Speed Gibson

Name for me a business - even a school district - that wouldn't be thrilled to suddenly have significantly more customers. Among the thrilled, name one that would not immediately try to find out why and exploit that new found market segment even further.

I'll give you one - Metro Transit.

You've probably heard that transit fares will be rising, probably about 25 cents, probably around October 1st. A number of public hearings are scheduled in July.

Most of us will be paying more for transit July 1, however, when the sales tax goes up 0.25% in Hennepin, Ramsey, Anoka, Dakota, and Washington Counties. Also starting July 1, you'll be paying a $20 Transit Improvement Vehicle Excise Tax when you sell a vehicle registered in these Counties.

But that's already figured into the projected $15 million shortfall in the fiscal year starting July 1. As I posted earlier, that amount is suspiciously similar to the Light Rail subsidy. Increased business for an enterprise with such high fixed costs should more than cover the rising fuel costs.

So what does Metro Transit do? Raise bus fares, which will reduce ridership by pushing some back into their cars or carpools. And not just this fall, and not just a quarter, mind you. The resolution also would grant authority for another increase of up to fifty cents in 2009.

What else can we do to discourage ridership? Let's expand the morning rush hour to start at 5:30 AM, not 6:00 AM, so we can charge 50 cents more for these early birds. Isn't the purpose of off-peak fares to encourage off-peak ridership?

Oh, and let's make it complicated again, with the return of suburban fare zones to nickel and dime quarter and dollar us further.

All of this of course is just a double shuffle to secretly get more Light Rail subsidies. They're going to need still more money to run the Central Corridor and the Metropolitan Council is willing to further degrade the bus service to get it.

I haven't done this for a while, but with apologies to Barry McGuire, here I go again:

Carter Adminstration, it is returnin'
For Ronald Reagan, soon we'll all be yearniin'
Gas at seven dollars, but there's no drillin'
Can't afford home heating, soon we'll all be chillin'
Windmills are turning, but all the lights are dimmin'

But you tell me over and over and over again, my friend
Ah, you don’t believe we’re on the eve of Obama.

Don’t you understand, the war will be endin'
Relations with our allies, finally be mendin'
Iraqis and Afganis, do their own defendin'
Bin Ladin put in jail, trial date is pendin'
But on Election Day, Al Qaeda celebratin'

And you tell me over and over and over again, my friend
Ah, you don’t believe we’re on the eve of Obama.

Taxes going up, so is inflation
Worst job market in a generation
Put it all together, it's called stagflation
Obama's got the answer, still more taxation
College is now free, learn a new vocation
Employed once again, after graduation
but your new corporate job, lost to regulations

And you tell me over and over and over again, my friend
Ah, you don’t believe we’re on the eve of Obama.

No more worries, not with free health care
Free that is, once you've paid your fair share
Everything's covered, even indigestion
Second opinions, though, out of the question
If you're not too old, you'll see the physician
Maybe you still will, if you're a politician
But otherwise, man, they're calling the mortician

And… tell me over and over and over and over again, my friend
You don’t believe we’re on the eve of Obama.
Mmm, no, you don’t believe we’re on the eve of Obama.

Previously: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

"I know exactly why you invited us over," chuckled Will Kennicott, Superindentent of the Gopherville Public Schools to Claire Andrews, his counterpart at the nearby Zenith Public Schools. "You want me to introduce you to Paul."

"I wouldn't turn you down, of course," she replied.

"Or his money."

"Or his money," grinned Claire. "But it's you I wanted to talk to." Claire had hoped to lure Senator Babbitt to the meeting, but he deferred, saying something about it not being appropriate at this time, whatever that meant. So, it was just the two couples tonight, and now just the two of them. Carol Kennicott had departed shortly after dinner to a church meeting and Victor "Vic" Andrews went home to watch television after a quick swing through the kitchen. He was head chef at the Circle R Supper Club and the occasional night off was not going to be squandered listening to Claire's shop talk.

Over coffee, Claire Andrews resumed. "Will, I've been envious of what Paul gave you, no doubt about it. Mostly the freedom part, the ability to do things right without crying to Babbitt and company."

"Good thing he isn't here," smiled Kennicott.

"I would have said it if he was. I think he's man enough to understand I'm talking about the Legislature and his party bosses down there."

"He's a Democrat, too. So are you, I thought."

"I am. I always will be. But I can't say I know what party runs St. Paul these days. You know, I had a short chat with Jack Larson last week. He and Judy celebrated their anniversary here at the Circle R. He is one frustrated young man, just as I am." Claire laughed, then Will joined her.

"I know what you meant, young lady. And yes, Jack is frustrated, no doubt about it. They don't care anymore. Not even Babbitt. They've got money for anything but education. They've got money for everything but education." Jack Larson headed the Legislative Delegation, a small group of citizen lobbyists who made at least monthly trips to the Capitol to try to get more money for Gopherville schools. "Jack unloaded in my office shortly after the end of last year's session. He just couldn't understand why money was being added to pay for health care who didn't need it."

"Will, he said," continued Kennicott, "I finally figured out who these people are. It's - and I quote - those hippie starving artists in Uptown. They get health care and whatever else and they never have to get a real job."

"Wow," said Claire. "Is Jack still with us?"

"This isn't public, but no, he's had enough."

"So have I, Will. I've had enough and in a strange way, what Paul did for you gave me an idea. I'd like your opinion on it."

"So that's why I'm here," laughed Will Kennicott. He motioned to the waiter pouring coffee to refill his cup. "OK, shoot."

"I'm done begging. That may also mean I'm done being Superintendent, but I'm done begging. I am going to simply take whatever money comes in and spend it. In fact, I'm going to budget next year using the actual receipts from this year. If we get more, that's great. If the Board wants to do a referendum, that's great, too, but I'm not spending down my fund balances any further."

"The Board agrees?"

"They know nothing about it yet."

"Thiey won't like it, especially if class sizes go up as a result."

"They might not. They can find a new Superintendent, do a referendum, whatever. But I'm not crawling any more."

I know, I said part 3 would be the last in this series, but I now think this post is best titled as the new last installment. Previously, I rearranged the room, streamlined the agenda, and illustrated the effect these format changes would have on an actual meeting. But let me go back to the original Sun Post Editorial that prompted this series:

School Board meetings are long and not nearly as productive as they need to be. Instead of biting the bullet and moving ahead, board members continue to postpone decisions and request additional information from staff.

