Sunday, January 20, 2013

The Disproportionate Funds for Schools- Part 2

Last week I blogged about my experience at two different schools in HISD and even my two different experiences with two children at the same school. I had to tell the whole story about my son and what we went through to finally have him identified by the school district as having Asperger's Syndrome so that I could explain how we found out first-hand what some schools have and others don't have.


Image from education blog

Just to recap. Oak Forest Elementary is in the Oak Forest neighborhood. It's on 43rd Street between Ella and TC Jester. They have a beautiful big library with a librarian, a school nurse, a music teacher, a band teacher, a science lab, a science teacher, a computer lab, an art teacher, an arboretum with little theater seating benches, a beautiful garden of milkweed for the monarch butterflies, and a nice black top playground with basketball hoops. It has great teachers and a very active PTA. It also has a great Vanguard program and they are a National Blue Ribbon winner school.

Jefferson Elementary is on Sharman St. off of Cavalcade and the 45 North freeway. It is right next to the Lindale Park neighborhood. When my son started attending this school I was mostly shocked to find out that they didn't have a school nurse, a library or a librarian. In my mind these are essential for any school.

I also found out that they don't have an art teacher, a science lab or a science teacher. I know these aren't essential, but they would be nice. I wondered about the toilet paper but a teacher friend explained to me that the main reason students are only given so much toilet paper at some schools, especially the older schools with older plumbing, is so that they won't clog the toilets or make a mess.

I know that the parents at Oak Forest are the reason why they have such a beautiful garden with the milkweed and other flowers. The parents volunteer their time to make the school beautiful and a great experience for the children.

But back to Jefferson Elementary. When I found out about all the things that Jefferson does not have as compared to Oak Forest it made me wonder about all the reasons why. I realize that the parents and their donations have a lot to do with it. I know that the parents at Oak Forest are very involved. I haven't been at Jefferson long enough to find out about their PTA or the average household income of the parents.

Of course the schools get money from the state. I've read and heard that their test scores on standardized tests have a lot to do with how much schools receive. But I wondered, how do they decide exactly how much each school gets?

I first went online to the HISD website to find out. It only makes sense that since it's a public school system that information should be public. It's not.

When I didn't find the answer there I Googled the subject and I came across this great article written by Lynne Walsh on the Texas Watchdog, "Rich school, poor school: How much Houston ISD spends to educate each child varies greatly between schools."

Walsh points out that "Some of the confusion stems from the numerous pots of money from which HISD’s 300-plus schools get cash each year." To explain all the different places that the money comes from she refers to this other article on Texas Watchdog, "See all of your HISD school's funding data" by Jennifer Peebles. 

If this calcultor is accurate, what I found out really surprised me. I typed in both Oak Forest and Jefferson and I found that in fact Jefferson receives slightly less money than Oak Forest but more money when it's divided per student because they have less students. Oak Forest receives $3,659,859.74 or $4,847.90 per student. Jefferson receives $2,892,607.47 or $5,509.40 per student. Oak Forest has 755 to Jefferson's 525 students. Still, that's $767,252 more for Oak Forest, taking away the per student formula. That's a lot of money!

I called HISD to ask them for clarification and the answer that I received from two different people was very interesting. They told me that the reason that there isn't any information on the HISD site regarding how money is allocated to each school was because it was "too complicated." I wondered how complicated it could be. When I used the calculator on the Texas Watchdog site I figured it was pretty clear and it shows how much each school gets for different categories like resource student funding, magnet programs, and stimulus, to name a few.

Just for the record this is what HISD had to say about where the funding comes from.

"The school funding formula is complicated, but it basically works like this: Schools are funded based on a per-student basis. The more students you have, the more funding you get. The per-student amount is weighted to give more money for students in various categories: Special education, gifted and talented, magnet, limited English skills, low income, etc. There is also a funding subsidy for the smallest schools. In some cases, smaller schools are unable to afford some of the same services that are offered at larger schools. Jefferson has 509 students, compared to Oak Forest’s 760 students. In addition, it’s important to note that in HISD, principals are given broad discretion over how to use their budgets. After consulting with their campus Site Based Decision Making Committee (which includes parents and teachers), the principal establishes a budget. They may decide that they’d rather hire an extra math teacher instead of a nurse, for example. I hope this helps."

