Dear Senator Stargel please check your inbox

I sent this email to Senator Stargel today. I hope she understands that our students are much more than a number. It is in response to her statement.  

Dear Senator Stargel,

Thank you for serving our community. Your hard work shows your dedication to your job. As a 4^th generation citizen of Lakeland I thank you for your service. 

On Thursday February 8, there was a quote published in The Ledger “I would hate to be a student who is stuck in (any of those schools),” Stargel said. “We have got to make sure these kids have an opportunity for a good education.” As a recent former teacher at Kathleen Middle School, KMS (2010 – 2015), this quote causes me great concern and disappointment of my Senator. I worked hard every day to provide all of my students with a high quality math education. Not only did I provide math knowledge but also I built lasting relationships with them. 

I read the quote as saying “I would hate to be stuck in Mr. Sylvester’s class.” Since I was an educator at KMS, I must be part of the problem. This is an insult to my 4 years of hard work and dedication to the Kathleen Middle School community. Each year of teaching there, my students test scores increased. 

I was able to do so well because I realized I was teaching much more than just math. I realized I was teaching a child of God. Therefore, I had to develop meaningful relationships with all students. I wasn’t just teaching the same 22 students each period. No, they were all different and unique.  They represented different experiences, different languages, different races, different levels of income, different personalities, and different abilities. These very differences are what makes KMS great. I would argue that many of my colleagues would agree with me. 

Although it is true KMS is rated a D. I argue two things it does not mean, the teachers are bad and the students cannot learn. I also argue two things it could mean, the State of Florida doesn’t value the knowledge of the KMS community and the State of Florida does not care to appropriately fund the school and the community.  

After reading my experience as a KMS educator I hope that you will not only rescind your statements but also apologize for them. It shows very little support to me as a professional educator and very little value of the whole student. We do not need our schools to look like New Orleans or Detroit. Let’s work together to create a great public education system for all students. 

Conclusion 

To me, her comments are no joking matter. They clearly draw the line in the sand when it comes to education in general. Therefore this is a direct attack on public education. This includes the students, teachers, staff, and the community. Worst off, it will continue to damage the relationships between the whites, blacks, and hispanic students. We shouldn't be making education policy that furthers that divide. 

Florida's Hidden Charter Takeover

The State of Florida is currently in the process of closing public schools and opening charters. They are doing this by a lesser known section of SB7069.

At the end of the 2017 Florida Legislative session SB 7069 was passed. It includes a multitude of education policies. Some of the policies are acceptable; but, the overwhelming majority are unacceptable. The bill is so bad that bipartisan school districts are banding together to sue the State of Florida. The latest district to discuss joining the fight is Orange County.

There is a part of SB 7069 that allows for schools that are failing (D and F schools) for three years consecutively to be closed and/or taken over by a charter. (Who knew that one little test would mean so much?) In other words, all of the schools that serve low income and people of color will be closed in the next three years. I have yet to see a middle class white school fail for three consecutive years.

I would say this is not just action to close a school for children. The data shows that there is a significant education achievement gap amongst income groups and racial groups. The more money a family has the more likely you are to score well on the test. The "more white" you are the better you will do on the test. We must ask some serious questions of the test makers and policy makers. Are the end of year standardized tests elitist or racist? But it is significantly easier to ignore those issues. Obviously.

What does this say about us as a society?
What does this say about us as Christians?
Where is the justice for ALL people in America?
How will this help our low income and people of color citizens?
Will this help everyone in America live a fulfilling life?
Who is to blame here, the teacher or the politician?

But hey, kudos to the Florida Senate for getting this through

Unethical Schools Are Created by Unethical Politicians

Monday, I discussed the horrendous HB 7069. I explicitly discussed the $50 million that has been set aside for charters to expand their programs. The dedication of our Senators to HB 7069 further exemplifies their commitment to not only inequitable but also unequal education for all students. Senator Stargel is encouraging these views through her shameless conflict of interest with McKeel Academy. A conflict of interest, as defined by the State of Florida, is "a situation in which regard for a private interest tends to lead to disregard of a public duty or interest." She is intentionally creating funds charters. Isn't it odd that McKeel Academy is in the process of expanding? Furthermore, her and the other Legislatures are forgetting that our country was built on democracy and must listen to their community.

Conflicts of Interest

Allow me to explain....

First and foremost, her husband is on the board of directors for McKeel Academy. Their job is to set the rules for the charter (think of the school board for Polk County Public Schools). It is the understanding of the courts that a spouses are an extension of each other.

