Author Archives: Netmom

On a lighter note…

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Some situations are so challenging that you simply have to make light of it. In Memphis, where politics has had a somewhat different twist going back to the days of Boss Crump, John Harvey has taken the inititative to empower ordinary people to help fix the problems.

www.votinginMemphis.com has an assortment of information and actual tools — like a link to the Social Security Death Index, so that an army of regular citizens can help search the database for dead people still registered.

And, for your listening pleasure, a new take on an old tune.

BTW, Anderson County will be using brand-new voting machines (as a result of the Help America Vote Act) for the August election, and early word from one of the election workers is that you might want to take the opportunity to familiarize yourself with the machines before time to cast your ballot for real. The Election Commission will have the machines on display at this weekend’s Secret City Festival, with staff on hand to answer any questions.

Betrayal

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How’d you like to wake up to this news, then spend the day wondering if your spouse was one of the 100 unlucky folks at Y-12 today?

Welcome to my world.

When he called a few minutes ago after a late meeting to see if I needed anything on the way home, I had to ask… and he doesn’t yet know the answer. Said he’d have to check his e-mail to find out.

For the NNSA — which sounds quite like an oxymoron at the moment — to know that personal data was stolen and NNSA administrator Linton Brooks knew about it ten months ago, but failed to either inform DOE or the 1,502 affected employees, is absolutely inexcusable.

I don’t know how this is going to end, but hiding bad news and hoping no one will see seems like a particularly poor choice.

County Pay Hike?

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Bob Fowler has an interesting story this morning, but to me, the most shocking news is old news.

County elected officials in Tennessee are paid according to a state scale based upon population ranges, and officeholders in Anderson County are seeking to be reclassified to the 150,000 to 175,000 population range to close the gap between the pay of those offices and that of the County Mayor. The County Mayor is paid based on the salary for counties having a population of 200,000 – 225,000, or $92,648.

Anderson County has a population of 71,330 according to the 2000 Census.

According to the article, the change in the County Mayor’s salary was made “years ago.” I’m not sure when, and I’m not sure why, except that it does seem plausible that a lower salary would attract few really qualified candidates. As it is, it seems tough to entice attractive candidates.

Looking at the census tables, there isn’t any county in the 200,000-225,000 range; after Shelby, Davidson, Knox and Hamilton, the largest is Rutherford Co. at 182,023. Anderson is 15th in population ranking.

However, this response is the one that nearly made me choke on my coffee:

Lynch on Monday voiced objections to any pay hike request that doesn’t include the county mayor, calling such a move “discrimination.”

Lynch’s salary is already that of someone in his position in a county three times the size of ours, and he thinks that it’s “discrimination” to bring the others up to wages set for counties twice the size of Anderson without raising his own? Does he really think he’s that much better than every other elected officeholder in the County?

I don’t care what he thinks, frankly, and I’m offended that we elected someone who is actually capable of expressing such a sentiment.

Update: Case Closed…

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An article in this morning’s Chattanooga Times-Free Press (or PDF here) quotes Jesse Register, Superintendent of Hamilton County Schools, as saying:

“I think it’s good the case has been dismissed, because that means it’s been settled,” Dr. Register said. “I’m hopeful now with the small systems lawsuit out of the way that other inequities in the funding formula that don’t treat the urban systems well will be addressed, too.”

The TFP article does not directly quote the Chancellor, whose remarks in the AP story indicate that any major changes would be considered grounds for reopening the suit, and (attorney for the plaintiffs) Donelson’s argument against the dismissal specifically referenced the urban systems’ push for change.

Further down, it’s clear that Hamilton County Commissioners didn’t make that connection either:

Hamilton County Commission Chairman Larry Henry said he and several other members of the commission are prepared to enter a lawsuit to change the BEP formula, if need be.

“We’re nowhere near where we ought to be (in terms of funding), and that puts an unnecessary burden on the citizens of Hamilton County,” he said. “That would be a last resort, but if it’s what we have to do, it’s what we have to do.”

Seems we’ll have to wait a bit before drawing conclusions about whether it’s over or not.

Case Closed!

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A Davidson County Chancellor ruled yesterday to dismiss the 18-year Small Schools lawsuit, as no issues related to the suit remain unresolved. This morning’s Commercial Appeal has the story.

Lewis Donelson, an attorney representing the plaintiffs, argued for keeping it open based upon intensive efforts by the state’s urban systems to change the formula so that they get more; the court responded that it does not deal with “what ifs,” but left open the option of re-opening the case if the BEP were repealed, or if substantial changes were made.

In this year’s annual BEP resolution, the Legislature again directed the BEP Review Committee to examine and make recommendations on moving to a system-level fiscal capacity model, which affects how the BEP funds are distributed based upon local governments’ ability to pay. Although such a recommendation was issued last year (see David v. Goliath), it failed to gain passage in the Legislature this year, probably because of the disparity in the winners and losers, along with the high cost of “holding harmless” those school systems that would lose significant funding.

