Comments on: Colorado’s Race to the Top app foundered http://takecareproductions.com/blog/2010/04/colorados-race-to-the-top-app-foundered/ Just another WordPress weblog Sun, 20 May 2012 05:43:45 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 hourly 1 By: Paula Noonan http://takecareproductions.com/blog/2010/04/colorados-race-to-the-top-app-foundered/comment-page-1/#comment-234 Paula Noonan Sun, 18 Apr 2010 20:16:37 +0000 http://takecareproductions.com/blog/?p=301#comment-234 Elisa: DPS is lucky to have the Gates money. Over in Jeffco, there's none of that - just principals who say they don't have the time to do all the evaluations envisioned in the bill. I think the evaluations are crucial to any successful enterprise, and that the legislature should ante up. But when I talk to them, they don't even seem to get how their funding decisions have undermined schools. As an example, the state has given out $552 million in tax exemptions to farmers and ranchers who apply for conservation easements. Every crummy farm out there seems to qualify. There are a lot of farms. If this keeps up, billions of dollars will go to farmers, money now unavailable for education. That's a piece of the economic reality that hardly anyone knows about - and it's one of the reasons that schools are underfunded, and that Jeffco doesn't have the money to do evaluations once a year. Paula Noonan Elisa: DPS is lucky to have the Gates money. Over in Jeffco, there’s none of that - just principals who say they don’t have the time to do all the evaluations envisioned in the bill. I think the evaluations are crucial to any successful enterprise, and that the legislature should ante up. But when I talk to them, they don’t even seem to get how their funding decisions have undermined schools.

As an example, the state has given out $552 million in tax exemptions to farmers and ranchers who apply for conservation easements. Every crummy farm out there seems to qualify. There are a lot of farms. If this keeps up, billions of dollars will go to farmers, money now unavailable for education. That’s a piece of the economic reality that hardly anyone knows about - and it’s one of the reasons that schools are underfunded, and that Jeffco doesn’t have the money to do evaluations once a year. Paula Noonan

]]> By: Elisa Cohen http://takecareproductions.com/blog/2010/04/colorados-race-to-the-top-app-foundered/comment-page-1/#comment-232 Elisa Cohen Wed, 14 Apr 2010 19:02:30 +0000 http://takecareproductions.com/blog/?p=301#comment-232 I totally agree with you that great teachers deserve much more money. It's crazy how little they make when the work they do is so important. The problem I see is that unless we see more success in public education, then it becomes a chicken and egg question. I am deeply beholden to the marvelous teachers who made all of the difference in the lives of my daughters. But I am equally angry about the teachers who shrugged their shoulders at me when confronted by data proving their ineffective strategies. I support SB 191 because it will provide objective evaluations created by CDE teachers on the Governor's Council for Educator Effectiveness. In your post, it seems as if you are saying no money is being spent on evaluations now. I know that isn't true. DPS is currently using over $8 million of Gates Foundation money to create an effective teacher analysis. SB 191 ensures that the knowledge learned from that study is implemented. Here is a link to a teacher who states his reasons why he supports the bill. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2_1BZj7WL0 Thanks for the dialog on this issue. I totally agree with you that great teachers deserve much more money. It’s crazy how little they make when the work they do is so important.

The problem I see is that unless we see more success in public education, then it becomes a chicken and egg question. I am deeply beholden to the marvelous teachers who made all of the difference in the lives of my daughters. But I am equally angry about the teachers who shrugged their shoulders at me when confronted by data proving their ineffective strategies.

I support SB 191 because it will provide objective evaluations created by CDE teachers on the Governor’s Council for Educator Effectiveness. In your post, it seems as if you are saying no money is being spent on evaluations now. I know that isn’t true. DPS is currently using over $8 million of Gates Foundation money to create an effective teacher analysis. SB 191 ensures that the knowledge learned from that study is implemented.

Here is a link to a teacher who states his reasons why he supports the bill.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2_1BZj7WL0

Thanks for the dialog on this issue.

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