Thursday, December 04, 2008

Trouble in Pleasantville

Today's Pittsburgh Tribune-Review carries a story about School Director James Fraasch and his proposal to restructure and postpone the anticipated Mt. Lebanon High School renovation project.

The story is here.

Some people will say that this story doesn't belong in the Trib; the Trib, they say, likes to pick on Mt. Lebanon any time that the paper gets a whiff of controversy here.

Wrong. Mt. Lebanon is doing a fine job of generating its own controversy. The Trib is simply there to document it. According to the Trib, when asked for her comment on Director Fraasch's proposal, School Director Jo Posti said:

"I have many questions about the assumptions on which Mr. Fraasch bases his proposal and look forward to having them answered so I can better evaluate its merits," said board member Josephine Posti. Her immediate reaction to delaying the project, though, was to consider it "irresponsible and impractical."

One school director calling another one -- even indirectly -- irresponsible and impractical?

In the words of the late, great Slim Pickens, in Mel Brooks' classic Blazing Saddles, "What in the wide, wide world of sports is a-goin' on here?"

Even if the other School Directors don't agree with the merits of James Fraasch's proposal, and even if they have questions about it, there is a well-mannered way to express civil disagreement. "Irresponsible and impractical" isn't it.

I'm beginning to think that the members of Mt. Lebanon's School Board just don't get along. Great. We are looking down the barrel of the biggest economic crisis in nearly a century; the taxpayers of Mt. Lebanon are about to be asked to sign off on a $100-$150 million investment (or not -- give James Fraasch's proposal your full attention, please!) and the inevitable, unavoidable accompanying tax increase; and we have name-calling in the newspaper when someone says "maybe that's not such a good idea."

Said Michael Douglas in The American President: "We have serious problems to solve, and we need serious people to solve them."

Two points on the merits:

One -- The high school building needs to be repaired. That train has not even boarded, let alone left the station. There is no need to rush to judgment. Sure, we could try to borrow a vast amount of money today, build a new school, and worry about the payments later. The United States tried that tactic recently. It didn't work out so well.

Two -- More important than the quality of the building, and much more important than whether the quality of the building has the same shiny tone that you see in the new Upper St. Clair high school, is the quality of the educational program. I don't want to hear about test scores and state educational standards. I want to hear from teachers that they are encouraged to challenge students; I want to hear from students that they are being challenged; I want to hear from alumni that when they got to college -- even the best colleges -- they were as prepared as anyone for the rigors of the next level.

I don't care if people choose to live in Upper St. Clair because they'd rather send their kids to school in a new building. If that's what they value, I'll help them move.

I care a lot if people choose to live in Upper St. Clair (or choose to send their kids to private schools) because the education there is better than the education in Mt. Lebanon.

And one point for the volunteer politicians, who, as I've written here before, usually deserve our thanks and praise for the thankless jobs that they do.

If you can't get along in private, at least get along in public.

To help present and future Directors manage their differences, here is a ready-made quotation that can be cut and pasted and dropped into conversations with constituents, reporters, and colleagues. It is useful and applicable regardless of the issue, regardless of its merits, and regardless of who is speaking and listening:

"Everyone on the School Board shares the twin goals of ensuring the best possible education for our children and managing the finances of the school district in a responsible and fair way. I appreciate the hard work and initiative of my colleague and look forward to constructive discussion of this and all other proposals. These are challenging economic times, and no thoughtful option should be categorically off the table. Our constituents demand that, and we're obliged to listen to them."

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11 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Why did Mr. Fraasch lay out his proposal on his blog instead of discussing it at a public school board meeting?

December 04, 2008 12:11 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Your premise is incorrect. Mr. Fraasch did indeed present his proposal during the November Audit & Finance committee meeting. Those meetings are open to the public. The blog format allows Mr. Fraasch to document and back up the opinions he has already expressed in public. I strongly encourage the other board members to do the same thing. One board member does not make a quorum. In case Mr. Fraash does not read this blog, feel free to personally ask him the same question on Monday, when he is available to speak for himself.

December 04, 2008 3:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

MM said:

"I don't care if people choose to live in Upper St. Clair because they'd rather send their kids to school in a new building. If that's what they value, I'll help them move."

If we do move, I'll gladly accept the help. Moving sucks. But the sole reason wouldn't be their shiny new high school. It could also be their shiny new athletic facilities and their ratio of Republicans to Democrats.

MM said:

"I care a lot if people choose to live in Upper St. Clair (or choose to send their kids to private schools) because the education there is better than the education in Mt. Lebanon."

