Does this look like Big Ben?

Things to do in Florida.

One could step it up and go rasslin' with the birds -- or a gator?

I don't mind as long as he wears a helmet.

RootsCamp Pittsburgh wrap up and Dan Onorato's speech

We talked about some interesting concepts:

 

RootsCamp is a great concept and its first event in Pittsburgh was a fine gathering. Sadly, it was on the same day as the Black & White Reunion. Oh well. I tried to get them to work together, but it could not happen, so I was told.

RootsCamp is to happen on Saturday in Philly. Go if you can.

RootsCamp didn't get a lot of support from certain sectors. It did well with the union groups and some progressives, of course. But there is a lot of people that should gather that was missing. Wish I had seen more from the PodCamp gang, Rustbelt bloggers, the film makers, PCTV, church groups, school advocates and new age plus eco folks. Oh well. We had a nice audience.

Dan Onorato was given the podium at RootsCamp Pittsburgh on Saturday. A welcome would be fine. His was a long welcome. Very long. But, the US Steelworkers insisted he be given the time and they did a wonderful job of hosting. So, host rules.

I flipped on my video camera and got this, in two parts.

V I C T O R Y looks like this

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Calling for 2 hour delay for Monday, Feb 2"

You got your wish!

City schools to have 2-hour delay day after Super Bowl
Thursday, January 29, 2009

By Joe Smydo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Pittsburgh Public Schools will operate on a two-hour delay Monday because of the Super Bowl, Superintendent Mark Roosevelt said today.

Noting that Sunday's big game means a "late night," Mr. Roosevelt said the delay should cut down on student and staff absenteeism.

He said the district operated on a two-hour delay the day after the Steelers won the Super Bowl three years ago.

Bingo!

Triple deities, we've got. We need a wizard with crystal ball

Last night's visitors from Pgh Public Schools central administration at the community meeting hosted by the Bloomfield Garfield Corp ended with a remark by me pointing out that they are much like a triple header. The triadic does fine -- but -- we need vision statements from their boss.

Triple deities - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Triple deities.

Meet 'Tetra.' She is mythical.

There was no 'ill will' on my part to the school's administrators. As we concluded the long meeting, we need to understand where the real power resides. Power isn't within community groups, the PPS board, nor high-ranking administrators. It is with the superintendent.

Wikipedia (edited slightly):

Tetra is a young female pirate who causes a start of a journey. She was left to lead the group of pirates. She notices the wielding of the Master Sword. She periodically helps during a quest. Later her true identity is revealed: she is a Princess. Elsewhere, she is taken by the mysterious Ghost Ship, and the king must rescue her.

Tetra is important and we've got three. But golly, let's get the master sword singer as it feels as if we're on a ghost ship ride with Pittsburgh Public Schools.

Sorry Sam.

I would never use campaign donations to go to a SuperBowl

I would never use campaign money to go to a SuperBowl. That is wrong.

I would not use tax dollars either. Of course not.

I went to the Beijing Olympics in August 2008. If I had $10-million in the bank from donors, I'd not go there with that money either.

I went to NASA's Florida's Kennedy Space Center in January 2009. If I had $20-million in the bank from tax payers or donors for campaign, then I'd still not go there with those funds.

Then I saw this this:

Mind Bling: Where's Your Spirit Now, Assholes?: "This makes me angry for several reasons. There have been some rumors that you are both using campaign money for this. If this is true, and I sincerely hope it's not, not only do you not deserve your office, you deserve to be tarred and feathered and marched down Grant Street during our victory parade."

The forgotten promise

YES.

The forgotten promise: "As the former director of career and technical education for Pittsburgh Public Schools, I was instructed to close South Vocational High School. I told parents that we were working on new ideas and promised them that they would have a better program in less than two years.

This is a must read for all. I knew of these plans. I heard those promises. I was upset at the closing of South Vo Tech before the other plan had taken root.

We need to get a better look at the use of Peabody as a technical school.

Steeler Nation - Sing Along Contest - Voting

Steeler Nation - Sing Along Contest - Voting: "Click on the media player to listen to the song and then vote for your favorite!"

Schools meeting at Bloomfield-Garfield Corp concerning Peabody

Just back from a night of talking about schools with some of the top administrators from the Pgh Public School district, a group of citizens and many others from all sorts of sectors (non-profits, politicals, police, students, human services, neighborhoods, bloggers, advocates, etc.).

The three Pgh Public School administrators presented data. They came to facilitate with facts. They delivered the history. They did their jobs. They are like the -- and this got me into trouble, sadly -- the ambassadors. But, something was missing tonight. Something is missing as we try to understand and fix these situations with our schools and the overall district.

For starters, the school board was missing. No board members were present. Oh well. That's okay as next week's meeting is already scheduled and a board member is slated to attend, speak, and reply to questions. Mr. Sumpter is waiting in the wings. So, the board gets a pass for not being at tonight's meeting.

But to be honest, I think I might have seen, out of the corner of my eye, a guy with a frumpy hat that could have been ex-Board President, Bill Isler. He might have even been at the meeting for a while. But, if he was, he didn't speak. Furthermore, another that was seen for sure, and who didn't speak, was former board member and present city councilman, Patrick Dowd, Ph.D.

