Keeping It Old School

$11 million renovation of

M.A. Cassidy Elementary

compliments 75-year-old school's

historic integrity

"Buildings are not just about the architecture,

they're really about the life of the community

that's gone through them.

They're about the lessons learned,

the stories shared, friendships made

– and that building embodies all of that.

A new building would never do that,

even if it was built on the same site."

---Susan Hill: Tate Hill Jacobs Architects

This from Robbie Clark at the Chevy Chaser:

Having been a student teacher at M.A. Cassidy Elementary School while at the University of Kentucky in the early seventies, when Dr. Richard Day moved with his family back to Lexington in 1985, one thing was certain. "I knew where my kids were going to go to school," Day said. "And we bought a house two blocks away." ...

In November, as Cassidy celebrates its 75th anniversary, as well as the completion of a massive $11-million renovation, Day will be delivering a program on the school's history as part of a number of events scheduled to mark the occasion.

Constructed by P.W.A. workers and completed in 1935 during the Great Depression to meet the rapidly growing population of Lexington's east end, M.A. Cassidy Elementary School was named after Massillon Alexander Cassidy, who worked for 43 years with Lexington-area schools, serving as superintendent for Fayette County and Lexington city schools (sometimes concurrently), beginning in 1885. Along with his longevity in the school system, Cassidy is remembered for his progressiveness, instilling a number of programs and social innovations, such as penny lunches, indoor plumbing, "opportunity classes for irregular children" – a precursor for special education – and junior high schools...

Susan Hill, an architect with Tate Hill Jacobs Architects, the local firm which handled the renovation project, said the work was envisioned to cover the school's needs for the next 30 years. "That's the charge. Whenever you do this kind of renovation, except for ongoing maintenance, it should not have to require another major renovation for 25 to 30 years," she said. "It's $10 million that went somewhere."...

M.A. Cassidy Elementary School will be hosting a 75th anniversary ceremony and open house to show off the new renovation on Nov. 18. Doors to the school will be open at 5:30 p.m., and an optional dinner will be served at 6 (dinner is $6). A program about the history of Cassidy will begin at 7 p.m. For more information about the event, contact the Cassidy PTA at http://www.cassidypta.org/.

Photo above by Robbie Clark: Recent renovations include an entirely new wing (left) on Cassidy Elementary, Lexington, KY.

Thanks and congratulations to the Board of Education, Superintendent Stu Silberman, and Mary Browning and all of the operations folks, and Rhonda Fister and the Cassidy School faculty and staff, on a successful project !

State schools see sexual misconduct

LOUISVILLE --In elementary and secondary classrooms across Kentucky, teachers have harassed, molested and -- in the worst cases -- sexually assaulted the students they were entrusted to nurture and protect.

State officials handled 95 instances of teacher sexual misconduct over a recent five-year period, ranging from minor violations like using sexual language to more serious, criminal acts such as inappropriate touching and even sodomy and rape. That's about two violations for each month on the school calendar.

In a sample of teacher disciplinary actions from 2001 to 2005 by the state agency that tracks violations, 95 teachers had their license suspended or revoked, or they surrendered it for wrongdoing related to sexual misconduct. That's 42 percent of the 227 teachers who faced punishment for all misconduct during that time.

Some crimes were so egregious, the teachers ended up in prison or on the state registry of sex offenders. Others committed minor violations such as browsing for Internet porn on school grounds and were given a short suspension...

...Kentucky requires school superintendents to report allegations of sexual misconduct by teachers and substitutes. The allegations are reviewed by the state's Education Professional Standards Board, which maintains records on teaching certificates and rules on suspensions and revocations.

Though nearly 100 educators were punished for sexual misdeeds in the sample, officials said the actual number of cases could be higher. Some districts only recently have begun reporting smaller violations. Officials with the standards board began stepping up efforts in 2004 to encourage superintendents to report alleged abuses, said Alicia Sneed, the board's director of legal services. Sneed said some superintendents had thought they needed to report alleged abuses only if a teacher had been fired....

...At least 13 teachers punished for sexual misconduct are listed as active teachers by the standards board. Most committed minor offenses, were suspended for a month or two and were allowed to return to the classroom.

