Some Education Stuff

by folkbum

This article on declining extra-curricular activity in the Milwaukee Public Schools is excellent. I talked (or, more accurately, emailed and talked) with Sarah Carr a couple of times as she was putting the piece together, and I think what's in there is accurate. This in particular needs more attention:

The gap in test scores and graduation rates between the city and suburban high schools has attracted the most attention from policy-makers and the media in recent years. But others worry that there's another gap that's just as meaningful: the difference in the richness and breadth of the high school experience available to children in cities and suburbs as urban districts slice after-school activities and clubs.

That's the heart of the matter for me. I am who I am today because in high school I was able to find non-academic niches to fill, activities that helped me grow socially and intellectually in a healthy and productive way.

Too many kids in MPS lack those same opportunities. Period. This isn't simply a matter of students choosing not to partake in what's available to them; rather, this is a matter of opportunities being denied. And this is a denial that does not exist in other districts.
*****In my work for the Bay View Compass, I end up talking a lot to Terry Falk, the newly elected MPS Board member who represents me, Bay View, and a big chunk of the South Side. Every time I do, he reminds me of a few projects he's working on. I haven't taken him up on writing about those projects, but he got two of them in the Journal Sentinel last week:

1. Falk is proposing that every district-chartered high school have on staff at least one person licensed to teach the core subject areas--math, science, social studies, and English--at the grade level for that school. Here's why:

   The Milwaukee Academy of Chinese Language is poised to open this fall after years of preparation by a devoted staff [. . .]. But one ingredient is missing: A teacher who can speak Chinese. [. . .]
   
   At the MPS-chartered WORK Institute, which opened this month, two of seven teachers are licensed to teach through the 12th grade; two through the ninth grade; and three do not have high school licenses, though they are licensed for other grades.

   This is possible because of a quirk in the state's licensing laws that creates what's known as a "charter license." Any teacher teaching at a charter school can get one (if the district writes a letter to confirm that the teacher is teaching in a charter school and needs one), and then that teacher can legally teach anything at all. I helped write a charter proposal in 2006, and, among other problems the other teachers and I faced working on that proposal is that we wanted an explicit clause in our charter that would prohibit a teacher in our school from using that charter license to teach outside his or her area of expertise. The district personnel we worked with took that out. For, as they said, flexibility. I say I'd rather have quality than flexibility.
   
   
2. The second thing that Falk is pushing is mandatory ACT testing for all MPS juniors:

   While more than 46,000 of the state's recent graduates took the ACT during high school, only about 2,150 African-American students did. That means about 4.6% of Wisconsin's ACT-takers were African-American, while African-Americans accounted for about 9% of the state's high school students during the 2006-'07 school year, according to state statistics.
   
   "We allow people in this state to pound their chest while ignoring the fact that Milwaukee has significantly fewer kids taking (the ACT)," said Milwaukee School Board member Terry Falk. This month, he put in a resolution that Milwaukee Public Schools create a plan to ensure that all 11th-graders take the ACT. [. . .]
   
   Seventy percent of Wisconsin's public and private school 2007 graduates took the ACT during high school, compared with 68% last year. [Note that only about 50% of African American students take the test.--JB]
   
   The number of minority students taking the ACT in Wisconsin has risen slightly over the last six years. In 2002, for instance, only 1,381 African-American graduates had taken the test.
   
   This year, the average composite score in the state for white students was 22.7; for Hispanic students, 20; for African-Americans, 17; and for Asians, 20.1.
   
   Falk said if all MPS 11th-graders took the ACT, it would allow the district to compare its academic performance to a city such as Chicago, where all of the students take the test. Comparing the performance of urban districts has been difficult in the past because states define graduation in different ways and administer different standardized tests.

   More than just making for a meaningful comparison among big-city districts, the ACT will open doors for students (one such student is described in the article). I found my alma mater because they spammed me after seeing my ACT score, for example. Had I not taken it, I wouldn't be here in America's Dairyland at all.
   
