MORE QUESTIONS: NO ANSWERS

I realize that no one owes me an explanation of what is going on in VISD, but that makes my curiosity even sharper.  The Drill Team leader, who is to be reassigned, is still on campuses and still doing some of the same work she did before.  No, she's not out there making sure that the boots are polished and the hats at the proper angle, but she is still on her original campus and completing some of her previous duties.  Since all of the hoopla came out about her being reassigned, the fact that she is still working in the same capacity should surprise me.  But, honestly, knowing how VISD is, nothing about this whole matter should surprise me. 

Will it be published when she is reassigned?  Will the charges against her be proven to be false?  This town's little paper was over run by articles concerning this drill team leader at one time and now there doesn't seem to be any follow-up. 

Expecting The Victoria Advocate to follow up on a story, now that's somewhat unrealistic, too.  So, in the meantime, I'll wait.

TEFLON: EVENTUALLY THE TOXIC FUMES ARE DETECTED

When I learned today that VISD had finally reached the conclusion that their TEFLON person in the district had to be put on Administrative Leave, I was so pleased that finally the superintendent had realized how truly toxic the whole situation was.  I do feel badly for the students and parents who work so hard and enjoy the drill team experience and blindly believed everything was above board.

Whenever a parent devotes money, time and energy to keep their child involved in an extra-curricular activity, they shouldn't have to worry whether the person in charge is putting the children's well-being above her need for recognition.  Competitions were very expensive and yet the competitions were not true indicators of talent, since the team was the only one to compete in their category. 

Fund raisers might not be a problem for students who came from families with connections at work, church and social organizations who could buy raffle tickets, sponsorships, etc. But  for the families who struggle to met their household obligations, buying/selling the merchandise was a major financial strain.  Didn't matter who you were, the fundraising was expected.  Didn't want your child to have to work at the TKB event, because beer was sold and consumed, then too bad for you. How does this say that the director cared about the students? 

If a family couldn't afford all the financial obligations, then they should just pull their child from the team?  Soon we would be left with the elite and maybe that was the plan all along.  Oh, now I understand the name of LEGACY...rich, elite and above the rules. 

Sounds like it's time to regroup and rename the team.  The "DDDR" is the Legacy?  Really, then I guess it stands for "Did Debbie Do Right?"  And the obvious answer would be a big, fat, dingle-berry, "NO!"

ONCE AGAIN TEXAS RETARDS EDUCATION

I found this quite interesting. Texas' views on education have kept public school children so far behind other states, but now Texas doesn't want to have standardized English and math classes. My thoughts, "Hey, it's gotta be better than what's going on now. What could it hurt?"

By DONNA GORDON BLANKINSHIP, Associated Press Writer Donna Gordon Blankinship, Associated Press Writer

SEATTLE – Governors and education leaders on Wednesday proposed sweeping new school standards that could lead to students across the country using the same math and English textbooks and taking the same tests, replacing a patchwork of state and local systems in an attempt to raise student achievement nationwide.

But states must first adopt the new rigorous standards, and implementing the standards on such a large scale won't be easy.

Two states — Texas and Alaska — have already refused to join the project, and everyone from state legislatures to the nation's 10,000 local school boards and 3 million teachers could chime in with their opinions.

The public is invited to comment on the proposed new standards until April 2, and the developers hope to publish final education goals for K-12 math and English in May.

The state-led effort was coordinated by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers. Experts were called in to do the writing and research, but state education officials and teachers from around the nation were actively involved.

After the standards are complete, each state will still have to decide whether to adopt them as a replacement for their existing education goals.

The stakes could be high. President Barack Obama told the nation's governors last month that he wants to make money from Title I — the federal government's biggest school aid program — contingent on adoption of college- and career-ready reading and math standards.

Already, the federal government has opened bidding for $350 million to work on new national tests that would be given to students in states that adopt the national standards.

But some critics worry the federal government, which is enthusiastically watching the project but not directing it, will force them to adopt the results.

"Texas has chosen to preserve its sovereign authority to determine what is appropriate for Texas children to learn in its public schools," Robert Scott, Texas' commissioner of education, wrote in a letter to U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. "It is clear that the first step toward nationalization of our schools has been put into place."

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which is helping pay for the effort, believes most states will value the new national standards.