It's Time For Ravenstahl To Lead: Step Down, Save Your Family

Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, it's time to do the right thing. For your son. Be a hero in the young boy's life. Cement your legacy and his future now.

For Cooper's sake, step down from the city's top post immediately and focus your attentions on family matters.

It's almost always sad when a family is destroyed—no matter what ideas special interest groups might twist to fit their agenda—a child is vastly better off with a two biological parent home. This is your chance to assure that your son has not only a normal life, but an exemplary one.

Staying Mayor one day longer is self-indulgent, and wrong.

Clearly, your wife Erin is a strong, intelligent, compassionate women who—more than anyone else—assured your victory for a four-year term on November 3. Had she portrayed “the woman scorned,” Dok Harris might be salivating about his corner office on the 5th floor of the City Council building downtown. Instead, she was the dutiful best friend who assisted you in claiming your dream. It never was hers. This is assured.

Let's call a spade a spade. You are the luckiest politician this city has seen since Sophie Masloff. Had it not been for the tragic, untimely death of Bob O'Connor, you'd still be a member of city council, representing the North Side. Spouses of city councilors are anonymous (it would take significant searching to see who is married and who is single, let alone correctly name spouses), so Erin could have happily continued in her role as a neighborhood hair dresser, and now mother.

Let's step back even further. Had it not been for your well-heeled parent(s), you'd be working some non-nondescript downtown job for a third of your taxpayer salary and a thousandth of the perks. If it hadn't been for your parents, you wouldn't enjoy the pampering, there'd be no tailgate parties with military-grade SUVs and certainly no swanky trips to New York City. Their combined vested interest guided you to be the man you are today.

You won your brand-new four-year term because the symbol for Incumbent was next to your name on the ballot (and the love of your wife). In city-wide races, if you have Incumbent and Democrat next to your name, that's the equivalent of being named Pope. You only leave office on your own terms; the rubber-stamp Democratic machine never wavers. It has no conscious and the machine doesn't think. You can.

This is your opportunity to be a true leader, an exemplary father, and perhaps even a standout husband.

Your value as Boy Mayor is negligible. The city all but runs itself until a mayor frequently adds or increases taxes. People grumble, call the Mayor “brainless,” and watch businesses and neighbors alike leave. It's a thankless job, except for the perks. As a jet-setting bachelor, you'd be free to attend even more galas, balls and sports events, most on the city's dime. It isn't real.

What about Cooper?

Money and faux prestige might be lavished upon him, but there will absolutely, certainly be times in which the Mayor will be away on business and the young lad will just be pining for Dad.

Don't chose the job of Mayor over your son.

Step down today.

Instantly, top corporations in town would be bidding on your services. Continue with marriage counseling and become an advocate for Family. You will become a folk hero in a town that adores folk heroes.

You've been a placeholder Mayor. There's no evidence that you will be anything but a passable office holder. Chances are you won't be a game-breakingly horrific leader like Tom Murphy, but if your proposed college-student levy is any indication as to your effectiveness as a Mayor, the statue of Richard Caliguiri won't be razed anytime soon for your granite likeness.

Instead, become an excellent father.

This separation reeks of self-importance and selfishness. You won't be County Executive and you'll never be Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Let's get those crazy notions off the table right now.

It's been reported that you nearly quit politics over this family crisis.
You should have.

You've been compromised. Your duty is with your family. Your sacrifice is to give up this job of status for your son. Get out of the spotlight and take care of your family. Don't sever your Christian marriage and abandon your wife. Take care of your son.

The good thing is, you are very young. You can come back into politics when you are prepared to make a difference. That is obviously not now.

If you stay one more minute, you are doing a grave disservice to this city, a city that deserves better. You deserve better. Your wife and son deserve better.
Lead. Do you have it in you? Do you have the faith, the courage, the strength?
Pittsburgh loves a winner. Be a winner. Go out a winner now.

Schenley Spartans -- ripping up the sports world and beyond

Wow. We were most impressed with a Caberet performance in the school on Friday night as the football team was beating the Chucks.