   And, further, a required test--one that tests reading, writing, math, science, and social science--beyond the 10th-grade WKCE would be fantastic. The ACT isn't high-stakes, but it's one that students will take much more seriously than they do the WKCE. It will give students a reason to return for their senior year--either because now colleges want them to attend, or at least the chance to take the ACT again for a better score. And it will give teachers something else to guide curriculum toward what's worthwhile to teach.
   
   The Saturday Journal Sentinel also ran an editorial favoring the plan, which is expected to pass easily.

Quick Reactions

by folkbum

• Well, Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (and the Club for Growth) have now shown us their playbook. As disappointing (and frustrating) as Linda Clifford's loss was last night, we can feel somewhat reassured by knowing that the balance of the court has not shifted (Ziegler's win maintains the status quo), and we now the hand WMC will be playing next year against Louis Butler. (See Jim Rowen.)
  
  There also remains the possibility of the complaints against Ziegler working their way far enough up that she may have to resign; remember, we're talking now upwards of 100 or 150 cases in which she violated both the spirit and the plain letter of the state's judicial code of conduct. I realize that chance is remote--and, if it happens, it will look unfortunately like partisan wrangling rather than a necessary step against an unethical judge--but that's one small light we can cling to.
  
  UPDATE: Welcome, McIlheran readers. My response to him is here.
  
  
• Not all of the school board races turned out as I wanted them too, but the one I helped with did (and that never happens). The next few weeks, before the new board is seated, will be interesting just in terms of what kind of maneuvering will be done before the old board expires. And the new board will have quite a challenge, integrating three newbies (and one oldbie) into the game. My prediction for new board president: Peter Blewitt, again.
  
  
• The folkbum endorsement proved to be the kiss of death as well for Vicky Selkowe in a Madison city council race. Maybe I should just endorse Rudy Giuliani now?
  
  
• There's some very interesting discussion about the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's last-minute hating on Linda Clifford. I don't have a lot to add to what Michael (twice), Xoff, and the Brawler have to say, though I'm curious what you all think.
  
  
• You may have noticed the list of guest-bloggers is getting longer. I'm hoping at least one more person will accept my invitation. I need to rest up my blogging muscles between now and when the state budget fight heats up, so you'll see more posts from other people in the coming weeks. Be nice to them.

April Fool's headlines

by folkbum

ZIEGLER ENDS CAMPAIGN, ADMITS ETHICS VIOLATIONS

That one's a hoot, no? Of course that would never happen. Despite years of violating both the spirit and the letter of the state code of judicial conduct, Ziegler campaigns on. Wisconsin Manufacturer's and Commerce is dumping more than half a mil on this race in the last week, and who knows how much the Zieglers' $2m loan from West Bend Savings Bank is going to end up in race, too. Linda Clifford could use your help this weekend.

Also, see Mike Plaisted.

MMAC SENDS OUT TRUTHFUL MAILER

If I were Terry Falk, I would sue for libel. The mailer that arrived at my house yesterday from the Metro Milwaukee Association of Commerce about the 8th district Milwaukee Public Schools is incredibly misleading. It reads,

As a Milwaukee teacher's union member, Terry Falk filed a grievance against the Milwaukee School District. Why? Because a memorial service celebrating the lived of two Juneau High School students who had passed away happened to cut into Falk's lunch break by minutes.

If that makes you scratch your head, there's good reason--and not just because MMAC doesn't seem to know the name of the Milwaukee Public Schools and is playing dumb about how every MPS teacher is a member of the union. No, if you actually read the decision (.pdf) by the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission referenced in the mailer, you'll see that the grievance Terry Falk filed over the lost lunch time was resolved without resorting to a WERC hearing, and Falk, in the "Findings of Fact" section, is found to be right about the contract violation. What did go the the WERC was the subsiquent retaliation Falk suffered by the principal after that grievance. Apparently Charlie Sykes and Mark Belling have been hyping this, too.

Speaking of misleading about Terry Falk, the incumbent Joe Dannecker's latest mailing trots out both a misleading statement about Juneau High School (debunked by Alan Borsuk) and a misleading statement about what Terry said concerning a tax cut Joe voted against. Terry said the board (of which Joe is president, remember?) never should have let the budget get to the point where it needed a 7.7% tax increase, but with a gun to his head he'd rather have programs than not.

