Friday News Roundup

It’s Friday, so it’s time for the News Roundup.

Des Moines School Board Approves Doubling Security Spending as Part of $610 Million Budget (The Des Moines Register)

The Des Moines Public Schools have experienced three shooting deaths since March of 2022, so their school board has decided to double security spending for the upcoming budget year.

According to The Des Moines Register,

“The school board OK’d the proposed budget, including a request for $13 million in school security funds for the 2023-24 school year…”

“The security budget includes $5.85 million for items such as metal detectors, safety equipment and patrol vehicles. About $5.84 million is slated to be used for four public safety patrol officers, a dispatcher for the district’s dispatch center and 10 additional middle school campus monitors.”

Here’s the routine when it comes to school district responses (Des Moines is not an isolated case) when it comes to school shooting:

Shooting

Public outcry

School board approves budget increases for school security

No shootings

School board diverts security funds to other priorities

Shooting

Our schools won’t become safer until we do something about gun laws in this country.

We Asked ChatGPT: Should Schools Ban You? (EducationWeek)

EducationWeek asked “the question” this week of ChatGPT –

“Should K-12 schools ban the use of ChatGPT?”

Here’s the answer:

“As an AI language model, ChatGPT is a tool that can be used for a variety of purposes, including educational ones. However, whether or not K-12 schools should ban the use of ChatGPT depends on the specific content and the goals of the educational institution.”

“On one hand, ChatGPT could potentially be a valuable resource for students in K-12 schools. It can provide students with access to information and insights that they may not otherwise have, and it can also help them develop their critical thinking skills by encouraging them to evaluate the information that they receive.”

“On the other hand, ChatGPT also has the potential to be misused or abused. For example, students may use ChatGPT to cheat on assignments or tests, or they may use it to access inappropriate or harmful content. Additionally, there may be concerns around data privacy and security if students are interacting with ChatGPT using their personal devices.”

“Ultimately, the decision of whether or not to ban the use of ChatGPT in K-12 schools should be made based on a thorough consideration of the potential benefits and risks, as well as the specific policies the regulations that are in place in the educational institution. It may be appropriate to restrict or regulate the use of ChatGPT in certain contexts, such as during assessments or in areas where data privacy and security are a particular concern, while still allowing it to be used in other educational settings.”

If I was grading this essay, I’d give it an “A”.

The Difficult Work Begins: New Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson Faces Enrollment Crisis, Pension Debt (The 74)

The 74 reported this week that,

“In a generational breakthrough for organized labor and the Democratic Party’s left flank, former teachers’ union organizer Brandon Johnson was elected mayor of Chicago…”

“Ironically, however, Johnson will inherit a mayor’s office whose power over the district has begun to ebb as a result of the Chicago Teachers Union’s own success. Nearly three years of mayoral control will come to an end beginning next year, when the city will begin electing members of a 21-seat school board that the union lobbied for in Springfield, the state’s capital. By the end of Johnson’s first term, major decisions about school finance and policy will be substantially out of his hands.”

“Those decisions will be crucial to the future of Chicago Public Schools – particularly given an enrollment crisis that has seen the district shrink by more than 100,000 students since Paul Vallas’ days as CPS CEO. The resultant decline in state funding, along with significant costs associated with spiraling pension debts, will impose an unenviable fiscal crunch on the next administration.”

It seems Mayor-elect Johnson and the rest of Chicago has a freight train headed straight for them, while they are tied to the tracks because their educational system is failing them, and more importantly, most of Chicago’s young learners, especially those who are black, brown, and poor.

Texas Senate Approves Education Savings Account Bill – But House Signals a Tough Road Ahead (The Texas Tribune)

According to The Texas Tribune,

“A bill that would create a program to let parents use state funds to pay for private schools – a longtime conservative goal, a top cause of Governor Greg Abbott in this legislative session and a big concern for public education advocates – was approved in the Texas Senate on Thursday, moving one step closer to a House vote.”

“The bill now moves on to the House for a committee hearing, where it is expected to face stiff opposition. The Senate vote came the same day the House approved a budget amendment opposing school vouchers – the first indication of the tough road ahead for the proposal.”

I used to be an anti-voucher.

I’ve changed my mind.

Let’s give parents a chance to make better decisions for their black, brown, and poor kids, compared to the decisions made by state legislatures and school boards over the past 50 years of modern school reform.

Let’s just see what happens. It can’t be worse than it currently is for black, brown, and poor kids and their families across this country.

Learner choice includes the power over how money is spent.

Have a great weekend. Til Monday. SVB