Reforming Health Care Reform

At this moment the GOP has delayed a vote in the Senate on their newest form of health care reform. Presumably because they don't have enough votes within the Republican Party to pass the bill. This is not unlike when the Republicans in the House delayed a vote on their version of health care reform. I find this troubling. Not because I like either health care reform bill, because I don't. Nor do I find it troubling because I like the American Health care Act- i.e. Obamacare- because I don't. What I find troubling is that health care has become so politicized that common ground seems non-existent. Furthermore, it seems as though the hardest part about health care reform is that there are too many powerful entities involved that aren't the people who would benefit the most from quality health care; the average American and the patients themselves.

According to an article in Forbes Magazine (hardly a bastion of Liberal thought) Americans spend over $3 trillion a year on health care!!!! This is astounding. This certainly is not beneficial for the average Working Joe American and it definitely is not beneficial to the average patient. However, for insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies and most hospitals, this is fantastic! They are in the business to make money. The bottom line is the top line for these industries. Now, far-be-it for me to question making money, nor begrudge profits. I am a Capitalist. I believe in the Free-Market system and Capitalism. However, I also believe that there are instances when other concerns come before profit. Education for me is obviously one of these instances. As is public and national protection. And so is health care. I firmly believe that people come before profits. So, now you are thinking, "Ah-Ha! You want socialized medicine! You want health care on demand! I knew you were a Bernie-Lover all along! You Commie! You should go hang out with your Bolshevik friends!" (although it seems as though, somehow it's okay to be real cozy with the Russians now. But that's a different story) Actually.......I don't want nor do I believe in government run health care, but I do believe I have a way to reform health care for the benefit of Americans.

First let me explain why I don't want government run health care, or socialized medicine. Simply put I have very little faith in the government (ours or any other) to operate ANYTHING efficiently. Quick, name me something that the government is in charge of that is well run.......Thank you. See, you couldn't name one thing. Truly the only the government runs with any degree of efficiency is the military and if you talk with any soldier that efficiency is nominal at best. Now don't get me wrong, as little faith as I have in the government, I do believe there are some areas that the government should run simply because these services are too essential to our society as a whole to be operated by For-Profit enterprises. These services are, again, education, police, fire, and military. Furthermore, I wholeheartedly agree with Thomas Jefferson "A government big enough to give you everything you want, is a government big enough to take away everything you have." I also do not want to pay crippling taxes. I'm not a fan of taxes (who is?), but I'm not a crazy No-Taxes at all person either. I'm fine paying taxes for needed services such as roads, police, fire, education, and other essential civic needs. I do not, however, want to pay 50%+ in taxes which is what would happen if we had socialized health care.

So, what is my solution? Make health care non-profit. Take the profit motive out of health care. You would still be paying for health care so the government would not  but that would be all that you are paying for- just the health care, not the profit margin. Medical insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, and hospitals need to begin placing the care of patients and their health care above the interests of profits and their investors. Profit making is a huge component in the high cost of health care. If profit margins begin to decrease, companies will find ways to begin to prop up that profit margin, this is Economics 101. Usually this prop up will somehow, someway involve less customer service and care. In almost all instances I'm fine with this concept. Because I can take my business elsewhere. I can go somewhere else where the customer service is better, where the prices are cheaper, where the care is more caring. However, this is not the case with health care. If you are experiencing a health crisis, you really are not concerned with which hospital is cheaper or has better patient care. You just want help and want it now! Finding better or cheaper insurance, especially via an employer is nothing short of a herculean feat. Unless you live near the Mexican or the Canadian boarder, getting reasonably priced prescriptions is near impossible unless you have a good relationship with the guy who hangs out in the '86 T-Top Camero in the Dollar Store parking lot, I'm pretty sure that guy has more pharmaceuticals for sale than Walgreens.  It is absolutely wrong that companies and hospitals see the pain and misery of others as a way to enrich themselves and their investors. I was raised not to take joy in or advantage of those who were in need. I firmly believe that removing the profit motive from health care would solve many of our issues with health care.

This is not some form of socialized medicine in a disguise either. People would still have to pay for their health care, just at a reduced, sane rate. There would not be any government money being funneled to the health care industries to subsidize their bottom line. All money being spent, aside from Medicaid and Medicare (which is a whole different issue in this current mess), would come from the individual consumer. I understand the economic realities and problems with "health care on demand" or socialized medicine. "Free" can only take place when there is an abundant or endless source of something. Dirt is free (usually), regular everyday rocks are free, air is free, thought and opinions are free. These things these things are abundant. There are more of these things than we know what to do with. Although, I'm sure if the government could figure out a way, they'd tax all those things as well. However, there are simply not enough doctors, or hospitals or enough medicine for everyone. One of the roles that prices play in an economy is to help ensure that there is enough of a good for those who really want or need that good when that product is really wanted or needed. If goods were free or artificially cheap, then there would not be enough goods for people who would really want or need that product. Either because there just simply is not enough of that product or because there would be those who would take advantage of the situation and consume more than they really need. So, making health care non-profit as opposed to "free" would 1) recognize that health care is not abundant enough for it to be available upon demand, keeping it readily available for those who truly want or need it when they want or need it and 2) lower the cost of the services to a level that would allow the vast majority of citizens to afford health care without destroying them economically.

Is this making health care non-profit a crazy idea? Maybe. But then again, what we have going on in Washington D.C. right now around health care is not exactly sane or inspiring. Has this ever been done before? I don't think so but then again, if we only limited ourselves to doing things that had been done before we would still be living in caves and only getting fire when lightening struck. It's certainly not foolproof, but no plan or idea is ever going to be perfect. But
I think this is worth a shot. Any true reform will have to involve our elected officials- on BOTH sides of the isle- to tell the insurance and pharmaceutical lobbies that they are no longer beholden to them and their bottom lines but that are beholden to the people who hired them and who can fire them- the voters. And that is the way to truly return the government to the people and to "Make America Great...Still".

The Glass Award and the Chrystal Ball

I am currently sitting alone in my hotel room in Breckenridge reflecting back on the past several months for the Jefferson County School District as well as the upcoming months for our district. Just as the near past was filled with frustration, trepidation, an fear as well as hope, happiness and elation; the coming months promise much of the same.