This is one reason why I will not run for office: People suck.

TOMMY! GETS REPUBLICAN NOD

An article not written by Kathy Skiba tells us that Tommy! is making his entry in the presidential race official this week. Good luck with that.

Who's polling the Milwaukee school board elections?

by folkbum

I got an email the other day related to a poll of my district (where I support Terry Falk) saying that there was apparently a poll being done:

They are asking whether you are voting for Falk or [incumbent Joe] Dannecker. They are also asking if you knew that Dannecker supported vouchers whether that would increase or decrease your chances to vote for Dannecker.

There was some speculation about who was doing the poll, and whether it was a group that was supportive of vouchers or not. (I said not; I didn't think that wording, though it may not be verbatim, was the kind of language a pro-voucher group would use.) In any case, we were to be on the lookout and try to find out who was responsible for that poll.

But as it turns out it's not just this district that's getting polled. Alan Borsuk--education reporter for the Miwaukee Journal Sentinel--also got a call:

Sunday afternoon at home. The phone rings.

I’m conducting a survey, the voice says. If the Milwaukee School Board election were held today, who would you vote for, Stephanie Findley or Michael Bonds?

I’m not going to give you an answer, I say.

I’ll put you down as undecided, the voice says. Do you support or oppose the Milwaukee school choice program?

I’m not going answer that, I say. But I have a question for you: Who are you calling on behalf of?

Let me ask my supervisor what I can tell you, the voice says. He comes back on after a few moments and gives a corporate name.

Who’s that? I ask.

A private research company, he says.

And who hired you to do this?

You’ll have to talk to my supervisor.

After a pause, the supervisor comes on. I repeat the question and add that, to my knowledge, under Wisconsin law he has to answer the question of who is behind the calls if the recipient of the call asks.

We’re a private research firm, he says.

But who hired you to do this?

The line goes dead.

This is, of course, a violation of Wisconsin law--any group being paid to survey an election must identify who is paying for that survey.

So this is your mission, folks: If you get the call, ask the same questions Borsuk asked, and try to get a name. You can even tell the "supervisor," if you get him on the line, that refusal to answer the question is a violation of the law, and see if that helps.

For those whose calendars remain insufficiently marked

by folkbum

Here's something to do tomorrow night:

Fundraiser/Rally for Terry Falk
Candidate for Milwaukee Public School Board, District 8
Tuesday, March 6, 7:30-10 p.m.
Club Garibaldi, 2501 South Superior Street, Milwaukee

Emcee: Milwaukee's liberal media establishment, Dave Berkman
Entertainment: David HB Drake and band Dangerous Folk will play songs from their No Child Left Behind CD (preview online at CD Baby)

Remember that in the primary two weeks ago, Terry Falk finished first, ahead of the incumbent, MPS board president Joe Dannecker, 44% to 37%. It is time to rally and support Terry before the general election April 3.

All campaign contributions appreciated. You may contribute securely online via PayPal or credit card at Terry's website or send your contribution to Katharine Falk, Treasurer, 3606 S. Pine Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53207.

How well does Dannecker know his district?

by folkbum

Joe Dannecker has represented the 8th district on the Milwaukee Board of School Directors for eight years. This is his third campaign for the seat. And today, when I got home from a hard day of protecting our nation's youth from the plagues of ignorance, I had a little present from him.

An email I got a few weeks back described this particular piece of literature, and its delivery before the primary:

Joe Dannecker showed up at my door tonight. His opening line? "Sorry to show up like this." He handed me a flyer, which lauded his support for banning cell phones at MPS (which, as Terry has pointed out, had already been done, but never enforced). It also lauded Dannecker for his support for several MPS schools, including "Ronald Regan" (sic). Apparently, school board members are not subject to the same spelling and history standards as MPS students. The flyer also failed to include any contact information, so someone had scrawled a telephone number in magic marker next to poor Joe's name.

Here's a telling piece of the one I got today:

And, indeed, there was no information on how to contact the sitting board member. Residents of the district--particularly Joe's neighbors in Bay View--might also wonder where, for example, Bay View High School is on that list.

So, how well does Joe Dannecker know his district?

