The overwhelming defeat of Proposition 103 (63.5 percent no, 36.4 percent yes); and the local Referendum 3A (56.2 percent no, 43.8 percent yes) has signaled our awakening to the fallacy of throwing money at a perceived problem. I will not discount the role of the economy in the defeat, but it only forced taxpayers to critically analyze the issues. Here in Cortez, the earlier request for new school construction lost easily and the SWOS request was another casualty to common sense. There are a number of large easily remodeled buildings that could be used to house SWOS. That alternative was never discussed.
Lets look at my commentaries and the criticism leveled at me. One of the difficulties in writing for publication is the 700 word constraint. Citations, footnotes and references all have to be curtailed in order to present a coherent stream of argument. I will therefore use this space to offer the documentation I used to compose my rants, the epithet lovingly applied by my critics.
Waiting for Superman cited the disparity between doctors, lawyers and teachers rates of dismissal. Challenged as an urban myth and full of untruths, I searched the internet and looked at 40 citations and found only one disparaging critique. The director Davis Guggenheim also produced the documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, which was used in classrooms throughout the world. It is almost impossible, with my resources, to affirm the doctor/lawyer decertifications nationwide. I did use the Colorado Bar Associations website and found that nine lawyers were disbarred in 2008 and seven were disbarred in 2010. Obviously those figures would be much higher in states like California, Illinois and New York but even using the lower figure and multiplying by 50 states the 97 lawyer disbarment is well within the range of probability.
Another thorny issue is unionism. To review: the National Education Association (NEA) has been a union since the 1960s. The Colorado Education Association is an affiliate of the NEA. Local teachers have bristled at my description of teachers unions as the lobbying muscle behind pay, tenure and the myriad regulations flowing from Washington. The CEA website cites the Durango Heralds report on a meeting held in Durango on Oct. 20, 2011, that was attended by Cortez member Nancy Dickerson Shaw. Is there only one union member in Cortez? For those who want to learn more about teachers unions I suggest visiting my source, the NEA and the CEA websites.
More sources:
Center for Education Reform, Washington D.C.
The Independence Institute Issue Backgrounder, Golden, Colo.
Colorado Department of Education, Public School Finance Unit
Hoover Institute, Stanford University
National Education Association, Washington D.C.
Colorado Education University, Denver
Department of Education, Washington D.C.
Program for International Student Assessment Program
The Heritage Foundation, Washington D.C.
Montezuma-Cortez School District RE-1
I suggest all interested readers visit the above websites to educate themselves. The following is a brief synopsis of the information available on Montezuma-Cortez School District RE-1
79 percent of the high school teachers have 5 years or more experience; 21 percent have less than 5 years. Their average salary is $41,650 annually. High school teachers in the 90th percent percentile take home $59,110. The median Montezuma County family income is $37,351.
That does not include summer vacation and all national holidays. Thanks to the CEA there is retirement and generous medical. Throughout the Re-1 district teachers salaries and benefits comprise 67 percent of educational costs.
Percentage of students at or above proficiency levels in 9th grade CSAP test:
Math, 23 percent
Reading, 57 percent
Writing, 34 percent
Percentage of 10th grade students at or above proficiency levels in CSAP test:
Math, 15 percent
Reading, 58 percent
Writing, 34 percent
Science, 36 percent
The above statistics dont even reflect the abysmal condition of students grasp of history and civics, let alone economics. I am not beating up on teachers; they are trying to do their job as best they can. I will admit I would not take their place on a dare. However, they need our help to bring our country back to its former level of excellence. My last commentary focused on two objectives. Get rid of the teachers unions and the Department of Education and bring control of our schools back home, no more top-down directives. Guidelines and goals can be determined at the local level, as can salaries.
Larry Tradlener lives down McElmo Canyon.
