From the comments: data on college readiness sparks public education complaints

johnnywestmi: MEA began it’ take over of the education system in 1964. Education has steadily declined ever since then. The mantra of their defense has been “we need more money”. When are we all going to wake up to the fact that the MEA is a failure organization and disban it from control of our children’s preparation for life! The MEA has failed. Fire them now.

defenderguy: So much for the stimulus dollars! A few weeks ago, I read a journal article that said Westwood had received something like 1.2 million? Their “restructurin” plan was to change the titles of the principal and assistant principal, but keep the same folks in place? Their Superintendent has the credentials to be a Supt, but lacks the basic skills. Her comment that things are too complex for her to understand? When will this insanity end? That district needs to be taken over by the State and ALL administrators replaced!

bowserfan: Clowns like Flanagan ARE the problem. They’ve been blowing through huge amounts of amount for decade after decade. They create a “problem” then prescribe their “cure.”
At the end of the day their cure is for us to give them more money and repeat the cycle.

RamJet327: No surprise. You have weak parents whose kids are telling them to buzz off as soon as they turn 16 and get a car from mom & dad for their birthday. By the time they graduate, all they are thinking about is enjoying this higher plateau of ‘freedom’. Then they spend the next 8-10 years partying, working part time and refusing to move out of their parent’s house. Then they’re shacked up and living off their woman’s WIC benefits

Don’t Forget Tomorrow’s Oyster Roast

Tomorrow is the Graduate Student Associations annual spring oyster roast. If you havent purchased your tickets, you can get them at the door for $15 if youre a student, $20 if youre the average Joe. Tickets include all you can eat oysters and the ticket sales will benefit the Charleston Parks Conservancy. There will be other food options available for non-oyster lovers, including vegetarians. So, bring your shuckers and well see you at OMalleys at 5:00.

This Ain’t Casablanca: Rediscovering Teen “Dating” in 2011

So theres this guy

I met him back in September when we both started working at the same fast food chain. At first, our only interactions were things like I need a basket of

chips or What did that guy order or other things of that nature. But I still thought he was kind of cutein that nerdy sort of way. We didnt really start talking regularly until we bonded over a conversation about our love for 80s movies. After a few awkward flirting attempts, I got his number and our textationship began. And I knew he was the guy for me when he started quoting one of my all time favorite movies The Princess Bride.

Obviously, this guy digged me and he started making that quite clear as we started becoming closer through our little 20 minute dates (A.K.A. breaks) at work, bonding over burritos at Chipotle, and our text messages filled with movie references. Soon, it wasnt long before we started dropping the L-word and making it clear that both of us wanted to be more than flirty co-workers! But were we exactly dating? Thats not what I thought, but everyone else had to disagree.

This isnt as easy as your typical Julia Roberts or Meg Ryan romcom where the two love interests get from point A to point B all in a matter of 90 minutes. The Internet A.K.A. Facebook and texting have drastically changed how teens and even adults view romantic relationships. Teenage relationships are done mostly through texting and Facebook. Nowadays, there isnt a lot of face to face time except maybe in school and on weekends. If you dont go to school together, then youre talking through texts, IM, and Skype.  And nothings official until youre in a relationship on Facebook!

Friends were telling me left and right to change my relationship status on FB and that I was dating this guy. I tried to reassure them that I wasnt, but after

awhile it got kinda hard explaining what our label was.

Yeah, were two kids who like each other a lot and even though we say I love you and buy each other Valentines Day gifts and text all night, but were not dating yet. It was definitely a mouthful!

And then theres the adult point-of-view. A very classy and wise lady by the name of Dawn Walsh, explained to me that a relationship needed to be more than flirty text messages and conversations at work. No, we needed to spend quality time together! I mean, how does this kid act around your family members and weirdo friends?

So my boy had two tests. One was with my friends. They sent him threatening text messages and forced him to color from a Hello Kitty coloring book. He passed. The next one was with my family. My sister liked him because I gave her the leftover chocolate from his Valentines Day gift. My mom liked him because he wasnt a scumbag unlike He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named or otherwise known as my ex. My dad on the other hand hated him. Then again my dad hates any guy who comes in a ten mile radius of me except for my gay friend Justin since I am obviously not his type. He passed two out of three with the fam. I call that success.

So what is dating in 2011? I still dont know. Obviously, its based on opinion. I admit, dating has definitely changed since the Middle Ages and the 80s. But even if were saying I love you and flooding each others news feeds, its not a relationship until youve been with this person in public (read: dates, interacting with friends, etc.), not embarrassed to show said person to the world, and are doing a lot more talking in person (even calling themif people still do that) than through text messages!

Well, at least in my book

The Educational Role of Wooden Toys

We’ve never met a child who doesn’t love to express themselves by drawing or painting, preferably both at the same time and the messier the better! Most kids start by scribbling or daubing on pieces of A4 at the kitchen table but the next step is surely to give them a children’s easel to let them display their artistic talents on a much grander scale. Your budding Picasso will just love to stand and plan their latest masterpiece before letting loose with their chalks, paint or dry markers to create that special piece of artwork to hang on Granny and Granddad’s fridge.