I’m certain that it would be possible to develop a system-level fiscal capacity model that is fair, incorporating not only ability to pay, but also level of effort. The model proposed this year, developed by Harry Green of the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR), incorporates variables like the value of taxable property, volume of taxable sales, state shared tax revenue, median household income, child poverty rate, and taxable real estate assessment. Nowhere in the formula will you find consideration of tax rate, nor the percentage of local taxes already devoted to education.

I could get into the details of the formula, but that’s another 3,000 words or so for another post.

Will the ruling to close the lawsuit — with the Chancellor’s caveat that is could be re-opened if significant changes are made — will cause the Legislature to rethink bowing to demands of the state’s largest cities for more funding at the expense of smaller systems?

Update:

An article in this morning’s Chattanooga Times-Free Press (or PDF here) quotes Jesse Register, Superintendent of Hamilton County Schools, as saying:


“I think it’s good the case has been dismissed, because that means it’s been settled,” Dr. Register said. “I’m hopeful now with the small systems lawsuit out of the way that other inequities in the funding formula that don’t treat the urban systems well will be addressed, too.”

The TFP article does not directly quote the Chancellor, whose remarks in the AP story linked at the top indicate that any major changes would be considered grounds for reopening the suit, and (attorney for the plaintiffs) Donelson’s argument against the dismissal specifically referenced the urban systems’ push for change.

Further down, it’s clear that Hamilton County Commissioners didn’t make that connection either:

Hamilton County Commission Chairman Larry Henry said he and several other members of the commission are prepared to enter a lawsuit to change the BEP formula, if need be.

“We’re nowhere near where we ought to be (in terms of funding), and that puts an unnecessary burden on the citizens of Hamilton County,” he said. “That would be a last resort, but if it’s what we have to do, it’s what we have to do.”

Seems we’ll have to wait a bit before drawing conclusions about whether it’s over or not.

Politics: Local Judicial Elections

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For some weeks now, anyone who reads the dead tree edition of local papers has seen ads for a candidate running on the premise of “doubling days for criminal trials.”

Funny thing, for one who seems to have avoided putting criminals on trial at all from his current position as District Attorney.

I’ve seen it as a campaign gimmick for the most part, but some have asked, “why not?”

If you’re wondering, the answers to that question and more are posted here — in particular, click the Information link for a good civics lesson on the history of courts in Anderson County, why some things are done the way they are, and the difference between the different kinds of courts.

Most of us who have had little experience beyond a speeding ticket could learn something here. I did.

And yes, this is a candidate that I will vote for and support. Bill Lantrip is a class act, and one that we would do well to keep.

Media Role in Society’s Propriety

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This is a tough one to write… but it has to be said.

Yesterday’s Oak Ridger featured a story of a young marine preparing to leave for Iraq, just days after the birth of his first child. Today’s News-Sentinel carries a front-page, above the fold photo of the same young marine, with his newborn son and girlfriend.

I deeply, sincerely hope that this young man comes home safely, and soon.

I also wish that, for the sake of this new baby, that he would marry the baby’s mother before he goes — to give the child the benefit of his name, to provide some security for the baby’s future should the peril of war take its toll.

Perhaps I am wrong, but my instinct is to chastise both newspapers for glorifying this little family that seems to have forgotten something terribly important: the paperwork. Marriage, commitment, and security. How many teenagers read these two papers and came away with the only tragedy is that the Marine has been called to war so early in fatherhood?

I desperately hope that the young mother pictured never has to tell her son that his father gave his life for his country… but couldn’t give his name for his child.

Other people’s lives are none of my business, but the media has a role in upholding the standards of society. Do we have any left?

Calling Council’s Hand

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At the second reading of the City of Oak Ridge Budget on May 22, Council members stated that the School Board didn’t participate in their budget planning process, and that they didn’t know until the school budget was submitted on April 25 that there was a difference between the schools’ request and Council’s planned allocation.

Privately, some have said they didn’t know about the shortfall until reading it in the newspaper.

The March 20 Minutes (page 4) of City Council indicate that they did have forewarning:

Ms. Karen Splinter, Director of Business and Support Services for Oak Ridge Schools, spoke on behalf of the Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Tom Bailey, who was unable to be present at this meeting. Her comments were:

“Dr. Bailey wanted to express his thanks to the City Manager and to City Council for allowing he and I to sit in on the Budget and Finance meetings that have occurred over the past several
months. He also wanted you to recall that we have always said that we would do our best to stay within the model that the City proposes. Over the past few years, in order to stay in that model, we have moved large sums of our nonrecurring fund balance to balance the budget and have said that at some point it will run out. We are very close at this point, after the FY 07 budget, for that to happen. In order to stay within the guidelines of the model that is currently being proposed, the Schools will have to diminish programs for ’07. Over the past few years, working within the guidelines of the model has caused us to develop budgets that are basically maintenance in nature with no embellishments or additions or improvements to programs. This year and in the years to follow, this model will not even allow us to have a maintenance budget. [emphasis added]

We have included all potential revenues known to date. We are using a figure given to us by the State for the BEP (Basic Education Program) funding; however, the qualification was “it could be off by $2 million so discount it by 95%.” So that gives you an idea of the uncertainty of the BEP funding. Of course, if it turned in our favor at a later date, that would be something where we
could adjust the budget. But the last word that I got is the official estimate will not be out until April, so it’s probably going to miss this whole budget cycle we are in.”

