These Slide Should be Viewed in Presentation Mode, One Screen Build at a Time

1. These Slide Should be Viewed in Presentation Mode,One Screen Build at a Time

2. The Learning Community Notes from the Edge

3. Outline • Representation and Local Control • What’s the Problems to be “Solved”? • Financial Shenanigans • Choose Our Fate

5. Representation & Local Control • Unique government layer for two of Nebraska’s 93 counties • Representation: • Sarpy Co. is part of two of six election districts • The “Mighty U-hook” • The “Bellevue domain” • Limited voting: You didn’t vote for half of the people elected. • Sub-district Achievement Councils -- power behind the throne • Local taxing authority removed, transferred to Learning Community Coordinating Council. • $.95, core funds from ESUs, construction, Elementary Learning Centers, misc.

6. What’s the Problems to be “Solved”? • No legislator can say: Either won’t or can’t. • Eliminate disharmony • Encroachment on small district boundaries • (Omaha) civic pride – be “innovative” • Dismal group performance – based on race • Economic status substituted for race • The “Achievement Gap”

7. The Achievement “Gap” School ABC School XYZ Student A Score: 95 Rich Student F Score: 40 Poor Student B Score: 80 Rich Student G Score: 60 Rich Student C Score: 80 Poor Student H Score: 50 Rich Student D Score: 65 Rich Student I Score: 80 Poor Student E Score: 90 Rich Student J Score: 70 Poor School ABC’s Avg. Test Score: 82 Classified as a Rich school: 20% Poor School XYZ’s Avg. Test Score: 60 Classified as a Poor school: 60% Poor The Achievement “Gap” is 22%

8. The Learning Community “Solution”(Entice students to bus to another school) School ABC School XYZ Student A Score: 95 Rich Student F Score: 40 Poor Student B Score: 80 Rich Student G Score: 60 Rich Student C Score: 80 Poor Student H Score: 50 Rich Student D Score: 65 Rich Student I Score: 80 Poor Student E Score: 90 Rich Student J Score: 70 Poor School ABC’s Avg. Test Score: 71 Classified as a Poor school: 40% Poor School XYZ’s Avg. Test Score: 71 Classified as a Poor school: 40% Poor No Academic Improvement Occurs! The Achievement “Gap” is 0%... Problem Solved!...

9. The Learning Community “Solution”(Year Two: Students Change Economic Status) School ABC School XYZ Student A Score: 95 Rich Student K Score: 45 Poor Student G Score: 60 Rich Student C Score: 80 Rich Student C Score: 80 Poor Student H Score: 50 Rich Student D Score: 65 Rich Student I Score: 80 Poor Student E Score: 90 Rich Student J Score: 70 Poor Student F Score: 40 Poor Student B Score: 80 Rich School ABC’s Avg. Test Score: 75 Classified as a Rich school: 33% Poor School XYZ’s Avg. Test Score: 61 Classified as a Poor school: 40% Poor The Achievement “Gap” returns!... 14% Student Economic Status Changes: 45% per year; 70% per 3 years Students Continue to Move into Poor Areas

10. Financials • To pay for this, adjustment to State Aid Formula floated. However, opposed vehemently by Lincoln & out-state. • Re-tooled funding source: • Sarpy County included in “Metro area solution” as a funding source. • Sarpy Co. taxpayers pay the same (or more), but receive less tax dollars going to school instruction • Two-county area loss of $8 Million of tax dollars to out-state. Overall taxes do not decrease. • New transportation mandate and “diversity plan” will siphon instructional dollars to social goals. • Overhead of new layer of government siphons instructional dollars. • Insolvency for some school districts (after hold-harmless period expires).

11. Insolvency for Some Districts

12. Choose Our Fate • Change nothing: • The default action. • Measures will show lower overall achievement; decrease in rate of growth for individual students • Decreased support for government schools – but with no alternatives • Wander around, spend money, claim some success with “more work to do”

13. Choose Our Fate • Attempt to change situation: • Difficult with current representative environment • Lawsuit – limited prediction of success • Change the terms, place, and volume – become “inharmonious” • Other ideas?