Jackson Jambalaya

I have heard that part of the disparity in expenses-per-student is due to the obligation to provide Special Ed to handicapped students. Is this expense broken out separately in each district? The cost to teach an average student academics should be easily compared by district, but if you through in costs associated with physical therapy, one-on-one teaching assistants, etc, the cost per student can skyrocket due to costs beyond the control of the district, and give a false impression that a district is spending way more on EACH student than another district. There is apparently a mich higher chance that a black child will be routed into special ed, so a district with a larger proportion of black students might be expected to have a higher total tab.

I've got a friend who teaches special ed in a public school. She has said that some of the mommas get their kids classified with a "learning disability" so they can get more gov't $$$. This classification usually means that the kids require specialized instruction. KF have you heard anything about this?47

As the parent of a special ed student, I can tell you from personal observation that every child I have ever encountered that is a special ed student clearly and obviously needs to be in a special ed program. So what is your point????? It really disgusts me that almost every discussion of public education includes some people complaining about special ed kids and how much money they believe is being wasted on special ed programs. The truth is Mississippi spends significantly less on special education as compared to other states, just as it generally spends less on other aspects of public education. So, find something else to complain about and quit dogging special ed kids. They have enough to deal with without your attitude.

Regardless, 3:32, it is a fact that many parents do get their kids into various safety net situations in order to get a monthly payout. Many crudely refer to that as 'crazy checks'. But, again, YOUR particular situation notwithstanding, it is a rampant fact.

3:32 we're trying to tease out the cost per student for students who do NOT require special ed, for an apples-to-apples comparison.

It occurred to me that someone might axe me to provide backup for my assertion (above). Some school districts are rampant with the fraud perpetrated by their (usually) single parents in order to get their children classified by the district as 'behaviorally challenged, disruptive, a frequent fighter, acts out, can't pay attention (on and on) in order to get them qualified for SSI (crazy checks). The District (in many cases) is not an innocent bystander to the process. Such classifications of children converts to federal dollars that fund teaching positions, building improvements, transportation funding, on and on.

It's not unlike the doctors who hand out 'handicapped' parking placards willy nilly in order to please their patient base.

Here's just one of hundreds of articles you'll find on this subject if you bother to Google it:

http://www.boston.com/yourtown/boston/roxbury/articles/2010/12/12/with_ssi_program_a_legacy_of_unintended_side_effects/?page=full

3:32
How much of the overall state budget is spent on educaton?

" Crazy checks " are an essential
part of the entitlement nation. It's also helps
support their last minute claims of mental retardation when the executioner's thumb is on that
ole loaded Parchman syringe.

For those that actually qualify for "crazy checks", ..say for example,... the Stokes couple.

I'm all for helping .

I have been an administrator in one of these public school districts for ten years. I will begin this fall in a private school setting because frankly, I was tired of seeing it.

Here are some things that I have seen:

1. There is not only an active move to have kids classified as special ed so more government money can be received, there is an active move to get kids classified special ed so not to harm their athletic eligibility. Most of this was coming from coaches and my colleagues. NCAA Eligibility requirements are not as tough for special ed kids as well. I had an administrator tell me point blank one time that they had a person that would "declare me and you special ed" for the right price.

2. Spending is out of control. I know that several of the new Macbook Pros (starting price $2199) were ordered for people with computers less than one year old with the attitude of "we have to have the latest and greatest."

3. We were made to pay sometimes more than three times what we could go to Walmart and get so that we honored contracts. This added up to thousands and thousands of dollars for just my office, not to mention dozens of others.

4. Teachers are routinely pressured to give higher grades, allow makeup work for unexcused absences, etc. because of the federal funding formula. The result is that a ton of kids are getting high school diplomas that do not deserve them. My honest guess is that it is as high as 40 percent in some schools.

5. And this is no surprise, but in state testing areas, the test is being taught, not the subject. Administration from above force teachers to teach what will be on the test with zero tolerance for deviation. A good history teacher was let go for expanding on the Great Depression because students were engaged with one of his unique teaching methods. The result is that he got a week or so behind "schedule." No matter that 100 percent of his kids passed the US History test, he got off schedule, and we can't have that, can we> The same year, an Algebra I teacher at the same school had 45% of her class fail the state test.

I simply got tired of it, and was finally able to make the move to private school. Remember this, not everyone in these school districts are to blame. There are some great teachers, some great school level administrators and even some great central office folks, but there is a system of sishonesty and kickbacks in place that most of you would not believe. The way Rankin and Pearl are fighting over these 400 or so kids tells you one thing - its not about the kids, its about the money.

8:28 Thanks for the insider's perspective. I saw data once that shpowed an amazing coincidental increase in the number of kids diagnosed with "autism spectrum disorder" once the federal government started separate funding for special ed kids with that diagnosis.

the federal government has not started providing separate funding for CHILDREN with autism. please remember these are children who receive special education services

It's my understanding that 50% of the salary/benefits for many of these teachers is provided by the feds. Can we spell E M P I R E?

Link to the audits?

What is the "other cost per student" that is causing Madison to jump to the top of the total cost per student list?

Astro-turf?

I'd be much concerned if I were a parent in one of the 'near failing' or 'barely passing' districts than I am by Madison exceeding the overall average by 0.08%. Madison could have ditched plastic spoons for pewter or Mike Kent making the rounds to attend sixteen going away parties, who knows. What's important, is the outcome.

I agree that outcome is important and Madison certainly has good outcomes, but that one statistic jumped out at me more than any of the others. The astroturf comment appears to have been made at least partially in jest, but what all is included - and potentially hidden from the public - in that "other" category?

Bill - that was the point of my previous questions about Special Ed funding, and where that is listed in the budgets. Having about 50% of the total budget listed as "Other" is kind of suspicious.

I spoke to Sondra Odom, Pearl School Board President. She said the special ed was included in the instructional cost, which made sense.

Kingfish; Why are you dodging the (thrice axed) question about 'other'?

Madison Central eyes big screen scoreboard


http://www.mcherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120619/NEWS/206190304/Madison-Central-eyes-big-screen-scoreboard