Most easels for kids are double sided, one side has a whiteboard (usually magnetic) so they can easily wipe clean their latest paintings quickly or they can use magnetic wooden letters and numbers to create shapes and colourful patterns (and when a little older their first words!). The other side is usually a chalkboard (or blackboard in old money) and we all know what fun kids have with chalks and the masterpieces that ensue. Don’t worry, there’s always a blackboard eraser to hand to make sure the canvas can be wiped ready for the next work of art!

When you’re buying a children’s easel, make sure you remember to buy some of the accessories to go with it. A good example would be the Melissa and Doug Easel Companion Set which includes poster paint, paint brushes and a spare paper roll for the easel so that your little artists can get straight to work. Remember, if space is at a premium in your house, you can always opt for a table top easel which sits on the kitchen table and can be easily folded away.

Wooden toys for kids are wonderful gifts and will encourage artistic expression and messy fun in any child aged from about 3 years and beyond.

SEWE: Southeastern Wildlife Exposition

If youre new to Charleston and feeling out of the loop on whats going on downtown this weekend, allow me to introduce you to the 29th annual Southeastern Wildlife Exposition. Folks round here call it SEWE. If you have an affinity towards animals, you will definitely want to participate in this three-day event showcasing experts, artists and exhibitors in wildlife and nature art, as well as conservation research and environmental education. Passes start at $20 for a day pass. If you want a pass for the whole weekend, that will cost you $40. For more information, visit the SEWE website or pick up a copy of the Charleston City Paper.

School Zone blog: Could Marsha Wells be terminated for cause for renewing contracts without the board’s OK?

A portion of a contract signed by Portage Public Schools Superintendent Marsha Wells on July 1, 2010.

A story in the Sunday Kalamazoo Gazette reports that Portage Public Schools Superintendent Marsha Wells renewed contracts for 15 administrators last July without board approval, in apparent violation of new board policy enacted in March.

Could Wells get fired for this, especially considering that a majority of board members already want her out?

Obviously, this is a legal issue that goes well beyond my expertise. But in looking at Wells’ contract, it’s clear that dismissal for cause is a pretty tough standard.

This is what the contract says:

The Superintendent shall be subject to discharge for just cause. Dismissal for cause may include but is not limited to, misfeasance or malfeasance of office, the commission of an act that is either a circuit court misdemeanor or felony, or other acts of misconduct which the State of Michigan constitute cause for termination of employment. No discharge shall be effective until written charges have been served upon her and she has an opportunity for a fair hearing before the Board after ten (10) days notice in writing. Said hearing shall be public or private at the option of the Superintendent. At such hearing, she may have legal counsel at her own expense. In the event the Superintendent is discharged for just cause, she shall not be entitled to any continuation of pay or benefits except vested benefits, if any.

Do Wells’ actions really constitute “misfeasance or malfeasance of office”? After all, it’s not like she was secretly approving contracts to redecorate her office or take Caribbean cruises. She was renewing contracts that almost certainly would have been renewed by the board had she followed the policy. While Wells didn’t follow the protocol, should anybody  care outside of the school board?

But here’s another perspective: School boards are there for a reason. They represent the public in public education. If a superintendent resists board oversight, it breaks down the structure of public accountability. So while a policy violation may be primary a matter of principle, it’s a vitally important principle  

Moreover, it’s legitimate to wonder: If a Portage school employee was defying Wells the way she seems to be defying her board, would Wells be OK with that?

All that said, it’s logical that the policy violation strengthens the argument for those who support dismissing the superintendent before her contract expires in June 2012. 

Board President Kevin Hollenbeck has said four options are on the table: Termination with cause, termination without cause, a negotiated buyout of Wells’ contract or allowing her to stay until her contract ends. 

Under termination without cause, Wells’ contract allows the board to dismiss the superintendent at their discretation as long as they pay the rest of her contract. The risk here, I’m told by people outside the district, is the probability of a lawsuit for damaging one’s career and reputation.  If nothing else, a policy violation helps undercut a such a lawsuit.

One other consequence of the latest report about Wells is further erosion of her reputation in the larger education community. That reputation has taken a severe beating this past month. Even before today’s story, the general take among school officials outside Portage was that Wells has been her own worst enemy, and  that a superintendent who openly defies his/her board is just asking to be fired.

What’s  especially surprising to outside school officials  is that Wells has drawn her line on the sand on relatively trivial issues. There’s genuine bewilderment, for instance, at why Wells has been so insistent on keeping board members from seeing administrator contracts. School officials know all too well how easy it is to get into pitched battle with board members. But over this? They don’t get it.

 

Julie Mack is a reporter for the Kalamazoo Gazette. Contact her at or 269-388-8578, or follow her on Twitter.com at Twitter.com/kzjuliemack. She also writes a blog called School Zone at