Board Governance posting audio of Board and committee meetings

Yes, now you can listen again and again to your favorite School Board and committee meeting debates.

The Office of Board Governance is posting the audio on its home portal page, which is here. The postings are in the right-hand column.

Board adopts stricter purchasing requirements

The School Board last week voted to require informal bids or quotes on purchases of $5,000 to $24,999.

The Board also voted to require that contracts of $25,000 or more be approved by the Board. Previously, contracts worth at least $50,000 required Board approval and schools and departments were not required to seek any bids on purchases or contracts worth less than $10,000.

Under the informal bid procedure, the school or department making the purchase must solicit bids from at least three potential vendors and document the efforts.

The Board also directed the administration to report monthly on all district contracts worth less than $25,000. The report is to include the amount of the contracts, vendors, and the purpose of the contracts.

Forum on MPS scheduled for Thursday

From our friends at City Hall:

A public forum centered on the question “How can MPS better educate the children of Milwaukee?” will be held from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, October 1 in the auditorium at Riverside University High School, 1615 E. Locust St.

Mayor Tom Barrett, state Department of Administration Secretary Michael Morgan and MPS School Board Director Larry Miller will take part in a panel discussion hosted by Riverside graduates Alderman Nik Kovac, Alderwoman Milele A. Coggs, and Alderman Ashanti Hamilton.
Congresswoman Gwen Moore is also an invited panelist.

Alderman Kovac said members of the public – including students and parents – are encouraged to attend the event, part of which will feature participants addressing the following four questions:

• Too many MPS students are not graduating, and too many of those who do graduate are not proficient in math and reading. Why?
• What on-the-ground, system-wide changes need to occur to change that?
• What governance structure could best achieve those changes?
• How can MPS best position itself to receive federal funds?

The panelists will each address these questions during the first hour, and then will take questions from the audience for the last half hour.

Voices of the Young: Alexandra Kramer, Christianna Fritz and Clare Gawronski

One of my greatest pet peeves is when people neglect basic courtesy were walking down halls or driving through the city. Now, I know this probably seems ridiculous. There is so many atrocities out there, so many horrors that are more deserving of my anger. And yet, whenever someone bumps into me in the hallway or runs a red light, something inside me just flares up and stains my next half-hour.

I think it's because I see how people behave in hallways and highways as a living metaphor for how they interact overall with other people. When people just stop in the hallway or run a yellow light they shouldn't have, it is showing a very basic example of the worst of human beings: the egotism and selfishness. Because they aren't just being rude; they're putting themselves and their desires first and ignoring the effect on everyone around them. They are isolating themselves from others, and at the same time telling everyone else that they are not in any way important.

Sure, it may not seem like something that would have any effect, but you can't be sure where that person you didn't let merge was going, or what the person you yell at after you bump into them is going through. They could be late for an interview for their dream job or a loved one could have just died, and one seemingly insignificant act of rudeness could have so much more of an impact than could be thought possible. The effect is then seen in their actions, which affect others and so on until we end up with a society of angry, rude people who cannot interact with each other even on the basic level needed to walk down a hall without any altercations.

Keep this in mind when you navigate hallways and highways. Try to step outside of yourself and think about those around you and what might he going through their heads. Wave someone in. Hold the door open. Better yet, smile at someone. You never know when a simple act of courtesy can make someone's day.

Alexandra Kramer

I'm filled with a sense of wonder, a curiosity which would kill me if I were a cat. As a toddler, (quite young and unrefined), I'd refuse to eat in restaurants and I would people watch instead. My entire body would turn 180 degrees and I would stand on my chair as if it were a lookout post, my eyes wide and my mouth gaping.

"Christi, it's not polite to stare," a parent or older sibling would admonish while attempting to coax me into a sitting position, preferably facing my plate.

About I now have a bit more social grace, I still find myself turning my head to glance, usually more than once, at a person with some sort of quirk or odd behavior. The person may be dancing at a bus stop across the street or angrily stabbing steak with a dessert fork at a table next to me, but I find that the person doesn't have to be eccentric to be worthy of interest. Everyone reveals their quirks once they assume that no one is paying attention.

And sometimes I wonder. When I'm lost in a moment or a thought, is someone glancing at me, wondering who I am, and pondering whether I'm slightly insane or just having an off-day? Is there anything interesting about me?

I've dyed my hair the color of Cheetos and grape Kool-Aid, worn a banana costume to the grocery store, made grotesque faces that people I've never met, walked and read simultaneously, saying in order to stay warm (during an Ice Age known as a Wisconsin winter), climbed trees to find a place far from the noisiness of a big family. I've been told that I look like a dyke, a whore, a Mormon, a Muppet, a boy, a Russian, a businesswoman, a femme fatale, a lunatic.