Second, the Academy is in the process of funding a building project. (Check out the Request for Proposal is posted on their website.) The project is to remodel a building and add square footage to that same building.

Third, Senator Stargel helped McKeel by voting for unequal funding of capital projects for charters. As mentioned earlier, the capital outlay of $50 million is part of the HB 7069. The bill is a conglomeration of multiple education bills. The $50 million began as SB 902. It was originally introduced by Senator Simmons in the education committee where it was passed. On May 1, 2017, the bill moved to the next step, the appropriations committee. During the vote, Senator Stargel voted “yea” on SB 902. In other words, she voted to transfer $50 million from our low-income families and give it to the charters for their capital expenses. [The Appropriations committee is responsible for approving the budget for the Florida Senate.] Because of her conflicts, she should not have voted because of her husbands direct involvement with McKeel. But she ignored any form of ethical thinking.

Questionable Ethics

She, as well as her fellow politicians, are missing two worthwhile aspects of ethics, democracy and community, that should serve leaders of the public. First, democracy in part, requires a level playing field for people's voices. It should value and reflect everyone's voice. This is missing from our Florida Congress. Low-income families, especially African Americans, do not receive equitable funding or resources for a quality education.

Second, is to consider the ethics of the community. Shapiro & Stefkovich (2011) define this as "....custom(s) and practices set forth by the community....." In other words, the community helps define what is right and what is wrong based on the culture of the local community.

Classism and racism have been a dark stain on the history of Polk County. Often times we as white Americans distance ourselves from the issues and history of racial inequality. In reality, many of us have lived through a time in which school segregation was still practiced! It wasn't until the year 2000 that Polk County Schools finally integrated students of all ethnicities. When Senators participate  in dirty ethics, one can't help but think....

Conclusion

Once again, I argue that we work together to improve education for everyone. Those that believe charters are the option are grossly misinformed. As seen in this case, politicians are working to help the people they want to help. If they truly cared about everyone, then they would create policies for everyone.

In addition, something must be done about Senator Stargel's conflict of interest. I have two ideas. One, Senator Stargel's husband must leave the Board of Trustees at McKeel (this is probably the better of the two ideas). Two, Senator Stargel must leave her post as Senator. I can't wait for to work with our Florida politicians to create a better education for all.

Post Script
There are several Florida Legislatures guilty of conflict of interest. They must release themselves of these conflicts. They are as follows: Rep. Manny Diaz, House Speaker Richard Corcoran, Rep. Michael Bileca, and Senator Kelli Stargel. For the first three legislatures, the Miami Herald reported Thursday "Some of your legislators are profiting at the expense of public education" They present convincing arguments of personally profiting from legislations they are voting on and/or creating.

Florida Legislature's Attack Against Low-Income Families

This is a two part series. The first post, this one, will focus on the stripping of funds away from low-income families. The second post will focus on the Florida Legislatures and their conflicts of interest with this bill.

HB 7096 bill outlines many changes to education in Florida. Some of the changes are good. This includes eliminating Algebra 2 as a graduation requirement. As the focus of this post, I want to draw attention to the $50 million for capital outlays for charters. There is $50 million for public schools as well. Combined, there is $100 million for capital expenditures for Florida's K-12 education system.

There are a few rules that a charter must abide by in order to receive monies. Most notably is that the charter must be one of the top charters in the state. The charters that do meet all of the qualifications will help expand the charter systems.

What is This Attack?
The Florida Legislature is not providing an equal education for all students. They are disproportionately transferring funds away from low-income families and into the middle-income families. There is nothing equal about what the Florida Legislature is creating. I call this a type of equity. A contorted version of equity that further demoralizes and discriminate our low-income families. Isn't this a 21st century version of segregation?

Equality For All Students?

An alternate way of thinking about this $100 million is that charters receive 50% and public schools receive 50%. It seems that the politicians are practicing equality. At least on a surface level....  HB 7096 is not equal in terms of number of students the money represents. Thus, I argue that the politicians are practicing what they this is equitable.

According to the FLDOE, during the 2014-15 school year there were 646 charters for 251,282 students in Florida. During the same school, there were more than 4,300 public schools for 2,757,000 in Florida. In this case, it is difficult to compare the number of students; but, percentages will compare them. As a percent of the whole, charters provide education for 8.4% of the entire student population and public schools provide education for 91.6% of the entire student population. 