We had our first swim practice, and the team looks solid. I'd love to get a few more meets with WPIAL schools for Pittsburgh Schenley. We've got more than 15 boys and 20 girls on the squad.

Think about the I.B. Program for your kids.

Ex-Students perspective:





Parents perspective:





More at http://Rauterkus.blip.tv.

On the road again. Being thankful!

Going no mail for a while.

I won't be asking for money via the UK, even if I get mugged, as per the hacker that got my Facebook account a few months ago.

Details in comments.

No swimming team at Oliver, Peabody nor Westinghouse in 2009-10

I've come to understand that there is not going to be swim teams at Oliver High School, Peabody High School, nor Westinghouse High School this winter. Langley might need a coach as well for the season. So their season is on the rocks, perhaps.

Gates Foundation awards $40 million to city schools

Gates Foundation awards $40 million to city schools: "'For us, it's the perfect partnership at the perfect time,' ...

As to the perfect time, well, there is no time like the present. Sadly, I've seen a lot of thing delayed because the timing is on the back burner. The overhaul of sports is pending -- delayed -- put off into the future because the Title IX audit is not done yet. But the audit was simply a ploy to delay. And the board allowed for an even longer time for it to be completed -- still not done.

Larger issues loom larger too. No sense in making investments into any 'drop out factory' now because we'll get to high school reform in the future. Rightsizing is just for the elementary school levels now -- except for Schenley and prior to that South Vo Tech. Let some others seemingly die of the vine, (Peabody, Oliver).

The kids don't wait well. We can't keep them as they are. They grow up fast. Delays of a year or three are tough if not impossible. Every day the schools are expected to serve them -- and it is impossible to do so when there are periods of sarvation.

On one hand, the changes are too fast. On the other hand, the changes are too slow. Here is the thing with Pittsburgh. To often, changes for the good, for the benefit of the kds, are on hold. They can't be considered now. They are something to think about in a couple of months. The meeting about those changes are on the back burner. Too much is on the back burner. Too much effort is spent to insure in-action on easy to fix elements until a sweeping reform can be hatched with consultant studies and outsiders to the rescue.

Fix it, internally, now, with the help of those on deck now. That's how I feel about the timing of a perfect partnership.

We should decide and then do it -- And get out of the way already.

Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.

Gates Refresher

From the past. Now newsworthy because the news is out.

Updated:

I was able to attend the community meeting hosted by Pittsburgh Public Schools this past week at Perry Traditional High School. Called, Excellence for All. Mark Roosevelt, superintendent, spoke about the new push for teacher effectiveness and the as yet un-official Gates Foundation Grant.

At the outset of the meeting, I had a brief moment with Mr. Roosevelt and told him congratulations on his new contract.

After the meeting, I sent along an email to Mr. Roosevelt and Mark Conner, Parent Engagment Coordinator. Stay tuned / scroll down.

Some of the points in the presentation make great conversation starters. I'll try to comment and wedge some of my opinions and obserations into the text of the blog.

Before the video camera ran, a testimonial from a recent PPS Graduate now getting Pittsburgh Promise scholarship money as he attends Penn State Allegheny (McKeesport) for engineering was shown. That first person account was from a recent meeting at Perry hosted by the head of the Pittsburgh Promise. The district has been hosting Pittsburgh Promise outreach meetings at all of the schools. Interesting. Those meetings are part of the PPS monthly calendars -- see the web site, http://www.PghBOE.Net.

Slides:

Pps Effective Teaching Presentation Final

View more presentations from Rauterkus.

Part 1 via YouTube:



Part 1 via Viddler: (Exact same file as above, just different server.)



Part 2 via YouTube:



Part 2 via Viddler:


Part 3 via YouTube:


Part 3 via Viddler:



Part 4, via YouTube:


Part 4, via Viddler:

---

Thanks for the grub and a few comments from last night

Hi Mr. Roosevelt and Mr. Conner,

Thanks for the food and presentation last night at Perry. Sorry I had to leave the meeting as questions began. I had to get my son at the JCC after his swim practice. I'll get to and post the video today.