[...]

A four-hour School Board work session on June 9, for example, was frustratingly inefficient, fraught with tedious work-smithing and unfocused discussions. The bulk of the agenda was pushed to yet another work session in July. The School Board doesn't have this kind of time to waste.

I highlighted the first statement, the subject of this, yes, no kidding, final installment. The meetings are too long.

I'm not all that concerned about work sessions. Judging by my city experiences, this is how they often do work. Work sessions typically take up topics where it's tough to set a time frame because you're still working on a consensus or discover some new aspects to a question. Such agendas often have far more on them than possible for one meeting. What doesn't get done, yes, rolls over to the next meeting. If something can't wait, you might have to schedule an additional work session.

But the regularly scheduled School Board meetings are too long, and at times, too unfocused. Let me quote an article by Donald R. Adams, published September 2005 in School Administrator Magazine titled The Short, Productive Board Meeting.

Board meetings are the time and place where school boards act. In fact, only when coming together as a body in a legal meeting do school board members become a board. Effective board meetings are the first prerequisite for an effective board.

Furthermore, what parents and voters see at board meetings determines largely what they think about their board, even their school district. Frequent, long, unfocused or contentious meetings are sure signs of an ineffective, perhaps even dysfunctional, board. Everything matters: length, time of day, agenda, protocol, configuration of the room, dress, decorum, etc.

Can I get an "Amem"?

Board meetings are the board's meeting, not the superintendent's meeting. But because the primary reason boards meet is to consider the superintendent's agenda, board meetings are a joint responsibility. Most boards are happy to defer agenda preparation to the superintendent and welcome suggestions regarding agenda review and meeting management.

Working through the board president, superintendents can and should make effective, professionally run board meetings a high priority. Superintendents have a compelling case to make: Effective board meetings contribute to effective district management, and they make board members look good.

There are two key players, the Board chair who runs the meeting and the Superintendent who sets the agenda. They both share in the benefits of a well-run meeting. That's why I recommend changing the seating. The agenda is the basis of this public dialog between the Board and the Administration, as led by their leaders, the Chair and the Superintendent. That's why I say that the agenda has to be tight and focused, not 14 pages.

Meetings should seldom run more than three hours in length and never go late into the night. Long meetings encourage boards to micromanage and are often a sign of bad planning.

It's also disrespectful to the public. I've been to a District 279 meeting that went well past midnight because of an absurd agenda larded with lengthy, unimportant business ahead of what the public came to see.

I haven't seen the equivalent at District 281. When there's been controversy, like school closings, additional public hearings were scheduled rather than burden and overcrowd the Board room. But the Board could examine whether frequently taking time for musical presentations should be part of a meeting only to have it adjourn at 11 pm.

Faster than the Legislature can raise its pay, Charter Schools are booming in Minnesota, adding over 4,300 students just this past year while public school enrollment continues to decline. Ignoring private and home schooling, their market share has increased from 1.2% to 3.4% in just six years. That's an annual growth rate of 19%, enough to take it all in 20 more years. Something has to be done, right?

The Senate tried last year, proposing a moratorium of 150 Charter Schools, but even with their near veto-proof margins, the DFL leadership couldn't find enough votes to pass it. Currently, there are 143 Charter Schools in Minnesota and now for the first time, the suburbs outnumber Minneapolis and St. Paul, which may explain why the moratorium stalled. This could also swing some of the first ring suburban Legislators next round, perhaps as part of the large income tax and K-12 spending increase Sen. Mindy Greiling will be introducing next year. But it looks like Charter Schools are here to stay, especially given their roots in the core cities. Something has to be done, right?

***

Come back in time with me 25 years ago. Shopping malls went up everywhere, filled immediately with new and ever more specialty retailers. This gave the department stores, even the discounters at times, great pause. The response was to bring the mall experience inside the barns, every department its own botique. Overall, they had some good success with it, but every year a department or two would be lost to a category specialist.

Is this what the public schools are doing, trying to offer a variety of crafts aboard their aircraft carriers? Many are, offering International Baccalaureate (IB), Advanced Placement (AP), Language Immerision, Fine Arts, etc. at various schools. But will it work?

***

June 24, 2008
To the Editor of the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

Recent articles have pointed out the rapid growth of charter schools and loss of students in district schools, particularly Minneapolis. Parents make choices, and many chose to leave district schools and enroll in charter schools. Why should this be, and what can be learned?

For many years as a school district principal, I experienced the frustration of having exciting ideas I and staff proposed turned down by layers of administrators and school boards. Districts are too reluctant to yield decisionmaking authority to teachers and principals. Districts want uniformity and regulation in an era when people desire to exercise creativity in order to meet challenges.

Charter schools fill the bill with small, responsive programs. Nothing prevents districts from doing the same thing other than lack of trust in their own staff to initiate new programs. Many millions of dollars to support change in district schools hasn't produced a winning formula.

It's easier than that. Give people opportunities to start programs, provide support, set accountability goals and offer choices to students and parents.

WAYNE JENNINGS, ST. PAUL

Mr. Jennings now appears to be a consultant, hence the link to his web site.

***

As I said, many districts are diversifing. But is Jennings right, that there is too much power, too high up?

Why or why does Senator McCain pull stunts like this? With much of the Republican base already eying the exit door, he now proposes a $300 million prize to whoever comes up with a practical battery to run our electric cars in the future. I'll agree that such an invention would be worth that amount and more, but let's get real.

What is a battery? It's a container that uses its internal chemicals and metallic components to provide electricity. Like an existing car battery, the process can be reversed, applying an electric current to recharge it.

This is different from a fuel cell, where the oxygen used to burn the fuel is supplied externally. A battery is self-contained; the only way in or out is electrical.

The winning design will provide much more capacity (ampere-hours) in a proportionately smaller space, weigh at most 1,000 pounds, and recharge quickly.

Let me see now. Picture a sturdy container filled with a mixture of volatile chemicals and reactive metals itching to get at each other, willing to go miles through a wire to do it. If there's a short circuit or a rupture, all that energy can be released much too quickly. We've already seeing lithium-ion laptop batteries igniting and exploding.

