Editor’s note: The following piece was written by Mike Erickson, a high school teacher in Douglas County Public Schools. Read this EdNews story for some background on the school board races there.
Please note that Internal Revenue Service regulations prohibit this website, as a non-profit, from engaging in political campaign “intervention.” This means we cannot run anything on this site that urges people to vote for or against any particular candidates. Please feel free to submit comments on Mike’s piece. But please avoid asking people to vote for, or against any candidates. Thanks.
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In response to the “crazy” misinformation that has been circulating in the press regarding the pending Douglas County School Board Elections, I want to take a few minutes to give you the “rest of the story.”
As a taxpayer, Republican, former business leader, and current educator, I am appalled at the misleading information and unethical rhetoric that has overshadowed this election. Instead of fostering scare tactics and political partisan gains, as a community we need to be focused on preparing our students to embrace a rapidly evolving future. I would encourage all voters to evaluate and judge the credibility of all sources, marshal relevant evidence, and synthesize fact from misinformation as you seek accurate information prior to casting your vote.
Relying on partisan editorials and mailings, robo calls, and emotional platforms to inform your final vote may lead to costly consequences for the citizens of Douglas County for many years to come. As a taxpayer and citizen of Douglas County, I strongly encourage you to become an informed voter about Douglas County School District.
As a former software executive/consultant with 20+ years of experience, I now have the pleasure and opportunity to share the real world wisdom and experience from my first career with hundreds of students in a Career/Professional Business Training program at a high school in Douglas County. In my current role as an educator, in accordance with our current DCSD Board of Education End Statement, I teach students to embrace universal ethical principles such as honesty, integrity, and justice. And in the real world, companies are held accountable for their image, reputation, and ethical behavior every day. Laws rule their actions and behavior.
In this election, it appears that laws, rules, and ethics do not apply. Perhaps this message infers to our children “do what we say, not what we do!”
Unfortunately, this type of negative rhetoric fosters an environment that promotes confusion, emotion, and discontent for all parties involved, leaving many citizens feeling uninformed with a lack of direction of where to find unbiased information. Perhaps, the covert intent.
It is extremely disappointing that our school board elections have become a political circus! The numerous robo calls, bias fliers, and misinformation provided at the local candidate forums have been very concerning and disheartening. Just as we leave medical diagnosis to medical professionals and parenting decisions to parents, we should place our trust and faith in trained professional educators who educate our children. And if you have not heard, Douglas County School District is the highest performing school district in the state. Keeping in mind that there is always room for improvement, be careful about overhauling a system that is at the top of its game. Hmmm? Is there something else going on here?
Let me share of few examples of concern as well as celebrations:
Concerns:
Most recently, Senator Ted Harvey – Douglas County (no relation to the late Paul Harvey however I have a comment about Paul later) suggested (implied) in a “robo-call” the AFL-CIO and ACORN together with the union where “helping implement Obama’s radical education agenda here in Douglas County”. Governor Bill Owens suggested on my phone the other day that his good friends (I find that hard to believe) are running and I needed to vote for them NOW. He suggested the unions were spending all kinds of money and wanted to run our schools. Where is the evidence?
Well, you have a resource here. As a Republican, teacher, parent and taxpayer, I have always emphasized “HONESTY” in all that I do. Below are my observations on what is happening with this election and what is really going on in our schools.
1). Douglas County Schools has been the top performing school district in state of Colorado for many years. Graduation rates, CSAP scores, ACT scores and student acceptance into colleges have been exceptional. Since teaching in the district over the past eight years, we have implemented a strong guaranteed and viable 21st century curriculum. It provides a framework for teachers, administrators and parents to work together emphasizing growth in student learning. It works.
2). The information presented does not add up to the facts. Why do we need to overhaul the highest performing school district in the state of Colorado? Do a little research; all school districts are currently in a financial crisis, not just DCSD. And by the way, which organization endorsed which set of candidates first, hmmm? GOP endorsed their candidates in July, check their website out. The union’s official endorsement of candidates came in September. Again, I encourage you to research accurate information before casting your vote.
3). The local teachers’ union (DCF) is focused on helping teachers be more effective. They have created a nationally recognized professional development program that helps new and existing teachers improve student achievement. I personally completed their “Foundations of Effective Teaching” course and found it extremely useful. Please refer to the Douglas County Federation website at www.dcft.net or the Douglas County School District’s website at www.dcsdk12.org for more information.