After all of this I came to the conclusion that the biggest difference between Jefferson and Oak Forest is the amount of money that they receive from the parents and the community. It has to be that. When the kids were at Oak Forest I saw the parents donating a lot of money, raising money, and I also saw businesses, like the credit union across the street, giving them money. Businesses in the area feel that supporting the neighborhood school is good PR for them and will in turn bring them business and they are probably right.

What is the answer? I'm not sure. Jefferson doesn't have a great business community around it like Oak Forest does. Oak Forest is surrounded by shopping centers and great neighborhood businesses.
 
The only thing we can do as parents is to make the businesses that we do have around us aware of the needs at Jefferson Elementary if they themselves are in a position to contribute and if it will be beneficial to them. Lindale Park is not a poor community but many of the parents either send their kids to private schools or to Magnet and Vanguard schools like I did when the children were at Oak Forest. When my kids were there I donated my money to that school and that's what many parents in Lindale probably do and we forget about the school in our neighborhood because it doesn't affect us when our kids don't go there.
 
I may not be able to donate a lot of my time to the school, to the PTA, or a lot of money, but I can donate my voice. I can be a voice to the community about the needs at Jefferson Elementary and not just this elementary school. There are many schools like this in our city, even in the different school districts. Maybe people will become more aware of the elementary school in their community and they will take the time to donate just a little to make a difference.


Friday, January 11, 2013

The Disproportionate Funds for Schools- Part I

I have said it many times, especially on here, I am a product of a the Houston public school system. I have always believed in the public school system, especially the magnet program in HISD and especially the Vanguard and IB programs.



Now as a parent I have experienced two totally different schools in HISD, a Vanguard recognized school with all the resources a school could want and a neighborhood elementary with not even enough resources for a school nurse.

When my then husband and I decided to stay in the city we knew that our future children's education depended on the Magnet and Vanguard program and if our children would be accepted in one of these. When our daughter was accepted into the Vanguard program I was ecstatic. The fact that she got into our first choice school made it even better.

Our first choice had been Oak Forest and a lot of thought had gone into that choice. One of the reasons I chose it was because it was so diverse and I thought the teachers were also diverse. At least that was according to the Report Card on the Schools published in the Houston Chronicle. Sure it meant driving out a little farther every morning and afternoon but I felt like it was worth it and it was. Our daughter did really well in her years at Oak Forest and excelled in all subjects. I know the education she received there had a lot to do with where she is now in middle school.

The school has great parent involvement and they give a lot to the school, in both time and money. I just took for granted all the things Oak Forest has. They have a nurse, a beautiful library, a librarian, an arboretum, a science lab, a computer lab, an art teacher, a music teacher, a band teacher and so much more. I thought the world of Oak Forest.

That is until I had a son that wasn't in Vanguard. I was so excited when he was accepted on a sibling transfer so that I didn't have to drive to two different schools. He would get to attend a great elementary school with his sister.

It wasn't long before the concerns started. They started in Kindergarten and escalated in first grade. It wasn't until second grade that the terms ADHD and Asperger's were used to describe him. I had started seeing a child psychologist who agreed that Seth was probably ADD but when I mentioned Asperger's to him he was outraged that the teachers and assistant principal would use that term so loosely. I agreed, until I had to see a different doctor for medication to manage the ADHD.

This doctor asked me right off the bat, "Has anyone said Asperger's?" When I finally accepted that my son probably had Asperger's, which is protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act, it was too late for my son's future at Oak Forest.

When I went back to the doctor to ask him if he could give me a diagnosis of Asperger's he told me, "The school district will test him for you. That's what your taxes pay for. They will diagnose him and  they will make accommodations for him."

So even though it was the school who brought up the term ADHD and Asperger's first, they didn't tell me this. I guess they thought I should figure it out on my own. By the time I could request that the district test him so he could receive the official diagnosis from HISD the school year was ending and it was a lot easier for the principal to say, "DENIED" on his sibling transfer due to too many behavior and disciplinary issues. Besides, they justified it, his sibling wasn't attending any more.

Welcome to the flip side of not having what the schools consider a "model student." He wasn't important enough because he wasn't a student who helped them with their test score average and thus how much money they would receive from the state. My daughter was that kind of student.

The great great irony in this story is what happened next. I didn't fight Oak Forest even though one of the moms was outraged and told me I should. I figured why should I stay at a school that didn't want him.

This school year my son is attending a much smaller elementary school adjacent to our neighborhood. It is not Vanguard or even Magnet. It doesn't have anything that makes it stand out and probably gets lost in the shuffle of the many schools in HISD.