(And, yes, I've sold my soul to Terry Falk and everything.)

I voted

by folkbum

Very low turn out . . . I voted less than half an hour before the polls closed, and I was voter 54 in my ward, 119 in my polling place. Compared to previous elections, that's pathetic.

However, it was a good night. I have to say that it's nice to be at a winning candidate's election-night party for once. Congrats to both Bama and to Linda Clifford for making it through the primary.

But the big winner, in my mind, is Terry Falk: His 44% in the primary not only beat incumbent Joe Dannecker, but it was accomplished with limited resources. See, Terry's printer screwed up, and the mailer that was supposed to hit mailboxes Friday or Saturday never got sent. No one robocalled for him (Tricia Young had Progressive Majority Wisconsin's help). It was all done on foot and with real supporters making real calls to real voters in the last weekend. If Terry can double or triple up on the people power leading up to the April 3 general, he will win in a walk. Right now, the momentum is priceless, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't swing by and help pay for a mailer (different printer, natch) that will actually hit its target.

Aside: How is it that the Journal Sentinel can endorse a candidate for the seat (Dannecker) who didn't even respond to the questionnaire?

Vote Today!

by folkbum

Early but not often, since that would be wrong.

Remember your folkbum-approved candidates:

• State Supreme Court: Linda Clifford
• Milwaukee Public Schools City-Wide: Bama Brown-Grice
• Milwaukee Public Schools District 3: Leon Todd or Stephanie Findley
• Milwaukee Public Schools District 8: Terry Falk
• Madison Alder District 15: Vicky Selkowe

There are about a billion candidates running for municipal judge down here, too, including at least two write-ins, I think. I have no idea what I'll do on that one yet.

Terry Falk Victory Party in Bay View

by folkbum

After you vote for Terry Falk on Tuesday, you can go hang out with him at his post-election party:

Terry Falk Election Party
7-10 p.m. Tuesday, February 20
Puddler's Hall
2461 S. St. Clair Street
Milwaukee, WI, 53207

Help Terry Falk This Weekend

by folkbum

No surprise, but the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel endorsed both Bruce Thompson and Joe Dannecker. But that doesn't mean you can't put yourself to work helping Terry Falk make it through the primary:

• First, give. Terry's enabled PayPal at his website, so you can use your credit card or PayPal account instead of mailing a check.
  
  
• Help make some calls: Call Terry (744-4598) or email (tfalk@wi.rr.com) if you can make it to a "cell phone party" for a couple hours Saturday, Sunday, or Monday.
  
  
• Check out the BayViewNOW's write-up of the candidate forum that I reviewed here. And now the audio is available at Terry's website (where, recall, you can chip in a few bucks), so you can see who was more accurate, me or the Emm-Ess-Emm.
  
  
• The Journal Sentinel also ran Q&As with the city-wide candidates this week. Even if you don't live down here in the 8th, or over in the 3rd (I recommend Leon Todd or Stephanie Findley, in that order), you can still vote in the at-large contest.
  
  
• Most importantly, vote Tuesday: Even if you don't live in Milwaukee, everyone in the state can vote in the primary for state Supreme Court.

Vote in One Week

by folkbum

Some election-related bits:

• In Milwaukee, city-wide school board candidate James Koneazny has dropped out due to illness. His name will still be on the ballot, but don't vote for him.
  
  
• In other school board news, Terry Falk is organizing "Cell Phone Parties" at his house for this weekend to support his run down here in District 8. If you can help out by bringing your cell phone and making calls to voters before the February 20th primary, call Terry (744-4598) or email (tfalk@wi.rr.com) in advance if you can make it for a couple hours Saturday, Sunday, or Monday. If you don't have a phone, you can use Terry's land line or work on a few other things there.
  
  
• Also for some Milwaukee voters, it looks like the Michael McGee recall is back on, but on a different timeline, with an initial vote coinciding with the general election on April 3. A lot of very smart people that I know and trust are supporting Una Van Duvall for that position; I don't know enough to offer a full endorsement, but I just wanted to point out that she's garnered some impressive backers.
  
