EXCELLENT Editorial about setting Goals before asking for $ from Taxpayers

This is an editorial by a MN Chamber of Commerce official about the need for school districts to set specific goals for student achievement before just asking taxpayers to fund more of the same programming with a referendum. Again, this piece was AWOL during the last ECASD referendum and the district still is years from making progress on this topic.

Maria

William Blazar: Before voting on a levy, know your district's goals

Taxpayers would be more likely to say yes if they knew the money would
produce measurable results.

William Blazar
Published: October 28, 2007

Next month, voters across the state will be asked to pay more taxes
for their local schools. The money is proposed to pay for a variety of
things, from everyday operating expenses to buildings to improved
technology.
These are important votes for all Minnesota employers and their
employees. Companies of all sizes and types need the best individuals
to compete in a global market. Parents want to ensure that their
children can compete for jobs. The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, as
the state's largest business advocacy organization, has a keen
interest that schools have the resources necessary to meet our
workforce needs.

That's why we encourage voters to ask the logical question before
casting ballots: What are the district's goals for the additional
dollars in terms of measurable results in student achievement?

Newspaper stories across the state have carried the foreboding message
to "Vote Yes" or our children's education will suffer. And they
proceed to detail the ramifications of a "no" vote, such as larger
classes, outdated curricula and texts, and fewer teachers and support
staff.

All these elements may be important to teaching our children. But,
frankly, we're not sure -- for two reasons. First, most businesspeople
are not education experts. Second, today's world economy and diverse
school population say that the business community and voters should
not prescribe any one learning approach -- lower class size, for
example -- on any school.

We should leave the strategies to our teachers, encouraging them (and
giving them the flexibility) to do what works. School leaders should
make the cases for their referendums in terms of measurable student
results. Districts will benefit most -- and make the strongest cases
for passage -- if they focus their campaigns on clear achievement
goals.

Most districts, unfortunately, are silent on this.

The Crookston School District provides a shining exception in its
"Annual Report on Curriculum, Instruction and Student Achievement." As
noted in the Crookston Daily Times, the report contains 2007-08 goals
for student achievement that are "unprecedented in their specificity."

For example, the district aims to narrow the achievement gap in
reading -- by 3 percent on next spring's tests -- for Hispanics and
students eligible for free or reduced-price lunches. The district
identified strategies to reach all its goals, and the report is posted
on its website.

And if goals aren't met? "Then we'll have to take another look at what
we're doing," the Crookston Times quoted Ione Swenson, the district's
curriculum, assessment and staff development director. "It's always a
work in progress."

Crookston is not seeking a referendum. But you can bet its chances for
passage would be greatly enhanced by its efforts to tell the entire
community where the district is headed on achievement.

A discussion of school funding is incomplete without acknowledging
that declining enrollment is at the root of many districts' troubles.
Schools are largely funded on head count, and it's admittedly a tricky
equation. A drop of, say, 60 students -- and the accompanying reduced
state aid -- cannot be recouped by simply eliminating two kindergarten
sections. The drops in student numbers are likely scattered among all
grades, with rarely a large enough block to eliminate an entire
classroom section.

At the same time, with our graying population, declining enrollments
are a fact of life. It's neither practical nor fiscally sustainable to
pay schools more money for educating fewer students. And so, we're
back to setting local goals for student achievement. By focusing on
results, districts have the flexibility to deal with their enrollment
and diversity issues. We should not presume that a solution that works
in one district will succeed in another.

School districts should make a pact with their communities. Share with
us what achievement results the new local money will buy and how
progress will be measured and reported. Set goals for educational
achievement within each community, and we'll be first in line to "vote
yes."

William Blazar is senior vice president of public affairs and business
development at the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce.

(c) 2007 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.