In order to better track teachers who have been punished and moved on to another district or state, the state school board in 2004 voted to print suspension and revocation information on the face of Kentucky teacher's certificates, so when teachers moved to a new district or state, the offenses came with them, said Brenda Dinkins Allen, a former attorney with the standards board.

"It made it clear to the teacher that this could affect the rest of their working lives," said Allen, now general counsel for Fayette County's school board. "They have to take that from district to district." ...

This from the Herald-Leader.

Mike Rebell weighs in on the Class Size debate - Harrison Elementary goes against conventional wisdom to raise scores

EduWonk Andrew Rotherham opines that reducing class size without addressing teacher quality more broadly is akin to continually adding pitchers to your bullpen without worrying about whether any of them can even throw a fastball.

And Mike Rebell tells the New York Daily News, "As co-counsel for those who brought the landmark Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuit, I know how important class size reduction ultimately will be. But improving the quality of our teachers and principals must be priority No. 1. And a premature class-size reduction mandate is likely to lower the general quality of the teaching staff at a time when we desperately need to be raising it."
~
Arguably THE most consistent variable that affects student achievement is teacher quality and there is no substitute for that. But class size reductions help good teachers help struggling students.

Locally, some have misunderstood the class size issue - and have done away with the effort all together. In the past year, following a 12-point gain and the removal of the principal, Harrison Elementary doubled its class sizes - and promises to raise scores. Harrison has a high percentage of low SES kids and a fierce mobility rate. Reports indicate that about half of the students who begin the school year at Harrison, finish there. Student behavior has been described to me as a daily concern.

Not knowing anything first-hand about programs at work in the school this year, I'll bet a nickle that Harrison loses all or part of its 12-point gain in the next testing cycle. I'd bet more...but the test has been reworked and we don't really know how the new test will equate to the old test.

Class size really matters. But not as much as teacher quality.

Big News on the School Funding Front

Did I mention it was bad news?

What follows are two articles on Judge Thomas Wingate's ruling in Franklin County Circuit Court...


KY. SCHOOL LEADERS' SUIT DISMISSED - SUPERINTENDENTS SOUGHT 'ADEQUATE' STATE FUNDING

Lexington Herald-Leader (KY)
February 14, 2007
Author: Raviya H. Ismail and Art JesterHerald-Leader Education Writers

A Franklin Circuit Court judge ruled yesterday that a group of school superintendents had failed to prove that the General Assembly violated the state Constitution by inadequately funding the state's public schools.

In the state's most important school finance case since the reform of Kentucky's public schools in 1990, Judge Thomas D. Wingate issued a summary judgment in favor of the legislature and said the issue of adequate funding should be resolved by lawmakers, not the courts. "Ultimately, increases in education funding must be the product of political will, not judicial decree," Wingate said in a 22-page opinion.Wingate said the plaintiffs, The Council for Better Education, had not provided "objective evidence of shortcomings in Kentucky's education system." Because the plaintiffs had not established that there was a clear constitutional violation, the court should not dictate how the legislature should appropriate money for the public schools, Wingate said."This court will leave the legislating to the legislature and hope that the citizens of Kentucky fortify it with the will to strengthen education for future generations of Kentuckians," he said.

The Council for Better Education had built its case on the historic ruling in the Rose case of 1989, which paved the way for the sweeping Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990. In the Rose case, Kentucky's Supreme Court, led by then-Chief Justice Robert Stephens, concluded that the legislature's support of the public schools was inadequate and therefore unconstitutional.In the recent lawsuit, the plaintiffs, a group of superintendents, claimed that funding of Kentucky's schools is "inadequate and arbitrarily determined by the legislature." The plaintiffs based their claim on the Rose decision, where the Kentucky Supreme Court eventually ruled that "the General Assembly shall provide funding which is sufficient to provide each child in Kentucky an adequate education."

There are 164 school districts of a total 175 that belong to the Council for Better Education. The suit claimed Kentucky schools were underfunded from between $1.08 billion to $1.2 billion in the 2003-2004 school year, and underfunded in other years.