You cannot change the laws of Chemistry. At some point, you're no longer building a Flux Capacitor. You're making an explosive.

I lost another "guy I grew up with" yesterday, comedian George Carlin. He was on the preachy side, he didn't hide his politics, but he also didn't apologize for any of it. He was even arrested once for using his infamous seven dirty words. He was who he was, and on stage, that was funny, genius-level funny at times.

Noting how so many school districts all claim to have such "excellent" teachers and staff, I had toyed with using one of my favorite Carlin lines: "Somewhere in America there is the worst doctor, but the worst thing is someone has an appointment with him tomorrow."

Somehow I think even George would enjoy the irony of dying from a heart attack after telling us to lay off the croissants.

Previously, I set the tables and reworked the agenda for a regularly scheduled District 281 School Board meeting. In this final installment, I'll put my new agenda to work.

1. Call to Order and Roll Call
   
   
2. Approval of Agenda and Consent Agenda
   
   

   The following are items are considered routine by the Board and will be enacted by one motion. There will be no separate discussion of any of these items unless a Board member or the Superintendent so requests, in which case that item will be removed here and appended to the Administration agenda items.

   1. Approval of the June 2, 2008 Board Meeting Minutes (Attachment C-1)
      
   2. Approval of Open Lunch at Robbinsdale Armstrong and Robbinsdale Cooper for 2008-2009 (Attachment C-2)
      
   3. Accept and where required approve Personnel Changes (Attachment C-3)
      
   4. Approve three Contracts for Services totaling $ 31,574. (Attachment C-4)
      
   5. Approve one Change Order, for an additional $ 24, 661 (Attachment C-4)
      
   6. Award three construction bids totaling $152,600. (Attachment C-5)
      
   7. Receive Gifts and Deposits totaling $ 46,845.27 (Attachment C-6)
      
   8. Receive Grant of $100,000 (Attachment C-6)
      
   9. Adoption of the proposed 2008-2009 Hourly Facility Rental Rates (Attachment C-7)
      
   
   

The Chair convenes the meeting to order at 7:02 pm, having granted the television crew time to correct a microphone malfunction. The Clerk takes the roll, all are present, and the Chair proceeds with item 2.

The Superintendent announces that the presenter for Administration item 6.C, the End of Year Enrollment Report, is ill. He offers to present it himself but recommends postponement to the next meeting. The Board agrees.

Looking at attachment C-5, one Board member is puzzled by the additional line seemingly rejecting the same bid. Understanding how Consent Agendas work, rather than ask for an immediate clarification, the member asks for its removal and the Chair reschedules it as new Administrative item 6.E.

After asking for any other changes to either the Agenda or Consent Agenda and hearing none, the Chairperson moves their approval with the above two changes. It is seconded and passes unanimously.

3. Presentation
   
   
   1. Recognition of Bob Wittman, Executive Director of Community Education and Community Relations. (Attachment P-1)
   
   
4. Education
   
   
   1. 2008-2012 District Desegregation / Integration Plan. After a summary presentation, the Administration seeks Board approval. (Attachment E-1)
      

The Superintendent motions Bob to sit by him in the Presentation area, then reads the resolution he prepared, commending Bob for his ten years of service with the District and many professional accomplishments. (Watch the video to see the rest!)

Next, the Superintendent calls two staff members to the Presentation area, who present the Desegregation Plan. (This was well done in the actual meeting.) After a few questions, the Board adopts it as requested.

5. Business
   
   The Administration seeks Board approval of the following submitted items.
   
   
   1. Construction bid awards totaling $152,600. (Attachment B-1)
      
   2. Adoption of the 2008-2009 General Fund budget, including Transportation and Capital. (Attachment B-2)
      
   3. Adoption of the 2008-2009 Food Service and Community Service budgets. (Attachment B-3).
      
   4. Adoption of the 2008-2009 Building Construction and Debt Service budgets. (Attachment B-4).
      
   5. A resolution to transfer $ 797,972.52 from the Operating Capital account to the General Fund. (Attachments B-5, B-6)
      
   6. Authorization to sell Alternative Facilities Bonds, after a short update from the Finance Director. (Attachment B-7)
      
   7. Designation of the Sun Post weekly newspaper as the Official Publication for the Robbinsdale Area Schools for the 2008-2009 school year. (Attachment B-8)
      
   8. Appointment of Legal Counsel, Auditors, Financial Advisors, Architects, and Engineers for the 2008-2009 fiscal year. (Attachment B-9)
      
   
   
The Administration seeks roll call Board approval of the submitted delegations of authority for the 2008-2009 fiscal year.


1. Resolution designating Depositories for School District Funds. (Attachment B-10)
   
2. Resolution authorizing payment of specific Statements in advance of Board approval. (Attachment B-11)
   
3. Resolution designating Brokers for investment of District funds. (Attachment B-12)
   

Most of this is routine, required at the start of a new fiscal year. Note that the individual resolutions for a number of them were combined into an attachment. There are a few questions, but the various items are otherwise passed quickly.

6. Administration
   
   
   1. Referendum Election – November 2008
      
      Board decision on calling for an Operating Referendum Election on the November 2008 ballot. The Administration recommends approval.
      
      
   2. Robbinsdale Area Schools Financial Advisory Council (Attachment A-1)
      
      Board decision to adopt the By-Laws that will establish this Council.
      
      
   3. End of Year Enrollment Report (Attachment A-2)
      
      Presentation by Dennis Beekman, Executive Director of Technology.
      
      
   4. Termination of Probationary Teacher (Attachment A-3)
      
      (Roll call motion required to adopt resolution.)
      
      
   5. Removed from Consent Agenda
      
      Construction bid awards totaling $152,600. (Attachment C-5)
      
   
   

The third item was postponed to the next meeting when the Agenda was approved. The fifth item was added when removed from the Consent Agenda. While theoretically a Business item, and the Chair could have appended it there, it is still a basically routine item that should wait for all of the more important business to complete.

The amended list of Administrative items are completed.

7. Board Reports
   
   
   1. June 9, 2008 Work Session
      
   2. West Metro Education Program (WMEP)
      
   3. Board Rapport
      


8. Adjournment

The reports are heard, the rapport achieved, and the meeting is adjourned as the announcements scroll on the television monitors.