But I consider myself ordinary. I'm too skinny, I'm naïve, I laugh when I shouldn't, I can't cry when I should, I have staring problems, I sometimes confuse reading with inhaling and writing with exhaling because the words and air seem equally vital. But above all, I'm curious, and think that even all the cats of the world would agree that having curiosity like having nine lives instead of one.

Christianna Fritz

I believe in existence. I believe in the existence of the world, and of everything in it, and I believe in appreciating it. There is enough arrogance in the world without people claiming to have created the world in their minds. What vanity it is to believe yourself the inventor of Shakespeare, relativity, oceans, impressionism, dictionaries, elm trees and honey locust, George Cukor films, city skylines, snow, and sparrows, not to mention everything else in the universe. And it's sounds so remarkably silly to claim the you're above the innate selfishness in all human beings therefore created unpleasant things.

What can a solipsist do? How can time progress, technologies evolve, or minds become less narrow, if everything exists in one mind? Reality is the entire possibility, and we ought to be thankful that this is the truth. We ought to be glad that we are not alone, solely responsible for everything we see.

I do think, and perhaps I am as a result. But really, I breathe, therefore I am. I eat, therefore I am. I sleep, I walk, I wake, I run, I cry, I feel, therefore I am. I love, therefore I am. This I believe.

Clare Gawronski

For more about Voices of the Young, see the bottom of this post.

Part 2: Lois Quinn on the challenges in low-income zip codes

Lois Quinn, of the Employment and Training Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, on the local day care industry:

"So we have this $250 million jobs program hiring day care workers throughout the county. We had the opportunity to work with the technical college and other places to train moms to be day care workers, to pay them decent wages, to put them in sustainable jobs. We squandered it all."

MPS commissioned Quinn and John Pawasarat, also of the ETI, to examine issues, demographics and trends in high-poverty zip codes in the city to more clearly identify potential problems district children and families face.

Quinn presented some of the findings Thursday afternoon at the Division of Research and Assessment's Research Brief. The second part of her discussion was on day care in Milwaukee. There is video here.

In the first video segment, Quinn discussed the real estate crisis in Milwaukee. That video is here.

Real estate crisis in Milwaukee: "It's not over. The worst is yet to come."

MPS commissioned Lois Quinn and John Pawasarat of the Employment and Training Institute at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee to examine issues, demographics and trends in high-poverty zip codes in the city to more clearly identify potential problems district children and families face.

Quinn presented some of the findings Thursday afternoon at the Division of Research and Assessment's Research Brief. The first part of her talk was on Milwaukee's real estate crisis. There is video here.

The crisis, she said, is "not over. The worst is yet to come."

MPS needs actors for Halloween at Hawthorn Glen

HALLOWEEN GLEN. Large cast of actors andunderstudies, ages 16 and up, needed for a unique family Halloween adventure, Oct. 16th and17.

Actors will present humorous, interactive and educational (non-scary!) skits along the luminary-lighted trails of Hawthorn Glen at night, outdoors rain or shine. Pay is $40 per night.

Auditions (individual or group) will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 29 and 10 a.m. to noon Saturday Oct.3 (or by appointment) at Hawthorn Glen, 1130 N. 60th St. Successful applicant must pass a criminal background check.

Scripts for readings will be provided in advance. Information: Kevin Reed, (414) 647-6067, or e-mail kevin@milwaukeerecreation.net.
http://www.milwaukeerecreation.net/halloween-glen/

Superintendent says district will study closing some low-enrollment schools

Fourteeen schools with fall enrollments well below projections and with either low or variable academic performances will be studied for potential closing at the end of the school year, according to Superintendent William Andrekopoulos.

Andrekopoulos, in a memo to the School Board, said the districtwide preliminary third Friday student enrollment is 90,424, or just 38 below projections. Seventeen schools, however, had enrollments below 90% of projections for the individual schools and 14 of those should be studied for closing, he said.

Those with both low enrollment and low academic achievement are Garden Homes, Hopkins, Twenty-seventh Street, Wheatley, Milwaukee Education Center, Milwaukee African American Immersion High Schooland Professional Learning Institute High School.

Those with low enrollment and variable academic performance are Auer Avenue, Fletcher, Franklin, Kagel, LaFollette, Thirty-fifth Street and DIAL High School.

"Under-enrolled and under-performing schools dilute the impact of our district’s resources for improvement," he wrote.

Schools with enrollment below 90% of projection and with improving academic performance are Bruce, WORK Institute High School and Milwaukee Learning Laboratory and Institute (MILLI) High School. Andrekopoulos did not recommend that those three be studied for closing.