QUESTION: Is that "Cold Play" video on the web? It should be on YouTube.

QUESTION: Is that interview about the Promise Testimonial from the Oliver HS grad now at PSU Allegheny on the web? That should be on YouTube too.

The student in the video fell between the cracks in 9th grade (booted from Schenley) and 10th (at Oliver). If you do put the video onto the web, make sure all who watch understand that the standards for the Pgh Promise have been made more difficult. The 9th and 10th graders of today (and the future) can't slack off and still be 'promise ready.' That has been stressed to the kids at our school -- but it is a very important change and update that impacts the on-going telling of that testimonial for the sake of clarity going forward. So, I'd suggest an extra footnote on that video as it goes out to YouTube.

My reaction for discussion concerning that student as to why/how he was able to slip so much in 9th and 10th grade goes to his 'afterschool sports.'

Was he an athlete? What sports did he play? He would have been NOT ELIGIBLE, perhaps, due to grades. And, a sports coach (as I know them to be in healthy situations) COULD HAVE and SHOULD HAVE been on his back and able to monitor / coach / develop that student so as to keep him / get him back to the straight and narrow (Pgh Promise Pathway).

I'll bet he wasn't an athlete with one or more coaches who were hawks that were looking out for that kid's total student life.

The effort to make 'clusters' of adults in the school to monitor the kids -- home room teachers, guidance, etc -- is what great coaches do all the time.

More than 75% of the boys and aprox 55% of the girls should be in scholastic sports. The national numbers are not being reached in Pittsburgh. And, our coaches are fumbling, by and large.

Plus, that's a story that gets repeated in all urban districts. For example, Philly wasn't a part of the PIAA. Pittsburgh isn't a part of the WPIAL.

Pittsburgh does not have a massive cadre of caring adults watching out for a sizable majority of our middle school and younger high school aged students as our sports landscape in our schools in Pittsburgh stinks.

The push to master teachers (rock stars even), mentoring, monitoring and performance standards are nothing new to me -- as this is what we do all the time in swimming and sports.

The platform, goals and increased expectations you are embracing are splendid. I am in full support of that. But I fear that the sports / coaching support is missing, still, in the PPS execution. It is like a 3-leg stool with teachers + principals/administrators + COACHES / SPORTS / AFTERSCHOOL. You are getting there with the principals and data and now the teacher elements. Great. That's 2 of the 3 legs that are getting attention and fortified. But the easiest element and the
one that will have massive returns is still getting ignored.

Furthermore, what I talk of is getting worse with all the school mergers.

I'd be most happy to talk about this with you or others.

SUGGESTION: Go to Eddie Wilson (PPS) and ask to peek at the 4 different binders I delivered to him in early October: That round of the RFP imploded, I guess, due to a stimulus funds snafu. Nonetheless, those binders make a work packet and hit upon vision / benefits. They are packed with opportunities and potential to get our kids
performing. Check em out. (Swim & Water Polo Camp, Lifeguard Camp, Olympic Sports Camp, Sport Manager and Entrepreneur Camp). That's a first step. There is plenty to do for this leg of student support, and it needs to start with the superintendent.

Keep up the good work in those other areas. My request: The sports efforts should begin now too. And, frankly, Gates can get the credit. But for a fraction of the costs and a much smaller investment of time at the Board Levels -- an overhaul of sports would make a much bigger impact for our students. I'd love to make it so and prove it to you.

--
Ta.

Reply from Mark Roosevelt to me

Mark - I agree with you about sports and much that you say below. I will
make more of an effort to push this forward in the coming weeks.
Cheers, Mark

---

GREAT QUESTION: What is the status on the Title IX report on sports? Is it out?
Have you seen it? Is it worthy of a discussion?

I don't think it is out yet. I'm putting in a call now to ex-PPS Board Member, Heather A.

What percent of our kids (boys / girls) are in scholastic sports in Pittsburgh High Schools?

PPS does not have that number, so I hear from the Athletic Director of PPS.