If the three top administrators in the district are the ambassadors, then Mark Roosevelt, the Pgh Public Schools Superintendent, is the President or "head of state."

To be clear -- and not name call -- Mark Roosevelt is the Superintendent of Schools. The high ranking and fine school administrators are not the Superintendent.

The missing element is big. It goes to some of the major disconnect among various people.

We need a crystal ball that can look into the future. We need a wizard to look into that ball and make sense out of the things yet to come. We need a story to be shared, with various characters, each woven into this fantasy landscape, connected but yet floating deeply into the future. We need some predictive powers and a voice to translate the unfolding, long-term future, into human speech without the educational jargon. This unfolding dream would then be -- not so much announced -- but simply verbalized. This saga of years to come would be an open book and a peek into the open mind of what is possible and practical.

To be sure, the crystal ball isn't the key. But the story teller is. The vision needs to be spoken from the perspective of the leader.

Leaders lead. Leaders lead more than just the top administrators who are on paid staff. Great leaders can lead and rally the public, yet alone the boosters, to follow.

Pittsburgh's citizens and parents need a visionary leader to not only chart the course for school reform, but to stand on the helm and feel the spray, wind and ship with observers cheering and jeering.

The captain's game plan -- err -- the Superintendent's course of academic leadership, is taking us all on a journey. We're moving. We're underway and gaining speed. But, we're not certain where we're headed.

There is a visionary leadership void. There are stories that are not being told.

Many of the facts and figures, as well as landmarks, are obvious. Data is important. The school administrators are getting much better grip on those benchmarks. We all agree that the past is the past and there have been some bumpy times. Fixing blame is not productive to a district that has had its superintendent for more than three years now. We all want change.

Furthermore, we all want great schools. Excellence for all is a nice buzz phrase. We all have high aspirations for the academics and the opportunities. Learning excites us. We are hooked on the whole knowledge is power things so we can all have productive lives and a vibrant community with smart, bright, neighbors and fellow citizens.

We're missing the part where we have to connect the dots.

The story of the superintendent -- from his mouth to our computer screens and ears -- has to be told so we can connect the dots to the future, given the present.

This is a burden for the superintendent -- not the elected school board, nor the hired school administrators and principals. The superintendent runs the show here. He has the power as he earned the trust of the members on the school board. The people on the school board are going to give their votes to the superintendent. If the administration wants something, and if the administration works those wants into a position, then the board will grant those powers to the superintendent.

Some on the board are going to grumble. But, by and large, with all the powers of the paid staff at his command, the school board can deliver the five votes for the superintendent.

So, the person at the helm of this district is, without doubt, the Superintendent, Mark Roosevelt.

Pittsburgh people are fine with commanding leaders. We love it when coaches call the plays. We are fine when QBs take charge of the huddle and even switch plays at the line of scrimmage. We are used to company bosses telling union folks this is what is going to happen -- let's make it happen so we can get the jobs done, get home in one piece, and insert value into our lives.

The people of Pittsburgh are, perhaps, some of the greatest boosters the world has ever seen. We are supporters. We'll cheer. We'll watch. We'll dance when it is time to do so.

Pittsburgh can go with the flow too. We know that rivers take turns. We can bend in the wind. We know how to adjust with both large and small shocks to the system. We don't like change for the sake of change -- and we hate bad change. But good change -- that's sweet for us.

The extra effort that we need right now is with both the playbook and the game plan. Its hidden to us, now, sadly. It is somewhere, we expect.

Case in point: Eighth graders now entering their second semester should have a clue as to what's going to unfold for next year -- as in August 2009. Some do. Some don't. The community in and around Peabody High School are wondering if the Pgh Public School's central administration is going to issue a letter next week, or perhaps the week after, that says there will NOT be any new students entering Peabody in the fall of 2009 as 9th graders. Bang. The doors of the school could shut, in a slow death, with the last class to graduate be the one's in 9th grade now.

Well, well, well. What's happening.

This isn't new to us. Pittsburgh has seen many other great things die off. Some naturally. Some by the force of a choke hold. Some by the curse of a rumor that resonates.

South Vo Tech High School was closed after years of rumors about its eventual death. It died on the vine long before the formal vote to close it was taken. Even then, the vote to close the school in August came as late as June. It was a rushed vote. But it was a protracted death. The good teachers saw the writing on the wall. They left earlier, as they could. The wise families knew that South Vo Tech was getting marginal funding and a big crisis loomed large if you put your kid into that school.

Nobody wants to be in a 4-year school and have the floor pulled out from you. Especially a carpenter would know how to judge the stability of the classroom around you and your buddies.

Years prior, people of the eastern part of the city saw how East Hills Elem. School was starved and closed over time. People pulled in. People pulled out. Most of the voting happens with the feet.

Schenley's ordeal is impossible to ignore. But, let's get back to the one missing element, the crystal ball and the vision statements of a game plan and playbook.

How can the I.B. program move into Peabody High School in three years, while the local kids get a fair shake?

