Would Blevins stay all night if DSU students were white?

It became clear at 1:30 a.m. Thursday that there was a problem with the legislation. Speaker Bob Gilligan left the House chamber and walked over to the Senate chamber, where lawmakers worked on routine bills. The House speaker’s unusual presence in the Senate chamber caused whispers among staffers as Gilligan stood at DeLuca’s desk. The two then walked into a back room.

Five minutes later, Gilligan emerged and stormed across the building, ripping open the House chamber doors and returning to his seat. At 1:46 a.m., the Senate adjourned for the year. Sen. Patricia Blevins, D-Elsmere, said it was too late to stick around and debate the bill.

“We’re tired,” Blevins said shortly after adjournment. The House continued to work until 2:02 a.m.

I was over at Resolute Determination and came across this post by C.R. #1 Reason to Vote for Fred Cullis.

I wonder, if we were talking about the University of Delaware or Delaware Tech would Blevins made that comment?

Senator Belvins, many of us are tired of legislator crying how hard they work acting like they are volunteers? Are you tired of your 12 months of paycheck and your 24/7 365 days of free healthcare? Many of us are tired watching state legislators do nothing about Jack Markell’s public school agenda where once again a democrat governor turns the keys of our schools over to the business roundtable.

Delaware State University doesn’t off associate programs that would make them eligible for SEED because DSU wants students to earn a four-year degree and don’t want to lower the bar.

Apparently Senator Belvins won’t have any problems sleeping at night even though 140 DSU students mostly African-American may not be able to afford college next fall.

No Senator Blevins I am not calling you a racist! Perhaps racially insensitive and clueless to the financial hardship of college students and their parents.

Government exist to serve the people and are public servants by “choice” and if you or any other legislators become “tired” perhaps you need to give the “job” a rest.

I posted this on June 03, 2010

SEED fo Delaware State University long overdue

Posted on June 3, 2010 by kilroysdelaware

New bill may knock down cost of Delaware State University education for in-staters; Scholarships would give university its own version of SEED

The “Inspire Scholarship” program is modeled after the Student Excellence Equals Degree program (SEED), an initiative started in fall 2006. SEED provides in-state high school graduates with full tuition aid toward two-year degrees at Delaware Technical & Community College or the University of Delaware’s associate of arts program

About time and long overdue !

And this November 25, 2009

R2TT & SEED not for Del State

Posted on November 25, 2009 by kilroysdelaware

Delaware State warns budget makes financial aid more difficult

 ”more than 80 percent of whom need some type of financial assistance.”

“Our students come from families with incomes that are an average of $20,000 to $30,000 a year,” Smith said. “Most families don’t earn more than $40,000 a year.”

DSU is not part of SEED because the school does not have a two-year program, and school officials have declined to launch one.

For those who don’t know. Delaware State University doesn’t offer two-year associates degree because the don’t want to lower the bar. I agree because if you’re going to college the goal should be a four-year degree.

Currently Delaware Technical  & Community College is the only state funded college or university that participates in SEED. Wait I take that back! The University of Delaware does not have a associates program on campus but has their associates program within Delaware Technical & Community College. 

SEED if you don’t is a Delaware taxpayer-funded scholarship program; Students graduating from Delaware high schools beginning in 2006 who have a GPA of 2.5 or higher and no felony convictions are eligible. More details on these eligibility requirements are available at the eligibility page.

I’ve bitched about this before; what difference does it make if SEED pays for two years at Delaware Tech or the first two years at any state funded university or college?  The exclusiveness of SEED and Delaware Tech was hatched by Governor Minner to take care of her old political pals. Delaware Tech is busting at the seams and needs space due in part to the SEED students. Guess who will be paying for that needed space? You got it  the taxpayers! So why not allow SEED scholarship to apply to Delaware State University at the same tuition rate of Delaware Tech?

Race to The Top aka R2TT. Bit of a strange name because one of the goals in to prepare more students for college particularly high poverty students. So here we get the to the gates of the top and say sorry no funding for you poor kids?

Cash for Clunkers OMG just think how that money could have help needy college students? Didn’t Obama say our children’s education is the future of our economy? 

About a million years ago I visited Delaware State University Department of Psychology promoting a new innovation a Foster Treatment Program for Northeast Treatment Centers NET  were I was a counselor and recruiter.  It was an enjoyable visit and I have worker with a few fine Delaware State University graduates and students. I know, it’s hard to believe Kilroy worked in psychology, LOL. My biggest mistake wasn’t finishing.