November 9, 2016
On the morning of November 9, 2016 we all entered our schools very bewildered and disappointed in the outcome of the previous night. Our community voted against the same district they had helped save one year prior. We were scared, worried, defeated, angry and confused all at once.
     How could this have happened?
     What if I had just walked one more day? Would that have made a difference?
     Where do we go from here?
     What will happen to the crumbling infrastructure?
     How can we continue to serve and provide the best and highest quality education that our students            deserve?
     Are we doomed to becoming a "Farm District" for the rest of the Denver area because we can't be
            competitive in teacher compensation?

All of these questions, thoughts and concerns, among others, were rolling around in our minds that morning. I remember it well. The depression was palatable and the concern hung on us like a wet blanket.

A Win
Our thoughts quickly turned to negotiations. We were told, no promised, that if the Mill and Bond failed not to expect a raise of any type. Steps and Levels were the best we could hope for, and even that was tenuous. The district offered a measly, insulting one time stipend of a couple hundred dollars stating that was the best they could do if they were going to honor steps and levels. The negotiations team persisted until the district found enough money to give everyone a 2% raise. A victory to be sure. Perhaps this would turn out alright after all.

The Glass Award
Our attention then turned to Dan McMinimee. Would his contract be renewed? He certainly had not done a bad job as our superintendent, but it hadn't been all that great either. And the process surrounding his hire seemed a little grimy and unseemly. The BOE decided that it would not renew his contract and the search for another Superintendent began anew. We waited with baited breath to see who the new Superintendent would be. We were assured that this would be a much more transparent process than the last time we traveled this path. Suddenly, one name emerged: Dr. Jason Glass, Superintendent of Eagle County School District. Many of us, myself included, were ecstatic! Can this be true? Was this really happening? The answer to both was yes. I had often read his articles in the Vail newspaper and thought 'Why can't we get a leader like that?' Well, now we had one. The very same one whose opinions I had long valued and been inspired by.

The detractors were quick to point out that there was a lot of consternation surrounding the hire of Dan McMinimee and the hiring of Dr. Glass was very similar. On the surface, yes, both were similar. Both were not known until the very end and in both instances, there was only one lone candidate as opposed to several from which to choose. However, this is where the similarities ended. Dr. Glass was the director of Education for the ENTIRE state of Iowa. He had been the head of the Human Resources department in Eagle County. He had been a successful Superintendent. He had been appointed by the President of the United States (Barrack Obama) to serve on a national education board. Dr. Glass had earned his Doctorate. Now I am not one impressed by degrees, nor do I believe that degrees automatically make you more capable than someone without a degree. However, Dr. Glass had the degree AND the success to earn him the right to be called "Dr. Glass". Dan McMinimee served as a principal and was the Assistant Superintendent in Douglas County and his greatest claim to fame was breaking the teachers union as well as being part of the team that began the great demise of the once mighty Douglas County School District. Mr. McMinimee's credentials pale in comparison.

However, I do want to pump the breaks on the excitement over the hiring of Dr. Glass. Teachers should not believe that he will be our best friend. That we will get everything we want because we now have someone like Dr. Glass in the Superintendent's office. He was not hired to be the teacher's best friend, he was not chosen to be uber-teacher friendly. He is not our lap dog and we should not expect him to be so. That expectation would be unfair to Dr. Glass and unfair to our district. He was hired to do what's right and what he believes is in the best interest for the 86,000 students in our district. He was hired to be our students best friend. Granted, often times what is in the students best interest is often in our best interest as well, but not always. We have to understand that there will be times that we, as teachers, will be disappointed in Dr. Glass. There will be times that we will be frustrated by his decisions. Indeed, Dr. Cindy Stevenson and teachers were often at odds on a number of issues. But at the end of the day, we understood, as did Dr. Stevenson, that we both wanted the best for this district and its students. I believe it is a fair statement to say that the same cannot be said for the decisions coming out of the Administration Building the past several years. Dr. Glass, I wholeheartedly believe, will remedy that problem. We may not always like the decisions, but we will believe that he has the students best interests at heart. I cannot wait to see what he can do for our district.

November 7, 2017
This is why I am sitting by my self in a hotel room in Breckenridge tonight. I am here training for the upcoming elections this November. This November is a monumental election for the future of the Jefferson County School District. Remember that Recall we won in 2015? Well, those same seats are up for election this November. All three of them. To say that AFP, the Koch brothers and the Independence Institute were upset with that loss would be a monstrous understatement. It was devastating for them. And what's more is that they have been planning, scheming, and plotting for the past two years to reclaim those seats. I am here to learn all I can about keeping that from happening. In fact there are several teachers in JCEA who have been working since February to keep that horror from taking place. In American politics if you want until August/September to work on elections, you've already lost before one ballot has been cast. Interestingly enough, in England campaigns may ONLY take place in the 42 days BEFORE the election. Perhaps we would be wise to learn a few things from the Brits???? We will be working throughout this summer planning how to win this November.

This is my ask to you. If, you are as excited as am I to see what Dr. Glass can do for this district, then we must first do something for Dr. Glass. We must ensure that a pro-public education board majority is returned to the school board. Thankfully, Ron Mitchell, Brad Rupert and Susan Harmon are running for re-election. But in order to get them re-elected you must help. Sure yard signs are satisfying and make you feel like you've done your part, but sadly, if that's all you do you have not done anything. We need you walk, knock and talk to the community about why it's important to the future of JeffCo schools and the community it serves for Mitchell, Rupert and Harmon to be returned to the board room. If we lose the board majority, than any work the Dr. Glass could have done for this district and its students will be severely hamstrung. Dr. Glass needs us to help him so he can help us.

The "Other Side" is ready and rarin' to go. They want to win and have the district lose. I'm ready to go and win, are you? Dr. Glass needs you. Your colleagues need you. Your students need you. Don't let them down.

"Best Practices" Are Exactly What You Think They Are

Best Practices.

If you are in education, then you have heard the phrase before. At least once. In every single staff meeting. And every single in-service. And every single evaluation meeting. If you are in education, you are bombarded by the phrase. You hear it almost as much as the other dreaded, teeth-clinching eduspeak word- "DATA". Ugh! So, the question becomes, just what are "Best Practices"? The phrase is bandied about by Educrats so much you would think they are paid by the number of times they use the phrase. I, unfortunately, have found that very often those who claim to know what are  "Best Practices" are usually people who have either never taught in a K-12 public classroom or have not been in the classroom for years. I  have found through my almost two decades in the classroom two inescapable truths about "Best Practices"; 1) Whatever it is believed to be "Best Practices" changes every couple of years and what ever is new becomes old and whatever is old becomes new again, 2) classroom teachers are much better at knowing what are "Best Practices" than educrats and "experts" who haven't been in the classroom since VCR's and overhead projectors were the technological God sends.