How can families plan for schools next year, year after, and so on -- for Joe, Jane, Jack, Jill, James, Jimmy and Jenny. They all are of different ages and they all are from different backgrounds. Plus, they all have different skills and interests.

There are real stories to be told about all of our kids -- fictional or otherwise.

These are the dots that we need to hear are being connected by those who have the rule book, play book and game plans for our kids.

We just really want to cheer the kids and their coaches on to victory. And, we want to have fun -- on the road to the Super Bowl -- err -- on the road to the life with our families, friends, and their buddies.

Here is how it could work. Let's say we, hypothetically, made these adjustments and blah, blah, blah. What do you think? Can it be done? We figure those costs are going to be $XYZ.

Here is another matter in another neighborhood. Are we ...? What are we missing?

The playbook needs to be more revealing than these three plays:
1. Give Sam the ball. (Sam is heading up the new Science and Technology Jr/Sr High School.)
2. Give Cate the ball. (She is heading up the new I.B. Jr./Sr. High.)
3. Stiff arm opposition. (If not running play #1 and play #2.)

Of course Mark Roosevelt's playbook is more than that above. Sure, he has done some wonderful things. The whole Principal training, evaluation and re-do is monumental. Granted. The whole Pgh Promise is way more than the $500 cardboard check that the PFT gave on day one. Whippie! We got a 2-hour delay for Monday, Feb 2, too. Score that as well. But now what?

Peabody, Schenley, Reisenstein are big harry deals. I.B. folks issued their report and we've not heard anything from that missing crystal ball. Where is the wizard? What's he thinking about when it comes to getting these kids around town and into classrooms in six months?

I think that the Bloomfield-Garfield Corp folks have done a wonderful thing to step up and do the engagement efforts for the next looming ax swings. They are going to organize and mobalize in their/our own way at our own pace. The demand includes coolaboration.

But frankly, I think that coolaboration isn't next. The meaningful give-and-take comes after we hear the vision. The guy at the helm (Mark Roosevelt) has to sell the dream of this short and mid-range journey. Dots need to be connected. Then all the dots on the landscape need to be woven on the final canvas. It is a draft. We'll do the coloring, together, later. But, we'd like to know better as to what is unfolding.

Do the ALAs, K-8s, K-6s, 6-12s, boutique schools all work? Do the 'drop-out factories' get an overhaul or not? Unknown questions linger about sports management at Westinghouse. Are you serious? Can CAPA really work as 6-12 downtown, next to the strip club, with yellow buses, with sports teams? What about a public boys school and public girls school (single gender schools) as an option for certain kids so as to have direct competition for Central Catholic and Oakland Catholic. We want afterschool, weekends and summers to be filled with robust programs and challenges for our kids and our communities -- like is the case in suburban districts. Our bands and ball teams and boosters are hurting, and they don't need to be.

Parents are pushy. We don't have a whole career to see this wash out. We don't have test-tube kids who are practice children who can bank upon experimental gimmicks. We'll sign up. We'll enroll. We've done that. We'll stay for a spell. We'll even sign-up to teach and work in the district. Those applications are proven. But we're still waiting for the insights into the waiting list and the actual numbers matched with the slots available. That transparency is playbook stuff that should be part of the game-plan.

Let's overhaul the magnet application for next year next week, not in June. Let's hold a pow-wow on that while it is fresh in our heads and experiences. Don't print the books yet -- but let's edit them and seek additional comments. That's another play from the game-plan.

The stiff arm play needs to turn into a delegation of a project opportunity and effort.

The folks in the stands want to storm the field -- if only to listen to what is being talked about in the huddle.

I'll post some video of the meeting in a day or two. Stay tuned.

The Post-Gazette covered the meeting too and revealed the same need in its headline:

School officials stress fate of Peabody High still undecided: "School officials stress fate of Peabody High still undecided"

They are undecided. The uncertainty is a killer. They won't say. The doubt is a burden. The fear is mounting so as to be a crushing oppression. This is FUD 101. FUD = fear, uncertainty, doubt.

The fix is a look into a crystal ball. The solution is a vision story. The dream can be sold, and we'll stay on board as too many have already departed.

Pittsburgh Public Schools officials last night said they hadn't decided whether to close Pittsburgh Peabody High School, a school beset with dwindling enrollment and low achievement scores.

The officials' words offered a ray of hope to community members who want to save Peabody High in East Liberty or at least have a voice in deciding what to do with students in Peabody's feeder pattern.

"There's a lot of creative ways we can cut this," said Rick Flanagan, youth development director for Bloomfield-Garfield Corp., which called last night's community meeting in Garfield.

About 50 residents, city officials and representatives of civic groups attended.

A "site selection committee" appointed by district Superintendent Mark Roosevelt last month proposed making the Peabody building the permanent home of the new International Baccalaureate magnet.

The school board still must vote on the recommendation, a point Mr. Flanagan repeatedly emphasized.

The IB school will open in temporary quarters next school year and would, under the site committee's proposal, move to the Peabody building in East Liberty in 2012. The IB school eventually would serve 1,050 students in grades six through 12.

