tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6090799406162032492024-02-18T23:20:54.478-05:00GREELEYVILLE by Jane PaudauxMy Opinion. My Thoughts. My Writing. My Alter-ego. And You. And the Bigger World.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger122125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-609079940616203249.post-76244104924368320742014-09-07T14:05:00.002-05:002014-09-07T14:18:27.684-05:00Greeley CO District 6 Board's Best Chance at Real ChangeIt has been a while my friends. With twenty-six thousand reads recorded I always feel an obligation to continue to check up on the well-being of education in Greeley Colorado. Rarely however am I moved to write a new post but I appreciate your emails and calls nonetheless. These are important in filling in the details and movement in District 6. <br />
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I agree there have been some good changes made over the years and this must be acknowledged. Especially in the Board of Directors changes have been significant. Plus certainly the decision to not renew Lang's contract is the highlight of all that's good in education for the town of Greeley. The chance for a superbly highly qualified and competent Superintendent with the ability to construct a well-honed team lurks on the horizon. I hope the search is extensive and the interview process inclusive of a high regard for education rather than the political dogma and ideology which has gutted the possibilities of District 6 for so long.<br />
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However some disturbing news has reached me and raises some new concerns (the reason for this posts obviously) on this topic. As such I am urging citizens of Greeley to be vigilant on the process of hiring Ms. Lang's replacement. It means everything to your child's future that this process be fair, impartial, and objective--with a formal professionalism. <br />
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The selection of Mr. Eads to Interim Director is very troubling. As I blogged on some years past, <a href="http://greeleyville.blogspot.com/2010/01/financial-crisis-or-house-cleaning-for.html">http://greeleyville.blogspot.com/2010/01/financial-crisis-or-house-cleaning-for.html</a>, for example or here <a href="http://greeleyville.blogspot.com/2009/10/part-iii-greeley-school-district-six.html">http://greeleyville.blogspot.com/2009/10/part-iii-greeley-school-district-six.html</a> as a second example; As an Interim Director with Mr. Eads tendency towards nepotism and favoritism, and I'll argue manipulation of the leadership of the Board of District 6 through the art of "Credentials over Substance", could lead to a very shaky hiring process when combined with other professional debris Ms. Lang left behind. That spells out an even bleaker future for District 6. It is time for the Board to be strong and do their own homework independently. <br />
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Emails and conversations have reached me from concerned parents who have brought some dubious actions into light--citing that those with long ties to District 6 are already feeling the tip of the sword Eads is presumed to have been given to wield. It is not a strong sign of Democratic leadership for the leader who climbs into the throne seat to first thing shed the school district of any person worthy of challenging, logically and reasonably, some of the poor positions and decisions that lurk in the District 6 history. In fact it is the sign of desperation to purge those who disagree or challenge one's authority.<br />
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To be fair, a strong and well-reasoned human resources executive, along with an objective Board of Directors should check this power surge. Sadly though these historical nepotistic trends in District 6 are not one of the positive changes the Board has driven. The wagons instead, have been circled, allowing those with questionable credentials to pick and choose their friends with even more questionable credentials and place them in high value jobs. An audit on these selective systems and managers would indeed I believe uncover a murky history or clear it once and for all. <br />
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Alas, for now, I will hold out that this newer Board will act fairly and objectively, ensuring that their Interim Director has no conflict of interest in selecting Ms. Lang's long term replacement or influencing the people who will choose that person. A truly professional process must be given the chance to thrive. While the local paper will remain a rubber stamp for the inappropriate, and some will argue, corrupt democratic shenanigans, there are twenty-six thousand others watching and reading as a force for doing what is it right--and above question. Democratic process in public institutions after all is a part of the whole job and the check and balance the public relies upon to curtail abuses of power.<br />
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I'll be one of those watching this with interest--keep those documents flowing; I'm reading with great concern; I still have family in D6 schools. :) <br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-609079940616203249.post-29851421255535739042010-08-10T17:59:00.006-05:002010-08-10T20:52:40.952-05:00Greeley District 6 CASP Scores Are Out! Not Pretty.<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:11px;"><h6 class="uiStreamMessage" ft="{"type":"msg"}" style="font-size: 13px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; word-wrap: break-word; font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Unbelievable. If you have a kid in a public school in Colorado I strongly urge parents to make both the State and Districts accountable for fully publishing these scores. It appears the State, at least, are playing them down. Too close to elections. </span></h6><h6 class="uiStreamMessage" ft="{"type":"msg"}" style="font-size: 13px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; word-wrap: break-word; font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">It looks like they have changed the display of the scoring system so results don't look so dismal. 