The legislature's two top leaders -- Senate President David Williams, R-Burkesville, and House Speaker Jody Richards, D-Bowling Green -- were named defendants in the suit."It vindicates our position that we have made an attempt to adequately fund education," said Richards. " Do I think it's funded well enough? No, I do not."

The defendants refuted the allegations and argued that the state's Constitution "prohibits the judiciary from dictating to the legislature what levels of funding are appropriate and what process to use to determine how much funding education requires."In the ruling, Wingate found that the Council for Better Education had no evidence "relating to the actual nature of school system inadequacy or poor student performance."

The ruling concluded that the General Assembly "has created a system of common schools with tremendously enhanced results" and "KERA has produced dramatic progress toward excellence in public education."

"The determination of adequacy must be based on objective outputs, such as the CATS testing scores and our performance relative to neighboring states," the ruling continued.

Marion County Schools Superintendent Roger L. Marcum, president of the Council for Better Education, said the ruling was disappointing and far from the outcome the group expected. The group wouldn't say whether they planned to appeal the decision."Kentucky has made a lot of progress in improving student achievement," he said. "We are ignoring the fact that a lot of that progress has been made from students that are least at risk. You're going to see that there are many subpopulations that we are not reaching and they are not moving forward toward proficiency. You can see that in a number of schools in the state, in a number of districts."

What surprised Bob Sexton most was the language of the ruling."Many of the legislative leaders are regularly claiming that (KERA) is a failure," said Sexton, executive director of the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence. "I'm surprised by some of the language (in the ruling) that essentially says the schools are doing so well. I just find this whole thing to be inconsistent to what I'm hearing from legislators."


Edition: FinalSection: Main NewsPage: A1
Copyright (c) 2007 Lexington Herald-Leader
Record Number: 0702140002


And this...

Courier-Journal, The (Louisville, KY)
February 14, 2007
Author: Nancy C. Rodriguez

State's neediest students ill-served, coalition says

A coalition of Kentucky school districts lost its legal bid yesterday to force state lawmakers to spend more money on public schools.But educators in the failed lawsuit said that their fight is not over and that without additional funding, they will never be able to serve some of Kentucky's neediest students.

The Council for Better Education filed suit in 2003, accusing the legislature of inadequately funding public schools. It asked the court to order lawmakers to direct hundred of millions more dollars into Kentucky classrooms.The state spends about $4.1 billion a year on education.

Marion County Superintendent Roger Marcum, the council's president, called the ruling "disappointing" and said the council might ask Franklin Circuit Judge Thomas Wingate to reconsider his opinion or appeal to a higher court."I can assure you this is not the end of the line for us," Marcum said.

In 1985, the council filed a similar lawsuit that resulted in the state's school-funding system being declared unconstitutional and paved the way for sweeping education reform in 1990.But unlike that case, which focused on funding inequities, the latest lawsuit focused on whether districts were receiving adequate funding to teach every student the skills and knowledge necessary to meet Kentucky's education standards.

Wingate ruled that funding for Kentucky's schools wasn't "so inadequate that it amounts to a violation ... of the constitution."He said it's not the court's role to tell the legislature the specific method to use to determine if schools are being adequately funded.And he said the legislature's method of using rising test scores as proof that schools are being adequately funded is constitutional.

Method questioned

Wingate said, however, that it was "puzzling" why the legislature has not developed a different method of determining whether eSchools Lose Suit to Boost Funding

ducation is adequately funded."We do not know why, despite over a decade of requests from interested citizen groups and the Office of Educational Accountability, the General Assembly has yet to commission a study of its own to determine whether its funding levels for education are adequate," Wingate wrote. "... Perhaps it is afraid of the results that study will produce."

Marcum said, "We feel the issue about adequate funding is still something that needs to be addressed. " He added that without additional funding it will be "difficult, if not impossible" for schools to meet ambitious student achievement goals by the state's 2014 deadline.

Marcum said it is unfortunate that schools are being "penalized" for making gains and argued that while progress has been made, the state's neediest students are still in dire need of additional services."The students that are most at risk are the ones we still have not reached," he said, noting test scores that show low performance among low-income, minority and special-education students. "The reform was about proficiency for all."