4). The Union is not in control of our schools. Call any administrator within our school district and ask if the unions are in control. They are not and never have been. This is not a steel plant in OHIO but rather a very progressive and professional school district with high performing students and staff.
5). As a result of the current economic downturn and failure of last year’s bond and budget elections, Douglas County Schools have cut millions from their budget that has impacted students and the fiscal reductions will NOT stop anytime soon. Fact: We are being more resourceful as many reductions resulted in job force reduction and increased class sizes, many exceeding 30 students. Student graduation requirements were reduced from 25.5 credits to 24 credits. Students are now getting “less” education because the district can’t staff appropriately due to financial constraints.
6). Regarding the bond and budget request for new schools and operational moneys, the bond would have cost the average homeowner $10 per month. My conclusion (belief), many voters were not adequately informed regarding the impact this would have on the entire educational system and community. To support my theory, I have your first homework assignment, call your realtor and ask, “If my taxes go up $10 per month to support my local school district, would that be good for home values?”
7). Mike Rosen suggested in a recent Denver Post OP-ED piece, October 22, 2009, “Once elected, union backed school boards return the favor.” I guess that means favor to the teachers. I have your second homework assignment. Go to the Douglas County Schools Website – www.dcsdk12.org and other surrounding school districts and compare teacher salary schedules. Douglas County School district salary schedules are quickly lagging behind other school district schedules. Hmmm. What favor? Personally, I took an 80+% pay cut to become a teacher. Eight years later I am up to $46,000. So, it’s never about the money. In Douglas County, we only ask to be competitive with neighboring districts. As many people are aware, we get what we pay for.
Conclusion: I am a passionate educator who cares about children and the future of our district. Are there ulterior motives driving this election? Encourage all residents of Douglas County to secure the accurate facts by judging credible sources before casting their votes.
So, as Paul Harvey would say, “Now your know the rest of the story”.
Popularity: 3% [?]
Good luck correcting the facts.
Seriously- I’ve never seen a more blinded by partisan ideology neighborhood than Douglas County. Last year in the 3A/3B defeat I had neighbors tell me that they knew the DCSD needed the funds, but because we were likely to elect Obama, and he was sure to raise taxes, that they had to vote no just so their taxes had a chance to not ruin them. ANd this from households making less than $250k/yr, the threshold Obama campaigned on.
I don’t live in Douglas County now. And I’ve never been a registered R in Colorado. Yet I got the email sent out by Douglas County R’s that mimicked the Harvey robo call. It would be funny if it wasn’t so crazy.
schools that exist in areas where there are steel mines and unions are not only progressive but excel in many instances
I appreciate the effort, but in the interest of an honest dialogue based in facts, here’s a little further clarification of facts (and some alternate perspectives to the opinions presented):
2) The union (DCFT) formally endorsed candidates in September, but gave significant contributions to the candidates as early as December 2008. So to portray DCFT as a purely reactionary agent in this race is misleading. Creating the strawman of a candidate or slate of candidates who propose to “overhaul” the district is nearly as misleading. Is this how the Republican-backed candidates have portrayed themselves and their own platform? Is there evidence of an “overhaul” agenda? Both betray a particular bias.
5) What does it really mean that Douglas County Schools cut millions from the budget and are undergoing “fiscal reductions”? According to the district’s own most recent budget document, revenues are projected to go from $626M ($11,106 per pupil) in last fiscal year to $655M ($11,509 per pupil). Expenditures remain essentially flat, declining by about $100 per student. A small hardship, yes, but one might also view it as an opportunity for reform and a chance for an outsider’s perspective to yield positive results.
http://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSD/Business_Services/Budget/0910_Executive_Summary.pdf
7) The average Douglas County teacher made $52,078 in base salary for the 07-08 year. That’s higher than most Colorado and metro Denver school districts. If the DCFT is less than effective at raising teacher salaries across the board, might teachers benefit more from having a greater choice of membership representation? Food for thought, anyway.
http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdereval/download/PDF/AvgTeacherSal/2007AvgTeacherSalary.pdf
And that’s at least some of the rest of the rest of the story.
Interesting discussing.