But when my son started attending this school I saw such a dramatic change in his grades and in his behavior. Granted he was on medication regularly now but he also has two awesome teachers that get his off the wall sense of humor and quick wit. They learned how to channel his boredom to drawing and always provide him with paper and pencils to draw. They have just been great. Yes, they got started a little slow at the beginning of the school year because he was new and they didn't really see any challenges right away since he was doing fairly well in school.

When the challenges started, especially towards the end of the school day when the medication was wearing off, the school took action, especially the Assistant Principal, Principal, and the Special Education teacher. It only took one semester and a couple of challenging episodes for the school to have him tested by the district.

The district found that he does not have any learning disabilities and is in fact reading and doing math at 4th and 5th grade levels while in the 3rd grade. His challenge is staying focused and not getting over stimulated by too many children or getting upset.  Now he will receive accommodations if needed when he takes the STAAR test and other standardized tests this semester. Meaning he can take the test in a smaller group if necessary.

What's the point of my story? That this school, with all of its limited resources, is the one who took action and made things happen. This elementary school does not have A NURSE, a library, a librarian, an art teacher, a science teacher, a lab, an arboretum and there is no toilet paper in the restrooms. The teachers allocates a little toilet paper to each child when going to the restroom.

A school like Oak Forest with all its resources was able to send my son to the Principal's office a hundred times, suspend him, write him up and suggest that he had Asperger's but not once did they inform me or educate me that I could have him tested by the district. It was obvious that they wanted to have a big enough paper trail so that they could justify denying his transfer. They wanted to wash their hands of the "challenging" child who didn't help their test scores.

It took the smaller school with the limited resources and the disproportionate funding to take action. When telling this story to a friend today I likened Oak Forest to a beautiful woman with no soul and Jefferson an ugly duckling with a big heart. As a parent that is how I feel and I'm sure that there are many parents out there who feel the same way.

What I want to do here is to educate parents and make them aware that this kind of situation does exist. You can have one child in the Vanguard program with no problems and then you can have a child with special needs and you won't receive the same attention at the exact same school.

I also want to make parents aware that there are schools out there in HISD that have VERY limited resources yet they do an excellent job with what they have. The question that baffles me is this. Why don't these smaller schools with an obvious need receive more money from the district and from the state?

P.S. Just to clarify. Seth has 2 challenges. He has ADHD and Asperger's. The medication helps control the ADHD but not Asperger's. There is no medication for Asperger's.

Next Post: Why do some schools get a school nurse and a library and others don't?
Part 3 will look at race/ethncity and if it plays a role.

Saturday, January 05, 2013

New Year, Awesome Stuff, & Goals

So here I am. It's hard to believe that a whole year has passed already and that all my old issues are the same issues I have today. It's hard to believe that I feel like I didn't accomplish anything in my personal and professional life. I saw this idea floating around Facebook and Pinterest at the end of the year and it got me to thinking that maybe this is what I need to do this year.


Why? Because I think I forget all the good things that happened in 2012. I'm sure that I accomplished something this past year. I still have a roof over my head, my children are healthy, I have an interesting job, I accomplished something with Seth to help him in school, (more on that later) I have great friends and sisters and I met a lot of interesting characters along the way.

This is one of those years when I don't feel like setting any goals but I know I have to. Who cares if the goals are the same ones I set last year? Zig Ziglar said we have to have goals.

He says in his CD How to Get What You Want: “The great majority of people are “wandering generalities” rather than “meaningful specifics”. The fact is that you can't hit a target that you can't see. If you don't know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else. You have to have goals.”

So I ask myself do I want to be a wandering generality or do I want to be a meaningful specific? This past year I think I was wandering more than I was specific. I think I was just survival mode just doing what I had to do to keep my sanity and to keep my kids fed and healthy.

This coming year I plan on being a meaningful specific in all aspects of my life but especially professionally and personally. I have a great book brewing inside me but unless I write it I'm just a wandering generality.

I know what I need to do. It's already January 5th. It's time I sit down and set those goals and commit them to writing.

I loved this idea too. I found these pages on this website. Download them while they're still available. Let's set our goals for the year.

Wednesday, January 02, 2013

Official Rules for the Orgullosa Breast Cancer Awareness Package Giveaway


NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND WILL NOT IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING.

1. Timing: The Orgullosa Breast Cancer Awareness Package Giveaway (the “Sweepstakes”) begins on October 20, 2013 at 6:00:01 P.M. Central Time (“CT”) and ends on October 27, 2013 at 11:59:01 P.M. CT (the “Promotion Period”).