Past Best Practices

Open Classrooms
I remember very well as a student in elementary school during the 1970's and experts in education came to the realization that Open Classrooms were the classrooms of the future. Instead of teachers having their own individual classrooms with walls separating the classes, it would be so much better to have one large communal area in which several different classes would learn sometimes from individual teachers in a smaller class setting, or learn collectively as a large class. Teachers were assured this was a "Best Practice" and students learning would be enhanced through this dynamic new style of learning. Teachers who protested were told they were still stuck in the 1950's, that style of learning had come and gone, it was relic of the past. Today's students, they were told, needed this type of learning to stimulate their minds and enhance their productivity in the workplace.

As JeffCo Public Schools are seemingly programmed to do, they immediately seized upon this latest and greatest "Best Practice". After all, this theory was coming from experts in education, people whose lives are spent figuring out how best to educate students without having to actually step into a classroom and put these ideas into practice. Emboldened by this new teaching theory and reacting to the learning styles and needs of the student of the 1970's, my elementary school was gutted. Walls were taken down, large open classrooms were created. Indeed, the entire 4th, 5th, 6th grade area of the school was one very large open room. I'm sure there were educrats saying 'YES! Finally we will unlock the minds of these students and their IOWA (remember those standardized tests????) test scores will rocket to new heights. THIS. WAS. SOOOOOOOOO. EXCITING!!!!!!!!!

What happened? Well, students loved it! They really did! Because now if your best friend was not in your class, you could still see him! He was just across the room with another teacher! This made so much easier to wave at them, make funny faces at them, pass notes to them, or if you had a really important conversation that had to be discussed immediately with them, like if you wanted to make any trades with each other during lunch so you could get rid of the stuff your mom had put in your lunch that you hated, you could just get up and walk across the large room into their class so the high stakes negotiations could commence. If you were the class clown, you now got to put on a show for 7-9 different classes all at once instead of having your performance limited to just one measly class. The educrats were right! This open classroom concept was amazing for students! Learning? Oh well, any 5th grader worth their salt will tell you that's way down the list when it comes to school.

The teachers? Well they were right (again!), this was a disaster. It was very loud, it was very distracting, learning was compromised, and they took it upon themselves to remedy the problem. They created artificial barriers using the cubbyholes, large plants, movable chalkboards and bulletin boards to begin creating separate spaces for each class. Noise was still a problem but the distractions had been dramatically been reduced. Open classrooms were a bust, just as many teachers had predicted, but then again those were the teachers who were admonished as being too old fashioned and wanting to teach like the 1950's during the 1970's.

STAR Reading Program
When I first became a teacher, education was trying desperately to figure out how best to address reading deficiencies in students. My feeling was there had always been students who really never had any interest in reading and therefore struggled in reading. I also thought that probably no matter what we do, there will always be students who have very little interest in reading and/or struggle with reading. Now as a teacher, I certainly understood the importance of reading and truly believed that we should address the reading problem, but I felt for those readers, the focus should be more on technical reading rather than fictional. After all, I've never known of a job where your boss hands you an Ernest Hemingway novel and asks you discuss the plot development and symbolism in the book. But, I was a new teacher so what did I know? It was decided that we would implement the STAR Reading program. The concept was fairly simple. Each student would be assigned to a "reading/access class" and in order to get out of the class the student would have to read a book, pass a comprehension test on the book and in doing so amass a certain number of points. Once a student met the number of points needed, they were able to get out of the class. Books were assigned a point value, hard, complex books were worth a lot of points whereas simple, easy books were worth very few points. The tests were computer based and when a student had read a book they were to take a test. Depending on how well they did on the test, the student was awarded points. We were sure this would improve student reading and comprehension. A lot of money was spent to buy the program, lots of new books were bought, teachers were trained in the STAR Reading program, this was going to be awesome. I remember, many teachers were very skeptical of the program, but they were told that they were wrong, this was going to work magic.

Students hated it. Especially the low level readers. They wanted to know why they were being forced to read books that held very little value to them. Students began to question what would happen if they didn't read at all? Would they fail? What would that do to their GPA? Would they still be able to graduate? Students are much smarter and perceptive that we sometimes give them credit for. The answer to all of the questions was nothing would really happen if they didn't read, they would just have an extra class to which they were required to come. So many began to just show up an do nothing, this caused a whole new issue for teachers- classroom control. During the second year of the program something very curious began to happen. Stephen King's book "The Stand" began a VERY popular book. Students were taking the test in record numbers and passing the test with flying colors!!!!! This was truly great news! Suddenly students were interested in reading and they were really understanding the book! Even low level readers suddenly had their reading levels jump many grade levels and they were passing the book! This was working! It was a miracle! Then the miracle was found out. A very good, competent student, who had read the book and taken the test had begun to sell the answers to other students. If you had a few bucks, you could pay your way out of the STAR program. Soon after that the STAR program was discontinued. The only benefit to the whole program was that it demonstrated that entrepreneurship was alive and well.

Current Best Practices

If you are in education, you are very well aware that there is a seemingly endless stream of "Best Practices". Cooperative education, Student directed learning, E-Learning, Project Based Learning the list is non-ending and exhausting. Furthermore, it seems that every 7-9 years what was once considered out of date becomes the next latest and greatest in education, it is a revolving door in educational ideas (except for the Open Classrooms Concept, hopefully that one is forever dead and buried). I've tried, from time to time, these "Best Practices" sometimes they work, other times they don't. When they don't I just go back to what I know how to do and what I'm good at. For me, that is the key to teaching: Do What You Do Best. I've had several student teachers during my career and I tell them the best piece of advice I can ever hope to give them is this; "Figure out what you are good at. Try several different methods, see what works for you and more importantly, find out what doesn't work for you. When you figure out what you are best at, what your teaching style is make that you main method of teaching."