Some responses for Ben:
The reason why teachers in Douglas County have an average salary of $52,000 is due to the level of education that the teachers in this district have achieved, If you visit the District website, you will find that a huge number of the teachers in Douglas County have achieved Master’s degrees, have pursued post-Master’s education, and several have earned PhD’s. It also has to do with years of service in education. With the reputation of the best performing district in the state, this district has lured teachers with proven track records and years of quality service in other districts. Whether the public wishes to believe it or not, we have the cream of the crop as far as teachers go. If those teachers were to transfer into the same slots on competing district’s salary scales, they would make significantly more money.
And that is one issue that the voters should truly take into consideration as they vote. I have received the mailings as well and the calls with registered Republicans in our household. I teach in this district and have for several years, and I have my own children in DCSD. I am anti-unnecessary taxes, but I will never be anti-children. The mill levy not passing and the messages I have been receiving and reading make me and my colleagues feel insignificant and not supported by the public. We teach in the wealthiest district in the state chock full of intelligent college graduates and high home values, in a state that ranks as one of the lowest in public education funding nationally. For me, I think it is embarrassing that we do not fund our schools in Douglas County. I don’t understand the large anti-tax push that some of the candidates are linked to. We rank 12th out of the 12 major districts in per pupil funding- that is why we are struggling financially. I have seen my elementary class size already jump by 8 students this year, and many high school classes have numbers above 40. If it is truly a big anti-tax push that has inspired some of these candidates to run and some voters to vote, then that is where the arrogance lies. The mill levy was mainly for new schools. It is arrogant to believe you can achieve academic excellence without money for new schools to keep class sizes down, as well as to keep current with technology. Charter schools also require significant funding, and that is a fine option for many families. The mill levy was also in part for teacher salaries. We are currently pay frozen, which is okay. It has happened to me 3 times in my career and I have a job when the economy is struggling. However, there is no light at the end of the tunnel- it looks as if we will not receive a pay increase of any sort for a long time. Unless we have a school board that pushes to fund our schools, we will fall behind rapidly in performance, property values will decline, and we will lose the best teachers. But the message I have read here is that because these kids come from such high demographic backgrounds, anyone can teach them. As the old saying goes, “If you can’t do, teach.”
Parents of the students being supported need to be the ones supporting the need for increase in taxes by their support of the quality job being done. The discussions that I heard on why the last mill levy did not pass was the lack of confidence on the money being spent to benefit the students. Even now the discussion is around how the actions being taken by the DCSD are done to punish the parents for not supporting the administrations and school boards desires. Generally the need to decrease costs across administration and find ways to streamline processes assuring that more dollars go to teachers, materials, and methods that advance the knowledge of students.
Thank you, Ben, for a reasoned response to this piece. I’d like to add a couple of thoughts, as well.
1) I am proud to live in Douglas County, where the quality of the schools is high. But I often wonder how much of our success can be attributed to the demographics. Could we do even better if we pushed for even higher expectations? I would say yes, considering that 7% of our student body is in charter schools, with thousands more on wait lists. I guess not all parents are satisfied with the status quo and do indeed feel we can do better.
2) I would like to echo Ben’s comments above on this one. Agreed…I’ve never heard the GOP candidates talk about a complete “overhaul” of the district. When I hear things like this it screams to me of fear and manipulation of voters. You are correct, Mr. Erickson, to encourage voters to do their research. I have. I’ve been to multiple forums and have met with the candidates. I’ve not heard the word “overhaul”. And Ben is correct about the union contributions. The facts can be found on the Sec of State website. $2500 was given in December 08 to four hand picked candidates by AFT Colorado (one candidate dropped out during the summer). So to imply that the union scrambled to make endorsements based on GOP activities is disingenuous.
6) I am quite tired of hearing how voters were not well informed. I have an entirely different conclusion (belief), Mr. Erickson. I believe the district was very arrogant in their request for a huge sum of money with little explanation of why they actually needed it. Rather, it was a campaign based on fear and manipulation. That will get a no vote from me every time! I like Ben’s analysis of the actual difference in per pupil dollars.
Conclusion: I am a passionate PARENT and TAXPAYER who cares about children and the future of our district. I, too, encourage all voters to examine the facts and the candidates and to draw an independent decision about who will be the best directors on our school board.
Thank you, Mr. Erickson, for your commitment to the students of Douglas County!
Donnell,
I would like to correct two point of misinformation. Two of the candidates filed contributions before the GOP endorsed. One of them afterward. Kevin Leung has yet to receive any union contribution and has said that he will NOT accept a financial contribution from the union.