The politicians are grossly failing at equality. Instead, they are practicing a contorted version of equity. Below is an explanation of the difference between equality and equity using a picture.

Equity involves providing people what they need. It "deals with difference and takes into consideration the fact that this society contains many groups that have not always been given equal treatment and/or have not had a level field on which to play. These groups have frequently been made to feel inferior to those in the mainstream...." (Shapiro & Stefkovich 2011, p 114) The $100 million needs to be used for schools that represent low-income families. Maybe it means charters should receive $8.4 million instead of $50 million. This would be a $41.6 million reduction.


21st Century Segregation 
As stated earlier, the main reason why charters are receiving more money by means of $50 million is to promote the expansion of their systems. They need more money and more buildings to attract more students from the public schools. They need more money to create more schools specifically created for our middle-income families. This is how our politicians are attacking our low-income families. It is the 21st century version of segregation.  (and let me say, I would love to educate all of them)

But, aren't there already schools? Aren't the schools fine? Low-income public schools do not have enough money maintain the buildings and/or construct new buildings. Let me tell you about some of my personal experiences at two schools.

*In all experiences I have done my best to educate all children and have enjoyed thoroughly doing so.*

Kathleen Middle School
1. There was mold growing in-between the floor tiles of my classroom. By the end of each school year, the mold had noticeably spread to cover more of the tiles. But hey, the families are low-income they won't complain. 

2. For two years, my classroom was on the second floor of a two story building. The first floor housed the main office that greeted all families. The floors were extremely thin. They were so thin that when the students would walk around the classroom normally, the people on the first floor described the sound they heard as bowling balls. But hey, the families are low-income they won't complain. 

Caldwell Elementary School
1. My portable is literally breaking in two. It reminds me of the San Andreas Fault (pictured right). When students come to my portable for small groups, the students jokingly say not to walk too hard because the portable might fall apart. But hey, the families are low-income they won't complain. 

2. Two classrooms each hold 25 students because there aren't classrooms in buildings. There is barely enough room in the portable for all of the student's desk and teacher's desks. But hey, the families are low-income they won't complain. 

3. Two classrooms hold ESE students because there isn't enough classrooms in campus buildings. The portables are small. There is no builtin storage. Instead, the teachers depend on 1960s era metal cabinets to store all of their materials. But hey, the families are low-income they won't complain. 


Fundraisers Donations Fundraisers

Now, you are probably thinking, "Why don't the low-income schools just raise money or get donations if the schools are in that bad of condition?" Well, all schools do. In fact, it happens all year long. Schools do this through a variety of events such as, sports, concessions, book fair, walk-a-thons,  dance, and candy etc. The families and extended families give as much as of their $20k as they can to these fundraisers and finally the school. Could more be done? Sure. Is it right? I can't ask families that are making $20k to donate more money.

This idea of raising funds for schools reminds me of a story in Bible. The story comes from Mark 12:41-44. Jesus is watching the crowds of people giving their money. But a poor woman comes up to give as much as she could. Jesus told his disciplines that what she did meant more than the rich people. To me, I see a connection. Let me know if you see a connection too.

Conclusion
In all, I am disgusted that the Florida politicians are stealing so much money away from our low-income families. Where is their heart? Where is their morality? Where is their sense of ethics?


Don't forget to call Gov. Rick Scott to veto this bill. 850-488-7146

Schools Are More Than Academics

Schools are known for their continuous effort toward nurturing the brain. In reality there is more to education than just academic knowledge. Schools are also a place for nurturing the physical body.

Today I saw a great example of how public schools are more than just a building for academics.

What Happened

This week, a water line broke. The break caused the retention ponds in front of the school to almost overflow. As a result, the water that is used for drinking became un-drinkable. This caused all of the drinking water on campus to be unsafe. Water is essential throughout the school day. How is a student to learn and think without water? This can bring any school to a screeching halt. Imagine 650 children ages 5 to 12 in 90 degree Florida heat without water. This can never end well. Some might even say it is on the verge of inhumane. But, this didn't prevent the school from continuing "business as normal."

Here They Come to Save the Day!
(Yes I have watched a plethora of superman. My father is an avid fan.)

The Polk School District provided every student (and staff) with clean bottles of water. Last night, fellow school board employees purchased copious bottles of water. The water was delivered to the school very early this morning on pallets. The principal arrived early to handle this situation. He was greeted with helpers. Together they unloaded all of the bottles of water. In fact, they delivered the bottles to every classroom (See the picture below). This is some awesome stuff ladies and gentlemen!