This long exercise was to illustrate the streamlined agenda from part two. Though based on an actual agenda, some events were altered to illustrate the mechanics.

Now that I have the players sitting in the right places (Part 1), let's look at a District 281 School Board Regular Meeting agenda, specifically that of Monday, June 16th as an example. The link will open this 14 page document in a separate window.

A 14 page agenda isn't an agenda, which Merriam-Webster defines as "a list or outline of things to be considered or done" in this context. Thumbing through those 14 pages, you see that it is full of specifics, but only some of the specifics, the rest in PDF attachments that I'm sure the board received as supplement printouts. Make all of the specifics separate documents and the suddenly you have a 2 page outline - an agenda.

It's difficult to manage meeting time with an unwieldy 14 page document. With a 2 page agenda, a quick scan of the remaining items readily tells you where you are and what remains. All we had to do it put the content where it belongs, in supporting documents. Points with no activity this meeting (e.g. 8.02 on page 8 - no Change Orders) should be stricken entirely as needless agenda clutter. The Announcements (item 12) should also be stricken since it embodies no Board action. It could be continue to be published as an addendum on the agenda document.

The Board could take better advantage of the Consent Agenda concept. A Consent Agenda is a list of routine, non-controversial actions adopted with a single motion at the beginning of a meeting. Any meeting participant can have any item removed from the consent agenda for full consideration during the remainder of the meeting at an appropriate point, usually as determined by the meeting leader. Items requiring explanations or a roll call vote obviously cannot be in the Consent Agenda but everything else is potentially eligible.

In the 14 page example, the Consent Agenda runs over 6 pages, which collapses to a small part of page one once the long list of personnel changes and donations are made into separate supporting documents. I wonder if still more items could have been added to the Consent Agenda, like item 8.01 that awards three construction bids totaling about $150 thousand.

A little more streamlining takes us from:

1. Call to Order and Roll Call
2. Additions to Agenda
   
3. Acceptance of Agenda
   
4. Presentation and Special Reports
   
5. Consent Agenda
   
6. Consent Agenda items removed for discussion
   
7. Teaching and Learning
   
8. Business
   
9. Administrative Matters
   
10. Board Reports
    
11. Board Rapport
    
12. Announcements
    
13. Adjournment
    

To this, referring to current agenda numbering above:

1. Call to Order and Roll Call (1)
   
2. Approval of Agenda and Consent Agenda (2,3,5,6)
   
3. Presentations (4)
   
4. Education (7)
   
5. Business (8)
   
6. Administration (9)
   
7. Board Reports (10,11)
   
8. Adjournment (13)
   

Announcements (12)

It's 2 pages, not 14 pages. It's 8 points, not 13 points. This is an agenda. I'll put to work in Part 3.

After stopping by to see Lassie and the rest of the SD 45 Republicans at their monthly coffee meet Saturday morning I headed over to see the Minnesota Street Rod Association's Back to the 50's show at the State Fair Grounds.

Yes, there was a 409 there and so many other classics. I came of age in the muscle car era of the 60's, but I certainly remember the late fifties Chevy's and the others I saw everywhere. There were a few of the cars I only read about, like a Hudson Hornet and a beautiful Packard Twelve, named for its V-12 engine. The car I would have driven off in, though, was the 1963 Studebaker Avanti.

It was a beautiful day, over 10,000 cars, a great turnout, and an advance on some of your favorite State Fair foods like the mini-donuts. The Patriot also decided to test drive its new location just inside the Snelling entrance on Dan Patch Avenue, with the David Strom Show and all six hours of the NARN live on Saturday.

Next year the Trashmen or what's left of them will appear. I'll be back, doing the night shift.

***

I do have to cry foul, which is prompting this early morning post. I woke up listening to the 24 hour Back to the Fifties marathon of music that started at 5 pm Saturday. I heard Neil Sedaka's "Put Your Head on My Shoulder" and the Four Seasons' "Big Girls Don't Cry" but they weren't the original singles. A number of these artists re-recorded their (mono) classics in the new (stereo!) technology and they seldom captured the original magic, and that's what I heard here. If you're doing a "Back to the Fifties" musical tribute, it seems to me that the music should be what actually came out of the car speakers of that era.

As I posted earlier, there were numerous articles including an editorial and a letter to the editor in this week’s Sun Post on our Northwest suburban public school districts. About half of them were about District 281, the Robbinsdale Area Schools. I’ll spare you the long build-up and cut to the chase, the common thread: leadership.

The word “leadership” clearly can have many meanings and connotations. Let’s start with one aspect I thought I might post about in July. Today’s unsigned Sun Post editorial "District 281 School Board must show leadership now" has forced my hand:

School Board meetings are long and not nearly as productive as they need to be. Instead of biting the bullet and moving ahead, board members continue to postpone decisions and request additional information from staff.

and

A four-hour School Board work session on June 9, for example, was frustratingly inefficient, fraught with tedious work-smithing and unfocused discussions. The bulk of the agenda was pushed to yet another work session in July. The School Board doesn't have this kind of time to waste.

Maybe you’ve seen the wonderfully amusing (because it’s true to life) training video Meetings, Bloody Meetings starring John Cleese of Monty Python fame. School Board meetings in District 281 are not that far gone, but the Sun Post’s criticisms are valid in my opinion. For I’ve been to almost every one for over six months now.

So what would I do? First, I would change the seating chart. Currently, the dais (OK, really just a table) seats eight, the seven Board members and the Superintendent, by State law an ex-officio member of the School Board. To the right is a smaller table that seats four for those making presentations, equipped with additional lights and a camera for the cable TV broadcast.

I would move the Superintendent to the Presentation area. I would redistribute the remaining seven chairs so that the Chairperson sits in the exact center. On either side would sit the Clerk and the Treasurer. The others, including the Vice Chair would occupy the remaining seats, with the newer members on the outside. Should the Chairperson be away, the Vice Chairperson or whoever is chairing the meeting would take the center position.

The minor reason for this is to geographically reinforce who is in charge of the meeting, much like a Mayor and Council. The major reason is to clarify the major purpose of a School Board meeting, a public dialog between the Board and the Superintendent, much like a City Council and a City Manager.