I truly believe that if you as a teacher try to teach in manner that you are not very good at or just doesn't suit your skill set then you are doing the students a real disservice. They just won't learn much from you.  I know I am not very good at group work, or in eduspeak "Cooperative Learning". I've tried to get better at doing group work, but it just never works out very well. It's just not in my skill set. Plus I've had students tell me that they really don't get anything out of it except frustration. I do know what I am good at: Telling stories. I'm really good at that. So, that becomes my main method of teaching. I lecture, at least a few times a week. Students take notes. GASP! What????? This is wrong, the educrats will say. Students just sit there, they are passive. Learning is minimal. However, in my classroom, lectures are not passive. I ask students to make predictions about which way the story will go, think about why some event is taking place, I ask them to recall previous topics and connect them to our current learning. They are hardly passive students. Furthermore, I am not teaching dates and dead guys, I'm telling a story. With a beginning, a middle and an end. There are characters, there is conflict, sometimes there is a resolution, sometimes there is not a resolution.

I came to this method early in my teaching career. I tried teaching using the current "Best Practices" in education, often with limited success. I did notice that students could tell me, almost scene by scene and line by line, about a movie they had recently seen but struggled to tell me what we had done yesterday in class. The light went off in my head- These students remember these scenes and lines because it is a story and everyone loves stories. So, I began look for ways to teach using the stories of history instead of just imparting facts. Student retention began to increase as did student interest in the class. I believe the true test of student learning is not a test score or classwork but the 'kitchen table test'. If what we did in class that day makes home to the kitchen table discussion that night then I was successful in class. History lends itself well to this method, history is a bunch of stories. Literature does as well. Math, not so much. Science, maybe, sometimes.

If I tried to teach using "Best Practices" my ability as a teacher would be greatly diminished. My effectiveness would suffer. However, by employing story telling or lecture as my main method of teaching I am far more effective and students enjoy my class and that is 3/4 of the battle in learning- if the students enjoy the class they will learn. So, does that mean that other styles of teaching/learning are wrong. That other "Best Practices" are not "best"? I don't think so. I believe teaching is a very specialized process, so teachers need to find out what works for them as teaching methods and what does not work. Whatever you are good at, that becomes your main method of teaching. What you are not very good at, that should be a method that you use sparingly if at all.

If we are serious about improving student learning and comprehension as well as improving teacher satisfaction then we need to allow teachers to determine what are the "Best Practices" for themselves rather than allowing others to determine that. Classroom teachers know what is best for their classroom and their students. To put it succinctly; Best Practices are whatever you do well as a teacher. Classroom teachers are the arbitrators of best practices, not researchers and theorists who have never been in your classroom, or A classroom.

So go forth teacher friends and do that voodoo that you do so well!

When Crazy To One Is Sane To Me

4:30.

4:30 am.

4:30 am. That is the time I arrive at Pomona High School every single day. I have been a Social Studies teacher in JeffCo for the past 19 years and, aside from the few years when I had to drop my boys off at daycare, I have arrived at school no later than 4:30 in the morning every single day. Contractually am not required to be at school until 7:00 am, but I could never do that. I could never be a “7-3” teacher. I could never get done all of the things expected of me to the standards that I demand of myself if I were a “7-3” teacher. I simply believe that my students deserve to have the very best of me and my abilities every single day. So, in order to deliver the level of instruction to my students that I think they deserve, it requires that I be at work by 4:30 in the morning.

I have some selfish reasons for going in so early; my family. When I go home I just want to spend it with my family and do as little school work as possible. Sometimes, that plan doesn’t always work. Sometimes I do have to bring work home and do that instead of spending it with my family. Such is the life of a teacher. I also get up early (3:30 am) because the way I look at it, I’m not losing any family time since everyone is still sleeping. But, beyond my family concerns, the demands and requirements of teaching require that I work more than 7-3 for nine months.

Being at school that early enables me to get grading done- I’ve never been one to let papers sit around and pile up. That would drive me crazy. Being at school that early also allows me to answer emails, enter grades, make copies, and do some lesson planning. Plus, best of all, I am the only one in the building so I have absolutely no interruptions for about 2 to 2 ½ hours. It really is quite peaceful and serene that early. All total, I spend, on average 11.5-12 hours every day at school. When I was sponsoring Student Council, there were times that I easily did a 17-hour day. But it has never really bothered me because I truly believe that what I am doing is worth it. My students, the ones in my classroom and the ones in the school, deserve the very best that I can give them. I truly and honestly love teaching and interacting with students.

How could this be mitigated? How might I be able to not put in 60+ hour weeks? I’ve thought about that from time to time. Even though it doesn’t really bother me, I do know it probably shouldn’t be this way. I would love more time during the day to do the things that I am expected and required to do; grading, returning emails, attending IEP meetings, conferencing with students, collaborating with colleagues, making copies all of which are done in addition to my real passion- teaching. So, how can I get to the point where I can do all of these things and not have to work 60+ hour weeks? That’s a good question, and one for which I don’t really have any good answers. Less demands outside of the classroom would be a great place to start I guess. Education loves to add more and more and more to teacher’s plates without ever taking anything off. I would compare it to having Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and 4^th of July feasts piled all together on a desert plate. Most of it is wonderful stuff but together on such a small plate makes it all very unappetizing, unappealing and very overwhelming.

Most people are absolutely flabbergasted when they find out that I arrive to school every day by 4:30 in the morning. But I’ve never complained, not once. Not even the times when I’ve been at school getting ready for the day when school gets cancelled due to weather. I thoroughly enjoy what I do and I really believe that every year I’m a little better at what I do than I was the year before. When I went into college I had pretty much decided that I was either going to be a lawyer or a high school history teacher. When I realized how long I would have to go to school to be a lawyer, I decided pretty quickly that I would become a teacher. Now, every month when I see my paycheck I think to myself ‘Gosh, I should have been a lawyer.’ But in reality, I’m glad I didn’t. Being a teacher allows me to feel good about what I do; I’m doing something that allows me to live with myself. I always tell my students that one of the secrets to life is to do something that you really love because then you never feel like you’re working. And despite getting to work at 4:30 every morning and working 60+ hours every week, I haven’t worked in 19 years.

Shock of The Fall

Shocked.

To say I was anything other than that this past Tuesday night would be a lie. As I settled into my recliner to watch the election returns as I do every election night, I fully expected to watch the map color its self Blue as Hillary Clinton coasted her way to victory with the 270 needed electoral votes. Boy, was I wrong. I also was optimistic about some local election results, those turned out to be wrong as well. I’ve spent the last few days thinking about the results and looking at the numbers trying to make sense of what happened. This election, for better or for worse, has changed the direction of this nation and our community for some time.