I think it makes sense to do an overhaul of sports in Pittsburgh while that Gates Foundation Grant is about to roll out. The coaching and teaching parts can overlap a great deal. We need to spotlight our city's mentor coaches. We need to have a coaching center of excellence, and so on. Most of all, sports participation can help to keep the kids on the straight-and-narrow through high school. So sports coaches can address a chunk of the mentoring and overall evaluation of the kids so as to insure that they are 'Promise Ready.' I'd much rather have sports coaches play a bigger role in the lives of the kids than home room teachers and security guards. The coaching staffs can be that year-in-and-year-out glue to the kids. But, we'll need coaches to be invited to the table and be more robust with greater numbers of kids.

Advocate style: I'm trying to connect the dots -- for the benefit of the kids and athletics. Ride the wave, so to speak.

> 4. We are currently reviewing the Athletic Program however, the Gates money is not earmarked for anything related to Athletics at this time.

I understand that the Gates money isn't for athletics. But, some of the efforts of the work at the board / administration could dove tail into athletics as it is going into the realm of teaching and CARE for the students.

-- We need to show the ability of teachers (and coaches) to move students to more advanced levels.

-- The whole issue of TENURE with coaches needs to be dealt with.

-- And, this plan creates the opportunity for highly effective teachers -- as it should also go to highly effective coaches.

-- Coaches can move the students to high levels. Are the athletes the ones in the district that are doing better than the non-athletes? (Duhh. What about data there! They are going to follow kids according to teachers they had in 9-12th grade. What about coaches too? What about college performance in sports too? Would they be shocked to learn that certain sports players in certain sports teams with certain coaches are GENERALLY far more accomplished in college success because of their fitness and discipline and X-FACTOR with being an accomplished athlete / exposed to accomplished coaching.)

-- And, coaches need to be included with the cadre of school professionals as each student is evaluated to be on the pathway to the promise.

-- Mentoring is a new push with PPS -- and we need to hook the mentors with athletics / middle school sports too.

The Gates Foundation money as well as the mindset now being embraced by PPS Board / Administrators because of the new goals -- SHOULD have a tie in with Athletics.

-- They are talking about WIDER recruitment of teachers -- highly effective teachers. New teachers we hire need to be spot on 80% of the time. We need new teachers hired into the district who are excellent teachers. And, hiring non-traditional teachers is now a possibility too. So, a great coach could be -- to use Mark Roosevelt's term -- a ROCK STAR coach and TEACHER. Let's use that wider net of the recruitment of teachers to also include the recruitment of coaches. Then these folks can get to the new teacher academy to sharpen up the academic skills that already have been proven in the coaching ranks.

Frankly, I'd love to see half of the new teachers within PPS being accomplished coaches before hired by PPS. Then they'd get the support of the intern year.

Furthermore, the others who are in the teacher academy need to be given coaching expertise too -- so that when they are placed in new school settings, they are able to coach sports teams there.

I'll talk with John Tarka next.

No need to reply. Perhaps I'll see you at a soccer or football game or volleyball championships in the next week or so.

Ta.

Sci Tech Comets, or else George Romaro High School Zombies -- you decide!

This fall saw the opening of a brand new school within the city, presently called, "Pittsburgh 6-12 Science and Technology Academy." Its short name is "Sci Tech." Presently, the program has kids in grades 9, 8, 7 and 6. Next year the 9th graders advance and the school grows. The location of the school is in Oakland at the school formerly called "Frick." Frick was the International Studies Middle School, grades 6, 7 and 8. Frick's program has been re-located with its principal to Reizenstein and merged of sorts with what remains of Schneley and it is the new I.B. High (name also pending) for grades 6 to 12.

Sci Tech in Oakland needs a new name. Now that the kids are in the building, the kids have a say. But, the Pgh Public School Board has to name the school, officially. There is a board policy that the schools can't be named after programs. This board policy was put into practice after the naming of CAPA (Creative and Performing Arts) High School, now 6-12 too. CAPA was to be the last theme named school, so the board said.

The board wants to name the Sci Tech School after someone, such as Salk, or Frick, or some other famous geek now gone from this world.