Water waiting outside of the classrooms for students

I am very impressed by all of the people that provided our students and faculty with clean drinking water today. This action shows how much the Polk School District cares for the basic necessities of all students. It shows that they understand the need for the basics for all children.

Have Teachers Salaries Increased or Decreased?

I came across an interesting article the other day discussing the broad idea of teacher's salaries. The title read Miami Dade Teacher Salaries Then and Now.  Naturally, this piqued my interest. The article specifically discussed the teacher's salaries in light of inflation over the past 10 years. Anything that includes numbers and education is my kind of article! (haha) Seriously though, this is an important discussion that effects thousands of humans throughout not only Polk County but also the state of Florida. Who knows though, maybe the district(s) is(are) makin' it rain on the teachers!

Or....

Miami-Dade Teacher Salary

- For beginning teachers, the salary has increased. However, the starting salary isn't comparable to other similar size cities. Even in cities that have a lower cost of living, teachers make more money. The current salary for a beginning teacher is $40,600.

- The author argues that a 22-year veteran teacher is losing roughly $5,000 due to inflation.

- The picture is even worse for a 15-year veteran teacher. Those teachers are losing an astronomical $11,000.



Polk School District Teacher Salary

So, how does Polk School District compare to the Miami Dade School District? Allow me to place a disclaimer on this conversation. The salaries between the two school districts will be different. This is mainly attributed to the cost of living differences between the two school districts. You can look at the table below for a summary of the salary changes. I will also attempt to explain the table. The first column shows the pay for beginning, 15-year veteran and 22-year veteran teachers. The second column shows the 2006-2007 salary in 2017 dollars. (The inflation calculations have been performed using the US inflation calculator.)

Beginning Year Teacher
A beginning teacher making $33,283 in 2007 should be making $39,251 if proper inflation was accounted for. This is roughly a $6k increase. When the inflation dollars are compared to the actual 2017 salary for a beginning teacher, the beginning teacher is making more! They make $1,421 more dollars. This is awesome for the beginning teacher. Huge thanks to the union, PEA, that has made this financial gain for beginning teachers. 

Veteran Teacher(s)
I can't paint a similar picture for our 15-year and 22-year veteran teachers. In 2017 dollars, the 15-year veteran teacher should be making $49,834 and the 22-year veteran teacher should be making $60,359. As you can read from the table, the 2016-2017 salary does not keep up with inflation (The parenthesis means that there is a decrease). The longer a teacher works at educating our children, the worse the salary. Our 15-year veteran teacher is losing out on $1,662. The 22-year veteran teacher loses even more, $7,987.

	2006-2007	Adjusted for inflation	2016-2017	Difference
Beginning Teacher	$33,283	$39,251	$40,672	$1,421
15-year Teacher	$42,256	$49,834	$48,172	$(1,662)
22-year Teacher	$51,181	$60,359	$52,372	$(7,987)

Huh?
There is an alternate way of thinking about the connection between inflation and salary. The teacher salary is not keeping up with their expenses. One part of inflation is the cost of goods, i.e. groceries, gas, and electricity. While the cost of these goods is increasing, teachers are not able to afford as much as they could 10 years ago.

There appears to be a tipping point for the salary of Polk School District teachers. At some point between year 0 and year 15, the pay scale does not grow like inflation grows. This is a cause of concern for me. It further shows how our veteran teachers are valued. (Or in this case, not valued) A teacher with 15 years has a wealth of experiences to provide to our students. Many educational experts would argue that they are significantly more valuable than beginning teachers.

Take Away

No one wants their salary decreased. Everyone can agree that it can be very demoralizing. There are several people that are involved with making decisions about salaries.

1. The Florida Congress. They are the ones who create the overall budget for all school districts throughout the state
2. The Polk County School Board. They create the pay scale for all employees within the district.
3. PEA (Union). They fight for teachers salary.
4. Teachers. We must stand up for appropriate pay for employees in our school district.

There isn't one person or group to blame here. It will take all parties working together. We can't have one person continuing to decrease school funding.

But, I should note that the teachers of the Polk School District are in a better position than their Miami-Dade counterparts. For that, I am very thankful.

(Once again, thanks to Kafkateach.)

Is Adam Putnam Pretending to be Mike Wellington from The Stepford Wives?

If you haven't seen the video of Adam Putnam announcing his run for governor, here it is. He does a great job of broadcasting his candidacy.