The School Board is expected to discuss the memo tonight.

More students qualify for lunch subsidies

The state's children are getting poorer, as measured by percentage of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunches. From the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism:

Nearly four in 10 Wisconsin elementary students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch last school year, and the proportion of low-income elementary students has climbed every year of this decade, according to state Department of Public Instruction data analyzed by the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism.

The Center found the proportion of Wisconsin elementary students eligible for subsidized lunches hit 37.6 percent last year, compared to 30.3 percent in 2000.

The proportion of low-income students doubled or more than doubled in 47 of 411 public school districts during the period, reflecting the toll of the worsening economy and what some experts call a growing threat to education in Wisconsin.

Green Bay has the state’s fifth-largest school district, but its low-income population grew by 2,398 elementary students, representing the largest gain of any school system. Districts in Madison and Kenosha also added more low-income elementary students in the past nine years than Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s largest school district.

More than 90 percent of the growth in the low-income elementary student population since 2000 occurred outside of Milwaukee, the Center’s analysis found.

In MPS. 79% of students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch last year.

Voices of the Young: Richard Givhan

Richard Givhan

I believe in solving problems in our society. People complain about the problems in the world, but offer no solutions. This is so counter productive. If I spend my time complaining, I don't have time to fix anything. I refuse to sit idly and talk about issues in my community while nothing changes. Instead, I will offer myself, mindy, body, and time. These are the three most valuable things I have in this world.

This is my solution to the crime and lawlessenss in the city of Milwaukee. Next year, I plan to enroll in the police aide program. I applied this year, but didn't get in. A lot of my friends and family were shocked when I told them that I wanted to work for the Milwaukee Police Department only because of the time I spent as a youth complaining about our police department. It wasn't until my counter productiveness was brought to my attention and I was shown how my complaining was only falling on deaf ears but wasn't doing anything to solve the problems.

In my life, I've made a lot of mistakes and bad decisions, and tried to justify them with excuses. As a boy, these actions might have been looked over, but as I make my transition into manhood, I can no longer live my life in that manner. I believe that I must take responsibility for my actions and make better decisions. I truly believe that if I make better decisison, I'll have fewer problems to solve.

---Richard Givhan

For more about Voices of the Young, see the bottom of this post.

Voices of the Young: Joe Riley and Barry Keefe

Joe Riley and Barry Keefe

I was still too young to know the Apostle's Creed, and still waited in my seat during communion. I remember watching my mother wait in line for the water and wine, fixed on her the whole time until she came back. I knew there was a God in heaven, and if you were good, you went to heaven. But it was the idea of heaven that was very obscure to me. Ideally, I thought: you live a good life, you have kids, you go to church, you get old, you die, you go to heaven. Add some "circle of life" qualities from the Lion King, and you basically had my innocent understanding of life. But what was after heaven? I mean, where do you go? As I fit the pieces together, I came upon the same dead end. I was always stopped by the same question: what was forever like? The word itself was so overwhelming; I was consumed by the very idea of it. After mass, I asked Father Tom, "What's it like to be in the same place forever?" He crouched down to eye level with a smile on his face and assured me, "The perception of time is different than it is here, in the clouds there is not time." This made no sense to me. It was an incredibly frustrating response. "Well, what's the point of now?" I asked. "Well, to see if you deserve to be up there," he responded.

As I got older, the questions kept coming, but the answers never came. I found that the very curse of the mind is having the ability to imagine what it cannot possbily comprehend. The only way to deal with my delemma of forever vs. nothingness was to search for the answer that I could defend rationally and scentifically with my mind. We live, we procreate, we die, life and the human race moves on. It was the safe, and for all intent and purposes, the correct answer to my question. The paradox between what is rational in your mind and soul are two different things. The more I considered myself human by definition, the more disconnected I felt from humanity. Because the only thing I know I have in common with the rest of humanity is a soul. It is what makes us uniquely human. Some things aren't to be explained. Some things are so daunting and intangible I go crazy imaginging what I will never know until I get there. I believe it's healthy for the soul to believe in something you cannot quite understand. I believe in Blind Faith.

---Joe Riley





How could I go to the Y on a day like today? Its 60 degrees! Just last Monday I was lifting myself out of a 5 foot snow banking after slipping on some ice. Fun right? I hate winter. Who wants to live indoors for 5 months? It sucks. So when I left school today to find giant puddles in the street and a sun in the sky I couldn't help but ponder the worth of my normal afterschool schedule (YMCA; home; sleep...provocative isn't it?) I was going to the dorms. I'm not coming home till later. Nobody bother me.

