Keller Citizen Legislature

Lowering The Drinking Age Is A Good Idea

To see where our universities are today, with the realization that most major universities were started as religious-based organizations, is astonishing.

To watch universities welcome with open arms such speakers as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, yet throw pies at Ann Colter’s face, and physically chase a spokesman from the Minutemen group off the podium, is completely discouraging to me.

However, the state of our universities, and our government run education at large, proves to me the truthfulness of Proverbs 9:10.

First we get news that KISD is being graded on a curve, then we find out that DISD has a new grading policy:

•Homework grades should be given only when the grades will “raise a student’s average, not lower it.”

•Teachers must accept overdue assignments, and their principal will decide whether students are to be penalized for missing deadlines.

•Students who flunk tests can retake the exam and keep the higher grade.

•Teachers cannot give a zero on an assignment unless they call parents and make “efforts to assist students in completing the work.”

•High school teachers who fail more than 20 percent of their students will need to develop a professional improvement plan and will be monitored by their principals. For middle school the rate is 15 percent; for elementary it’s 10 percent.

What’s next?

My oldest daughter was an ARD student. She has a minor case of CP and some learning difficulties, mainly with math. I fought every year to get her out of the ARD process and back into the mainstreaming process, but was fought year after year by the schools and her mother. I was told she shouldn’t be forced to take the TASP (pre TAKS), that she should be allowed to retake tests and have the ability to turn in homework whenever she wanted.

I was a young father (she’s soon to be 25 years old), and gave up fighting them. In my later years I realized that the reason they pushed so hard was two fold. First, they received extra state and federal money for having my daughter in the program, and secondly, her TASP test scores didn’t count against the district rating.

I may have quit fighting the schools, but I never let up on my daughter. I wouldn’t allow her to take advantage of the extras she was given, made her live with the consequenses of her grades. Sure, she had to study harder than some other students, but it taught her study skills and life skills. Today, she has an Associates Degree and is well on her way to her BA.

I would always bring up the fact to the school system employees, my daughter and my ex wife that in the real world you aren’t given second and third chances to turn in your homework. That in college, they didn’t care if you even showed up for class, let alone turn in your assignments.

I guess the next step in this process is for the Labor Department to force me to hire idiots that can’t do their job but pay them anyways. Oh, I forgot, that is what Unions are for.

There are several issues I strongly agree with McCain on, such as the Iraq war, Congressional ‘earmarks’, and his commitment to education reform. Here is his article on education:

Education Reform

Why are we as American’s so willing to pay billions upon billions for a mediocre education system?

Keller ISD, Northwest ISD, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD all improved their TEA Accountability Rankings from third highest ‘Academically Acceptable’ to the second highest ranking of ‘Recognized.’

Carroll ISD maintained the highest ranking of ‘Exemplary’,as a matter of fact, every school in their district was ranked ‘Exemplary’ for the second year in a row!

Westlake Acadamy also was ranked ‘Exemplary.’

Is it really all that important that school board members hold their ISD officials to a high level of responsibility and accountability?

Well, it is in Arlington.The AISD school board members demonstrated great courage in dealing with this highly regarded, near ‘rock-star’ status Superintendent.

‘Requesting the resignation’ from this Superintendent could not have been an easy decision.The AISD school board members had to know that they were going to face criticism from both inside the Arlington area and outside the AISD. And that criticism has certainly happened, yet, their priorities as school board members overcame any fear of repercussions, accusations of racism, etc.

My guess is that the overwhelming majority of AISD residents believe, and rightly so, that their school board is representing them to school officials, not representing school officials to the public.

In my opinion, this is why it is so important that voters elect unbiased and nonpartisan school board members.

Worthwhile video from Channel11 and other articles:

CBS 11

Star Telegram

Texas Monthly