Let's also congratulate Adam Putnam for his candidacy as the Florida Governor. He has been working very hard in the political arena for a very long time. He is also a long time Floridian, as am I. So it is nice to see him finally get this opportunity. Plus, he seems to be a Christian. That is always cool with me. Let me also add that I was looking forward to hearing what he had to say. I was hoping I would be able to support him. I wish him well.

Now that we have that out of the way....

The Stepford Wives

His speech is so interesting because he presents a 2017 version of the 2004 movie The Stepford Wives. in case you haven't seen movie let me give you some video clips that encapsulate the gist of the movie.

And my personal favorite....

The movie brings the viewer back to the 1950s (imagine Leave It to Beaver if you will). When men and women had their own separate roles. When whites and blacks had their own separate parts of a town. On a deeper level, the film also points out how boring life would be if only men ruled the world. It also provides a comedic approach to what can happen when one group of people dominants everyone else.

In his speech, Mr. Adam Putnam provides a similar story for what Florida could be if he became governor. Case and point is in his opening lines. He says, "Some people say this doesn't happen anymore. Flags flying. High school bands playing. Prayer on the court house steps. WW2 veterans and children standing shoulder to shoulder." It is tough for me to deny this beautiful picture. This image reminds me of the 1950s and 60s. It reminds me of the type of house Mike Wellington would live in. Despite the beauty of the picture, it isn't reality anymore in the 21st century. For some people that have lived in America all of their life, this has never been there reality. W A true leader creates a picture for everyone, not just a privileged group.

Space Program of the 50s and 60s

Mr. Putnam continues his speech by reminding everyone present about Cape Canaveral. This is where space missions took off from during 50s and 60s. This includes the notorious Apollo mission that landed a man on the moon. What a great achievement for the people of America! We have gained so much in terms of science and technology as a result of these space mission. However, I don't want to go back to that time. I don't want to go back to the 1950s and 60s. I like my iPhone. I would like to keep it.

Putnam and Education 

He continues his speech by explaining how Florida will get good jobs. He says "We need a well educated workforce." and "we need 3rd graders that can read and write." He presents his description of what it means to be educated. His number one priority is reading and writing. A well educated workforce only needs those skills. (Of course I disagree) By only focusing on one subject area, it is easier to control what is taught. This also prevents those pesky kids from exploring other areas of learning. This includes, but is not limited to the following: math, science, engineering, chemistry, history, art, video production, theater, dance, spoken word, music, calligraphy, and the list continues.

Once again, Mr. Putnam is reminding me of The Stepford Wives. In the movie, all of the women (or subordinates) are programmed using a computer chip. The women were programmed so that they would all serve the same purpose (please the husband). Mr. Putnam is behaving the same way as Mike Wellington. He is encouraging students to only be strong at reading and writing. Just like the infamous Mike Wellington, Mr. Putnam does not value diversity . The only way to tackle extraordinary achievements (such as the space missions) is by tapping into the diversity of our each American. We must use all of our strengths in order to succeed. Just like in 1 Corinthians 12 were Paul mentions that the body of Christ is made up of many parts, we are all Americans made up of many parts. Every parts is needed.

"To give each parent the right to chose the right education for their child." - Mr. Adam Putnam 

The only way to achieve a society similar to the one in The Stepford Wives, is for citizens to be segregated (similar to the 1950s and 60s). The best way Mike Wellington, I mean Mr. Putnam can segregate a society is by allowing middle-class families the ability to leave the public school system and its' marginalized families. How are we supposed to work together if we are segregated?

Army of People

In case you (the reader) are not sold that Mr. Putnam, as a leader, does not support public education and the people involved with it, allow me to further develop my argument. Later in his speech, he praises the military and first responders. (I also support them as well as other industries.) He even goes so far as to say, "Let's give all of our military and first-responders a round of applause." No teacher and no public school employee was given a round of applause. We were only told that there are problems with education.

Toward the end, Mr. Putnam says, "I need you on my team. You are my day one supporters. You need to tell your friends, your neighbors, your classmates, your colleagues...." - Don't worry Mr. Putnam, I'm taking care of that right now. I am trying to tell everyone!

Final Thoughts

I am very concerned with how Mr. Putnam is advertising himself as a potential leader of the great State of Florida. As a potential leader he is not open to the diverse population of our state. I have made that abundantly clear. We must stand with and for a leader that has love and compassion for everyone as we have been called to do. We must stand with a leader that will fight for and represent all people of the State of Florida.