The committee didn't address the fate of Peabody High, fueling concerns that the district will close it and reassign students to another building, perhaps Pittsburgh Westinghouse High School in Homewood.

Officials last night insisted no decision had been made and said they're willing to consider the community's input.

"There has to be engagement of what people would want," Cate Reed, a school district project manager, told the gathering.

At the same time, however, the district put certain limits on the discussion.

Nancy Kodman, the district's executive director of strategic initiatives, said the Peabody building isn't big enough to accommodate Peabody High and the IB school. That raised the specter of at least a change in buildings for Peabody High.

Enrollment has dropped from about 710 students in 2003-04 to the current 489, and the number is projected to drop to 168 by 2014.

Officials said dwindling enrollment has made it difficult to offer a healthy mix of programs, and Ms. Kodman said the school's racial achievement gap and scores on state reading and math tests also are unacceptable.

Mr. Flanagan suggested that impending commercial and residential development in East Liberty, combined with a marketing push by the school district, could boost enrollment.

Bloomfield-Garfield Corp. will hold another community meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday at its community center in Garfield. Mr. Flanagan said he also wants to take other steps to find out the Peabody community's demands.

"We need to survey parents," he said.

The survey of parents should ask what I'm asking too.

Question #1 of 2: Do you feel confident in the vision and dream of "Excellence for All."

This, I expect, would get okay grades. People want "Excellence for All." That is an easy place to get agreement. That would be good to know, in data, however.

Question #2 of 2: Do you confident in the administration's pathway and game plan for our schools and students in leading to a reformed and greatly improved school district?

That's where we've got a gap of understanding. That's our sticking point today in Pittsburgh Public Schools.

This is a situation that is now avoidable. It is time to put it all out there and all the elements on the table. This is the time to sell the dream and then respond to objections in a clear and open way with honest dialog with the superintendent.

He has to get us to a better place by planting seeds of the future in our imagination.

Mr. Roosevelt needs to put on a wizard's hat for a spell. A couple of meetings will seal the deal this winter. And, it can't be with some flunky pseudo journalist like Bill Flanigan or Marty Griffin or Jon Delano. We're not talking about fluff and sugar coated pills to swallow mumbo jumbo. Nor can this be done with a cardboard check of $500 for the Pittsburgh Promise handed over by the Pgh Federation of Teachers. We can't have cronie back-slapping.

Our kids, our neighborhoods, our city -- and our future is at stake. And parents need to know what is really going on. It is time for that tough love talk about the facts of life in the future that is before us.

This 'selling of the dream' is about the future. Since politics is about the future, this is too. This needs to be part political stump speech. This needs to be about a range of issues. This needs to be a state of the union address, blended with a call to action and an ask for confidence and trust because you see the future, and you know how to connect these dots like this, this, and this.

The audience will then shout out some suggestions. Requests. It is going to get messy. Citizens and taxpayers may say that the order is slightly not to our liking. We might say the range and scope is too great in some areas and too tiny in others.

I can't tolerate a year without afterschool activities at any school, for starters. We are not sure about the 6-7-and-8 in the same buildings as high schoolers. The RODGERS and CAPA merger is an uncertain quagmire that might be worthy of testing. But turning back has got to be on the table in due time too. The conditions for evaluation need to be stated in public, now, years before they are needed.

The fruitful back and forth between the superintendent and the city's parents and residents is necessary and it must follow the talk of the revealed vision.

Official Google Video Blog: Turning Down Uploads at Google Video

Official Google Video Blog: Turning Down Uploads at Google Video: "In a few months, we will discontinue support for uploads to Google Video."

In a few months. What about today?

Google Video is good as you can easily put it into an embed within the wikia.com wikis. YouTube does it too, but YouTube has a 10-minute limit.



The Internet Archive titled 'Dan Onorato, part 1, RootsCamp Pittsburgh' is now available from http://www.archive.org/download/Rauterkus-DanOnoratoPart1RootsCampPittsburgh234/Rauterkus-DanOnoratoPart1RootsCampPittsburgh234.wmv.

Pittsburgh Peabody Stakeholders Meeting at 6 pm tonight

Date: Wednesday, January 28, 2009 Time: 6:00 pm
Location: BGC Community Activity Center
113 N. Pacific Avenue (Garfield)

Yes, We Can! Educational Change..

Whether you’re a parent, a banker, an economic development/ social service agency leader, a funder, a government employee, a student, a school district staff person, a community member or a civil rights leader you need to yell out--- Yes ---we can restructure the educational system in the East End in order to better serve all children! Especially for those children whose current educational status leaves them unable to effectively compete in the new American economy.

This is an historical time in the East End and a major restructuring of the public educational system needs to occur. Your time and input is critical to the creation of a positive outcome that is a win-win for all.

In collaboration with Pittsburgh Public Schools there will be two critical meetings, one on January 28th and another on February 4th. The agendas for the meetings and the January 7, 2009 meeting notes are included with this mailing.

We ask that you attend these meetings and --- listen and provide input.

President Obama has challenged us to hold the government accountable. This does not necessarily mean taking on an oppositional or critical nature. Accountability (on the matter at hand) should relate to the public engagement of the Pittsburgh Public Schools in a collaborative, trusting, and partnering manner. When this occurs, great things can happen.