Legislative reaction

But Mark Overstreet, the attorney representing Senate President David Williams and House Speaker Jody Richards, said the ruling was "a well-reasoned decision.""And it recognizes the hard work that the General Assembly has done over the 16 years since" the state passed education reform.

Richards, who recently announced he is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor, said last night that he agreed with the ruling."We have made some great progress since the reform act was enacted," Richards said. "I don't think we've done well enough. It certainly is my goal and my intent to fund education better in the future. "

Richards said that cost increases for the Medicaid program and state prison system hampered the legislature's ability to fund public schools since the education reform act was passed.Asked why the legislature did not raise taxes to raise money for schools in that period, Richards said: "The citizens generally don't want taxes raised."

Marcum acknowledged the legislature's efforts last year to increase school funding, saying it was "better than it has been in some time ." But most of those increases went toward salaries, health insurance and retirements costs, he said."It does not provide additional resources for kids," he said.


Edition: KYSection: NewsPage: 1A
Dateline: Kentucky
Copyright (c) The Courier-Journal. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Gannett Co., Inc. by NewsBank, inc.
Record Number: lou39775540

Testimony before the US House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce

Testimony before the US House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce

Field Hearing on "Academic Achievement for All” And the “Transferability” of Federal Funding
A key issue in the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)

by Richard E. Day
Principal, Cassidy School,
1125 Tates Creek Road
Lexington, Kentucky 40502
(859) 381-3018

Lafayette High School Auditorium
Lexington, Kentucky
20 April 2000
9:30 AM


Good morning, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee:

Thank you for this opportunity to present my views on federal funding. I am particularly thankful to Congressman Fletcher for his efforts in arranging “field hearings” right here in Kentucky, which I believe it is fair to say, has been a hot bed of educational reform for the past decade.

When Congressman Fletcher's office called and invited me to appear this morning I was told the committee was interested in a local school principal's opinion about the transferability of federal funding. To be honest with you, I haven’t paid much attention to federal activities of late and I had to do a little homework before appearing today. Most of what I know about this issue I learned from this committee. Your web site allowed me to review testimony as well as the chairman's comments, over the past two years. (The Internet has truly made government more accessible. So, thank you for that.) But, just as we teach our students to use multiple sources in their research, I also sought dissenting opinions. And, I had no trouble finding them among some of our more prominent professional groups.

What I have read is tempered by my own set of experiences. I was educated in a small public district, attended both the University of Kentucky and Xavier University, an excellent private institution. I have been a principal in three schools: one rural, one suburban and one city – all public - all in Kentucky. My experience includes how things were before, and during reform. So, I bring a couple of decades of practical experience and a strong belief that the decisions we make now, regarding the education of our children, will have an impact that goes far beyond today’s classrooms and extends into the middle of the new century.

The “transferability” of federal funds is a new concept to me. Historically, federal programs were developed to address specific needs. I suppose it was thought that since the constitution left education as a responsibility of the states, federal funds should only be used for specific programs. But, I’m not here to debate constitutional issues with you. I’m here this morning to share my opinion about “transferability” - and I like the idea - but with some important reservations.

First, I want each of you to know that today’s teachers are being asked to perform at higher levels than at any other time in our history. We are a long way past readin’, writin’ and ‘rithmetic. And, in Kentucky, with our laws promoting local school-based decision-making councils, we are working more closely with our parents than ever before. It’s not just punch and cookies anymore. Parents and other community members have a stake in our schools and they have proven to be effective partners for change. It would be good for us all to keep in mind that these schools belong to the communities they serve.

In Kentucky, our school councils are becoming increasingly comfortable with the idea of evaluating our resources and planning for our school. We create positions, we cut positions and we develop programs for our children. It is helpful to us if we know our resources in advance, and that should include our federal resources as well. When schools know their resources, and are able to transfer some dollars between programs, they have an even greater flexibility to create positive change.

Frequently we find ourselves a few thousand dollars away from being able to afford a new character education program, purchase additional reading materials, or to extend summer school hours. Transferability of these funds, with the approval of our school council, would aid our efforts.