In Barry Keefe lingo "the Dorms" means the basketball courts just outside of the UWM on-campus dorms. To sum it up for you: Most people have church, I have the dorms. I run those courts...and I don't even go to UWM (yet). I'm there rain or shine. Take yesterday for example: the court was basically a giant puddle with a few ice mounds here and there and I still played for four hours. Granted I was by myself the whole time, but I don't mind.

You know that scene in the beginning of Space Jam when Michael Jordan is like 5 years old and he's out playing ball at like 1 am? Well that's me...except for the whole Michael Jordan thing (I've never had success in league play. Pulaski is like 15-48 in games that I've played. HA!) Time and being goes away when I'm on that court. Those clear summer nights when you play so late that the lights over the court go out; till the raccoons start coming out of that little whole in the fence separating the court from the Downer Woods; till you can't even sweat anymore and your legs feel like jelly: I find myself out there. I feel alive out there. Out there I learn how to pick myself up, and how to make life worth something.

When the ball bounces off the rim and is on its way into a giant puddle it's up to you to run and go get it before it gets all muddy. When you make a mistake or do something wrong it's up to you to pick yourself back up before you slip into obscurity. When you put up an air-ball and hear the jeers coming from the freshman in their dorm rooms (one kid through a textbook at me two summers ago. It was hilarious.) It's up to you to brush it off, just like when you miss a goal or a win in life, you've got to keep going. Sometimes when you're in a double team you've got to pass to your teammates to get a bucket. You can't always win or make the right decisions so you have to help others so they can help you. Everything about basketball goes back to life. All of it.

That's why I can never seem to leave that court: it's like I'm living my life out right there on that concrete, and I'm dominating. That's when I'm in the zone. When all my instincts and senses are dedicated to one thing: winning. That's how I approach life: total dedication and utmost confidence in whatever I'm trying to achieve out there. That's the most important thing I've discovered under those lights. So when it's game-point I want the ball in my hands because that's what I believe in: Me.

---Barry Keefe



For more about Voices of the Young, see the bottom of this post.

School carryover to pay for general assistants

Happy third Friday week!

Let's all keep our fingers crossed that the enrollment gods smile upon all MPS schools.

As school leaders are keenly aware, more kids in a school means more money for that school and fewer kids means less money.

Schools that fall short in the enrollment count sometimes rely on carryover from the previous year to see them through. They won't get to keep their entire carryover, though. The School Board last month voted to use up to $1.5 million in excess school carryover to rehire as many as 56 general educational assistants whose jobs were eliminated in the FY10 budget. Another 33 general assistants will underfill as paraprofessionals.

"Excess carryover" is generally anything more than 1.5% of its FY09 budget that schools had left at the end of the year, (or 3% if the carryover is from multiple years).

Schools automatically get to keep any carryover less than those amounts, and must get Board approval to keep the excess.

The Board, in voting to use the excess carryover for the general assistants, also:

• directed the Administration to develop a plan to review long-term staffing;


• set aside $80,000 to offer training as handicapped-children assistants for any interested educational assistants;


• directed the Administration plan to offer the training necessary to qualify the laid-off general education assistants for other hard-to-fill positions; and


• directed the Administration to explore with the Milwaukee Teachers' Education Association the feasibility seeking modification to Department of Public Instruction rules that discourage schools from hiring general education assistants.

Board members on the potential takeover

The School Board is holding a public hearing next week on the possibility of a mayoral takeover of the district.

The hearing is at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 17 in the auditorium of the Administration Building, 5225 W. Vliet St.

Many Board members, during the Aug. 27 School Board meeting, expressed their opinions on the possibility of a takeover during discussion of a proposal to reserve $250,000 for legal costs in case of a takeover effort.

Let's just say the mayoral-run school district was not a real popular idea with the Board members who spoke. The video, which is too long to include directly in this post, is here.

There is some reference by Board members to the mayor's press release on the $250,00 set aside. An earlier post quoting the mayor's statement is here.

Meetings on mayoral takeover proposal scheduled

School Board Director Terrence Falk, State Rep. Christine Sinicki (D-Milwaukee) and Ald. Tony Zielinski will hold a community information meeting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday (Sept. 10) to discuss the proposed mayoral takeover of MPS.

The meeting will be at the Beulah Brinton Community Center, 2555 S. Bay St. and is designed, Zielinski said, to allow dialogue on the controversial mayoral control proposal.

The School Board, meanwhile, will hold a a public hearing at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 17 on the potential takeover. The hearing will be in the auditorium of the Administration Building, 5225 W. Vliet St.