Take for example a recent presentation of District enrollment projections by the Executive Director of Technology, who took his place on the right hand table and went through his PowerPoint presentation with the Superintendent and elected Board watching from the main table. But unlike the elected Board, the Superintendent is not the recipient of this analysis, a member of the audience. He is ultimately the producer of it, and is not seeing these slides for the first time. He can and should where appropriate or in response to questions clarify the presentation. He can do this best by sitting next to his subordinate.

Indeed, that’s the idea. The extra positions on the right hand table are for presenters, usually staff. They can come in and out, point by point on the agenda. It’s right for the Board, the Superintendent, and those making presentations. Were I, say, presenting my new design for the District web site, I know that I would be most honored and most comfortable having my Superintendent by my side, not off in the distance.

A more functional seating plan better identifies roles, particularly the unique roles of the Chairperson and the Superintendent for everyone involved, including the public. But there are more changes needed to address the points raised by the Editorial and others. In part two, I will continue with the agenda and flow of the meetings themselves.

This week's Sun Newspaper has several articles on the four school districts that together serve most of the northwest suburbs, especially my own District 281, the Robbinsdale Area Schools. First, the other districts.

District 286, which serves about a third of Brooklyn Center, the second smallest urban district in Minnesota, will once again put an Operating Levy referendum on the ballot. This will be try number 6 in the past three years. The district is in Statutory Operating Debt, meaning they must seek more local income and can hold referendums outside of November. They seek to add $200 per student, but it's going to be another tough sell in an area hit hard by the burst of the real estate bubble and of course, $4 a gallon gasoline.

District 279, the Osseo Area schools, held a reception for 79 retiring staff, some I suspect prompted by the recent staff cuts and closure of two schools.

District 11, Anoka-Hennpin, the state's largest district, is looking at spending increases. Its (American) Indian Education program is losing federal funding because of declining enrollment, and the "Indian Education Parent Advisory Committee" wants general fund increases to maintain the program. I'm curious to know how much certain nearby tribes are currently contributing.

More interesting, though is the report of the Elementary Workload Reduction Task Force, created to "review Anoka-Hennepin teacher workload." I'm trying hard to keep an open mind here, but a little demon that looks a lot like Salem Radio talk show host Dennis Prager is standing on my left shoulder. "You have to go to Graduate School to become this stupid," he whispers in my ear. Consider:

Adding a para-professional to supervise lunch and recess would give teachers more time for planning and staff development, [Oxbow Creek Elementary teacher and task force member LeMoyne] Corgard suggested.

The task force estimated recess para-professionals would cost the district $726,000 a year. It was the solution highest on the priority list.

The district is currently using high-cost employees to monitor recess, when those teachers could be collaborating with their peers, [task force co-chairman and School Board member Scott] Wenzel said.

That last quote could have been said better, but I disagree with the premise. Isn't incidental contact with teachers as authority figures in the lunchroom, hallways, and playground good for students? Isn't this a good opportunity for a teacher to pass on a little encouragement? Maybe a smile and a wink for a student that's had a rough morning with the material? Isn't this part of growing up?

And I'm still puzzled why teachers need all this extra training and peer collaboration. They are professionals we are told. Licensing requirements, as some teachers quietly admit, are much higher than most positions require, i.e., if anything the teachers are over-qualified. What didn't they learn in college, with experience, with supervision, and self-improvement?

Well, that's enough posting for the other districts. And a big thank you to the Sun Newspapers for providing all this coverage.

At Chief Brigham's gracious invitation earlier this year, I have decided to become a Contributor to True North. This site became my first read of the day within days of its launch. What makes this site work is its many Contributors. I'm honored to now be one of them, and I shall try to be worthy of that honor.

As is common practice, anything I post there will be cross-posted here. But if you want "Dancing with the Stars" commentary and more details on specific subjects like District 281, you'll still have to tune in here.

So check it out: Post Number One!

Metro Transit is seeking a fare increase this Fall, effective October 1. They're forecasting a $15 million shortfall next year despite a recent surge in ridership. Fuel costs are going up and the dedicated funding from motor vehicle sales taxes is significantly below projections.

This seems reasonable at first. We've seen the price of gas go up sharply, painfully, and we know diesel fuel is going up at least as fast. Metro Transit used 7.5 million gallons last year, and fuel will cost about $4.5 million more this year.

But look closer and you'll find that the real reason for the deficit and the fare increase may really be - Light Rail.

It's hard to get recent operating loss figures for the Hiawatha Line but maybe I can get some at the public hearings scheduled in July (see link above). Supposedly it's around $20 million a year, millions more than the total deficit, meaning that the buses themselves are in the (subsidized) black.

Also, it seems odd that increased ridership should drive metro transit further into the (subsidized) red. Almost all of its costs are fixed, fuel prices being the obvious exception. If as it appears to me fares cover 25 percent of the costs and fuel even now is maybe 10 percent of the cost, increased ridership should be good, i.e., reduce the deficit further.

In other words, with the MVET Light Rail slush fund coming up short, the bus riders must pay a "fare" tax to make up the difference.

Developing ...

Bus service isn't perfect. They run late at times. They break down occasionally. But these are singular events that inconvenience a comparative few now and then. Your own car could also get caught in traffic or break down as well.

But it's different with Light Rail. Snow storms, traffic accidents, and system failures stop the entire line, not just your ride. Even minor nearby construction stops it, per the Metro Transit website:

Route 55 buses will replace trains on portions of the Hiawatha Line on Saturday, June 21, and Sunday, June 22, to accommodate construction work on an apartment complex adjacent to the track.

Buses will serve customers between 46th Street Station and Fort Snelling Station from 3 a.m. until noon Saturday and from 3 a.m. until 10 a.m. Sunday. Trains will operate normally elsewhere along the 11-mile line.

Full rail service will be reactivated in time to serve Twins fans headed to weekend home games at the Metrodome.

In the work zone, a contractor will dig near the track to tap into a water main that will serve an apartment building under construction on Minnehaha Avenue north of 54th Street.

All this for a water main. What's going to happen with the Central Corridor line, heading into the more dense University of Minnesota and downtown St. Paul areas? And what if Met Council is right, that it spurs development all along University Avenue in between? Wouldn't there have to be similar shutdowns and more of them?

