With all due respect, the strategies that you describe are not a substitute for high quality PE. Physical activity and play are important parts of a child’s healthy development. I have no issue with S4Ks or any other like program, my only hope is that all schools are able to provide such activities to their students. I know that something has to get cut, but the CDE’s PE requirements and what is considered compliance is mediocre.

Oakland Dad:

If you are the parent of an OUSD student, I would strongly encourage you to join your school’s School Site Council (SSC) if you have not done so already. By participating in the SSC you can play a role in determining how Title 1 and other categorical funds that your school may receive are spent. If those funds are insufficient, then you can do what other motivated parents have done…fundraise for the PTA!

As I understand it, the use of these funds is at the discretion of the Title I officer interpreting it. When schools are consistently reporting the type of improvements they need to support the teachers and students, then it would seem a good use of Title I funds. Google “school climate and Title I” for some information. It’s pretty complex, but looking at the ARRA definition, there is specific money set aside for school climate, and a lot of great programs would qualify. As a community, we should be demanding the district look at how to creatively fund programs that work.

And as a school board, we should be listening to the teachers about what they think works for the schools. The main problem the meeting revealed was that the school board members don’t know what they are talking about when it comes to line items on a budget. If you’re going to single out a program as a “waste,” than you should probably inform the discussion based on feedback that proves that it is. Clearly from the discussions here they got the wrong one. But clearly from the discussion, there are some things they got right. I just urge the Board to do its homework. The price otherwise is too high.

Mr. Mordecai (or anyone), can you help here? Can anyone figure out how to allocate Title I funds to programs that deserve them so that other discretionary funds go to the programs that deserve them? OUSD needs all the help we can give it!!

As I posted before, it would seem like S4K reported positives would mean that it should be funded out of Title I money and not taking money from libraries, etc.

What is a waste of money is subjective and depends mightily on who is receiving the service. Last Board meeting the Principal of Dewey received $40,000 service contract for BAYcys to continue to coach her. She found the coaching of such benefit she wanted it to continue.

As a taxpayer of Oakland’s parcel tax Measure E, and now Measure G, $35,000 for the Dewey coaching contract is seen by me as a waste of money because the voters never were told that principal coaching was one of the purposes the money was going to be spent.

The Measure G oversight committee has not met as yet, but the District is letting contracts spending the Oakland property owner’s money raised by Measure G.

Here is supporting document from $40,000 contract:
Subject Professional Services Contract – Bay Area Coalition for Equitable Schools
(BayCES) – Dewey Academy
Action Requested Ratification of Professional Services Contract between Oakland Unified School District and Bay Area Coalition for Equitable Schools (BayCES). Services to be primarily provided to Dewey Academy for the period of October 15, 2009 through June 30, 2010.
Background Dewey Academy has invested in creating school structures that support the development of staff leadership capacity and professional learning communities for all staff. Principal Hattie Tate has expressed a desire for continued coaching support from BayCES to fully and successfully implement these structures.
Attachments + Professional Services Contract including scope of work
+ Fingerprint/Background Check Certification
+ 1nsurance Certification
+ TB screening documentation
+ Statement of qualifications
Discussion BayCES will provide coaching and technical assistance to the Principal and
Lea/PD Team around Instructional Leadership. BayCES will also coach 3-4
Equity-Centered Professional Learning Communities to focus on improving
instruction through differentiation and data-based inquiry and deepening and
sustaining a culturally competent school culture.
Recommendation Ratification of Professional Services Contract between Oakland Unified School
District and Bay Area Coalition for Equitable Schools (BayCES). Services to be
primarily provided to Dewey Academy for the period of October 15, 2009
through June 30, 2010. .
Fiscal Impact Funding source: General Purpose; Measure G not to exceed $40,000.00

Jim Mordecai

Whether or not Sports 4 Kids is a necessary program is a hard point to decide, and given the budget issues it may prove to be too expensive. But I take offense at the idea that it is a waste of money. As a teacher in OUSD for over nine years, the first of which were spent in a school without S4K and the last of which have been spent in schools with S4K, I can attest to the success of the program in making recesses more harmonious; in creating student leaders; and in teaching kids not only games but skills. I LOVE Sports 4 Kids and think Spearman’s comment was ignorant.

One of the things we can look at when we contemplate the fate of the products of the public schools is the mortality tables. I didn’t see this chart myself but I was informed once that CA Youth Authority did a study of released criminal children and saw that a very high percentage (50%?) were dead by age 30. That does sound too high to be real – I hope… And the causes of death were varied.

When you are lower class you start work earlier than the higher classes and you work with your hands and your back. You also have a shorter work career because your body gives out from use. PE can make a difference on what the kids have to make a living with. Including trying to train the black (girls??) students to avoid contracting metabolic syndrome by age 18. The physical damage/health-collapse of ghetto dwellers is strikingly different than the population of Malibu. The education & activity component of PE if they actually get the attention and class time can give kids the tools to mitigate the poor odds they are facing (and the Mexican Indians are a whole different chapter of risk and mitigation of risk).

We are not raising ghetto kids to be Drs and Lawyers – those candidates should transfer out. We are – if we are lucky – raising ghetto dwellers to be employable blue collar and technical workers for the most part (not welfare queens, addicts and prison inmates). PE is more important to their health and socialization than college prep and if we have to get rid of one program altogether in the ghetto schools it should be college prep.

And I think the depression we are heading into may just force that choice on the schools.

Anything that helps wtih the school climate helps ALL the kids at the school. When kids are active and engaged, it’s a lot easier for teachers to teach. And if we can find funding for sports4Kids and more programs like that, then we can put discretionary funds into other areas and enrichments that may not qualify for Title I.

I was out at a school this morning, so just got to the blog.

Why was I censored? I was not disrespectful in my comment regarding the budget. Is it because I used charter schools in my analogy? Or made references to Richomond high’s tragedy.

But that okay though- censure is also a high form of compliment!