Three cheers for Elementary Teacher of the Year JoAnn Lens!

From our friends in Communications & Public Affairs:

Teacher JoAnn Lens was surprised to hear her name called in an assembly at MPS’ Hawley Environmental School on Tuesday. Lens was called to the stage to be honored as Wisconsin Elementary School Teacher of the Year. State Superintendent Tony Evers visited the school for the announcement, calling Lens up to the podium to receive her plaque and a bouquet of flowers in front of dozens of Hawley students, Superintendent William Andrekopoulos and Hawley Principal Glen Stavens. JoAnn Lens teaches 4th grade at Hawley. Lens shows a love for working with students, setting rules and goals for her classes, and supplementing lessons with field trips in line with the school’s environmental curriculum. She was selected from the winners of the Kohl Teacher Fellows. A $3,000 award from the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation accompanies the honor. Lens shares the honor of Elementary School Teacher of the Year with Maureen McGilligan-Bentin, an educator in Madison. Lens and other teacher honorees will be highlighted Sept. 24 at the State Capitol, during Evers’ state of education address.

Excellence in Education: Tasha Allen

From the August Board book:

On August 13, 2009, Board Director Annie Woodward presented a special Excellence in Education Awardto Tasha Allen, an outstanding athlete and graduate of The Truth Institute for Leadership and Service. Because she was leaving for college the next day, Ms. Allen could not attend this month’s regular Boardmeeting to receive the award.

In addition to the Excellence in Education Award, Director Woodward also presented Ms. Allen with the following resolution in recognition of her accomplishments:

WHEREAS, Tasha Allen, A graduate of the Milwaukee Public Schools’ Truth InstituteHigh School, has helped to further the legacy of student athletes graduating from the North Division Complex; and

WHEREAS, Tasha Allen’s accomplishments have been recognized locally and at the state level and throughout the United States, as she competed in the USA Junior Outdoor Track and Field Championship in Eugene, Oregon, in June 2009; and

WHEREAS, Tasha Allen was recognized as being one of the top athletes from the state of Wisconsin and is slated as one of the top high-school athletes in the nation; and

WHEREAS, Tasha Allen has earned five WIAA individual State championships and one AAU Junior Olympics national championship; and

WHEREAS, Tasha Allen also holds four WIAA state records and has run the best times in state prep history in the 100, 200, and the dreaded 400; and

WHEREAS, Tasha Allen has been named the Journal Sentinel’s female athlete of the year for the 2008-2009 school year; and

WHEREAS, Tasha Allen’s dedication, tireless efforts, and devotion to her education and student athleticism should stand as examples for all student athletes; and

WHEREAS, Tasha Allen deserves accolades for her accomplishments and overcoming adversity to succeed against all odds; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the 4th District School Board Director, Annie Woodward, extend toTasha Allen congratulations and sincere appreciation for all that the MilwaukeePublic Schools community has gained from Tasha Allen’s dedication and hard work.

Presented this 13th day of August 2009.Annie Woodward
4th District Representative
Milwaukee Board of School Directors

Ms. Allen will be attending Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kansas, which is about 30 miles northeast of Wichita.

Excellence in Education Award: restorative practices

District Attorney John Chisholm and Superintendent William Andrekopoulos discuss the benefits of restorative practices in Milwaukee Public Schools.

From the August Board book:

Each month, the Milwaukee Board of School Directors recognizes an outstanding school, student, staff member, or parent or community member for a display of excellence, achievement, and innovation that may serve as an example to our school district and the entire Milwaukee community. This month, the Milwaukee Board of School Directors is pleased to present the “Excellence in Education Award” to:

JOHN CHISHOLM
PAUL DEDINSKY
LOVELL JOHNSON
DAVID LERMAN
GARY MAHKORN
THE RESTORATIVE PRACTICES PROGRAM,
MILWAUKEE DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE (SAFE SCHOOLS/HEALTHY STUDENTS PARTNER)

The Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office collaborates with Milwaukee Public Schools and the Safe Schools/Healthy Students (SS/HS) Initiative to bring theRestorative Practices Program to schools. Instituted in 2007 by the Milwaukee Board of School Directors, and supported by the Safe Schools/Healthy Students grant, this program aims to reduce suspensions, improve classroom and school climate, and create and maintain caring communities by focusing on the importance of relationships. During the 2008-2009 school year, two assistant district attorneys worked with 19 schools under the SS/HS Initiative, plus additional schools throughout the city of Milwaukee, to implement this program and bring about positive change in our community.