The old streetcar tracks were torn up for a very good reason: to improve transit with bus service. That was over 50 years ago, meaning relatively few are now around to tell us what streetcar life was really like. By the time we learn again, we'll be saddled with half a dozen of these boondoggles.

The Robbinsdale Area School Board tonight created the "Financial Adivsory Council" by enacting its By-Laws, which you can find on the District Web Site. This was one of the final recommendations of the Strategic Planning (Visioning) process, to provide independent assessment of District finances and operations. The intent was to identify process improvements, budget savings, and help citizens (read: Referendum voters) with more understandable financial information. The initial draft of proposed By-Laws showed many differences in what the Administration thought that meant and what we "Visioners" know it meant, something I have posted on several times in recent weeks. Some of us Visioners have made objections and counter-proposals, and the final version adopted tonight reflects some our input:

1. Administration members were reduced from three to two, an Assistant Superintendent and the Finance Director (Director of Business Services). (Article IV)
2. School Board members reduced from two to one, the District Treasurer. (Article IV)
3. Community members increased from five to six. The original 1:1 ratio of Community to District is now 2:1, but see below. (Article IV)
4. The Council will elect its own Chair. (Article IV.D)
5. The Council Chair, working with the Finance Director and District Treasurer will set the agenda with input from Members of the Council. (Article VI.A as revised 6/16.)

The Board of course has full authority and responsibility for this Council and I therefore cannot be anything but grateful for the changes they did make. My primary remaining concern is that District employees will be eligible to serve as Community members. In fact, the now desired "school finance experience" would seem to encourage this. It's nothing personal, just my concern that this will diminish the Council's perceived independence.

We have By-Laws. We have a Financial Advisory Council. The rest will be up to the Council members themselves.

The new family room is coming along, with the new flat screen TV, speakers, and related electronics operational. There are still some settling in adjustments to make and what better way than a triple header of sports in HD / 5.1 spendor? Hey, it's Father's Day, right?

First up was NASCAR, where Dale Earnhardt Jr. finally returned to Victory Lane after an absence of over two years. It was a good race regardless, with most of the leaders running on empty near the end. Junior had enough to take the checkered flag, but ran out before he could do the traditional burnouts and had to be pushed into Victory Lane. The surround sound of the cars whizzing by is really impressive.

I'm watching the U.S. Open final round now, Tiger just finishing the seventh hole. The grass looks positively real, and you can really see the ball in flight and bounce around in the rough. Golf seems to especially show that the framing is still set for non-HD, meaning you see a lot of grass on the sides rather than move in closer. The whack of a driver hitting a ball is also amazingly true to life.

I figure I had better watch what might be the final NBA Final tonight, too, which is recording now. Even with the DVR, I may not get to bed before midnight.

Don't worry, I got in in a 9 mile walk first.

The official creation of what is now called the "Financial Advisory Council" is set for Monday's District 281 Board Meeting. I'll wait until final passage before making my final observations, but I fear it won't have even the time to consider some important questions like "what happens when all of our old buildings come due for replacement?"

Here's another: what is the "true" cost of Special Education in the Robbinsdale Area Schools? The traditional way is to categorize the various program and object costs, correlating with the state formulas, leading to the charge that the state and/or federal governments have saddled us with unfunded mandates.

They probably have, but I'd like to try this another way, to calculate a baseline without Special Education, and then compute the difference. By baseline I mean an idyllic world where nobody needs Special Education. The student body is 100 percent average kids, like Beaver (Theodore) Cleaver and Theo Huxtable. What would that cost - buildings, payroll, etc.? I think we could make a pretty good guess without too much trouble.

I ask this because more than once I've heard claims that the current accounting methods and formulas significantly under-estimate the total cost of Special Education, a big part of why there are unfunded mandates. This would help either confirm the existing methods or identify the true costs so we can budget better in the future.

Maybe I didn't get the memo, but I found Sue Jeffers is on KTLK-FM Saturdays 5-7 pm. From what I heard, it sounds like AAA co-hosted last week, and in QM-speak "tonight's special guest star" was Il Duce.

Again, from what I heard, it sounds like this is an audition toward a permanent slot on Sundays. Hey, if Ron Rosenbaum gets a weekend show, so should Sue, until she runs for Governor in 2010.

My criteria have been met, so I hereby declare Friday June 13th as the first day of Summer 2008 in the Twin Cities. Spring began late, on April 20th by my reckoning, so that means it lasted about two months, 50 days to be exact.

At my age of 59, the passing of Tim Russert at age 58 hits home maybe just a little more. Here was a man who could easily afford any type or amount of medical care, retire to anywhere if need be, and it didn't matter.

The career and persona that was Tim Russert is now receiving deserved accolades from those in journalism, politics, and government and of course his peers in broadcasting. For my part, I'd like to note that while certainly a good political reporter, he was an even better broadcaster, a natural like Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly.

He made and remade "Meet the Press" his own. His news features and election coverage were always so well done. The upcoming party conventions and November election night coverage won't be the same.

It's not official yet, pending formal approval at the June 16th School Board meeting, but the Sun Post reports that:

Robbinsdale District 281 will seek more money from voters this fall for the second time in two years, the School Board decided at a work session Monday.

The board's unanimous decision for a referendum vote Nov. 4 followed a presentation by Unite 281, a committee of parents who have collected 1,000 signatures from people supporting another chance to vote on a school referendum.

District 281 voters rejected a $9.7 million referendum last November. The district had earlier reduced its 2007-08 budget by $4.5 million. Because of the referendum defeat, officials had to cut $5.4 million from its 2008-09 budget and is looking at another $6 million in reductions for 2009-10.

I was at this meeting, and the Sun Post article is an excellent summation. I'd like to focus on two specific points made, again quoting Sue Webber's coverage.

"Unless the community sees change there, we may very well have the same [referendum] outcome," said Lynne Osterman, a committee member and former state lawmaker from New Hope. "We can't trot out the same horse [in this fall's election]. Something has to change."

This seems obvious, but it's no guarantee of success as the Brooklyn Center District (286) has repeatedly found this decade. They've tried different dates, different amounts, and different messages, 0 for 5 the past three years. They will try again in September or November, but they're still basically trying to undo a misconception from the large bond referendum that rebuilt its Earle Brown Elementary in 2001.