  
• Annette Ziegler is first on TV with an ad in the state Supreme Court race. Though the spot is not quite as "tough on crime!" as her previous radio ad, I do have to wonder if her campain isn't taking a tip from JB Van Hollen, and running on the crime issue even though prosecutorial experience is not necessarily helpful on the high court. But I guess she, like Van Hollen, knows what her voters want to hear, even if it's not relevant to the job. I'm still voting for Linda Clifford.

Any votes in your neck of the woods you want to talk about?

Donate to Terry Falk online

by folkbum

This morning's paper has a brief profile of the candidates down here in the Milwaukee Public Schools 8th district, which serves as a companion to Sarah Carr's earlier profile of the city-wide candidates. (I'm thinking about voting for Bama.)

But the big news today is that folkbum-endorsed Terry Falk is now able to take contributions through the web via PayPal (big link on his page, you can't miss it). The incumbent will benefit from a nation-wide conduit of pro-privatization cash, so Terry needs all the support he can get.

Milwaukee School Board Candidate Forum Wrap-up

by folkbum

I attended the forum last night in Bay View, where all three of the candidates for the 8th district seat (incumbent Joe Dannecker, Terry Falk, and Tricia Young) faced off along with three of the candidates for the open city-wide seat (Bruce Thompson, Pam Penn, and Bama Brown-Grice; James Koneazny and Gloria Gaston were unable to attend).

I have a ton of notes on the questions, along with some grainy photos, and I'm trying to get ahold of some audio as well. But in the brief time I have to write this up, I'll just give my impressions of the candidates and note a few choice answers, related here in the order that they were seated on stage.

• Bruce Thompson, city-wide: He arrived late, but because of an open house he was holding for his day job at the Milwaukee School of Engineering. Of the city-wide candidates, he certainly seemed the most poised and knowledgeable, which comes from his having served previously on the board, including two years as president.
  
  Thompson spent a lot of time reliving those years (including some variation of "when I was on the board . . ." in almost every answer, for example), mentioning several times, without a lot of detail, the "historic reforms" he and the board then were respsonsible for. He made a major misstep in that regard answering a question about the state's funding formula, asserting that "Joe [Dannecker] and I are probably the only ones up here who know what it's like to go to Madison to ask for money," when, in fact, both Bama Brown-Grice and Terry Falk had also done exactly that.
  
  Thompson dodged a question of where his funding comes from (at least, where it did in his previous campaigns, as he hasn't "done that analysis yet" for this year), noting that Milwaukee is recognized as a national model of reform (it became one "while I led the board"). As such, people from all over the country might be interested in the school board races. What he didn't say was that those out-of-state interested parties are all pro-voucher, anti-public school forces. While Thompson struck a positive note that MPS ought to be doing all it can to keep parents positive enough about the district that they don't choose a voucher school, he knows as well as the rest of us that he will undoubtedly be aided in this election, as in previous ones, by pro-voucher national interests.
  
  Thompson has also hired Eric Hogensen, who directed Steve Kagen's congressional campaign last year. Thompson may have been the only one on stage last night with anything other than an all-volunteer campaign staff.
  
  
• Pam Penn, city-wide: Penn is a former library/media services specialist for the district. Her major campaign theme seemed to be that MPS is inefficiently using its resources. It's possible that she's got an insider's persepctive on this, and knows some places to find those ineffeicencies, but I personally have a long-standing suspicion against anyone running on a "waste, fraud, and abuse" platform for saving money.
  
  She also stressed throughout her answers the idea that MPS promotes bad attitudes, and that our students aren't learning things like honesty, respect, diligence, and forthrightness because these qualities are not in abundance among the adults. As a result, she said, "we don't give students opportunities because we don't think they can handle it." She also had some criticism for the current board, faulting them for not being public or proactive enough in trying to secure greater resources from the state for MPS--which I thought was odd, since she seemed to be saying all along that we don't necessarily need more money . . .
  
  
• Bama Brown-Grice, city-wide: Bama is the only one who talked about herself in the third person over the course of the debate ("With Bama on the board, she will do her best to be sure that we provide all the things that child needs," for example). She also brought a different persona from either Thompson (professional educrat) or Penn (frustrated ex-employee), which is that of a community activist.
  