The Restorative Practices Program features conflict-resolution circles as well as student counseling, mentoring, and staff support. Conflict-resolution circles, also known as Justice Circles, are formed among groups of students with a staff member and community leader present. Together, students work through their problems and offer support to one another. Restorative Practices in schools actively involve the offender while encouraging students to solve conflicts in a peaceful, non-violent manner. Students are equipped with self-motivation, self-discipline, and empathy. In the long term,Restorative Practices teaches students to exhibit self-control and to take responsibility for their actions.

During the 2008-2009 school year, the partnership among the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office, MPS, and the Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative was strengthened. The assistant district attorneys implementing the program made 409 visits to 19 schools under the Initiative. Overall, there were 1,031 students who received guidance on using Restorative Practices to solve personal conflicts. There were 932 staff members and 35 parents from the community trained on how to implement RestorativePractices in their classrooms and homes.
It is obvious that the Restorative Practices Program is reaching many members of the Milwaukee community. These numbers will only continue to grow. Thanks to the dedication and commitment of the Restorative Practices leaders, the program is teaching our staff and students the value of relationships and communication. Through personal reflection and an increased sense of belonging for all students, Restorative Practices is building peaceful, productive school climates throughout our city. Students are relating to one another with compassion and support while expressing their feelings and being held accountable for their own words and actions.
The Milwaukee Board of School Directors recognizes and honors John Chisholm, Paul Dedinsky, Lovell Johnson, David Lerman, and Gary Mahkorn of the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office for their dedication, outstanding leadership, and commitment to excellence on behalf of the students of the Milwaukee Public Schools.

Voices of the Young: William Kujawski

William Kujawski

My name is William Kujawski, but everyone calls me Billy. I love playing the trumpet, I love anything that involves comedy (often weird things that other people don't laugh at), and I'm often seen as awkward and nerdy. I used to be really concerned with how others viewed me, but over time I've learned that you need to have a sort of detachment from what people that don't actually know you think about you. If people think that I'm a nerd, that's okay; I'll even acknowledge that I am kind of nerdy. Why? I love science fiction in all various forms, I love to spend a good amount of time on my computer, I happen to play video games, and I like comic books. I'm fine with this; if other people judge me for liking those things, I don't really care. If I have my friends, and if the other judging people don't grief me too much, I'm a happy man.

My life has been a pretty good one. My earliest memories were that of me growing up in a housing complex. I thought it was the greatest place I'd ever been: it had a huge field in front of it and there were plenty of other houses where all my friends lived, so I was never alone. It was an idyllic childhood, filled with lazy summer days, climbing trees in the wooded area near the complex, and there were the winters, full of the snowball fights that everyone thinks of. It seemed like there was never a point where there was nothing to do; it was perfect. The whole complex was like one big family, too, so you were surrounded by people who actually cared about you. It was like of those old movies from the 1950's where all the families in the area always had big gatherings for all manner of reasons, whether it be birthdays, holidays, or simply to enjoy everyone's company. Also, this complex was full of many different cultures, allowing me to open my mind up to diversity at a young age. It helped me to accept different views on various manners of living, so that I began to not immediately judge people by misconceptions that I might have had when I first me them. Living in the complex helped to give me the mindset I have today; I don't judge people before I actually get to meet them and try to see who they really are (although I do judge after that, which seems to be only natural). However, I expect that people give me a chance too, because appearances can be deceiving, you shouldn't judge a book by its cover.

The thing that I believe most defines me as a person is the way that I try to bring humor into life wherever possible. I've been called inappropriate for doing that, but I only do it with the best intention. My belief is that there is enough suffering and seriousness in the world; if I can make a person laugh or smile and forget about the problems of the world for even a second, I've done my job. I want to be able to spread laughter throughout the world because I feel that laughter is a universal language that everyone can understand, it's simply about relating to people. Am I always hilarious? No. Do I frequently make awkward jokes that make people just stare at me and wonder what's going on in my head? Yes. But I don't care about making a fool out of myself. The world needs its share of fools, and I don't mind being that person. As long as I can make things a little less serious, I'm a happy man (it's ironic that the part of this where I talk about being funny is the least funny part of this).

So, now you know that I'm an awkward, nerdy, laid-back individual who wants to improve the world through laughter. If you analyze further, you also find that I'm overly fond of cliches and that every third word can be put together to make a secret message. If you looked for the message, you also found that I like to screw around with people. But the most important thing you should take away from this is that I'm a complex individual who doesn't fit the stereotype. If you looked at the picture, saw the interesting individual (possibly have some misconceptions about me), I hope that you have a greater understanding of the man behind the image.

William Kujawski

For more about Voices of the Young, see the bottom of this post.