Call (412-441-9833 ext. 10) or email Rick Flanagan (Rflanag@aol.com) to confirm your attendance and to ask questions.

---

Pending agenda for the Pittsburgh Peabody Stakeholders Meeting slated for tonight:
Location: BGC Community Activity Center

1. Welcome

2. Information item- Director Thomas Sumpter Jr., District 3 School Board Member, acceptance of an invitation to meet at the BGC Community Activity Center on Wednesday, February 4, 2009 at 6:00 pm.

3. Overview of the January 7, 2009 meeting notes (see below)

4. Pittsburgh Public Schools sharing of the International Baccalaureate plan, the roster list of the committee members and the data that the International Baccalaureate committee utilized to inform their decision. Other relevant PPS data will also be shared

5. Parameters that guide the work of the Pittsburgh Public Schools and how they relate to the Pittsburgh Peabody Community discussion process.

6. Creation of a collaborative planning process that engages the Pittsburgh Westinghouse, Pittsburgh Peabody, and International Baccalaureate Working Groups

7. Timing and communication with families and community members

8. Concrete next steps to the planning process.

---

THE FOLLOWING IS A SUMMARY OF THE CONCERNS AND QUESTIONS OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO ATTENDED THE PITTSBURGH PEABODY STAKEHOLDERS MEETINGS. THIS INFORMATION WAS GATHERED FROM TWO MEETING HELD ON WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2009

8:00AM MEETING NOTES

SPECIAL GUESTS from PITTSBURGH PUBLIC SCHOOLS:

Nancy Kodman (On board since 12-18-2008), PPS – Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives (Former principal at Allegheny Middle School)

Sam Franklin PPS – Program Director of Science and Technology Academy to open in Sept. * Focus on getting more students into math and science curricula; former teacher in Oakland, CA.

Nancy Kodman gave a brief overview of where things stand, in terms of determining the future for Peabody High School:

> “Need to look at the big picture, in terms of all of the city’s high schools”

> “One thing can’t be done in isolation from another; the plan for Peabody needs to be integrated into those that are developed for other schools”

> “First priority for district: high-quality, educational programs for all students”

> “IB program can’t be situated in new quarters without resolving the future of Peabody”

> “Importance of working with others in the community that Peabody serves is critical”

REQUEST OF THE SUPERINTENDENT

* Ask District to Setup a Series of Meetings w/Stakeholder Group

QUESTIONS From Audience about Peabody: “Do problem kids at other high schools get sent to Peabody?”

Answer: Only if Peabody is the original feeder school for that student or those students.

SUMMARY OF PEABODY AND STUDENTS

Melissa Friez, the principal at Peabody, was asked what she uses as a thumbnail description for her school. Her response was as follows:

“It affords a good opportunity for the faculty to get to know students, since there are just 500 students at this point.”

“And it’s a school that is progressing in terms of student achievement”

PRIMARY ISSUES/CONCERNS for a future STAKEHOLDERS’ GROUP:

* Voice for People From the Community Served by the School
* Find Way to Keep Tension Level Down

8:00AM MEETING NOTES

PRIMARY ISSUES/CONCERNS for a future STAKEHOLDERS’ GROUP:

* Post-secondary outcomes are important – Is there a value to internships, career counseling, etc. that can help ensure all students find their way into the workforce?

*Safety- Muzz Meyers feels Westinghouse is a much nicer facility - parents have to feel their kids will be safe, which is not in Westinghouse’s favor at the moment.

* What will success look like at Peabody? Knowing the student body intimately can be a key to success. If a school can be more successful w/400 kids as opposed to 800 kids, then there should only be 400 kids.

* Peabody needs to offer something more for its students than what is now the case. (This comment from a parent w/2 kids @ Peabody)

* Melissa Friesz – “We don’t have music or other programs that would give students a more well-rounded education.”

* Nancy Kodman – Programs beyond academics are critical to sustaining student interest, including band, sports, and other extra-curricular activities.

* What kind of constraints already exists? Example: The district previously promised that the IB program would not be based at a “neighborhood school”, (i.e., schools that draw their students from the general population).

* Is a themed school right for everyone? Many students need a comprehensive educational program.

* Court-based programs can be integral to changing outcomes for many of the so-called “troubled” students. (This comment from Rick Cokley, director of the county’s intensive juvenile supervision program in Garfield)

* Need statistics that are current and understand how they’re compiled.

* Need to look at achievement gap by race as it applies to IB and non-IB students

* Build a sense of ownership among community stakeholders through an open, well-managed process.

* How do we determine what constitutes a low-achieving school, then set a series of benchmarks by which improvement can be attained?

6:00PM MEETING NOTES

SPECIAL GUESTS from PITTSBURGH PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Nancy Kodman (On board since 12-18-2008) PPS – Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives (Former principal at Allegheny Middle School)

Susan Chersky PPS-Communication & Marketing

Sam Franklin PPS – Program Director of Science and Technology Academy to open in Sept. * Focus on getting more students into math and science curricula; former teacher in Oakland, CA.