Small changes won't work here either, especially given gas prices and the real estate market. I think everyone involved understands this, but what needs to change? In my humble opinion, treating the voters like adults would be an excellent start. "Be a Hero!" slogans are no substitute for relevant facts, for example.

Ron Stoffel of Crystal, who headed the committee that opposed last year's referendum, said [... that the] large dollar amount of last year's referendum and the 10-year time frame also were factors in its defeat.

More specifically, Mr. Stoffel urged 4-5 year initiatives at most, given the near impossibility of predicting 10 years out. I think he's right, especially if this does away with overlapping operating levies. Ideally, we'd simply set the total levy once a year like the city and county do, but under current law, an operating referendum every four years seems workable. To make that workable requires reliable budget forecasts and understandable presentations of those budgets to the voters.

In reading the accounts of the closings of Osseo and Edgewood Schools in District 279, the higher operating costs and pending maintenance capital were given as reasons for picking these 2 out of the 19 elementary schools. The same logic was given in 281, though no schools have been closed yet.

This seems logical at first blush. Close the fiscally most inefficient schools first, to minimize other cuts. Which schools are these? The oldest, of course. The don't have modern insulation or heating plants. Their age means, yes, maintenance is increasingly required. It's just like an old car, that got less than 20 mile per gallon and needs ever more repairs.

There's another way to look at this. Were not these higher costs in the out years expected when the building was built? We expect this when buying a car. In a portfolio of buildings constructed at different times, you can't truly compare building with building dollar for dollar if built in different eras.

If we're downsizing primarily because of declining enrollment, ranking by current and future costs makes sense assuming we can live with the concomitant demographic and geographic changes.

If we're downsizing primarily because of budget pressures, however, we need to rethink this. Remember that closing a school seems to provide only 5-10% of the needed reductions. The operating and maintenance costs differences are small fractions of that. Financially, there really isn't much difference.

But Speed, we also get another 10 years out of a building built in 1964 instead of 1954! That's a big chunk of money, right? Money we don't have when budgets are tight? That's true when you only build in a crisis, like when Forest was rebuilt because of mold problems. A truly financially stable district will manage the portfolio every year, not school by school and only when needed.

A stable portfolio would build a new elementary school about every N years where N is the expected life divided by the number of schools needed. The average age of an elementary school would be about N/2 at any one time. But Forest (2005) excepted, and with Olson (1971) no longer used, the rest of our elementary schools are 40-50+ years old, largely built in a 10 year window (1954-1964). When these come due, they're coming in a hundred-plus million dollar wave. I wonder if our current budgeting truly reflects this coming tsunami.

Maybe the Citizens Financial Advisory Committee should look at this, to determine if there is an "unfunded liability" here and/or help develop a building plan that will space these projects into a manageable portfolio.

As I look at the budget cutting going on in public school districts, there seems to be a common focus: class sizes. Some of this is good, forcing re-examination of support staff levels, outsourcing, and newer, more productive technology.

But much of this goes too far in my opinion. Take bus service, for example. Transportation used to be a separate fund I'm told, recently folded into the General Fund. Bus savings can therefore be spent on staff - teachers, to keep down class sizes. Is this what we really want?

Ask the parents. I'm sure I could find cases where junior walked to school in first grade, until his elementary school closed. He was bused to the next nearest school for a couple of years. Then his parents received a letter saying that students were now expected to walk up to two miles, unless you pay extra. He therefore now walks 30 minutes each way to elementary school. Is this what we really want, all in the name of class sizes?

Remember, the research on the effects of class sizes is pretty thin, at least above grade 3. Prove to me that fourth graders packed 28 to class will do worse than those with a class size of 20. Said another way, what test would you administer to high school graduates that could tell the difference eight years later?

What if our "junior" was allowed to attend his nearby school throughout his primary years, walking a few blocks. No busing, no half hour plus ploddings through fresh snow. What effect would that have on his attitude? Would his parents also be more involved with a nearby school?

We could look at the many other facilities and support staff the same way. What if a district like 281 simply said that there will be 10 elementary schools, period. Each will have a principal. Each will have a nurse. Each will have a head custodian. Each will have a security "enforcer." Each will have a library. Each will have stable boundaries and bus service to match. Above all, it means that aging buildings are replaced, on the same lot or very close by, not relocated two miles away. It will vary slightly building to building, the Legislature must change the rules appropriately, but in general: no surprises.

Parents might be more disposed to buy homes in neighborhoods with such a strong commitment. This is particularly important in first ring suburbs. Maybe this means class sizes rise a bit, but we can still approve levy referendums to correct this if desired. Closing a school is a much tougher decision to undo.

We see public schools closing in districts throughout the area these days, often as budget cuts. A savings per building is projected. I wonder how accurate those guesses are.

For yes, they are really just guesses. You can quantify the outright cuts in teachers, janitors, cooks, and the principal. But quantifying the incremental additions to the remaining buildings and staff is more problematic.

It is also static analysis against multi-year trends in demographics and enrollment. And both of those are affected by home buying decisions influenced by the presence or absence of neighborhood schools.

This is a skill for which we can hardly expect or want school districts to have expertise. But we should at least run the numbers after the fact to see what indeed happened, detail by detail. I have a suspicion that not all of these savings are truly realized.

This might be a good task for a Citizens Financial Advisory Committee to investigate.

As part of District 279's budget cutting, two of its 19 elementary schools have now closed, including the Osseo Elementary. Like Robbinsdale, tiny Osseo somehow became the anchor of the fifth largest public school district in Minnesota. Besides Osseo, it covers all or a portion of Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Corcoran, Dayton, Hassan, Maple Grove, Osseo, and Plymouth.

Despite passing one of three Referendums this past November, the District has had to cut $16.3 million. Closing Osseo and Edgewood together contributes about $800 thousand toward that total, about 5 percent. It also will eliminate nearly $2 million of maintenance projects, but that's a separate account.

Unlike the Robbinsdale District 281 schools, the 279 Board followed through on their "threat" to close schools if the referendums didn't pass. There's something to be said for doing what you said you would do. But there's also something to be said for rethinking this like 281 did, at least deferring the school closing question a year while it completed its strategic planning process.

In both cases, these school closings really don't make much of a dent against the total reductions required, especially for Osseo. I've asked this question before: why would you risk your most powerful bond with the community for such a small amount? Five percent?