  She was the only African American on stage last night (her husband was the only African American in the audience), and she offered different kinds of answers than the other candidates, notably about the idea of putting police officers into schools. She acknowledged that right now, Milwaukeeans don't trust the police; adding them to schools will only decrease the public's appreciation for them. Her solution is to deputize school safety officers, giving them the authority to write citations, for example. Then rely on police only for emergencies--and expect police to be there quickly for those emergencies. She also hit the note of communication often, noting in her opening statement that she wants to be sure that "when things are changing, we'll know before the changes happen." That's something I hear about from parents and teachers all the time; decisions are being made away from the public eye and no one knows until it's too late.
  
  Bama played up her experience going to Madison to seek funding for Community Learning Centers (contradicting Thompson), as well as her connections to the grass roots of the community. She answered the fund-raising question by wondering why it should even cost a dime to run for school board--all we really need are votes, she said. I'm concerned about her enthusiasm for seeking more grants to supplement funding; grants are usually one-shot deals, often with strings attached. But her enthusiasm showed through, and I'm encouraged by that.
  
  Fellow blogger Ken Mobile was in attendance, and was also impressed by Bama.
  
  
• Terry Falk, 8th district: It's no secret that I support Terry Falk in the race for this disrict, where I live. He stressed throughout his years both as a teacher and as a reform advocate--he was the driving force behind Juneau High School's going charter back in 1999, for example. He was also the only candidate on stage who chose to draw blood, making clear where Thompson's and Dannecker's financial support is likely to come from. While Falk's 2003 run against Dannecker was funded entirely from people in the state--70% from in the city--Dannecker took in 60% of his money from voucher advocates like the late Milton Friedman, the Waltons, and at least one de Vos heir. Dannecker used that money to far outspend Falk for a winning margin of just a few hundred votes.
  
  Falk also took a shot at Dannecker in his opening statement, noting that after his loss four years ago, he was approached to run for County Supervisor. Falk declined, saying that he wasn't running to just get elected to something; rather, he wanted to do something more than just teach to help education in MPS. Dannecker, of course, was tapped by John Norquist as an ally to run for the board after an unsuccessful attempt at a County Supervisor's seat . . .
  
  But Falk wasn't just all about taking Dannecker down a peg or two. He was very clear in his vision that MPS is one of the last vestiges of what's public in our community, and his concern that dismantling this public system is one step in a greater plan for privatizing everything that many people hold. Falk cited a concern with recent moves by the superintendent toward recentralization, fearing that would take even more money away from schools. (Though, honestly, with all the district currently requires from schools in "chargebacks," we're already getting socked by central office.)
  
  Falk also had an interesting answer to the questions of low expections, violence, and police in schools: What does it say to a student when she walks into a class with 44 other students? How much more likely is a chlid to be violent when he has to sit on the radiator because there aren't enough desks? If we had more adults, smaller class sizes, and better interactions between students, there would be less of a need for police in the schools, he said. My biggest class right now is only 38, so I suppose I shouldn't be complaining.
  
  Falk was also the only candidate to mention the high costs of health care as a factor in budgeting. He cited several times the research he did for Milwaukee Magazine, noting that metro Milwaukee pays consistently 20-40% above the national average in health care costs because of the monopolies in town. (He specifically named Aurora, but they are not the only culprit.) He called this "the biggest tax levied on this community," and I think he's right--bringing Milwaukee's costs down to the national average could save MPS $50 million annually. He's suggesting larger purchsing pools, having already approached some County Supervisors about the idea. It may just have been the nature of the forum's format, but no one else even broached the topic of health care costs.
  
  
• Joe Dannecker, 8th district: Dannecker's theme was "balance." We need to strike a balance between oversight and autonomy, he said, and between the burden of taxation and doing everything we may want to do in the schools. (He was the only candidate to bring up taxes outside of the one specific question regarding taxes.)
  