My two boys are receiving a wonderful education at Markham. We accept the taxes we pay to live here because, even though they are relatively high, our kids are essentially receiving a private school education without the arrogance that goes along with it. That said, and I understand you were not implying this, things ain't all that bad a mile south of here.

From the Post-Gazette (one of America's great newspapers, have you heard?):

--------------------

Of 630 public high schools in the state, nine of the top 30 combined scores for the Class of 2006 are in Western Pennsylvania. Mt. Lebanon ranked fourth in the state, followed by Upper St. Clair, sixth; North Allegheny, 10th; Fox Chapel Area, 12th; Franklin Regional, 16th, Hampton, 20th; Quaker Valley, 21st; Allderdice, 24th; and Peters in Washington County, 29th.

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And, though I don't know if there is a quantifiable way to measure this, but I'd lay a good bit of money on the table that the parents in the above school districts are far more involved in their children's education than most...

December 04, 2008 9:37 PM  
Blogger Mike Madison said...

Bob,

I moved to Mt. Lebanon for the schools and have never regretted it. The taxes are high, but overall the value is higher. That said, I don't measure the teaching in the district by test scores (I've been involved in college admissions for 25 years, and I know better), and my kids had a fabulous experience at Markham, too -- before the elementary schools were renovated.

Mike

PS I know that this wasn't the point of my post or the primary point of your comment, but the notion that Mt. Lebanon might become so "blue" that some people would seek refuge in the "red" town to the south is ironic, to say the least, in light of Mt. Lebanon's long-standing "red" tradition.

PPS It is a shame, indeed, to read what is left of the Post-Gazette.

December 04, 2008 10:45 PM  
Blogger Jefferson Provost said...

[O]ur kids are essentially receiving a private school education without the arrogance that goes along with it.

Yeah, because nobody in Lebo is arrogant about the superiority of the schools. Especially Markham.

December 05, 2008 2:15 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Arrogance is a relative term. But I don't even see the type of arrogance you are speaking about, JP. I do see pride in the quality of the education our children are receiving. But, if you think that there is arrogance on the level of a kid or a family of a kid that attends a Sewickley Academy, Winchester Thurston or Kiski Prep you're sorely mistaken...

December 05, 2008 8:45 AM  
Blogger Mike Madison said...

On the "arrogance" point, what I sometimes see in Mt. Lebanon -- but not in Bob's comment itself -- is the assumption that Mt. Lebanon public schools are great solely by virtue of those schools being in Mt. Lebanon.

They're not. Quality is something that Mt. Lebanon has to work at, just like any other community.

I don't read either Bob or JP to disagree with my basic point, which is that the School Board and the community as a whole should not take for granted the proposition that our first obligation is to ensure that the quality of the education program is top-notch.

Facilities are part of the educational program, but it's possible to have top-notch facilities without a top-notch program. And it's possible to have a top-notch education program without top-notch facilities. If I have to choose between these two alternatives (and choice and tradeoffs are big themes in my posting here recently), then I choose the latter. Perhaps there is disagreement on that point?

December 05, 2008 8:53 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Mike, that's the most on point comment that's been made on the site in months. I'm sure if you took a poll of Lebo residents (both with school aged kids and without), I'm sure the overwhelming majority would favor a first rate education over a first rate building. And I do believe you can achieve the former without the latter. For heavens sake, Lebo High was old and tired when I went there 25 years ago . . . but my education was fantastic and it put me way ahead of the curve for college and beyond.

I hope that the Board, the administration, the teachers, the interested parents, the taxpayers, and any other interested stakeholders don't lose sight of that fundamental point during the building debate.

December 05, 2008 10:32 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am glad to see that someone on the school board is concerned about the cost of this project. Thank you Mr. Fraasch.

Citizens should also be aware about how these school costs tend to baloon over time...

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aWm38u5mLS28

Our school system is a great asset to our community, and to some degree we must continue to cultivate our strenghts. But great schools are the product of great leadership, great teachers, and invested families. You can't simply buy excellence (Yankee fans, this means you).

December 05, 2008 3:18 PM  
Blogger Mike Madison said...

Arthur's reference to the Yankees reminds me of Moneyball.

Is there a Moneyball analog for municipal government?

We need a snazzy name for it. Anyone?

December 05, 2008 4:11 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

We can be proud our school ranks third in the state at 45.1 college readiness, behind Julia R. Masterman 69.9 and Conestoga 45.9 according to U.S. News & World Report Best High Schools 2009. Upper St. Clair's index is 25.0. Even with the old facility in disrepair, our high school students continue to perform competitively.

December 05, 2008 5:10 PM  

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