Nathan Moore's Thoughts
Proposed Cuts
The apocalyptic cries of despair, tears of anguish, and pleas for mercy that have been accompanying broad sword actions taken by Metro Schools and the school board to balance the school budget in Nashville have been met with calm reasoning.
Councilwoman At-Large Carolyn Baldwin-Tucker has offered a solution in a letter and an accompanying attachment denoting what ought to be cut instead.
In a seemingly common sense manner, Councilwoman Tucker focuses on 1) new items from this year’s budget and 2) items cryptically marked as “Other Expenses.” My sources say that the school board has not yet granted her the opportunity to speak to them.
I’m glad to see the school board is taking every opportunity to make the best cuts they can.
November 29th, 2005 at 5:13 pm
If I read both her budget cuts and the Metro budget correctly, she would have cut 8.098 million from code 2178 expenditures which classify as “Information Technology”. That is out of a 12.298 Million budget which leads to a 65% budget cut in IT. Now I know Tucker isn’t too fond of the advancement of society, but that seems like a bit of a drastic cut when we need to better educate our children in Science/Tech if they are to compete in the future, at least that is my belief.
2005-2006 Budget Budget
November 29th, 2005 at 5:30 pm
Sean,
That doesn’t bother me so much, as I’m of the opinion that technological training of any sort is unnecessary in early educational development. The notion that we can teach technology when we haven’t adequately taught how to read, write and think critically is the epitome of the cart outrunning the horse. Computers are useless if a student can’t do the basics.
Sarah can speak better to this, but my observations of her teaching experience employing “technology” is instructive. It seemed the focus of technology in education is lacking, with “web quests” and other frivolous uses of IT leading the way, which were more focused on newfangled ways of presenting the basics than any augmentation of real import. Learning high school and elementary school basics require nothing more than a dry-erase board, if that. How many collegiate-level courses of study need computers? Outside of engineering and advanced science (neither of which are concerns of Metro schools), the use of IT seems rather superfluous. Teaching calculus, writing, history, and basic science aren’t helped by bells and whistles technology.
I would certainly like to see a study where computer usage helped students learn a significantly larger amount of World History (for example), but I doubt there’s one out there.
Regards,
Nathan
November 29th, 2005 at 5:38 pm
Perhaps you’re right, but because of computers I was able to look up the metro budget, find line item 2178 and fact check in less than 5 minutes. A task that couldn’t be done without access to a computer or a few hours at the library. You could also take it from the Conservative viewpoint that kids would be able to factcheck their teachers if they start spouting off some left-wing viewpoints.
Besides, most of the 2178 budget goes towards IT salaries, meaning in order to cut it you would have to let many of them go, I personally have never been to a Nashville School, but I’m sure through the years they have invested a lot of money in servers/infrastructure that would go to waste without the support structure to keep it running.
November 29th, 2005 at 6:05 pm
Sean,
No doubt that computers are helpful. It just seems that the skills learned in elementary and secondary education are irrelevant to computer usage. The kids today don’t need formal training to learn computer skills. They need to learn to communicate and do math – two skills among many that are inadequately taught. I get sick reading papers of college students who were supposed to obtain some education in our public schools, but who can only write like they talk, if that. Computers won’t help that.
Once again, this is Sarah’s domain. I just read the stuff she’s brought home, first in high school and now at MTSU. It’s both laughable and depressing to think my dog could write just as intelligently.
Nathan