National Election

For all the emotion that seemed to be swelling across the country for this election, it just didn’t seem to drive people to the polls. There were 4.6 million less votes cast in this election than were cast in 2012 and 6.5 million less votes cast this year than were cast in 2008. Mitt Romney received more votes (60,933,504 in 2012) than did Donald Trump (59,662,744). What is a significant difference about the votes in this election is from WHERE the votes came. Votes from the rural areas of the nation increased significantly over what they were for the past few presidential elections. Trump courted those voters vigorously and those voters responded. To me this indicates some frustration from rural America. For the past 50 years or so, American politics has been very focused on urban areas and the problems in the Big City, to the determent of rural America. So much focus has been on reducing crime rates in cities and reducing urban plight, meanwhile “hard core” drug use has skyrocketed in small town America, all the while many of these towns have not seen any significant infrastructure upgrades in decades. Furthermore, the free trade agreements that have largely benefited the large urban areas of the country have hurt the rural areas of the nation. Many people in rural America have felt abandoned and forgotten by their government. Until Donald Trump came along and openly courted them, parroting their thoughts, fears and concerns. Does Trump, a life-long big city denizen, truly share those same concerns or did he see an untapped electorate that he exploited? I guess only time will tell. What we do know for sure is that no one, not professional pollsters, not Democratic leaders, not even members of Trumps own election advisory team saw this election turning out the way it did. Shades of Truman-Dewey in 1948 for sure.

Who is to blame or, depending on your point of view, to take credit, for election? This is an interesting question to ponder because leading up to this election I was sure that my party, the GOP, was destined for a civil war between the moderate, old school, pragmatic conservatives such as myself, and the more radical, reactionary Tea Party Republicans who seemed to rally around Trump. However, it is now the Democratic Party that seems to be spiraling towards a civil war between the “New Democrats” of the Clinton ilk, and the liberal, more “progressive” wing of the party who supported Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. If I were to place blame on this election, or give credit depending on your point of view, I would have to place it squarely on the shoulders of the Democratic Party and the Clinton campaign team. I would place blame for this election on the Democrats because they decided to choose a very flawed and unappealing candidate in an election year where the choice was between two incredibly flawed and unappealing candidates.  Had the Democrats chosen a more dynamic, less flawed candidate I think they have this election in a walk. However, they chose Clinton because they felt it was her turn, she had paid her dues and the party owed her the nomination. Emails between the Democratic Party top bosses leaked this past summer revealed as much (ahhhh, those pesky emails. But that is another story altogether). Clinton and her team share a fair amount of blame in this as well. They seemed to ignore key states, believing that since they were reliable for Obama the past two election cycles, they would continue to be so for Clinton. So, their attention was focused on other states and in the waning weeks, they began to focus on states where they really never had any hope of winning. As I discussed above, the electorate does not like to be ignored. Voters like to at least feel they are important and their wants and needs are understood. Trump and his team seemed to get this, Clinton and her team did not. Had Trump lost this election, I believe the postmortem narrative for the Republicans would have been very similar to the Democrats.

We all know what happened this past Tuesday night. Whether we want to admit it or not, whether we like it or not, whether we revel in the outcome or are reviled by it the outcome is what it is. While he may not have won the popular vote, Trump won the electoral vote and that is all he needed to do. As you probably know Trump was not my choice to be my party’s nominee for president nor did he receive my vote to be president. However, I am, if nothing else, a realist. I accept the fact that Donald Trump will be our- check that- will be my president until at least 2020. I’m not thrilled at the prospect, but I’m not indignant either. This is how elections go. Sometimes elections turn out the way you want them to and sometimes the elections turn out the way you don’t want them to. The fact of the matter is this; this is the United States and we are Americans. We may not always agree with the outcome of elections but we always abide by their results. I have not been on the winning side of a presidential election for the last three presidential election. I haven’t liked the outcome of an election since 2004, but I’ve always accepted the results. We always have. And we should now. We should want our president to be successful and to always wish them well. Because when they succeed, we as a nation and its people succeed as well. And when the president fails or is otherwise unsuccessful, we all share that outcome. Did some hurtful, ill-intentioned, bad people vote and support Trump? Without a doubt. I am also positive that there were hurtful, ill-intentioned, bad people who voted for Clinton. I truly believe that the vast majority of people who supported and voted for Trump were good people who honestly believed that their vote was in the best interest of this nation and its people. Just as the vast majority of Clinton supporters and voters believed about their vote. In addition to being a realist, I am also an eternal optimist.

As a realist and an optimist, as well as being a student of American History I know that the United States has had far, far more bad and average presidents than it has had good to great presidents. And the nation has always survived and often thrived because of or in spite of its president. I believe the same will happen this time around as well. It just may take a while for the shock and the sting of Tuesday to wear off.

Local Election

At this time last year Jefferson County School District was basking in the warm afterglow of the recall. This year we looked to complete the victory by passing a sorely needed mill and bond for the school district and its students. Last year 60% of the voters agreed with those in the school district that the current school board majority were bad for education, for teachers, for the community and for students. This year 52% of the voters did not see a need to pass a mill or a bond. Last year many people worked tirelessly to recall the school board majority and were rewarded for their efforts. This year many people worked tirelessly to direct more money into the school district and were handed defeat. So, the question begs, why the different outcome? Over the past days I have come up with several different theories but probably no one definitive answer. It is also very possible that my theories are not even close to the correct answer. But at this point, all we really have are theories.

Not Enough People Walked- This is true. We had about ½ the number of walkers for this election as we did for the recall last year. In fact, the number of walkers this year is very close to the number we had when the board majority flipped in 2013. So, why did we have so few walkers?

Exhausted- People were just too worn out for the last three years. Constant conflict, constant turmoil, and constant uncertainty will wear people out. I know several people have told me that they were tired and worn out and just couldn’t do it this year. That they were tired of fighting, they were tired of begging for support and votes and they knew that they would be asked to do it all again next year. They just needed a break.

Okay, I get that. I’m tired as well. Despite the outcome of the election, I am looking forward to this Saturday because for the first time I don’t have to go walking, knocking and talking. That will be very nice. However, we have to realize this is our reality. Will we need to go out walking, knocking and talking next year?        

Sigh...yes, we will.

Angry About Pay- I would have loved to have been made whole after taking a pay cut and a pay freeze several years ago to help out the district. But because of the hair brained scheme cooked up by WNW, most of the money available to increase pay was used up moving people back onto a pay scale. I was disappointed in my salary increase as much as everyone else but I also knew that to see any sizeable increase in my pay would only come if the mill passed. It didn’t and I’m not sure where we go from here in terms of salary. This much I do know; never again will I vote to take a pay cut or freeze my pay.