Nancy Kodman gave an overview of the district’s intentions at this stage:

“Supt. Roosevelt will make no recommendations to the board on the IB Program without community input.”

PEABODY STAKEHOLDERS GROUP - POSSIBLE COMPOSITION:

* Parents
* Interested East End residents and business owners
* Non-profit agencies and religious groups
* Community organizations

PRIMARY ISSUES/CONCERNS for a future STAKEHOLDERS’ GROUP:


* After-school programs, better athletics, band program, etc. need to be part of the planning for a better Peabody

* Why are students being told that Sept. ‘09 freshman class will not be at Peabody?

* Parent’s comment: School needs to develop better communication network and tools with parents, students, and other stakeholders

* Suggestion: Letter be sent immediately from Supt. Roosevelt to parents clarifying where things stand with Peabody at this stage.

* Need to set standards for what a” full-service” high school would look like at Peabody.

* Safety of students needs to be paramount.

* Jobs and career development need to be integral part of school’s program.

* Neighborhood dynamics vary widely from neighborhood to neighborhood. Homewood’s atmosphere is different from Garfield and East Liberty.

* Administrators and faculty at Peabody don’t have intimate knowledge of the neighborhoods that the students come from.

* Crossing neighborhood lines poses creditable safety threat for students.

* African-American population needs to be a prominent part of this process.

* What will happen to specialized programs already at Peabody (e.g. Robotics) – How will program quality be sustained?

* How will Peabody become a high quality school serving the entire East End?

* What is a realistic timetable for the decision-making process to unfold- can one be developed?

* Competition from charter schools is robbing board-run schools of students “Divide and conquer” strategy, it seems, on the part of the system.

* Letsche School in Homewood is drawing students from across the city without incident (Comment from Rick Cokley, C.I.S.P. director in Garfield).

* What curriculum will be offered at each high school in Fall 2009 – info needed now!

* Parent’s concern: Don't ignore larger regional trends affecting city high schools as a whole.

* Target board members for direct contact and involve them.

* What assurances will any stakeholder group receive from the Supt. and the Board that the Peabody Stakeholder Group’s input will be heard and incorporated into the final decisions made by the board about Peabody’s future?

* Keep an open mind – also keep an eye on the IB committee’s deliberations.

Parents, please take action to maintain free lunches

Source in the P-G.

This school year, the Pittsburgh Public Schools began offering free lunch to all students in select schools. But as they say, there is no such thing as a free lunch. Parents must do their part. They have to send in their child's lunch application so the program can continue in their child's school.

Last month, two of my co-workers and I stood out in the cold in front of four schools (Pittsburgh Peabody, Pittsburgh Oliver, Pittsburgh Morrow and University Prep) to urge parents to return their child's lunch applications. Only one school out of the four got enough applications in to take it off the list for possibly losing the free lunch program. That school was Pittsburgh Morrow. The other three schools still need more applications to keep their free lunch for all students program going.

With the economic crisis worsening, we can all use a little help stretching our dollar. If you can save $270 a school year, wouldn't you do it? So why is it so hard for Oliver, Peabody and University Prep's parents to get their applications in?

There's still time, but time is short. Parents, please get your child's lunch applications to their school immediately. You only have to do one application per family.

SHAUNA PONTON
Child Nutrition Advocate
Just Harvest
South Side

Published in a letter to the editor.

Keep doing those deep knee bends!

This song is #1 in some distant planet out there.

Deed transfer tax is why we cling to our homes here.

I deposited this comment at the Pittsblog 2.0 site as they looked at the constrast of Pittsburgh and Pheonix.
What is the deed transfer tax rate in Pittsburgh (city is more than burbs) vs. Phoenix?

So, if you buy a $100,000 home, how much is paid in fees and taxes, upfront. Those fees/taxes deliver no value to the homeowners. It amounts to a penalty to transactions. And, it comes off the nest-egg for a down payment.

So, if you've saved $10,000 for a house, and you need to shell out $8,000 of that for taxes, just for the opportunity to own the house, then the down payment / equity contribution is hardly even equal to the first months mortgage.

That's the why behind those stats.

Would love to know if there is such a thing as a deed transfer tax in Arizona.

I say it is no wonder folks stay in their homes.

Shell out $10,000 or more three or four times in the prime of your life -- and you've paid for your kids to get a college education.

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Update:

Arizona has a state deed transfer tax of $2.00 per deed. That's it, so far. Is this correct?

Literacy centres helping families in Canada

London Free Press - Local News- Literacy centres helping families: "Ealing's family literacy centre is one of four in the Thames Valley District school board system. The centres held official openings yesterday to coincide with Family Literacy Day."

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Alltop - Top Literacy News: "All the top Literacy news."

Twitter / Mark Rauterkus: Pittsburgh Public Schools for Feb 2 starting = +120 mins

Twitter / Mark Rauterkus: Pittsburgh Public Schools ...: "Pittsburgh Public Schools will have a -- READ THIS EXACTLY -- two hour delay on MONDAY, Feb. 2, 2009. The AM after the Super Bowl = 120min"

Roosevelt rallies school district employees on in-service day

If it has taken more than three years to get together with the teachers, is it going to take 30 to get with the parents and taxpayers?