2. Eligibility: Sweepstakes are open to those with valid US shipping addresses only. Must be over 18 years of age at time of Sweepstakes to enter. No purchase is necessary to enter.

3. How to Enter: During the Promotion Period, send an email with the
#Orgullosa4EarlyDetection in the Subject line to Shoegirlcorner (at) Yahoo (dot) com. A limit of one entry is allowed per person. You may not enter more than once, whether or not you use a different e-mail address. Subsequent entries determined to be submitted with the same email address or from the same individual using multiple email addresses may be declared ineligible.

4. Disclaimer:
ShoeGirl Corner/Casares Communications and Orgullosa/P&G will not be responsible for: a) any late or lost entries; b) telephone, electronic, hardware, software, network, Internet, or other computer or communications-related malfunctions or failures; any giveaway disruptions, injuries, losses or damages caused by events beyond the control of ShoeGirl Corner or by unauthorized human intervention; or c) any printing or typographical errors in any materials associated with the Sweepstakes.

5. Winner Selection: One winner will be selected. All winning entries will be randomly generated on or shortly after the Entry Deadline Date. If your name is drawn and you meet the eligibility requirements and otherwise comply with these Official Sweepstakes Rules, you win the prize.

6. Winner Notification: You will be notified by email from Shoegirlcorner (at) Yahoo (dot) com within four (4) days after the Entry Deadline Date if you win the prize.

7. Prize: One prize will be awarded. The winner will receive one Orgullosa Breast Cancer Awareness Package, which includes an iPod shuffleThe approximate retail value of this prize is $100.00.

8. Claiming Your Prize: Winner must respond within four (4) days of notification or forfeit the prize, in which case an alternate winner will be selected.

9. Taxes: ALL FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL TAXES ASSOCIATED WITH THE RECEIPT OF ANY PRIZE ARE THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE WINNER.

10. Prize Substitution: Winner may not substitute the prize for any other prize or for cash.


11. Prize Delivery:
ShoeGirl Corner/Casares Communications is not responsible for lost or misdirected prizes, but if a prize delivery problem occurs than an effort to redeliver the same prize or deliver a prize substitution will be made.

12. Publicity:  Acceptance of prize constitutes permission to use winner’s name and prize information for promotional purposes in any medium, except where prohibited by law, without further payment or other consideration.


13. Technical Problems: The Sweepstakes may be canceled, suspended and/or modified, in whole or in part, if in the opinion of
ShoeGirl Corner/Casares Communications any fraud, technical failure or other factor beyond its control impairs the integrity of the Sweepstakes.

14. General Release: By entering the Sweepstakes through this website, you release
ShoeGirl Corner/Casares Communications from any liability whatsoever, and waive any and all causes of action, related to any claims, costs, injuries, losses or damages of any kind arising out of or in connection with the giveaway or delivery, mis-delivery or acceptance of any prize (including, without limitation, claims, costs, injuries, losses and damages related to personal injuries, death, damage to or destruction of property, rights of publicity or privacy, defamation or portrayal in a false light, whether intentional or unintentional), whether under a theory of contract, tort (including negligence), warranty or other theory.

15. Waiver and Governing Law: By entering this promotion, participants waive all rights to claim punitive, general, special, compensatory, incidental and/or consequential damages, attorneys’ fees or any damages other than actual out-of-pocket costs incurred to enter. Any dispute(s) regarding the rules of this game shall be governed by the internal laws of the state of Texas, without regard to any conflicts of laws rules.

17. Sponsor and Administrator: ShoeGirl Corner/Casares Communications, P.O. Box 8754, Houston, TX  77249. Questions should be sent to Shoegirlcorner (at) yahoo (dot) com.

18. Facebook Releases: This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, or administered by, or associated with Facebook.  Facebook is completely released of all liability by each entrant in this Sweepstakes. The entrant is providing their information to ShoeGirl Corner/Casares Communications and not to Facebook.

18. Twitter Releases: This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, or administered by, or associated with Twitter.  Twitter is completely released of all liability by each entrant in this Sweepstakes. The entrant is providing their information to ShoeGirl Corner/Casares Communications and not to Twitter.

Tuesday, January 01, 2013

Official Rules for the Orgullosa Hispanic Heritage Month Package Giveaway


NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND WILL NOT IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING.

