( - promoted by Fong)
Much press has been swirling around DPS' proposed extension of the school day by 1 hour for students in middle school. Undoubtedly extending the school day is a good idea. Students who are behind can take the time to hasten catching up. Students at grade level can take enrichment classes not normally offered. And, DPS can easily pay for the extra hour of school time. Most of the teachers I know are excited about the opportunity to work more with students.
However, this plan has the usual trapping of most of DPS' plans, a failure to coordinate with important stakeholders and a bunch of lies. |
- While a Denver Post editorial claims a wide range of people were involved in creating the plan, those people did not include the school board and it did not include the union leadership. No doubt, the school board will go along, as they have a pattern of forgiveness with Mr. Boasberg. The unions suite will be dismissed out of pocket by some judge who doesn't understand the issue. Nonetheless, the management of DPS' inability to collaborate with one of its stakeholders is a clear indicator of failure when there should be nothing but success.
- Once again, DPS made some less-than-honest claim about using a rainy day fund to pay for extending the school day, or, reducing administrative staff. DPS first told 9News it would cost $10 million to implement its plans for one extra hour per day of instruction, with Mr. Boasberg saying this money would come from administrative reductions. He said, "Its all about getting more money into the classrooms." Then, the next day, The Denver Post ran a story wherein the dollar amount for implementing the plans increased to $20 million, with Boasberg saying this money would come from a "rainy day" fund. (DPS loves the amount "$20 million." It comes up over and over.) (This number has since been removed from the Post's story.) The latest cost offered up by DPS is $2.5 million, which was discussed at the School Board meeting held Thursday, February 2nd.)
Regardless of which number is the actual cost of implementing an extra hour of school, all of them are ridiculously inconsequential within the DPS budget so why care on about it? In 2011/2012, Denver's school system budget was just below $1.7 billion. That's right, BILLION. To put $20 million in perceptive within this budget, an extra hour of school will cost DPS 1.1% of its total annual budget. Put another way, this would be like losing $550 over the term of 1 year on a household income of %50,000. Spread this out over a year's paychecks, and you are looking at $45.83 per month, or far less than cable T.V. I won't even go into $2.5 million
The puzzle of Denver's school system is, why must leadership lie to the public at every turn?
- Management refinances pension debt and then makes ridiculous claims related to saving money.
- The District tells parents they will be included as part of some process effecting the school where the parents' children are enrolled. The inclusion never happens.
- DPS actually comes up with a good idea but thwarts the feel good element of the idea because the message sent to the public is wrapped in lies.
Nothing makes stakeholders more demoralized than being lied to time and again. That goes for the teachers' union, certain members of the school board, parents involved in their schools, teachers, even janitors. It is a basic fact of human nature -- if you lie time and again, people will hate you and every task you undertake will be 10 times harder than it needs to be.
Maybe this is why DPS fails so frequently. |