The students have talked and considered all the front runners. They all get a big thumbs down. Again and again, the consensus is to name the school what they signed up for -- its existing name, Sci Tech. The kids and community want the school's official name to be Pittsburgh 6-12 Science and Technology Academy. Simple. Straightforward. Shortened to Sci Tech.

Now the challenge is to convince the Pgh Public Schools board of nine members, all elected except one, to choose the recommendation from the kids and overcome their own policy.

Of further interest is the mascot. I wanted for some time the sports teams to embrace the nickname of "Zombies." Zombies have a rich tradition in Pittsburgh. Perhaps George Romaro could be used even as the patron saint of the school. Can you hear it in the deep voice, the booming Zombie Nation song in the background, the public address announcer saying, "Now introducing the Zombies starting line up of the Pittsburgh George Romaro High, ... at 5-foot-ten, starting point guard, ..."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_A._Romero

Romero did attend CMU in Pittsburgh.

But there is more. The kids have picked a school mascot already. It isn't the Zombies, sadly. The nickname is "Comet" -- and Comet is the name of a digital dog.

Bram could get guest bloggers to offer up Comet treats.

Where do you stand? Should we stuff the Zombies down their throats, or else give the kids what they want, Sci Tech and the loyal dog friend, Comet?

I'm on the side of the slow, hard to kill, better with face paint, Zombies. Perhaps George Romero could either endow the school or else use it as the backdrop for a scene in the next flick.

IB High

I'm a big fan of this school -- still without a name, still alive in the wake of Schenley High School's phase out. It has been called I.B. High, I.B. World, Frickenstein, Scheleystein, Pittsburgh I.B. 6-10 plus Pittsburgh Schenley 11-12, and a few others as well. Regardless of what you call it, it is moving to become a boutique high school, grades 6-12, with a focus on I.B. through and throughh.

I like to say that I.B. is a different brand than A.P. Some say in AP they teach you the facts and expect you to tell them back on tests. Meanwhile, in I.B., there is more critical thinking. Tell them what you know to be true and why you know it is true.

A few weeks ago, on October 26, 2009, this presentation unfolded. Some of the content can be lifted into some highlights. But, there is some post production to do yet.

Speakers' line up includes (not in order in these videos, however):

Joseph Ehman, teacher
Deborah Eutsler, teacher
Oscar Huber, teacher & IBDP Coordinator
Walter Moser, teacher
Wendi Obritz, teacher
Karen Price, teacher
Randy Smookler, teacher
Emily Wilson, teacher
Marta Wilkin, librarian,
Pamela Barentine, parent
Dr. Leslie Thyberg, parent
Judith Leonardi, parent
Erin Rossiter, alumnus
Lidija Barbaric, alumnus
John T, parent.




IB slide show:

Water polo game on Wednesday at 6 pm warm-up, 6:30 game

Some water polo players from North Allegheny are going to visit the city and play a game / scrimmage at Reizenstein / Schenley / I.B. 6-10 at 6:30 pm on Wednesday.

You are invited.

Bring you suit even. We might need some subs.

Yesterday we had a great practice. Played a full scrimmage, co-ed, with each team with 3 subs. Great fun.

Keep up to date with the actions on Facebook by searching for Pittsburgh Schenley Water Polo. http://www.facebook.com/#/group.php?v=wall&ref=mf&gid=128799118436 We'd love to have you as a friend there.

My statement before the board and administration at Pittsburgh Public Schools tonight -- "bringing it."

Updated:

I spoke in public comment period on November 16, 2009, to the Pittsburgh Public Schools board and administration. After, a friend said, "Mark, you were bringing it tonight."

I did raise some good points.

Nutshell: Luke Ravenstahl, mayor, should be removed from the board of the Pittsburgh Promise due to his budget that calls for a tax on college tuition. The tax is crazy and goes the wrong way.

- - -

First, to Randall Taylor, outgoing board member, thanks for your years of service. May your retirement be sweet. And to the new board member, Doctor, it is my wish that you'll have half the stamina showed by of Mr. Taylor for all the heavy lifting he has done to raise issues. Welcome.