Yes, Osseo Elementary opened in 1954, making it one of the area's oldest schools. That and declining enrollments mean that there obviously was some date in the near future when this landmark would have to close. We could wish for at least a more natural end.

Yes, we could wish it wasn't part of the continuing migration out of the inner ring suburbs, skewing the district demography and geography.

Yes, we could wish that rather than simply close that it be reborn, rebuilt like Forest Elementary in Crystal (281) or Earle Brown Elementary (286).

But this die is cast, and now all that's left are the memories.

I have no choice. MPR is now my morning drive station. Once again, it was starting to look promising, with Chris Baker on KTLK-FM. And once again my hopes were dashed. Ron Rosenbaum is now a regular on that show. He's a smart guy. I think his legal clients are well represented. But his personality and thin skin just aren't suited to radio, to the point where he is, in my opinion of course, unlistenable.

I'm therefore now listening to MPR, 91.1 FM. Yes, it's as pedantic and and pretentious as I remember. Yes, the reporters are spectacularly uncurious at times. Yes, there's too much fluff. I do at least appreciate that they don't go out of their way to insult my intelligence, like the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Actually, I should hear a little more from the loyal opposition, and I can say I that I do learn some things that most other news outlets don't have time to cover. Thanks to our taxpayer support, they have that time.

I'll come for air during the Pledge Drives, when MPR cuts its output in half or more, trying to pretend they're financially strapped. I'll use that time to rescan the AM and FM dials, to see if there's an enlightened program director out there that will again try real, adult local content instead of endless fluff, traffic, and weather.

Previously: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

George Babbitt looked down at his drink, nearly empty, wondering if he wanted another before walking home.

"Made up your mind, George?" asked the bartender, actually the owner, Donovan "Don" Shaw.

"The drink, you mean?"

"More than one decision to make tonight it sounds like. I can help you with this one, friend. On the house," said Don, raising the bottle of Maker's Mark bourbon. Babbitt smiled and nodded. Shaw poured, then poured a diet Seven-Up for himself. "Any other questions I can help you with?"

"More like an enigma. Heard about Paul Reisling, no doubt."

"Sure, the talk of the town, big man on campus. Santa Claus."

"I know he's loaded, but I still want to know why. Why here? Why now?"

"Why not?"

"Because as far as I can tell, he's never gotten involved in any public area. Government, non-profits, not even charities. Suddenly, like you say, he's Santa Claus. Suddenly he throws down 200 large on the table." Shaw suddenly remembered the earlier night when Reisling had joined the ladies in the corner booth, that Fran Dodsworth had shown mild surprise when Reisling had announced that he had upped his offer to $250 thousand. Now it made sense.

"Tell me, George," began Shaw. "How would someone, an outsider, a relative newcomer to Gopherville, come up with the figure of $200 thousand? Why not 100 or 300? He must have got an estimate from somewhere."

"First, he's not exactly a newcomer. He was raised here, remember. And now he's retired here, or semi-retired I guess. As for the estimate, he's an accountant. The documents are public and it wouldn't take a whiz like him to boil it down. Quicker than Arrowsmith even, I'd bet."

"But he raised it at the meeting, didn't he?"

"Yes, to $250 thousand." Babbitt straightened up. "Wait a minute, you're right, he did at that. That's quite a delta for an expert like him." Babbitt took a big sip of the bourbon. "Don, I had no idea you followed this stuff this closely."

"I don't, really." Babbitt knew that was a doorway into a conversation, one he may or may not want to have. Shaw must have seen or heard something, and club owners see and hear plenty, especially when the drinks are flowing.

"OK, Don," said Babbitt slowly. "Is there someone else I should know about?" Before Shaw could answer, he continued. "Before you answer, I could think of some scenarios I'd rather not know about. If that's where you're going, I'll say goodnight now before this stuff has me talking too much."

"Nothing like that. But I don't think he's working alone."

"Like who?"

"That's not for me to say. Even bartenders have ethical responsibilities. But I will say that someone was surprised to hear about the $50k bump."

"Like who, Don?"

"Would you like another, George?" deflected Shaw, pointing to the again nearly empty glass. "I'll split some appetizers with you if you're hungry."

Senator Babbitt smiled. Here was a friend, one who could provide him with more information later perhaps, if he didn't get greedy now. "You know what I'd really like? One of your hamburgers. Lots of fried onions. Steak fries. And just a Coke this time."

"Glad to help," said Don Shaw, walking back to the kitchen to put in the order.

Presidential candidate and current U. S. Senator Barack Obama has just officially quit his 20 year membership at the Trinity United Church of Christ. This is quite understandable. The Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr. and those who followed him at Trinity won't shut up. Wright himself got notoriety, retirement, money, even a mansion and he still finds his way to the microphones. Maybe Father Michael Pfleger is now waiting for his taste.

Regardless, isn't diplomacy the answer to everything according to Obama? When Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Kim Jong-il, and Raúl Castro see our true intentions via unilateral disarmament, the communiques and treaties will soon follow, finally giving us peace in our time.

But before we try this (again), I think it's fair to ask: why didn't this work with Trinity and Rev. Wright? Mr. Obama, you supported the church that supported you. You helped arrange a comfortable retirement for Rev. Wright, to help Trinity move on toward the more perfect world where you of course serve as President. You got nothing in return; if anything, there are now more troublemakers for you on the stage at Trinity.

Why didn't diplomacy work? If there is indeed no such thing as the last word in diplomacy, why did you abruptly quit and walk away?

My blog hosting service was down all day yesterday. Other affected Powerblogs clients include The Night Writer and Bogus Gold. Powerblogs uses a server farm ("The Planet") in Houston who experienced a major fire.

This evening at 4:55 in our H1 data center, electrical gear shorted, creating an explosion and fire that knocked down three walls surrounding our electrical equipment room. Thankfully, no one was injured. In addition, no customer servers were damaged or lost.

We have just been allowed into the building to physically inspect the damage. Early indications are that the short was in a high-volume wire conduit. We were not allowed to activate our backup generator plan based on instructions from the fire department.

Obviously they're back up, after about 28 hours, some of that just to give the air conditioning time to re-cool the rooms before restarting the servers.

The best news is still that nobody was hurt.