Mistrust About Where the Money Will Go- Yeah, I understand that. Under WNW, the school board majority voted to use money in vastly different ways than was promised to the people in the district. To be sure, WNW were not the only board to divert money to places other than where it was supposed to go. I don’t know how to overcome this obstacle other than to say I know this board and they seem to be very open and transparent. I believe they will do what they promised.

It Was Held During a Presidential Election- Holding any type of election during a regular Presidential election is always risky business. The reason is very simple; a lot more people vote in a Presidential election than they do in other elections. We had double the number of people who voted on the Mill and Bond (303,358 for the Mill and 301,665 for the Bond) than voted in the Recall (averaged 181,000 votes) in 2015. Any increase in the number of people voting always brings with it so many different variables. If you hold an election in an off year, the chances of your issue passing increases, especially if your issue involves any type of tax increase. The reason for this is very simple; only those who are particularly interested in the issue will take the time to vote and if you are able to hone in on your base with a laser focus and drive them to vote your chances of passing your issue dramatically increases. We saw this happen recently when the APEX Recreation District held a special election asking voters for a tax increase. They were very focused and deliberate in who they targeted in their voting drive.

People are naturally averse to any type of tax increase, particularly one in which they will not receive any direct benefit. Most people do not have any children or grandchildren in JeffCo Public Schools, so they would not see any direct benefit to them, but they would certainly see an impact in their pocketbook. And the pocketbook is the number one determiner of how people vote. So, when you increase the number of voters because of the nature of the election, and you are asking for a tax increase voters who would otherwise not vote on your particular issue will vote and the likelihood of those voters voting for a tax increase is fairly low.

It Was Too Long of a Ballot- Yes. Yes, it was a very long ballot. Ballot fatigue is a very real thing. However, in this election it did not seem to make a difference. 3A and 3B averaged around 302,000 votes total and the total number of votes cast in the Presidential election was 320,087. What is curious however is that Clinton carried Jefferson County with 156, 689 votes while 3A attracted 144,883 votes and 3B received 142,076 votes. Somewhere, somehow we lost 11-12,000 votes from Clinton to the school measures.

The Price Tag Was Too High- It was a lot of money at stake on the ballot. However, it was money that was needed. JeffCo has operated for far too long on far too little and we have finally reached that tipping point. Either there had to be a drastic increase of money to address several growing and festering issues or Draconian cut were going to have to be made. Unfortunately, the community chose the latter and the not the former.

The Recall Victory Was About the Board Majority’s Behavior and Less About Its Politics- This is an interesting theory. We all remember the nasty, brutish, bullying tactics employed by the past board majority. Calling its own students “pawns”, insulting teachers and parents, breaking promises to the public, and in general destroying the morale of the district. WNW and their actions were offensive and alarming. The public agreed with the employees of the district and voted with us overwhelmingly, removing those three from power. However, the community did not back the mill and bond measure. Perhaps, we misread their support. Perhaps the community was less offended by the politics of WNW and more by their actions. This would help explain why many of these same people who supported the recall voted against the mill and bond this year. WNW were elected by fairly healthy margins in 2013 and were ousted by almost the same margins in 2015.

JeffCo has always struggled to pass any mill and bond measures. Whereas, voters in the Boulder Valley School District have never met a tax increase they didn’t like. Voters in BVSD also have never voted in an unsupportive board either. This is an interesting theory. One I hope is nothing more than that, a theory, otherwise the future of JeffCo Schools is a bleak one indeed.

I’m sure there are other issues that are out there that I missed or haven’t yet heard. The bottom line is this: Jefferson County Public Schools lost its bid to adequately address its problems. So, where do we go from here as a district? I’m not sure, it’s really not for me to say. Generally speaking some schools will have to be closed and consolidated, some schools will need to go to split sessions or adopt a year-round schedule to accommodate the overcrowding. School fees are set to increase, some after school programs and possibly athletic programs will be eliminated. Schools will continue to deteriorate and school budgets will be cut. School employees will not see their salaries appreciably increase and the loss of teachers and staff to surrounding districts with higher salaries and better benefits will continue.

Epilogue

The outcome of elections is always the same. Half of the people are very pleased and the other half are not happy. Many will be jubilant while others will be angry. Some will be ecstatic while others will be depressed. But one thing is certain, no matter the outcome tomorrow always comes. This government has been existed for 227 years and survived 57 Presidential elections. I have no doubt this will continue. We may not agree with election outcomes, we may even be angry, but we always accept the outcome. This is what we do. We do this because we are unique as a people. We do this because we are Americans.

In the end, it does not matter if you are liberal or conservative, Republican or Democrat, Jewish or Muslim or Catholic or Protestant or Atheist. It does not matter if you are male or female, gay or straight, young or old, black or white. All that matters in the end is that we are all people. We are all Americans. A unique boiling mixture of beliefs, cultures, lifestyles, races and ethnicities. Our society shouldn’t work but against all odds, it thrives. On this day and every day moving forward, remember that. We may disagree with the outcome of the election but we must always abide by the outcome. We may disagree with the President but the President must become our President because ultimately their success is our success. We may be disheartened by the outcome of the mill and bond, but we cannot allow it to interfere with our work because what we do as educators is enormously important work and our students don’t really care that we are angry, bewildered or upset they just want us to be there for them and help them become better people.

Do not allow old grudges or new rivalries divide us to the point of paralysis. Be kind to one another. Treat each other fairly. We are all people. We are all Americans. All of us are entitled to certain unalienable rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Even those whose vote may be opposite of ours.

A Confession: I Voted And I Didn't Like It

I received my ballot this past Tuesday. I have since returned it. I used to wait until election day to actually vote, but not his year. I have always enjoyed voting on the actual election day, it feels very patriotic, very democratic, very…American to actually cast your vote at the exact same time as millions of other Americans were casting their ballots as we decided the course that our country would embark on over the next several years. I also used the extra time to ponder about various issues and candidates, to extrapolate the various implications and possible outcomes of my vote. Often, my mind was not truly made up on candidates and issues until I was standing in line, there have also been times that I changed my mind about issues on the ballot as I was voting. But not this year. This year, the issues were pretty clear for me. I was either for something on the ballot or against something on the ballot. No wavering, no pondering, nothing. This year I looked at the ballot and I knew exactly how I was going to vote.