As a recap of some of the points I heard tonight from other speakers, I'd like to see the board bend to the will of the students at Sci Tech who want their school's name to be Sci-Tech. To do that, you'd have to break a board policy that prohibits the school name to be that of a concept or theme. CAPA, the Creative and Performing Arts school name was to be the last along those lines, as per new board policy on naming schools. Give the kids the ownership in their school so as to keep the name that was started there.

I'd rather see the Sci Tech School use the mascot of Zombies, but whatever.

At the I.B. School, they'll have their naming conference soon. They too face the same board stipulations. But, I think that Pittsburgh's Roberto Clemente 6-12 High School works well. There they can be known as the Clemente Olympians.

Ken spoke earlier tonight about the merging of sports in the city with the others in the WPIAL. I love that idea and have championed it in the past as well. We need an overhaul of sports, athletics and music -- and all things afterschool in Pittsburgh. Getting our teams to compete with the suburban teams would do wonders for our opportunities and programs.

Another speaker, Maryellen spoke about music, and while I agree with the need for music opportunities, it isn't about funding either sports OR music. They both are in the same realm of afterschool, mostly. They both need attention. They both offer opportunities for growth and community building. They both allow our students to be smarter, more connected, more engaged in their schools and successful into the future.

My points for the statement tonight go to looping. Mark Roosevelt spoke at a recent Excellence for All parent meeting and talked about how teacher empowerment is expected to occur in the near future with the arrival of some new funding and energy via the Gates Foundation. Looping moves teachers from 9th grade to 10th grade classes, and so on as the students progress year by year. Then the teachers follow the students in their schedules.

I'm not so sure that is a wise move -- but rather, the looping should occur with the sports coaches and the band directors and the health / PE teachers and home-room teachers and with guidance councilors and others who are support staff. If we had more empowered coaches and band leaders, we'd have less of a need for the looping of the core academic teachers within the schools.

The students do need care, year-to-year and week-to-week and day-to-day. Adults should follow and watch out for the kids as they grow. Some kids check out, if you let them, and might soon drop out, sadly. These are some of the things that great coaches do all the time. They monitor. They mentor. They encourage. They challenge. They motivate.

Let's invest in the kids. But, let's do it the right ways. Let's take better advantage of outside adults who can better motivate some kids by pulling the adults into the framework of schools.

Plan for city schools could shuffle students again

Sigh.

Plan for city schools could shuffle students again The school board does not plan an immediate vote on the proposal, which DeJong based on enrollment projections and the maintenance needs of about 80 district buildings.

News flash. Few sign up in advance of meeting to speak of outrage about school closing -- so it seems from Joe Smydo. Meanwhile, there isn't a plan from the PPS about closing schools -- yet. The plan that was delivered a couple of weeks ago is from the consultants. The consultants don't close schools. The consultants talk about buildings, bricks, mortar.

Some serious flaws in the consultants plan make the lack of outrage understandable. There isn't news about who is signed up to speak anyway. A bigger non-news story has never been published.

I do have some things to say about our schools to our board, perhaps.

Where in the heck is the Title IX report from the consultant?

Invite: Film, "For Liberty" in Dormont on Monday

Getting the word out. The "For Liberty" Documentary is going to be at the Hollywood Theater in Dormont on Monday, 11/16 @ 7 pm.

"For Liberty...follows this [Ron Paul's] historic campaign from the perspective of grassroots activists, and showcases the unique, often bizarre, yet groundbreaking projects they undertook as they brushed aside traditional campaign methodology."

Here is a link to the event poster with full information: http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/3394/forlibertyfaded4

New Word created: Upside to the new trail on Mon Warph'n@

Upside to the new trail on Mon Warph'n@ is the POLAR Bear Swim on Jan 1. Hope they fixed that up. Ice, cement, slime, water, cold.

From Mark Rauterkus & Running Mates ponder current events

Sadly, the new Mon Wharf bike trail goes only along the stretch of the parking lot. Bikers can't get there from the east nor from the west. Costly bike path extensions are needed at both ends of the wharf.

