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6A – Daily News – Saturday, March 20, 2010 Opinion D NEWSAILY RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U N T Y S I N C E 1 8 8 5 Haiti team back Editor: Greg Stevens, Publisher gstevens@redbluffdailynews.com Chip Thompson, Editor editor@redbluffdailynews.com Editorial policy The Daily News opinion is expressed in the editorial. The opinions expressed in columns, letters and cartoons are those of the authors and artists. Letter policy The Daily News welcomes let- ters from its readers on timely topics of public interest. All let- ters must be signed and pro- vide the writer’s home street address and home phone num- ber. Anonymous letters, open letters to others, pen names and petition-style letters will not be allowed. Letters should be typed and cannot exceed two double-spaced pages or 500 words. When several letters address the same issue, a cross section of those submit- ted will be considered for publi- cation. Letters will be edited. Letters are published at the discretion of the editor. Mission Statement We believe that a strong com- munity newspaper is essential to a strong community, creating citizens who are better informed and more involved. The Daily News will be the indispensible guide to life and living in Tehama County. We will be the premier provider of local news, information and advertising through our daily newspaper, online edition and other print and Internet vehi- cles. The Daily News will reflect and support the unique identities of Tehama County and its cities; record the history of its com- munities and their people and make a positive difference in the quality of life for the resi- dents and businesses of Tehama County. How to reach us Main office: 527-2151 Classified: 527-2151 Circulation: 527-2151 News tips: 527-2153 Sports: 527-2153 Obituaries: 527-2151 Photo: 527-2153 On the Web www.redbluffdailynews.com Fax Newsroom: 527-9251 Classified: 527-5774 Retail Adv.: 527-5774 Legal Adv.: 527-5774 Business Office: 527-3719 Address 545 Diamond Ave. Red Bluff, CA 96080, or P.O. Box 220 Red Bluff, CA 96080 Our Haiti team from Com- munity Baptist Church wishes to thank Dr. Joe Busey for reminding everyone that it is through our own sacrifices that we can make a difference there and many other places. The needs in Haiti now far outweigh the needs that were present before the quake. Our group represents a small minor- ity of well-meaning, praying and contributing members of our community. We all make a difference. Thank you for your support. Contributions can be mailed to our church's mission fund for future trips to Haiti. Bill Greer, Red Bluff Phone scam Editor: For the last three days I have received a phone call from Kingston, Jamaica, phone num- ber with 876 area code. They said I won $2 million. But when you ask how, or to just send the money they hang up. I would hate to see some elderly person get cheated in this scam. So I thought the paper could help in stopping this. Larry Rodrigue, Manton America, are you listening Editor: Voting for this health care ballyhoo the Democrats pro- pose is the greatest ruse these so-called elitists can come up with to gar- ner more money from our pock- ets. Where were our grand repre- sentatives from California when this giveaway to Nebraska and Florida was added to this fiasco called health care? If just once these idiots could put something on the floor with- Your Turn out adding perks, what a mar- velous act that would be. Get a life, Congress, or get out. Thad Blanchard Sr., Gerber Thanks Editor: I would like to per- sonally thank the Tehama Coun- ty Sheriff's Office, Corning P.D. and Red Bluff P.D. for their quick response and assistance to Glenn County law enforcement officers on Saturday, March 13. We greatly appreciate you and our entire law enforcement family. Michelle Knight, Willows Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Jim Nielsen (R), State Capitol Bldg., Room 4164 P.O. Box 942849, Sacramento 94249; (916) 319-2002; Fax (916) 319- 2102 STATE SENATOR — Sam Aanestad (R), State Capitol Bldg., Room 2054, Sacramen- to, CA 95814. (916) 651-4004; Fax (916) 445-7750 GOVERNOR — Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), State Capitol Bldg., Sacramento, CA 95814; (916) 445-2841; Fax (916) 558-3160; E-mail: gover- nor@governor.ca.gov. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE — Wally Herger (R), 2635 Forest Ave. Ste. 100, Chico, CA 95928; 893-8363. U.S.SENATORS — Dianne Feinstein (D), One Post Street, Suite 2450, San Francisco, CA 94104; (415) 393-0707. Fax (415) 393-0710. Barbara Boxer (D), 1700 Montgomery St., Suite 240, San Francisco, CA 94111; (415) 403-0100. Fax (202) 224- 0454. Speaking of public education Commentary There has been a lot about public education in the news recently, from the local to the national level. One might think that it was an important item and a lot is being done to support and improve it. In Los Molinos there is a public gunfight about what would normally be a private matter between the school and a student and the student’s family over dress code for the elemen- tary school. On the one hand the family is claiming the code isn’t fair, while on the other the school is saying its dress code is important. We had a similar argument within our family when our daughter asked when she could start wearing lipstick, but we didn’t air our disagree- ment in public, even though we were not being “fair”. Locally, as well, the usual miscommunications surfaced in the Red Bluff Elementary Dis- trict; I say usual because mis- communication is a normal occurrence during labor negotia- tions when there is no easy solu- tion to the basic fiscal problems caused by the state's ineptitude. These kinds of miscommunica- tions often make it more diffi- cult to focus on solving the real problems the district faces, and they have the potential to become personal which compli- cates the normal relationships that must resume after bargain- ing