Roosevelt rallies school district employees on in-service day: "'I guess I'm apologizing that I haven't done it before,' Mr. Roosevelt said of the joint meeting.

Jeepers, what where you waiting for? And, why are you only going to 'guess' about apoligizing.

Do students get to guess on their tests in school?

Too bad the entire city wasn't invited to the event. I had pondered going in with my video camera. But, I've been tossed out of too many meetings in the past years to fuss with that.
Would be nice to see or hear the audio of the entire speech however. Anyone? P-G?

Getting together with people seems like a good 'people person activity' for -- say -- a people centric activity.

The district does not have the resource to make an academic revitalization -- unless it couples with the parents, residents, citizens, voters, taxpayers -- and the rest of the world.

Doing the Pittsburgh Promise, but excluding the rest of the world, is one way to make it fail.

Holding meetings with only teachers and not the rest of the city is another way to make it fail.

All the king's horses and all the king's men won't be able to put Humpty together again. However, it will take everyone's insight and help. And, he won't look just like he used to.

The brawn of courage is often displayed at the time of invitation. That's the brawn of recruitment. With enough leverage -- anything is possible.

Gambling in Pennsylvania has become a sitcom. Are you watching/

Good quote.

Felon's casino work to resume on court order - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "The board banned the company in December, citing Tomko's felony conviction, two weeks after the Tribune-Review reported he had one.

But Tomko's former lawyer, Pittsburgh Controller Michael Lamb, said he told the board's former executive director, Anne Neeb, about the conviction more than a year earlier.

'The gaming board knew of his conviction. It was disclosed from the beginning,' Lamb said.

Neeb and Mark Miller, the board's vendor certification section manager, 'encouraged the company to apply' for vendor certification despite the conviction, saying the rules on felonies aren't as strict for vendors as for casino owners and key employees, according to the Commonwealth Court's findings of fact.

After filing an application to become a gaming board-certified vendor in November 2007, in which Tomko disclosed his conviction, the company was allowed to start working at The Meadows. The board has not ruled on that application.

'Gaming in Pennsylvania is becoming a sitcom,' said Rep. Mike Vereb, R-Montgomery County, a member of the House Gambling Oversight Committee."

Active choice for City Council's Special Election

Active choice: Blotzer deserves a seat on City Council She parts company with Ms. Smith on the question of the city's fiscal overseers, and we share Ms. Blotzer's concern that removing the state constraints too soon could imperil attempts to keep reducing the city's extensive debt load."

Too soon!

Pittsburgh is under the thumb of TWO sets of OVERLORDS. They arrived with glee two mayors ago. The city council special election in a few days is for a seat which was filled twice since the OVERLORDS arrived as well.

The Post-Gazette might want the city to be under the thumb of OVERLORDS for a generation or more? When would it be prudent to show the OVERLORDS the door? I understand that Castro is in his first term in Cuba, but how long does oppression need to linger there and here?

Self government works for me -- and it should work for this city. I don't want my kids to grow up in a place where the citizens elect figureheads who don't really have any power. That's called a puppet government.

Those who want the OVERLORDS to stay are against self-determination. The Post-Gazette editorial board is in that camp -- and same too is a women who seeks to sustain the OVERLORDS presence, Georgia Blotzer.

That is un-American. That is anti-Pittsburgh. That is not the way to freedom and liberty and justice for all.

Pittsburgh needs to elect responsible people who are going to be prudent with the public funds and act is different ways from the ones who drove the city to its ruins. We have to build our city and our neighborhoods to withstand the selfishness and the hopelessness. We need to make hard decisions, ourselves, with our own interests and priorities in place.

The OVERLORDS have failed Pittsburgh. They have done nothing. They don't even meet. They are only here to insure that the big finance types do not get burned with a bankruptcy. I don't say we need to go bankrupt -- but -- we need to think again and use all of our creativity to craft solutions that work.

We need to fix Pittsburgh -- and I feel that those who want to hunker down under the umbrella of OVERLORDS are going to shrink Pittsburgh.

The active choice is to expel the OVERLORDS. That's what Theresa Smith wants, as do I. The active choice is about engagement, and that was the mission of the Parents Engagement Resource Centers (PERCs) of Pgh Public Schools. Theresa Smith ran one of the five PERCs in the city, until the new Superintendent, Mark Roosevelt, axed them. Mark Roosevelt wasn't interested in "engagement" nor "active parents" nor "self-determination."

I know that Theresa Smith knows about engagement. The proof is to understand the engine behind the victory of an election(s) of Dan Deasy.

Here is another point about words and the Post-Gazette's editors.

The special election has one candidate who is a Democrat, one who is a Republican and the others who are not Ds and not Rs -- but might be independent. Just to know, there are not third party candidates in this race: No Libertarian. No Green. No Socialist.

PG miss-reports: The abbreviated schedule has not prevented three Democrats from joining the race: Georgia Blotzer, 59, of Mount Washington is a retired special education teacher; Brendan Schubert, 25, of Westwood is a city zoning administrator;

Wrong. Blotzer and Schubert are not Democrats. Not now. Not in this race. Or, if they say they are, they lie. I don't know if they lie and miss-lead -- but I expect that the P-G did.