We are the riches country on Earth ( once we repay China) and it is a shame we piss so much money away in so-called supplemental program addressing early education intervention but stop before the job is completed.

The University of Delaware cries poor mouth insisting their funds not be cut but yet can spend 27 million dollars to buy the Chrysler building in Newark

Arne Duncan’s ego is being deflated

Jobs Bill Collides With Obama Education Agenda Education Week

The sharp division between the Obama administration and key congressional Democrats over education policy and priorities may never have been more clear than it was Thursday night when the U.S. House of Representatives voted to cut $800 million from key administration initiatives to help pay for an effort to avert teacher layoffs.

The legislation—which the White House has threatened to veto—takes aim at three of the administration’s most-prized education priorities. Most notably, it would cut $500 million from the $4.35 billion Race to the Top program, which rewards states for making progress on certain education redesign initiatives.

It also would cut $200 million from the Teacher Incentive Fund, which doles out grants to support pay-for-performance programs, and $100 million intended to help start new charter schools. The TIF received $400 million in fiscal year 2010, plus $200 million in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the economic-stimulus package passed last year. The charter program received $265 million in federal funding.

The jobs measure passed as an amendment to a military spending bill that had already been approved by the Senate. The amendment was approved on a vote of 239 to 182 late Thursday, with one member voting present. The vote generally split along party lines

Lets make it clear, the Race to The Top funding is part of the stimulus funding approved by congress to stimulate the economy. Arne Duncan decided to us it as bait to force reform of public schools at the local level. Obama said he doesn’t want to reward failure but yet supports Duncan’s agenda to pout more money into public education on top the existing federal funding.

Millions of Americans on unemployment loss their unemployment due to federal legislators failing to approve unemployment extensions. Though education is a high priority in my book, the fact remains we need to address the deficiencies in how state and federal education funds are mismanaged at the state and local levels.

Delaware Governor Jack Markell the worst governor in the State of Delaware on education reform decided to skim 50% of the Delaware Race to The Top prize and us it to hire more managers at DEDOE. Also, Delaware’s Governor Jack Markell is using state and federal funding as a means to repay his campaign contribution made by local business leaders. Once again the business roundtable has bought their way into controlling Delaware’s public education.

If Race to The Top was being used 100% to add more teachers in the high poverty Title 1 Schools to reduce class sizes I would be furious at attempts to cut funding. Race to The Top funding should be considered supplemental funding and not be used to supplant public education by creating needless position such as data coaches. If Delaware DOE and local school districts don’t have existing employees who can understand testing data and train others then we have a deep deep deep serious problem in leadership. Also, rewarding high qualified teachers who volunteer to teach in low performing schools and not compensate those already in place raises concerns about fair and equitable education funding. Should teachers be rewarded for doing their jobs? Do you get a bonus for doing your job? Wouldn’t it be a benefit to all teachers and students if we used the money to add more teachers to reduce class sizes? Whatever happen to “it’s about the kids”?

Arne Duncan puts out the Race to The Top competition listing the prize levels at 75 million for Delaware and then adds 35 million dollars more after Delaware wins shows how irresponsible Duncan is.

If million of americans at no fault of their own loss their jobs due to the recession are booted off of unemployment extension are told too fucking back get a job. Don’t you think state governor and educators should be told to clean up their state and local financial mess. The real financial problems in education isn’t the lack of money but rather the management of money. 

As far as the proposed 500 million dollar cut in Race to The Top, I’ll be you Arne Duncan spent about 100 million in promoting Race to The Top. How much did Newt Sellout Gingrich and Rev. Al I’ll do it for a paycheck Sharpton get paid for being part of Duncan’s public education reform dream team get paid. Gingrich sells RTTT to the republicans and Sharpton to the minorities.

HOWEVER, in the big picture don’t beat on seeing Race to The Top being part on the reauthorization of NCLB. Well that is more funding dumped in to ESEA aka NCLB. You might see an end to federal handouts and more towards conditions such as MOUs. But in the big picture fair and equitable funding of education may be off balanced.

Don’t worry about teachers being laid off because they are college education and will adapt to other industries. Students will only be negatively impacted but the reduction of teachers if administrators don’t cut waste and reduce bloated administration to pay for needed teachers. Cuts in education jobs are just reflective of cuts in the private sector. Once Obama and Markell deliver that change in the economy they promised we’ll have the revenues to buy more teachers. 

Arne Duncan and Jack Markell are making a mess of public education by avoiding the real need to add more teachers to effectively reducing class sizes. We don’t need more managers and administrators.