is over. I noticed that Red Bluff High School will not be offering sum- mer school this year because the district cannot afford it. Funding for summer school has varied over the last three decades, and so has the requirement for sum- mer school content. When we first came to town the high school offered Latin in the sum- mer, and several students from Mercy High School attended because that school had dropped that language because of cost. The compaction of the cur- riculum and elimination of sum- mer school means that parents and students will need to take more responsibility for student progress. This may be a positive development. Students who are behind can play some catch up at home this summer. In contrast to the normal dis- mal news about schools, Pleas- ant Valley High School has been advertizing that it is enrolling students in its International Bac- calaureate program, an advanced studies sequence of courses that can provide a high school student with credit for up to one year of college. Various organizations have been complaining they will be charged for the use of high school facilities. In the mid 1970s we had to rekey the high school because so many organi- zations had keys and felt like they could just drop by and use facilities whenever they liked; thirty-five years later the district not only has to schedule facility use for those groups, but it is finding it necessary to charge them the costs associated with the use of school facilities. There is no free lunch, as they say. A few years ago the state made a push to lower class size, particularly in kindergarten through third grade and provid- ed extra money to compensate for most of the cost of accom- plishing this; the state bragged this was a high priority. Now the state has allowed generous exceptions to the guidelines because full funding is a myth. Statewide, as well as locally, lots of folks were protesting cuts in support and increases in fees for education. The protests brought seemingly sympathetic statements from a cross section of elected officials, but no assur- ance that much could be done about the problem. The recent vagaries of state education fund- ing would be unbelievable to an outside observer who thought education was an investment in our future, proclaimed such by a supermajority of politicians. The state received bad news from Washington; it has been eliminated from the Race to the Top, the federal incentive pro- gram offering money for reforms. Given Sacramento’s recent track record in supporting schools, it was probably clear that this state was more interest- ed in receiving some money that actually pursuing reform. The state then issued its own bad news, a list of the persistent- ly lowest performing public schools in the state. No local schools were on the list, but LA Unified had more than its share of low performing schools. Local school boards sent bad news notes to over 22,000 teachers letting them know they likely will be laid off. The University of California regents have learned what “promise” means; it accepted graduate stu- dent with the promise that tuition and fees would not increase while those students were in graduate school. The 2,900 stu- dents involved sued the school and were awarded $38 million in refunds and interest. It is likely the regents will have to increase current fees to raise money for their broken promise. This is a concrete example of “future generations” paying for past errors. schools efforts to produce good citizens. The curriculum has been collapsed, and test scores are consider output rather than just one measure of what chil- dren have learned. Years ago when the standards movement was gaining momentum, a local principal asked a serious ques- tion, “Why can’t we just turn out good well rounded kids?” Joe Harrop It seems that Obama and Secretary of Education are proposing changes in NCLB; attention would be given to such things a student atten- dance and the learning climate in the school. The major goal of the new law would be that every student would graduate from high school and be pre- pared for college and a Studies were released empha- sizing the importance of having good teachers in our classrooms; large urban school districts were castigated for the expensive and inefficient processes to deal with tenured teachers who are doing an unsatisfactory job. The battle between the Washington, DC superintendent and the teachers’ union was highlighted in several magazines; the superintendent is trying to implement a more effi- cient way to dismiss unfit teach- ers. The union, which does not condone unfitness but does sup- port due process, which itself has become unfit in large urban districts. The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law is in the news again. Diane Ravitch, once an avid supporter to the legislation when she served in both the Clinton and Bush (43) adminis- trations. She says the law she once supported has distorted career. Many are questioning whether this goal is any more attainable or appropriate than the current one that everyone will be at grade level in 2014. Forty-eight states, (Texas and Alaska opted out), released a proposed set of national curricu- lum standards by grade level. The standards were well received, and it is anticipated that these standards will be adopted, becoming a de facto set of national standards. Apparent- ly Alaska’s educators were too busy hunting moose to partici- pate, and the Texas educators wanted to go create Texas stan- dards for Texans. One just has to wonder what all the energy, reports, propos- als, and law changes will lead to. My skeptical nature leads me to think of the empty results of past efforts at improving education. It reminds me of what Mark Twain said about the weather: “A great deal has been said about the weather, but very little has ever been done.” Joe Harrop is a retired educator with more than 30 years of service to the North State. He can be reached at DrJoeHarrop@sbcglobal.net.