In a special election, the D party gets ONE SLOT. That slot was earned by Theresa Smith. The others are not Dems.

P-G reported, wrongly again: Ms. Smith has her party's nomination, conferred in a December vote by members of the Allegheny County Democratic Committee. Mr. Schubert also sought the party's backing, but Ms. Blotzer did not.

The December vote for the nomination for the special election was not by members of the Allegheny County Democratic Committee. Read the by-laws, editors. People in Scott Township, Plum Boro and Hazelwood did NOT vote for the endorsement. The Dems have a committee that lives in the district of the special election -- City Council District 2. That's much unlike what was reported.

Finally, P-G editors. Put the entire audio file of the endorsement meeting online. Don't only put up the 'highlights.' Why try to hide and trick the readers and voters?

Audio Remarks:

G. Blotzer explains she that she is running for public office on a just hatched idea that was recently given to her, with an initial cold reception of the candidate. She fails the "fire in the belly" test. She fails the planning and preparing test too. More than a year ago, people in the district knew that the State Rep was departing and Dan Deasy was seeking that post, hence that there would be an opening in city council.

The other worry for me is that she wants to be in there to 'legislate.' She hints, again, to the points I've made about over-reaching. Really get in there and legislate. She'll be quick to float folly -- and more of that is what is NOT necessary.

Brenden, 25, is a young 3rd base coach. Meanwhile, Theresa Smith is a league organizer and founder. He has experiences in city planning -- and that department is one of the worst in this city.

Frankly, I don't want to put my health into the hands of a doctor who has suffered from cancer -- and died -- just because he knows the ropes if things take a turn for the worst. Some say the city's planning office shouldn't even exist. Some have taken its steering wheel (Pat Ford) and driven that department within the URA and hit some might big speed bumps. Planning should happen at the county level -- some champion. Planning prevents piss-poor performance. But, Pittsburgh has the later due to bad planning and a cancer-choked planning department. I'd much rather see another from Public Works get elected to council than folks from the planning department.

Brenden might be an angel that emerged from hell. To be sure, he has been around the bases more than just his time in city planning -- but -- not much more.

Chris Metz is also in the race due to recruitment efforts of others. Serving on council may or may not be a passion of his. Politics must be, but holding a local elected office is suspect.

Some recent swim races from the Pgh Public Schools Middle School Championships

200 free. Erik wins!



50 Free. Erik wins!



More to come. Edits happening now.

I.B. High should have a 13th year component. New Prep School options for PPS could do wonders.

A 2008 Schenley grad is now in North Carolina in prep school. (Deandre Kane, Schenley 08, Patterson School in 08-09). He plays basketball. He wants to get a full-scholarship. He wanted to do better in the classroom and in the sports arena. He is taking 13th grade.

Many of the kids who go to West Point and the other military academies also go to a prep school.

The new I.B. High (whatever its name) could provide a 'prep school experience' -- as in 13th grade -- for all the kids who graduate in good standing from any Pittsburgh Public School.

This 13th grade option would help with students who want to get the full IB Diploma, but need more than 2 years to do the work, pass the tests, etc.

The 13th grade option could be for kids who graduate from Westinghouse, Langley, Carrick, Perry, etc, -- who do not want to go straight into college. Perhaps, they didn't get the college of their choice. Rather, these students can take I.B. classes at IB High, save money, yet still get college credit (often) and mature in their book strength and test scores.

The leader of the Pgh Foundation, (Grant O) spoke at a public meeting last year (to Wireless Neighborhoods Annual Meeting) and he said that only 20% of the kids who graduate from college in PPS are able to graduate from college. The greater majority of the few that we do send to college don't succeed there.

I.B. High could strengthen its numbers by offering 13th grade. Kids from suburban schools might choose to go here too. Tuition can be charged to those outside the district, of course.

The PREP experience is NOT like CCAC. Kids who go to CCAC begin the four-year eligibility clock in terms of NCAA sports participation. So, CCAC as a viable option is a problem for a kid who is working to get a sports scholarship. With CCAC classes, those students won't get the sport-scholarship aid nor even be recruited.

The 13th year option would have a wonderful impact with the FOUNDATION COMMUNITY and the Pittsburgh Promise. (It should, in my not so humble opinion.) It is not prudent to send kids to college and have them rack up costly tuition bills only flunk out. That would drain the hope and the limited funds associated with the Pittsburgh Promise. It would be better to pay for the Pittsburgh Public Schools to handle the delivery of 13th grade for some who really want to work at the rigor of the I.B. classes and exams -- and then go to college the following year. Pittsburgh Promise funds could be invested into Pgh Public Schools for this 13th year option as a prep year before college.

We should investigate and discuss and perhaps INSIST that the new I.B.School have a 13th year program.

For the sake of clarity, do not confuse U-Prep with a Prep Year. Pittsburgh Public Schools is opening a University Prep School in The Hill District. It will be a 6-12 school. It has nothing to do with this concept of a prep year at the I.B. High.