Board reorganizes central services

The School Board last night voted to establish an Office of Accountability in the Office of Board Governance and move a variety of financial and intergovernmental functions from the administration to those areas.

The vote was 5-2 with Director Tim Petersons voting present. Directors Jeff Spence and Bruce Thompson voted no, and Director David Voeltner was excused from the meeting.

Superintendent William Andrekopoulos objected to the move for a variety of reasons. He said, among other things, that it would make it difficult for the next superintendent to function. Andrekopoulos also said more analysis of costs and impacts should be done before the Board voted.

The Board, however, adopted the initial report and recommendations of the Office of Accountability Advisory Committe, appointed by Board President Michael Bonds. The recommendations are here.

President's education speech is turning controversial

President Barack Obama is scheduled to give a speech to school students Sept. 8.

It's turning into a topic for bloggers, according to The Christian Science Monitor.

You know, the basics. The kind of things that most kids should know. But the prospect of this speech – which will be broadcast live on the White House’s website – has sent tremors through certain corners of the blogosphere. At issue is a document the Department of Education has created to help teachers drive Obama’s points home. Here’s an excerpt:

Students can record important parts of the speech where the President is asking them to do something. Students might think about: What specific job is he asking me to do? Is he asking anything of anyone else? Teachers? Principals? Parents? The American people?

According to commentator Michelle Malkin, the lesson plans have the whiff of subversive activism. “Schools have used students as little lobbyists on everything from illegal immigration to gay marriage to anti-war activism, and most recently, [c]ensus collection,” Malkin wrote. “Will Obama be able to resist issuing a call to youth arms to marshal help in passing his legislative agenda?”

Meanwhile, the conservative radio host Dana Loesch has launched a campaign urging parents to keep their children home on the day of Obama’s speech. In an email urging against the “Socialist Indoctrination of Americas children,” [sic] Loesch explains that Americans must not “mind our Ps and Qs and blindly follow their directives”:

13 district schools are "Promise" schools

From our friends in the Division of Communications & Public Affairs:

Thirteen MPS schools have earned the title of New Wisconsin Promise School of Recognition. To win the distinction, competing schools must excel in reading and math despite the fact their students live in poverty.

All the schools receiving Wisconsin Promise awards have high poverty rates based on students’ qualifications for free and reduced-price school lunch. They are Title I schools that have made adequate yearly progress for the past two years as defined under federal laws, and have higher than average reading and math scores when compared with similar state schools.

“We’re proud of the staff, students and families in these school communities,” Superintendent William Andrekopoulos said in a prepared statement. “They persevere. They believe all students can learn.”

Across the state, 137 schools earned the New Wisconsin Promise distinction, while 182 earned the title last year.

The 13 MPS schools on the list this year are:

• Academy of Accelerated Learning, 3727 S. 78th St.
• Alcott Elementary, 3563 S. 97th St.
• Curtin Elementary, 3450 S. 32nd St.
• Elm Creative Arts Elementary, 900 W. Walnut St.
• Garland Elementary (5th year on the list), 1420 W. Goldcrest Ave.
• Hawley Environmental Elementary, 5610 W. Wisconsin Ave.
• I.D.E.A.L. (3rd year on the list), 4965 S. 20th St.
• Kilbourn Elementary, 5354 N. 68th St.
• Milwaukee French Immersion, 2360 N. 52nd St.
• Milwaukee School of Languages, 8400 W. Burleigh St.
• Milwaukee Spanish Immersion (5th year on the list), 2765 S. 55th St.
• Reagan High School, 4965 S. 20th St.
• Satori Middle School, 9155 N. 76th St.
  

Representatives of these schools will receive award plaques in a ceremony in Madison in October, and $2,000 for use by each of the schools. In addition, two MPS schools -- Garland and Milwaukee Spanish Immersion -- will receive flags for earning the Wisconsin Promise School of Recognition award for five consecutive years.

"Propaganda" stirs controvery in Salt Lake

Celebrity pledges to help the president and not to flush the toilet after urinating are pushing people to complain that the video containing the material is political and should not have been shown in a public school.

From the Salt Lake Tribune:

Children at Eagle Bay Elementary School in Farmington were shown a short video called "I pledge" on Aug. 28. The video opens with an image of President Barack Obama and part of a speech in which he says, "Let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other." The video then features celebrities making pledges about how they will help the president and the world -- and that's where some say the problem lies.

Many pledges, such as supporting local food banks, smiling more, and caring for the elderly are noncontroversial. But other pledges, such as "to never give anyone the finger when I'm driving again," "to sell my obnoxious car and buy a hybrid" and to advance stem cell research cross the line, some say....

