational training.

5) Create Teaching Teams:  A child's education should not vary from year to year based on the

    quality of the teacher.  Teacher collaboration delivers a better product for children.

6) Asses Frequently:  To see who is learning, who needs extra help, and, to find patterns to improve

    the education product.

7) Build Relationships:  Children must trust the teachers enough to learn.  Therefor, good schools

    build that trust among the Administration and staff, among the staff, and, between the teachers and

    the children.

MS. Chenoweth illustrates the power of the factors above be describing George Hall Elementary School in Mobile, Alabama.  All the children there qualify for the federal student lunch program.   At one time it was one of the worst schools in Mobile.   After adopting the principals above, it is now one of the best schools in the state.

Adopting such changes are not easy, or quick.  I'm hoping Dr. Bell can bring to the Euclid Schools some of the principals above.   The principals above and the results they can produce are worth the investing in.  The very future of our children and City depends on it.

Resources

Karin Chenoweth:  "Tts Being Done: Academic Success in Unexpected Places"  "How Its Being Done: Urgent Lessons From Unexpected Schools"

The Education Trust.

Kathleen Porter-McGee -   Thomas R Fordham Institute