For the sake of clarity, a “maintenance budget” means keeping the programs we currently provide (which includes not only what we typically think of as maintenance — repairing and cleaning — but also everything else).

They did know in advance. I wish I could provide a link to minutes of the budget and tax committee meetings, but I haven’t been able to find any. Are there any? Note the first sentence of Karen Splinter’s quote:

Dr. Bailey wanted to express his thanks to the City Manager and to City Council for allowing he and I to sit in on the Budget and Finance meetings that have occurred over the past several months.

So, in addition to the status report on March 20, reference is made to their attendance at committee meetings in the preceding months. I attended at least one of those, cautioning that our state funding is in peril due to the efforts of the state’s largest school systems to have BEP funding reallocated in such a way that they would gain at the expense of smaller municipal school systems.

The budgets are set, with real cuts in services made by the school system in order to meet the Council’s allocation — set months in advance before all costs were fully known. It may not be fair, but as mortgage rates have risen, how many homeowners have had to allocate a larger share of their budget to the house payment? As fuel costs have risen, how many people have had to devote a larger share of the family budget to transportation?

Answer: all of us. It’s time to prioritize before we lose the house. Losing bus service was as bad a cut as I can remember in my lifetime acquaintance with the Oak Ridge Schools.

Teach Tennessee

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This morning’s News Sentinel reports that new teachers credentialed under a new program to recruit mid-career professionals into the classroom are being graded. The results should show whether the accelerated licensure has indeed produced effective teachers for the critical shortage areas of science, math, and foreign language.

It will be interesting to see the results.

I’ve maintained for several years that good teachers are born with something that most of us don’t have… but there’s no question that effective teaching practices can also be taught. If those effective practices can be taught in a short period of time to someone who posesses that innate talent, already has a degree, as well as years of experience in a particular subject, it seems likely that they would make a great teacher.

What better math teacher than one who has already applied those skills to designing bridges that don’t collapse, or a physics teacher who spent a few years in a nuclear facility? Imagine the answer to the smart-aleck kid who complains, “when am I ever going to use that?”

I remember having that very thought when faced with learning calculus, only to realize much later that it’s very useful in calculating how much an extra $500 paid toward the principal near the beginning of a 15-year mortgage is really worth.

I do hope that the results come in positive; there aren’t that many people who are willing to pursue a degree in math, sciences, or even foreign language and then settle for the constraints of a teacher’s salary. But there are some who have already earned a good living for some number of years, and are willing to take a pay cut to pursue a dream, have summers off, or simply a second career.

The story behind the start of Teach Tennessee is that Governor Bredesen (with a degree in physics from Harvard) asked Commissioner of Education Lana Seivers if he could teach physics in a Tennessee high school after he retired as governor. Her reply was, “no, sir; you’re not qualified.”

I guess the cool thing about being a governor is you can change little things like that.

Walking to School

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Atomic Tumor raises questions about the change in transportation service for Oak Ridge Schools for next year, so I’ll post what I know. Bus transportation will not be provided for students who live within one mile of their school. I don’t know yet if that is as the crow flies, or distance by road.

How many kids are affected? 734, at current enrollment, by school as follows:

  • Robertsville Middle: 128
  • Jefferson Middle: 141
  • Glenwood Elementary: 77
  • Linden Elementary: 102
  • Willowbrook Elementary: 136
  • Woodland Elementary: 130

Some at Oak Ridge High School will be affected, but I don’t have that figure — bus ridership at the high school is a moving target, changing daily with the weather and gas prices. However, it’s well known that high school students are least likely to ride the “cheese wagon” (as they call it) having the option of driving, biking, or hitching rides with friends. Even 25 years ago, riding the bus was tantamount to wearing a “kick me” sign, a fact which has not changed.

The immediate dollar value of this change is $279,408, plus a reduction of $575,000 in future capital outlay for the replacement of school buses. Obviously, we’ll eliminate the oldest buses first, to delay the time before we have to buy new ones, as the State requires that we replace buses after 15 years.

NEXT UP: While nothing was done at the May 30 budget meeting, look for discussion of change in the near future in the area of bus maintenance. The City’s 129% “overhead charge” on parts and labor, plus a “10% administrative fee,” is far more than I would be willing to pay for service on my own vehicle, so I’m even less willing to pay it using the schools’ money. Cleveland City Schools realized a substantial savings when they quit paying the City of Cleveland and hired their own mechanic… staff are now investigating whether we could save by doing the same.

Watch for the City to then decide to charge us for use of the garage at the City Service Center, but I’m not sure how they could get away with that, since part of the justification for building it was that the school system would have shared use of the garage. This year, the transportation department took several buses to a commerical garage for an oil change because the City had a backlog and couldn’t get to them over a school break; the overall cost was lower, even though the buses had to be driven to Knoxville for the service (increasing fuel and payroll cost for the effort).

Anyone know a good diesel mechanic in Oak Ridge?