Gayle Ruzicka, president of conservative Utah Eagle Forum, said the video was blatantly political. She said other offensive pledges included, "I pledge to be of service to Barack Obama," "I pledge allegiance to the funk, to the united funk of funkadelica," and pledges to not use plastic grocery bags and not flush the toilet after urinating.

"It's very inappropriate to show a radical, leftist propaganda piece that political to children," Ruzicka said. "If parents want their children to learn about those things and do them in the home, wonderful, fine, but it's not the place of the school to show a one-sided propaganda piece to children without parents knowing about it."

Everyone invited to district "Research Briefs" presentation

Each month during the school year, generally on School Board meeting days, the MPS Division of Research and Assessment sponsors an hour-long presentation highlighting findings from the latest research conducted in/by/for the district.

This year's series kicks off at 4 p.m. Sept. 24 with a discussion of the "Socio-Economic Analysis of Neighborhood Issues Facing MPS Students and Families" a report prepared for MPS by Lois Quinn from the Employment and Training Institute at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee.

The presentation will be in room 103 in the central services building, 5225 W. Vliet St.

Other likely Research Brief topics this school year include:

• High school/charter school evaluation


• English acquisition and achievement for English Language Learners (ELLs)


• Supplemental Services


• Instructional walk-throughs


• Milwaukee Mathematics Partnership evaluation


• READ 180

The official schedule will be published within the next few weeks. Stay tuned for more information.

Stories from the first day

A four-year-old boy was interviewed by WITI-TV Channel 6 news crew yesterday on the first day of classes at Bruce Elementary School.

The reporter asked him “What’s your favorite class in school?” He hesitated and then wisely said “Learning!”

***

Later, Gov. Doyle answered questions during a visit to a fourth grade classroom at Lancaster Elementary. He got the usual inquiries from kids, such as “Do you like your job?” but then a small boy offered this bold question: “Do you have any special talents?”

The visitors laughed. The gov thought a bit, and then said “I guess my special talent is talking!”

These stories were contributed by Roseann St. Aubin, director of MPS communications and public affairs. Thanks, Roseann!

Partnership for the Arts submission deadline is Sept. 14

For the fourth consecutive year, the Milwaukee Public School Board of Directors is showing its commitment to expanding arts education by a special budget allocation of $1 million for arts programming.

Schools, community agencies and arts organizations can apply for funds from the Partnership for the Arts to support additional arts opportunities for children and youth. A dollar-for-dollar match from outside MPS is required.

MPS created the Partnership for the Arts to foster learning in all forms. The arts teach ways of learning, thinking and inquiring that can be applied to all subjects. The Partnership for the Arts offers one way to help ensure that every student has an opportunity to learn through the arts.

The deadline for applications for the 2009-2010 school year and summer 2010 is 4:30 p.m. Monday Sept. 14. For an application and guidelines visit www.MilwaukeeRecreation.net/arts

Welcome back

Everyone should be at work now, with that first day stuff behind them.

Welcome back!

Let's make 2009-10 a happy, healthy, high-achieving year.

Voices of the Young: Alexis Perrin

Alexis Perrin

My name is Alexis Perrin, but people call me Alex. I am a visual art major at Milwaukee High School of the Arts. I like doing photography and singing "Son't Stop Believing" while taking a shower. I can be really clumsy. I love to watch really bad movies just to have a good laugh, and good movies if I want to be inspired. I love the fact that I have a crazy side, it makes me feel more alive. I've been called the "rich girl" and my life is perfect. "She has everything, her life is perfect," they say.

But really, that's not true. At the moment I'm going through an identity crisis. I always thought I should be like my Mom. I have to be in NHS, go to Rutgers University, be successful by the time I'm thirty-five. But the more I screw up, the more I feel like the black sheep of the family. This year I feel lost within myself. Last year, I was this crazy girl who was happy and open about everything in the world. Now I have gotten more serious and partially closed down to everything. It might be because high school broke me down a little bit. I always have my guard up because it's hard for me to trust people and I just don't want to be the naive girl. My Mom never had this problem; she was always outgoing and well-liked. But it seems everyone hates me.

The only thing that is giving me an identity is being a photographer and it feels like it's the only thing that I'm doing right. The only thing that is making me hope I have a future. If I didn't have that, I would just stop hoping or believing in my life, that good will come out of it. I wish the old me would come back because that part of me made me feel more alive. I'm just angry at myself because I changed so much and it sickens me inside. I felt like I was the shepherd leading the blind sheep, and now I am the blind sheep. I just can't wait till high school is over. Maybe then I can really find myself again without dealing with this high school environment.

For more about Voices of the Young, see the bottom of this post.