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Wisconsin Statutes Ch. 19, Sub. 3 - Ethics

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Cato Institute Publication-Giving Kids the Chaff: How to Find and Keep the Teachers We Need 9/25/06

Wall Street Journal Opinion 1/3/06

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 As a community, we have high expectations for school administration and teachers. Shouldn't we? We entrust our children to them for more hours in a day than most parents see their kids (unless they're asleep). There are a number of obstacles impeding them from fulfilling those expectations, so let's take a look at some:

Money: It all starts with money. You get what you pay for, right? Not necessarily. When we hear teacher unions complain they aren't being paid well enough, it could be because the whole picture is not being taken into consideration. For example, when it comes to health insurance, the unions often write WEAC insurance into the collective bargaining agreement. What impact can this have on union members and the financial limits of a school district, let's take a look at the WEAC insurance monopoly. How can repeating the same old mistakes help our kids? What can be done to break this monopoly?

Believe it or not, the answer may be with our district administrator. Of the 22% of school districts that do not submit to the financially crushing insurance premiums of WEAC insurance is Lance Alwin's former employer, the Antigo School District. Antigo carries Blue Cross/Blue Shield insurance with a $500 deductible for singles, $1,000 for families. It also has out-of-pocket maximums of $1,000 for singles and $2,000 for families. Here's the report. Perhaps Mr. Alwin should apply what he learned on the subject in Antigo here in Baraboo. We may end up with teachers less focused on the union and more focused on teaching our kids if they weren't so concerned about their own well-being.

  

Leadership: The most lacking quality in our Baraboo School District administration and school board. Leadership entails not only inspiring others to follow, but to be forward-thinking with a REALISTIC plan with MEASURABLE milestones and an END DATE to determine completion of the initiative. The development of new approaches to issues (notably the districts financial issues) via a thorough review of current circumstances, BALANCED AND IMPARTIAL input from the public through open and FULLY-TRUTHFUL discussion and information disclosure would go a long way. (emphasis added for district administration's benefit)
Training: Are the administrators and teachers of today adequately prepared for today's public school environment? According to two studies by the Education Schools Project, neither are. It's all about money, resulting in mediocre educators and administrators. These are fascinating reports and although lengthy, well worth a read.
Safety: We all need to learn from the horrific happenings at Weston High School September 29, 2006. Are our kids and district staff safe at school? What brought on this tragedy? Reports state the 15 year old student was frustrated with other students picking on him. When this was reported to teachers and the principal, the student was not satisfied with their non-response to his concerns. Here's what has been reported to CFFR about what's been going on in our Baraboo schools:
  • After the April referendum failed, on May 12, 2006 Jack Young Middle School choir teacher Charlene Flygt told an 11 year old student that they led a "wretched life" because they corrected the teacher (when the teacher was wrong). Flygt had simply gone off on the student. The student reported the incident to Assistant Principal Patrick Shoemaker immediately after class. The parent sat in on the next choir class WITH SHOEMAKER OVER THEIR SHOULDER THE ENTIRE CLASS PERIOD! This is only one example of intimidation facing parents and students. No apology ever came to the student for Flygt's insult, and when Principal Robert Meicher was asked what he would do, he told the parent - nothing. Now, our community has backed Flygt with the creation of the DREAMS group to save her job by providing the district funding for her position and benefits!
  • After the second referendum in six months failed, on September 23, 2006 it was reported that Baraboo High School physical education teacher Tom Steinhorst had implemented his own criteria for class size. In the 2005-06 school year, Steinhorst was reported to have a class size of approximately 25 students per class. In at least one class in the 2006-07 school year, he has 28 students. Instead of teaching all 28 students during the class period, he sends three students (on a rotating basis) to either walk around the track or gymnasium while he teaches the other 25 students! The reason he gave students for implementing his own class size limits was because the referendum failed.
  • On September 29, 2006 it was reported that while teaching a third grade art class at Gordon L. Willson school, the students were working with foil on a project. Art teacher Sandy Hansen cautioned students to be careful not to tear the foil as they worked with it, as there was only so much to go around because the referendum failed.

Many parents won't speak up out of fear of retribution by teachers onto their kids. For so many parents to have this feeling in our school district is unacceptable. Teachers taking out their frustrations and personal opinions on our children has got to stop and stop now! What kind of environment has developed in our district where a parent is uncomfortable telling a bad teacher they're doing a bad job? Where is the student/parent support from the district administration when such concerns are brought to their attention? It is non-existent in Baraboo right now, and that's where accountability comes in.

If Alwin or the school board can't gain control over bad teachers and bad administrators, they're not only setting up our district for failure, but could potentially set us up for a disaster similar to Weston High (or many other schools around the country), and none of us want to see that repeated anywhere.

What can you do to help? Stop standing on the sidelines and get involved! Are you more concerned about retribution by a bad teacher or your children's safety?