At least we'll be able to use the Mon Wharph N@ on New Years Day. Be there!

Wanted: A replacement for Don Walko

Here is the call.

Because of Don Walko's election to the bench, he'll be departing the role in the Pennsylvania State House. Hence, there is an opening and a couple campaigns to come.

The first campaign brings the race for the various party nominations. Then the next step is the move to get votes from the citizens in the district.

A special election is expected. Special elections are held to fill the open seat for the remainder of the term. Special are without the ordinary primary vote in the spring and general election in the fall. Special elections can be held on their own day so that the polls open just for the voters of that district, such as in Feburary or March 2010. Or, the special election might be delayed until the primary election day. The winner of the special electino would get to be the state rep for six months or so. Next year, 2010, bring regular elections for all the PA State Reps as well. So, regardless of the special election, in the spring primary, there will be a campaign opportunity for that seat among the old party candidates (Ds and Rs).

If a candidate wants to run in the special election, have the frame of mind to run for the general election as well.

This is the time to do the search for candidates.

Libertarians wanted.

We'd rather have a "paper candidate" than no candidate at all. But in the best case, we'd get a candidate that worked throughout the campagns and shared his or her values of liberty, while building a crew of like minded helpers.

Consider it for yourself.

Consider it for others and twist the arm of those who would make great state reps to run. Tell them that you'll help.

Consider hosting an event that brings together the community with either one or multiple candidates so that the ideas and discussion can unfold.

Consider blabbing about candidates, campaigns, and issues in this and other blogs. So, tell me, who is running? Who should run and be recruited?

Tuesday's big meetings about schools

Dr. Linda Lane, Deputy Superintendent of Pittsburgh Public Schools, is hosting a meeting “Best Practices for Homework Support in After School Programs” on Tuesday, November 10th from 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. at the Board of Education Building, 341 S. Bellefield Avenue, in Conference Room A (enter the building on Bellefield Avenue). In order for PPS to achieve its goal of being the first urban district to educate the vast majority of its students for post-secondary education, it’s critical that students do their homework so that they learn how to work independently. This meeting is a first step in developing a meaningful way for PPS to support after school programs that provide homework help. Please RSVP to hodonnell1@pghboe.net or 412-622-3926.

The other meeting is about school choice hosted by BGC.

Women earn 21% less than men in Pa.

Women earn 21% less than men in Pa.

This is bad news for men and children too.

Students Paying The Copyright Tax

Speaking of taxing students...

My A.T. Still University Experience : Students Paying The Copyright Tax: "Copyright, put simply, is a personal monopoly on an original writing, song, piece of art, or a group of any of those, for 70 years after the death of the creator. If a corporation is the creator, the copyright monopoly lasts for 95 years.” — Public Knowledge

Did you know, long suffering U.S. taxpayer, that you pay twice for federally funded research?

The first time is when you pay taxes. The federal government uses that money to fund various agencies such as the National Institutes for Health, the National Science Foundation, and others. These agencies then have a vast array of grant programs which then go to all sorts of recipients, including universities and specific academic researchers. If you want a sense of how much of your cash is flowing through this federal subsidy for higher education, you can check out Grants.gov, which was helpfully set up to make it easier for universities and others to apply for your money.

Mayor said he wanted to hear from those with better ideas and real solutions -- so I sent him this email

Hi Mayor,

In the budget address you said you'd want to hear from people with solutions and you'd work with them. Well, I've got it solved for you.

The land value tax is much more fair than the tax on the college students.

We need to start by selling parking garages, not leasing them. You want a one time fix. So a lease is not that. Leases, by design, comes up again later in the future.

Next, sell the stadiums, sell the convention center, sell the civic arena and even sell the new Consol building. Get out of the business of building for some and not for others.

Next, enact a land expansion moratorium on all nonprofit land grabs. And, then we'll ask them to shrink by 5% over 5 years and 10% over 7.

Next, we'll get into a land value tax solution, again, for the city. This will spike development in vacant land, especially in downtown and other areas where there should be density in our urban fabric. The land tax is easy to administer -- and it is the most fair of all.