My politics have stayed pretty much the same for years; fiscally/economically conservative, socially moderate shading a little towards conservative. I am a registered Republican and I have been since I turned 18. However, I have never in my life voted a straight Republican ticket. I vote for the candidate, not the party. Basing your vote upon the letter after the candidates last name is not only lazy but also irresponsible voting. Despite never voting a straight Republican ticket I did do something on this ballot I’ve never done before and never thought I would ever do- not vote Republican for president. Not only did I not vote for a Republican for president, I did something I never thought I would ever do- vote for a Democrat for president.

Now before my Republican friends castigate me and my Democrat friends praise me, let me be clear about this point: I did not vote FOR Hillary Clinton, I voted AGAINST Donald Trump. I have as many misgivings about Clinton being president as anyone else I don’t care for her, I do not trust her, I am not inspired by her. However, I do know she is smart, has a firm grasp of the issues, understands politics well, and is knowledgeable about the U.S. Constitution and how our government works. All of which is more than I can say about Donald Trump.

I have never been more horrified by a candidate from my party than I have been with Donald Trump. Aside from the fact that Trump seems to have very little, if any depth in his policy beliefs and seems to only speak in sharp soundbites designed to bring thunderous applause from his sycophants, there are other, just as troubling reasons why I could not cast a vote for this man to be my president. In addition to his horrific, disgusting comments concerning his views on how he thinks women should be treated (which really don’t need to be linked here in this column because I would prefer to keep this forum family friendly) there are numerous other instances and reasons that I simply cannot support Donald Trump for president.

The leader, the face of my party should never threaten, publicly or privately, member of his own party if they do not support his candidacy. Donald Trump did this to the Speaker of the House Paul Ryan. http://fortune.com/2016/03/01/donald-trump-threatens-paul-ryan/ The candidate for president from my party would never question the war hero status of POW’s such as John McCain. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/19/us/politics/trump-belittles-mccains-war-record.html?_r=0 Nor should my candidate question the toughness or resolve of combat veterans who suffer from PTSD. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2016/10/03/trump-ptsd-comments/91509626/ No candidate for president should ever tell the other candidate that if elected he is going to work to put the other in jail. Such remarks are what one would expect from a tin-pot, paper hat wearing, banana-republic dictator, not a candidate for president of the most powerful democracy the world has ever seen. http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/09/politics/eric-holder-nixon-trump-presidential-debate/ When a candidate declares in an open mic during a debate that their opponent is “such a nasty” person, this is not behavior I wish to have from my president. http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/09/politics/eric-holder-nixon-trump-presidential-debate/ When my party’s candidate begins claiming vote fraud before one vote has been counted http://www.nationalreview.com/article/441173/donald-trump-rigged-election-voter-fraud-claims-unfounded seems to indicate that he is laying the ground work to dispute a loss in the election. This belief is only emboldened when Trump refused to say if he would accept the outcome of the election. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-idUSKCN12J0ZM?il=0 Even Richard Nixon accepted the outcome of the 1960 election and refused to challenge it despite being encouraged to do so by members of his own party and had fairly substantial evidence that there was voter fraud in Chicago and Texas. As if all these above reasons were not enough for me and other Republicans to ostracize Trump as our candidate for president, the final nail in the coffin should be the fact that in 1985 Trump took out a full sized ad in the New York Times criticizing Ronald Reagan (one of my political idols) saying the same things that he is now claiming will happen if Clinton is elected. http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/10/donald-trump-ronald-reagan-213288 To criticize Reagan is anathema to Republicans (even though Reagan would be disowned by today’s Republican Party as a RINO) and Trump did just that in 1985. That alone should set Republicans hair on fire and cause them to disown him. Furthermore, Trump supported Clinton in 2008 saying she would “make a great president”, yet another reason for Republicans to disavow anything to do with him. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-in-2008-hillary-clinton-would-make-a-great-president/ And yet, here he remains. Bad hair, orange skin, hollow rhetoric, blustery arguments and all.

So, I begrudgingly cast my vote for Hillary Clinton. For the first time ever, I voted for a Democrat for president. It is truly disappointing that these two individuals are who we have to choose from. Had the Republicans run anyone of their candidates from the past few years- McCain of 2008, Romney, or even a 1992 George H.W. Bush-against Clinton, this election would have been wrapped up by the beginning of September. Conversely, had the Democrats run Kerry or Gore against Trump the election would be over by now as well. But, that didn’t happen and this is what we have; two choices and neither of them are all that desirable. So, yes I cast my vote for Clinton and dropped my ballot in the box. I didn’t like it, I’m not proud of my choice, and didn’t like either of my options. But then again, I haven’t liked, been proud of, or even felt good about my own party for several years now.

2020 can’t get here soon enough.

The First Tuesday After the First Monday of November

35.

35 days.

35 days until election day. That’s all there is. In 35 days we will choose a new president for our country (hopefully we choose wisely), we will vote for representatives in congress and the state legislature, we will decide if the tobacco tax should be increased, residents of Arvada will decide if city taxes should be increased for much needed infrastructure improvements, and voters in Jefferson County will decide whether or not to increase their property taxes for their schools. We all know the school district sorely needs the money in order to remain competitive with area school districts so this post will not be about why the Mill and Bond is needed, we are the proverbial choir- no preaching needed. But here is the thing; the voters in this district are largely uninformed about 3A/3B. Not so much in the way that they don’t know why the money is needed (although that is true as well), the voting public is uninformed in that they don’t even know the issue is even on the ballot! To compound that problem is the fact that this ballot is a LOOOOOOOOONG ballot and 3A/3B will very likely be at the end of the ballot. Voting fatigue is a real thing. Voters get either bored or exhausted while voting on a long ballot and very often they will not even bother to cast a vote on issues that are at the end of ballot. To ensure that 3A/3B passes it is up to us to inform voters 1) That there is a Mill and Bond measure on the ballot for JeffCo Schools and why it is needed and 2) to be sure to vote in favor of 3A/3B. But here is the rub- there have been very few of us out walking to ensure these two points happen this November. That is alarming, frightening, disconcerting, disheartening, and confusing all at once. We all want this to pass but it seems as though people believe “others” will get it passed. Guess what? The “others” are you, me, the school secretary, the kindergarten para, the facilities manager, and the teacher across the hall. 3A/3B won’t pass because I, Beth Low, or Lara Center, Paula Reed or John Ford walk, knocks and talks to voters. It will pass because YOU walk, knock and talk as well. That is the only way this ballot issue passes.

