Weekend Read March 5 Edition
Today is probably a good day to start cleaning up your yard. Certainly *I* should do that, but there is other stuff going on too, like a panel discussion on the potential for a City of Wilmington School District (from 9AM til noon at the Carvel State Office Building Auditorium), the spring Household Hazardous Waste event (at Frawley Stadium) and the Delaware Home Show at the Chase Center. Here is some weekend reading in case you decide to just stay in:
- How the Rich Soaked the Rest of Us
- You Have More Money in Your Wallet than Bank of America Paid in Taxes
- Why Isn’t Wall Street in Jail? (by the always interesting Matt Taibbi)
Tell us what you think or what you are reading online this weekend.
I really wanted to attend the meeting on the City of Wilmington School District, but forgot about it due to other events.
I have always thought this was a bad idea, mainly because Wilmington doesn’t have the tax base to support a district. I realize that everyone outside the city will suddenly discover a burning desire to send their tax dollars into this venture, but I’d lay money on the fact that after several years the most popular campaign speeches will be the ones saying, “Why are we sending our tax dollars out of our communities? Our tax dollars should support our schools.”
Also, I have no trouble envisioning the cast of characters who would be put in charge of running it – and while everyone may have the best of intentions, I shudder when I think of the fiefdom created.
What I can’t envision is educational success. Whenever this has been discussed in the past I have found it easy to break down supporters of a city district into two groups. Group 1 consists of people who will benefit financially and gain power through running the district, while group two is comprised of people who don’t reside in the city and insist on telling (selling?) me on how super-duper great this would be for me – when what they’re really trying to accomplish is to remove those kids from their schools.
I’ve attended meetings in the past, and the one plan that I liked was the river-to-river plan – mainly because it moved my neighborhood out of Red Clay and into Brandywine. Call me selfish, but I like a district that doesn’t write off some of its schools; that strives to maintain balance and diversity and opportunity for all its students.
I couldn’t get there, either, P. But I can’t envision much success with this plan, either. As you note, the tax base isn’t there and I can’t imagine who will be coming up with the startup costs of one more school district. I’ve been an advocate of reducing the number of school districts, not increasing them.
It does interest me that they are putting so much effort into discussion of a separate school district. It seems to me that you’d want to spend some effort in getting folks behind an effort to make the current Districts more responsive to the city’s needs. Jumping right into a separate effort makes me think that we are witnessing the creation of one more group of folks lining up for taxpayer dollars without a clue as to how to educate kids (think the Moyer Academy).
There is no doubt in my mind that city kids are underserved, but also no doubt in my mind that doing better by these kids isn’t exactly on the agenda.
Please no City of Wilmington school district. This state already has way too many school districts (Do Delmar, Woodbridge, and Seaford need their own school district?) and unnecessarily high overhead/administrative costs as a result of this.
Libertarian my ass.
(…but I agree about Delmar, Woodbridge and Seaford. Also merge Lake Forest and Milford, Cape and IR, and Capital, CR)
I’d rather see redistricting of current school districts. Brandywine is losing population, while below the canal the overgrowth. And use natural boundaries….Appo. should include all those students below the bridge….and not use the WAWA as a landmark :)!!!!!
Joanne, what up with Richard Forsten running for Appo’s school board? He has no kids and is one of those aggressive Saul Ewing land use attorneys I love to throw darts at.
Saul’s biggest project in NCC land use right now is Bayberry (competing fairly closely with the Stoltz upcounty plans) which will come on line in the next ten years or so. Isn’t there something seriously off by having a Saul person on the school board in the middle of all of this movin’ and shakin’?
“What I can’t envision is educational success. Whenever this has been discussed in the past I have found it easy to break down supporters of a city district into two groups”
I think it would be a good start and possible transitional step. I attended today and it really doesn’t make sense to have the city divided into four districts. What other city in America has multiple school districts?
Red Clay is lighting a fuse with their call for another new K-8 school in Hockessin. Warner has many open seats as doe Shortlidge. Also, CSW is renting so-called unused space. So its obvious with the need for a new school Red Clay now needs that space. CSW space could serve as a middle schools shared for city kids and the Hockessin area which isn’t all that far. One of the issue in Wilmington on the Red Clay side is no traditional middle school. Build the Hockessin school K-5 and boot CSW and let them find their own space. However, I assure you Red Clay is putting that new school on the back burner because they know they are opening a can of worms. Keep an eye out for that announcement.
The empowerment issues of city leaders can take place now without a Wilmington School District. They could ask for a joint committee of all four school districts comprising of board members from each, community members and city leaders. Do make note when DEDOE / Markell ( no cheap shot here but fact) signed onto Race to The Top and Common Core Standards they disregarded Title 1 Section 1118 federal law that states Title 1 parents must be part of design, planing and review of Title 1 programing. RTTT and the school turn-around plans were set by DEDOE without input from parents and DEDOE / Markell came back after the fact with so-called town hall meetings. Title 1 parents weren’t part of RTTT or Common Core Standards decision nor was the community at-large.
Redrawing the district lines would require resetting local tax rates as current districts would fund less schools and a Wilmington district would require a local tax-base. It would be a political nightmare. Wilmington would most-likely see an increase as the rates would have to be realigned and established to support the needs.
This issue would end up in the courts and the city folks would win re: Neighborhood School Act. Without equal access to middle schools and high schools in the city it does pose a question of “fair and equal”
If there were to be a Wilmington school district it might move consolidation of the other four into two making an overall three districts counting Wilmington.
Nancy–I have no idea. We’ll see what the next 2 months unfold. But these contenders better be prepared to do some heavy lifting–we have lots of work to do. Two buildings opening in 2012, superint. searches, no RTTT money–but the regs to go with it……etc., etc., etc.,…..
“no RTTT money”
Why not ?
Oh c’mon Kilroy–52K is chump change!! I begged them not to sign…..
Damn that doesn’t even pay for one data coach! Still sounds low! Yea those new regs aligned with RTTT will still be with us when RTTT funding runs out in three years and thats when local taxpayers will get screwed.
FYI need to save me a seat re: next NCC combined meeting! My buddy is going to be there.
Joanne, if Forsten represents the Bayberry developer with much to be gained by continuous successful referendum votes, increasing taxes to pay for the new schools he and his client will need to support his housing starts over the next ten years, how is that not a hideous conflict of interest? Hopefully someone in the district is aware of all of this.
Richard Forsten also came up in the document that Markell’s CoS produced on the gross mismanagement of the DelDOT realty process. Forsten helped orchestrate the massive reservation payouts to the Tunnel family [ http://governor.delaware.gov/113properties/FinalDelDOTReport.pdf pp.34-35]