1. Timing: The Orgullosa Hispanic Heritage Month Package Giveaway (the “Sweepstakes”) begins on October 8, 2013 at 4:00:01 P.M. Central Time (“CT”) and ends on October 15, 2013 at 11:59:01 P.M. CT (the “Promotion Period”).

2. Eligibility: Sweepstakes are open to those with valid US shipping addresses only. Must be over 18 years of age at time of Sweepstakes to enter. Family members of ShoeGirl Corner/Casares Communications are not eligible to enter. No purchase is necessary to enter.

3. How to Enter: During the Promotion Period, send an email with "Orgullosa Hispanic Heritage" in the Subject line to Shoegirlcorner (at) Yahoo (dot) com. A limit of one entry is allowed per person. You may not enter more than once, whether or not you use a different e-mail address. Subsequent entries determined to be submitted with the same email address or from the same individual using multiple email addresses may be declared ineligible.

4. Disclaimer:
ShoeGirl Corner/Casares Communications and Orgullosa/P&G will not be responsible for: a) any late or lost entries; b) telephone, electronic, hardware, software, network, Internet, or other computer or communications-related malfunctions or failures; any giveaway disruptions, injuries, losses or damages caused by events beyond the control of ShoeGirl Corner/Casares Communications or by unauthorized human intervention; or c) any printing or typographical errors in any materials associated with the Sweepstakes.

5. Winner Selection: One winner will be selected. All winning entries will be randomly generated on or shortly after the Entry Deadline Date. If your name is drawn and you meet the eligibility requirements and otherwise comply with these Official Sweepstakes Rules, you win the prize.

6. Winner Notification: You will be notified by email from Shoegirlcorner (at) Yahoo (dot) com within four (4) days after the Entry Deadline Date if you win the prize.

7. Prize: One prize will be awarded. The winner will receive one Orgullosa Hispanic Heritage Month Package, which includes an iPod shuffleThe approximate retail value of this prize is $100.00.

8. Claiming Your Prize: Winner must respond within four (4) days of notification or forfeit the prize, in which case an alternate winner will be selected.

9. Taxes: ALL FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL TAXES ASSOCIATED WITH THE RECEIPT OF ANY PRIZE ARE THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE WINNER.

10. Prize Substitution: Winner may not substitute the prize for any other prize or for cash.


11. Prize Delivery:
ShoeGirl Corner/Casares Communications is not responsible for lost or misdirected prizes, but if a prize delivery problem occurs than an effort to redeliver the same prize or deliver a prize substitution will be made.

12. Publicity:  Acceptance of prize constitutes permission to use winner’s name and prize information for promotional purposes in any medium, except where prohibited by law, without further payment or other consideration.


13. Technical Problems: The Sweepstakes may be canceled, suspended and/or modified, in whole or in part, if in the opinion of
ShoeGirl Corner/Casares Communications any fraud, technical failure or other factor beyond its control impairs the integrity of the Sweepstakes.

14. General Release: By entering the Sweepstakes through this website, you release
ShoeGirl Corner/Casares Communications from any liability whatsoever, and waive any and all causes of action, related to any claims, costs, injuries, losses or damages of any kind arising out of or in connection with the giveaway or delivery, mis-delivery or acceptance of any prize (including, without limitation, claims, costs, injuries, losses and damages related to personal injuries, death, damage to or destruction of property, rights of publicity or privacy, defamation or portrayal in a false light, whether intentional or unintentional), whether under a theory of contract, tort (including negligence), warranty or other theory.

15. Waiver and Governing Law: By entering this promotion, participants waive all rights to claim punitive, general, special, compensatory, incidental and/or consequential damages, attorneys’ fees or any damages other than actual out-of-pocket costs incurred to enter. Any dispute(s) regarding the rules of this game shall be governed by the internal laws of the state of Texas, without regard to any conflicts of laws rules.

16. Sponsor and Administrator: ShoeGirl Corner/Casares Communications, P.O. Box 8754, Houston, TX  77249. Questions should be sent to Shoegirlcorner (at) yahoo (dot) com.

17. Facebook Releases: This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, or administered by, or associated with Facebook.  Facebook is completely released of all liability by each entrant in this Sweepstakes. The entrant is providing their information to ShoeGirl Corner/Casares Communications and not to Facebook.

18. Twitter Releases: This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, or administered by, or associated with Twitter.  Twitter is completely released of all liability by each entrant in this Sweepstakes. The entrant is providing their information to ShoeGirl Corner/Casares Communications and not to Twitter.