A land tax rewards those in neighborhoods that fix up their properties. If you invest in your home -- you should not see your taxes go up. That is a penalty that the city does -- and it is all wrong. Rather, we should charge those that let the property decay -- but we do the opposite. if your house is falling, you get a tax break. The city is rewarding the exact opposite of what it desires.

Let's set up an appointment so we can talk in person next week. And, we'll talk too about summer in the city with parks and how to grow our city with families and care of our kids.

Roundball is making a renaissance in area - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Roundball is making a renaissance in area - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Jazzing it up, summer school style

Jazzing it up, summer school style: "Jazzing it up, summer school style
Pittsburgh Public Schools hopes to attract more middle-schoolers to its program
Sunday, November 08, 2009
By Joe Smydo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette"

Nice recap in the article.

The deadline for community groups to apply for the afternoon partnering opportunity is this Friday. I'm climbing in my cave to knock off the applications again this week, I hope.

There had already been a RFP (Request For Proposals) from PPS (Pittsburgh Public Schools) with an early October deadline. I call that round one. All of that work ended up to be a meaningless expercise thanks to changes in the Pennsylvania budget. Ouch. The entire RFP was retracted. Sixty two proposals came from community groups then. Now the terms from the PPS have changed in significant ways.

Not only is there a lack of money for field trips, the time of the camp in the afternoon periods was cut by one third. Rather than three hours followed by a full hour for lunch, the afternoon session is with a 45-minute lunch time block and a two hour period. Plus, the budget matters now -- not a sky's the limit approach. The district says it won't allow for any camp to exceed a cost of more than $650 per student. So, the upper limit of $650 covers two hours per day for five weeks for a total of 25 sessions. This investment limit from the school district comes to $13 per hour per kid for total costs incurred by the community partner.

The biggest sticking point for community partners is the hiring of staffers.

A number of hurldles exist for the overall program. I'm not sure the kids are going to attend the camp. Attendance is going to be a huge factor. From July 12 to August 13, most are not conditioned to attend school from 8:30 or so to 3 pm. Sure, they'll get a free lunch and some neat play time each afternoon, but it is still school.

My first round camp applications, mentioned slightly in the past on this blog are posted online. Read about the Olympic Sports Camp, the Junior Lifeguard Camp, the Swim and Water Polo Camp and the Sport Manager and Entrepreneur Camp at the A For Athlete wiki.

There are significant changes to what I'm going to put in for funding now from my end. Gone in full are the Junior Lifeguard Camp and the Sports Manager and Entrepreneur Camp. The kids can't take field trips with the new budget and the two hour day kills them anyway. We wanted to take the kids to Sandcastle for a week of instruction there followed by a week at the Allegheny County Parks pools (Boyce, Settlers, North, South). Can't get there. And, if we did, 120 minutes isn't going to cut it. The Sports Manager field trips were every Tuesday and Thursday to various sports businesses (Pitt, Steelers, Pirates, Penguins, golf course, etc.). We were going to learn about their customer experiences, transactions and even how the coaches take and use stats.

With the Olympic Sports Camp, we'll have to do everything on a school site now. So, golfing at a golf course is out of the question. And, biking at the Washington Road oval is going to be difficult unless we get there either on bikes or magic carpets. We can't really buy new bikes so I'm in the market for 30 or 35 magic carpets, used or new. Plus, helmets, bikes and water bottles would be nice too. Those are big hits to the overall quality of the offering to the students.

Since there are two pots of money, and one source is more definite while the other is not, I'm going to need to make a application for the Title I Literacy Camp option. Stay tuned for Olympicpedia Camp. I started a two hour, drop in, summertime, day-camp in 2008 called Olympicpedia. So, this is familiar ground for me but now there is a bunch of red tape from PPS. Before, I just contracted with the private provider with the computer lab space.

If you want to help, leave me a message in the comments area. Mostly, I've got to re-tool the older grant applications and dream up the Olympicpedia educational rubic justifications. I am turning to Wiki Educator for some assistance.

Back to the drawing board. Deadlines loom large.