While HB 4141 endeavors to increase flexibility at the local level, (HR 2300) the Straight A’s proposal makes it possible for one individual – one governor - to take those funds away. The congress, in my opinion, should act to ensure that funding reaches the schools, by title, without being siphoned off at the state, or even to any significant degree, at the district level. Since our purpose is to educate children – not maintain bureaucracies or further individual political goals – why not pass federal title funds largely intact to the schools, where school councils would be accountable for budgeting? This should not prevent schools from cooperating to meet common needs, as has already been done in many instances, particularly for professional development activities. And, it would allow the flexibility that this measure anticipates. It might even allow us to remove a layer of bureaucracy somewhere along the line...governing better by governing less.

Each state’s Department of Education should be designed for broad oversight and assistance to local districts. Local districts should be places where experienced educators provide help and professional development for teachers. But the present proposal seems to favor control by governors and departments of education. In my opinion, the control should rest with each community.

Let me mention the related issue of “portability” of Title One funds. When NEA president Bob Chase addressed you last June he said that efforts to make Title One a portable benefit so that the funds would be assured to reach each child "represent an attempt to diffuse and dilute the effectiveness of Title One". Mr. Chairman, you have already commented on Title One’s cost and questionable effectiveness over the years, I would like to discuss the issue from a different point of view.

When I began my career as an elementary school administrator some 22 years ago the rules were very different. In those days if 70% of our school's children, regardless of any other demographic factor, were performing above the norm on nationally standardized tests, we were considered a great success.

But that has not been the standard of excellence for some time now. All children, including all demographic sub groups of children, must be taught to achieve at high levels. While the gaps in achievement may exist for many social reasons, it is the public school that is charged with the responsibility of addressing this achievement gap. Every day I see dedicated professionals attempting to do just this. I also talk to a lot of parents who are seeking assistance for their children. I would like to think that there would be no more excuses - for why resources should not be allocated - so as to guarantee that every public school child in need - receives his or her fair share of the benefit from federal funding - regardless of any other political factors.

Let me illustrate with an example. We have the Bluegrass/Aspendale housing project here in town. Children from this area are sent to a few different schools. Our goals for all of these children are the same: To perform up to our state's rigorous academic standards. But students in one home attend a school where Title One programs abound, while students in another home 50 yards away attend our school, and receive no such assistance. (During the 1999-2000 school year neighboring schools received the following Title One funds*: Johnson Elementary received $1000 per child totaling $280,000; Ashland Elementary received $750 per child totaling $174,750; J R Ewan Elementary received $500 per child totaling $147,000; Cassidy School received $0.) Instead, we are frequently asked what we (as a school) are going to do about the achievement gap - with no additional resources. These students represent a full 27% of our population. I’m not interested in diffusing Title One’s effectiveness. But, my students are as needy and as deserving as any others. They need your help, too.

In a larger sense, our whole nation depends on you - our federal legislators -to express our highest aspirations as a country - as stated in our laws. Throughout our history, even when individuals have failed, our laws have expressed America’s best intentions. When men stood to block the schoolhouse door - it was the law that ensured that we opened the door of opportunity to all people. Our most prized and most conservative values have not changed - we strive to fulfill the promises of - liberty and justice - for all.

All. That used to mean all white male landowners. But over the years we’ve come to understand that all … means all. All men. All women. All Americans. This is what we teach our children.

When our lawmakers debate issues involving how we educate our children…we are truly debating our country’s future. What kinds of places will these 21st century schools be? What should our vision be?

No matter what other kinds of educational opportunities may come to exist in the future, our public schools – the ones we trust you to nurture – must be places that promote the common good. Our public funds should be used to build the best schools we can build – schools that make us proud - schools that do not discriminate based on economics, religion or race – schools where everyone is welcome to an excellent education.

In my opinion, if there is any possibility - that under the provisions of HR 2300 - some Governor out there might collect all of the federal dollars for education and roll them into a program for school vouchers – then this new flexibility should not be attempted, regardless of how appealing the idea might otherwise be. On the other hand, if transferability really means that federal resources will arrive at the school with less “red tape” and more flexibility – then bring it on!

Again, thank you for the opportunity to share some thoughts with you this morning. I hope the members will enjoy their time in the Bluegrass.


* Source: Fayette County Public Schools, Title One office.