  Dannecker seemed to echo the superintendent's statement last week that he wants to expand alternative programs for disruptive students: "We need to be willing to separate students by the kind of intervention they need," he said in response to the question about placing police in the schools. But, he went on, we should only use ingterventions that work--I guess that's more balance? He also spent a lot of time complaining about the "bureaucratic mentality" at central office, noting in one answer that we need to "do more centrally what we've done in the schools, and realize that good schools can be free from regulation." Balanced, right afterward, with a statement that "we need to have everyone on one vision." It made me wonder why he continues to support the current bureaucracy, one that has, especially among the middle and high schools, done nothing if promulgate multiple visions and sent reform scattered in a dozen different directions.
  
  In response to concerns about the current board's communication problems, raised by Bama and Penn (Joe was the only incumbent at the forum, so he had a lot to defend against), he admitted that there were issues around communication by the board. But he said it was primarily a failure to communicate to teachers, that apparently not everyone understands high expectations or that every child is capable of excellence. I don't think that's what the others were getting at, and it frustrates me that he lays the blame on us at the front lines. That is the particular bureaucratic attitude that I think needs to be changed.
  
  Dannecker also made sure to include at least one gratuitous dig at the union, noting that he knew of MPS teachers who left the district to start a non-instrumentality charter school (i.e., not one run by MPS employees) "because their union wouldn't let them do what they wanted to do in MPS." I'm not sure who he's talking about or what vague prohibitions he's hinting at, but I can't think of a single thing involved in setting up or running a charter school--something I've had a little bit of experience with now--that the union would have issues with. Charters, instrumentality or not, must follow state laws and guidelines; there is little in the MPS contract that would contravene the implementation of those guidelines.
  
  The sourest note of the night came from Dannecker; I don't know if he was joking or not, but in response to the question about where his fundraising dollars came from, he used that time to ask the audience for money. "Send me a check!" he said gleefully. "I'll give you my address afterwards." It seemed tasteless.
  
  
• Tricia Young, 8th district: There's a lot to like about Tricia Young; she also seems to recognize that the current direction of the board needs changing, and her answers were certainly in the right place. But one thing that showed, in contrast to, for example, Bama Brown-Grice, was her lack of experience. Bama is a parent advocate, and a long-time activist. Young is also a parent, but making her first big attempt at activism through this school board race.
  
  Her major theme seemed to be the sharing of successful ideas. Her daughter attends an MPS (instrumentality) charter, she says, and she appreciates the autonomy of that school. She wants to take what's successful about that school and replicate it elsewhere. She stressed an emphasis on learning in the early grades--she said what a lot of people won't, that failure in high school (and manifested through truancy and violence) is often a result of a failure to learn in the early grades. When a student hits fourth grade and later, and realizes everyone else gets it but him, he will become far less engaged and become a problem for the schools.

I remain uncommitted in terms of endorsing for the city-wide seat. I'd really like to know more about Koneazny, in particular. Like Thompson, he has prior experience on the board. Unlike Thompson, he has endeared himself to people I generally align myself with, as opposed to, say, MMAC and national voucher advocates. But I do believe Bama Brown-Grice will bring a perspective sorely lacking on the board right now, that of community activist. There is no one currently sitting on the board with more roots and connections across the community than Bama would have.

Later: Audio.

Milwaukee School Board 8th District Candidate Forum Tuesday

by folkbum

The incumbent and the two candidates trying to unseat him (including folkbum-approved Terry Falk) will be facing off this week:

Tuesday February 6th, 6:30-8:30pm
Bay View United Methodist Church
2772 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., Milwaukee
The primary is February 20.

Terry Falk and Drinking Liberally Tonight!

by folkbum

Eight-district Milwaukee school board candidate Terry Falk wants to meet you tonight:

*Meet Terry Falk*
Candidate for Milwaukee Board of School Directors, District 8
Puddler's Hall, 2461 S. St. Clair St., Bay View
Wed. January 24th, 5-8 p.m.

Then swing by Club G for Drinking Liberally!

Meet Terry Falk

by folkbum

folkbum-approved MPS school board candidate Terry Falk is having a forum next week:

*Meet Terry Falk*
Candidate for Milwaukee Board of School Directors, District 8
Puddler's Hall, 2461 S. St. Clair St., Bay View
Wed. January 24th, 5-8 p.m.

After you're done there, swing by Club Garibaldi (corner of Superior and Russell in Bay View) for Drinking Liberally.