Now, I know there are lots of legitimate reasons why some people don’t feel compelled to walk so I’d like to take a moment to address those issues.

I’d Like To Walk, Knock and Talk But I Just Don’t Have The Time

Time is finite and we all have demands in our life that chews up our free time. I get this. I am currently teaching three different preps one of which is an AP class, I am getting my second Master’s Degree, I am a JCEA building rep, I am on the Board of Directors for JCEA, I also have a wife and two sons that I have to find time for. My time is extraordinarily limited between reading and writing papers, grading, lesson planning, meetings, responding to parent emails and phone calls and spending quality time with my family. I just do not have much time left after all that. However, I also know that 3A/3B is important for me, my education colleagues, my students and most importantly my own children. So I find the time to take a few hours out of my Saturday mornings to walk knock and talk. No one expects you to walk every single Saturday, I haven’t been able to, but one Saturday is all that is needed. If you can do more- GREAT! I truly believe that if something is important you can always make time for it. The passage of this Mill and Bond is very important in so many ways.

After The Last Few Years I Am So Exhausted And Worn Out

Yeah, I get this one as well. I am worn out as well. We were engaged in a literal fight for our professional lives the last few years. Fighting is exhausting and not all that much fun. It does wear you out. This is a legitimate complaint. However, this is not a fight. There really is not a lot of organized opposition on this issue. This is more about working for the culmination of a celebration that started last year at this time when we won a fight for the soul of our district. To complete the arc that we began last year, 3A/3B must pass.

I also understand the feeling that we went into education to work with students NOT to get involved in elections and politics. Believe me, all I want to do is go into my classroom, shut my door and teach. In a perfect world that is exactly what I would do. Unfortunately, we live in time where education seems to be a focal point of politics. Republicans have their education agenda as do Democrats. We can choose to sit back and allow what happens to our profession take place or we can become actively involved and try to steer public policy in a way that we know is best for education. I always want to have some control over what happens to me instead of just allowing things to happen to me.

We Have A Board Of Education That Once Again Respects Us Why Must We Go Out And Walk Again To Get Money

Yes, it is true we have a BOE that respects us and we worked hard to get a sane and respectful board. However, that only gave us a sane and respectful board. It did not solve the money problem that was exacerbated by the previous board. Other than having good people on the BOE, VERY LITTLE was solved with the election last year. Had the election last year not turned out as it did, we would not have the opportunity that we now have. The previous board would have never asked for a Mill and Bond increase. Remember, they were more than content to allow this district to languish and deteriorate to prove they were good stewards of tax money. If we don’t work to get this Mill and Bond passed, we will allow the previous board’s plan to come to fruition even though they are no longer around. We can choose to work to validate the board we helped get elected or we can choose to allow WNW win despite their loss a year ago.

I Am So Angry/Disappointed/Frustrated With My Raise! I Sacrificed For This District 6 Years Ago And This Is How I’m Rewarded?

I too am very frustrated and disappointed in my raise. $34 extra a month is just not cutting it! I willingly took a pay cut and freeze several years ago to help the district out and to keep cuts away from my students and I’ve patiently waited for six years for my salary to recover, meanwhile, my living expenses have steadily increased. You should be angry. Oh sure, we will get a nice bonus check at the end of this month and our pay will end up being 4% more than last year, however next year we may be back to our minimal increase without the additional 4%. This will most probably happen IF 3A/3B does not pass. If we want the 4% to be ongoing and not a nice Christmas bonus, the Mill and Bond must pass.

On a side note, our anger cannot be directed at our JCEA negotiations team; it should be at the district negotiations team. Remember, last year the district floated the idea of giving all teachers a $500 bonus and then they came to the table with a 1% increase.  JCEA pushed and pushed until they got the district to agree to give all teachers 4% more this year than last. Most did not get a 4% raise, but we are all going to get 4% more this year than we did last year. Again, if we want this be ongoing, we have to work to get 3A/3B passed.

I think I’ve addressed all of the reasons I’ve heard from people about why they haven’t walked or don’t want to walk. For the next portion of the show, I would like to discuss what will happen if 3A/3B passes or if it fails. I’m a firm believer in saving the best for last, so let’s look first at what will happen if it does not pass.

What Will Happen if 3A/3B Does Not Pass?

Dark, bleak times in JeffCo is what will happen. School closures, school consolidations, redrawing of boundaries, draconian cuts in SBB, elimination of after school activities and programs, staff reductions, continued exodus of education professionals, continued overcrowding in elementary schools, continued deterioration of buildings.

My kids, your kids will suffer mightily. I can’t believe that any of us want these things to happen, so I must also believe that we all want 3A/3B to pass and we all know what it will take for that to happen…. WALK, KNOCK AND TALK!

And now for the fun part…

What Will Happen if 3A/3B DOES Pass?

I would like to say that we will march triumphantly into broad, sunlight lands and all of our troubles will melt away as we live happily ever after. While this is not going to happen, our lives will improve.

Our salaries will increase! Yes! I would like to yell from the mountain top to the district as negotiations begin this spring “NOT ONE THIN DIME, NOT ONE RED CENT FOR ANY DISTRICT PROGRAMS OR INITIATIVEs, EITHER NEW OR EXISTING, UNTIL WE ADDRESS COMPENSATION!” I don’t know about you, but I’m so tired of the district paying for various programs and initiatives (I’m looking at you PLC’s) first and then kicking the remainder to educators. How about we flip that script. We took a pay cut and freeze six years ago. If we were one of the first places the district came six years ago looking to reduce costs, then we should be among the first things to be addressed if additional revenue is forthcoming. Programs and initiatives do not work unless they are implemented and maintained by quality, knowledgeable people. You attract and retain quality and knowledgeable people by compensating them well.

Furthermore, if the Mill and Bond pass, we can begin to address so many of the needed building issues and upgrades that our schools sorely need. School based programming will remain intact. Some neighborhood schools will remain open. Teaching materials and conditions will be upgraded. And best of all, the greatest beneficiaries of all of these benefits will be the students in our district.

So please, sometime over the course of the next 35 days, carve out a little bit of time to walk, knock and talk for 3A/3B. Imagine the feeling on election night when we win and you have the satisfaction of knowing you helped in that win. Our students deserve it, my kids deserve it, your kids deserve it.