I also know for a fact, that these candidates were not hand-picked by the union. Two of them are incumbents. Kevin’s opponent did not even show up to the union candidate’s forum. They are running against John Carson since he is the only member of the board to vote against both of the last two bond and budget calls.
My question is how are we going to fund our charter or traditional schools if we continue cuts? A certain slate of candidates is more concerned about their taxes ($10 or so a month) than about the health of the education system in DougCo.
I appreciate the presentation by Mr. Erickson to start the discussion. I also live in Douglas County and observe the waste of the school district who given the demographics that they are starting with really cannot be applauded for engaging in excellence in education. When you start with children who have been advantaged and advanced by their families then the school system is responsible for accelerating and enhancing young people who are positioned to learn in an environment of continuous stretching and goal setting.
I support both the responses from Ben and Donnell but would add that it is critical to look at each individual candidate and not make block responses. The folks currently serving on the school board have track records– look into those and see how they set with what you as the voter value. Block voting is not an informed method of establishing the educational future that our young people need.
Aaron, you say, “The mill levy not passing and the messages I have been receiving and reading make me and my colleagues feel insignificant and not supported by the public.” Gosh, that’s not my stance at all! I love and support wonderful teachers. And I wouldn’t call any of the GOP candidates “anti-tax”.
Here’s my issue, being a parent in a charter school. I see our school provide a high quality education on FEWER taxpayer dollars. How do they do that? Conservative fiscal policy and small bureaucracy. I see the district beginning to embrace this sort of “site based management”. I applaud it and feel it can’t help but bring MORE money to the classrooms—meeting needs of the students AND THE TEACHERS!
My distrust (probably too srong a word) is with the top heavy (as I see it) bureaucracy in Castle Rock. Again, from watching charter schools operate, I fail to see the necessity of such a bureaucracy. I’d much rather see my tax dollars going to the classrooms than to a central administration!
And Wil, the SOS site does report four $2500 contributions being given to four candidates in December 08—Kristine Turner, Emily Hansen, Sue Catterall, and Michael Beane (who dropped from the race). I am aware that Kevin has not taken any cash from the union.
I question why money was committed in DECEMBER, when no one knew who their opponents would be. I guess that’s why I jump to the crazy conclusion that they were hand picked.
Regarding the financial support of the candidates by the union: In 2008, Amendment 54 passed and it prohibited (among other things) labor unions and public employees AND their relatives from contributing (time or money) to campaigns.
The contributions given in December came from COPE (Committee on Political Education) that is funded by individual donations, not union funds. Before Amendment 54 became effective, being advised legally, the money was given to the candidates earlier–not because they were handpicked, otherwise Amendment 54 would have prevented the union from spending that money.
I believe this to be an illegal law and it is currently awaiting a ruling from the courts. Why should public employees be prohibited from contributing as any other citizen? Apparently the court agrees; Denver District Court Judge Catherine Lemon issued an injunction against Amendment 54 in June 2009, agreeing that the vague and often confusing language of the amendment created laws that were overly broad and clearly violated the right to free speech.
A good discussion here, and I appreciate the remarks from Judi and (especially) Donnell. I don’t have much to add, except to Aaron: Is Douglas County Schools getting the best return on investment in teacher salaries by overwhelmingly providing rewards based on seniority and advanced degree credentials? Research consistently shows the latter has no connection to teacher effectiveness, and the former only for the first few years.
Also to Aaron, I appreciate your concerns about a district allegedly underfunded. (Here’s a homework assignment: Find a school district where leaders do not complain about being underfunded.) I can’t speak for the candidates, but just because someone opposes one tax election doesn’t mean they oppose all taxes. Maybe they think the more than $11,000 in revenue per student can be put to better use in some areas. Maybe they think the district needs to more to demonstrate and build trust with the parents and taxpayers who fund them.
Call me arrogant, but I personally believe investing in class size reduction in a wealthy district like Douglas County is a bad investment. According to accepted research, the limited success of class-size reductions was achieved in early grades among disadvantaged students. Otherwise, a failure and waste of money. Just ask California.
As much as anything, I appreciate the opportunity for a school board race like this one that expands the dialogue about education reform, about re-thinking paradigms, about what is possible, about testing embedded Progressive assumptions, about moving beyond the 20th century industrial education model in new ways, about doing what’s right by children and families first. I’ve enjoyed this conversation.