4th grade Math D6 has moved from 33% proficiency to 40% proficiency while 25% are "partially proficient". Hah! That will get those kids a job all right in our future economy--Walmart Stockboy. It looks like they have broken out the Spanish Speaker scores. Anyway you look at it there are still 60% of 4th graders failing full proficiency in Math. </span></h6><h6 class="uiStreamMessage" ft="{"type":"msg"}" style="font-size: 13px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; word-wrap: break-word; font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">I just took a look at the Colorado State Education site. Oddly, I don't remember it being this difficult to find the CSAP scores last year when I reported on them. Most incompetent school board, District 6, and administrative staff I have ever encountered. And the community of Greeley is doing relatively nothing about it. Both Ms. Lang, Superintendent and Mr. Eads are still raking in the dough with Mr. Eads having extraordinary power for his known qualifications. It was Mr. Eads, if Greeley remembers, who put up the strange figures for the proposed 16 million dollar budget loss--that wasn't really a 16 million dollar budget loss after all but helped the Board sweep through personnel and the Teacher's Union with a wide brush and strike fear into classified personnel. After having spent, in the previous year or two, the District's reserves on software instead of saving it for an emergency prudently! </span></h6><h6 class="uiStreamMessage" ft="{"type":"msg"}" style="font-size: 13px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; word-wrap: break-word; font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Meanwhile the Teacher's Union has zero power after the Board forced it to role over while claiming budget woes and drastic cuts that turned out not to be quite so drastic after all. After the District had shed a lot of teachers, undermined the hispanic community schools, consolidated all the violent offenders in with the low performers, and clearly refused to clean house at the Administrative level.</span></h6><h6 class="uiStreamMessage" ft="{"type":"msg"}" style="font-size: 13px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; word-wrap: break-word; font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Yet few in Greeley seem to care. Why is that?</span></h6><h6 class="uiStreamMessage" ft="{"type":"msg"}" style="font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; word-wrap: break-word; font-weight: normal; "><br /></h6><div class="mvm uiStreamAttachments clearfix" ft="{"type":"attach"}" style="display: block; zoom: 1; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; "><div class="UIImageBlock clearfix" style="display: block; zoom: 1; "><a class="external UIImageBlock_Image UIImageBlock_MED_Image" href="http://www.schoolview.org/SchoolPerformance/AssessmentInfo.asp?DistCode=3120&Sch=0&level" target="_blank" ft="{"type":"media"}" tabindex="-1" rel="nofollow" style="cursor: pointer; color: rgb(59, 89, 152); text-decoration: none; float: left; margin-right: 10px; "><img class="img" src="http://external.ak.fbcdn.net/safe_image.php?d=1452820bd83d19bc627737bfba233c19&w=90&h=90&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.schoolview.org%2Fimages%2FHPButtonSP-icon.gif" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; display: block; max-height: 90px; max-width: 90px; " /></a><div class="UIImageBlock_Content UIImageBlock_MED_Content fsm fwn fcg" style="display: table-cell; vertical-align: top; width: 1000px; font-size: 11px; font-weight: normal; color: rgb(128, 128, 128); "><div class="uiAttachmentTitle" style="word-wrap: break-word; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><strong><span><a href="http://www.schoolview.org/SchoolPerformance/AssessmentInfo.asp?DistCode=3120&Sch=0&level" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="cursor: pointer; color: rgb(59, 89, 152); text-decoration: none; ">Assessment Data & Results</a></span></strong></div><a href="http://www.schoolview.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" style="cursor: pointer; color: rgb(59, 89, 152); text-decoration: none; ">www.schoolview.org</a><div class="mts uiAttachmentDesc" style="margin-top: 5px; word-wrap: break-word; color: rgb(128, 128, 128); ">Colorado's state assessment system includes three different types of assessments to measure student achievement. The main assessment used in the state is the CSAP, which assesses students in reading, writing and math state standards in grades 3 through 10. The CSAP science assessment is also given...</div></div></div></div></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-609079940616203249.post-68647234590033090772010-04-29T12:19:00.002-05:002010-04-29T12:20:20.326-05:00Oh Where, Oh Where....Jane has left the building for now. I'll be back.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-609079940616203249.post-83390277099003491612010-03-29T17:59:00.010-05:002010-03-29T18:42:57.566-05:00Greeley School District 6 Cuts Government and World Culture RequirementsGreeley Colorado's infamous school district, District 6, has been busy putting the finishing touches on the mountain of financial cuts the Board has declared as needed. It began, if you recall, with a panicked forced contract on teachers to save money, grew into a dire 15% round of emergency cuts, and has ended with an actual 6% shortfall for next year. That shortfall as I stated earlier could have been almost covered with reserves had the reserves not been questionably spent earlier.<div><br /></div><div>In addition to bullying the teacher's union, firing the District's Human Resource Director and replacing him with a her from the inside, the District has taken on the consolidation of "under-utilized" schools according to Mr. Wayne <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Eads</span>--the janitor turned operations manager. One consolidation move places alternative students together under one roof at Jefferson. Hence forth parents will be happy to know that students who have a low performance academically will now be attending the same school as kids who have violent histories and have already been, or their next stop will likely be, Platte Correctional Center. </div><div><br /></div><div>Additionally District 6 has removed Government and World Cultural Geography from graduation requirements and made them "electives". Whether or not the school will continue to fund teachers for these courses every term is also "elective". From this year forward students, our future community leaders and citizen voters, may actually be able to get out of high school without learning ANYTHING at all about government process and people from other parts of the world--formally. What a great plan.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the meantime there is a lovely discussion going around the community that these cuts have been based on the "best guesses" of people like Mr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Eads</span> and a few accounting studies on utilization rates. It has yet to be seen what Ms. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Ranelle</span> Lang, the Superintendent does to earn her pay (see earlier posts on Mr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Eads'</span> inflated role in D6), and why educational outcome studies were not used to base the financial cuts upon. It is very easy to surmise without these studies being published, without Ms. Lang standing up in front of the public in an open question and answer forum or appearing in front of D6 teachers, that the whole hoopla this year, following the failed voter initiative, has been a timely recessional scare tactic for cleaning house at D6.</div><div><br /></div><div>Only problem is the good old boys are still running the show. They just aren't being very transparent about what is happening. They'd do well I suspect in the corporate private world. It is too bad they've been given a public institution to play with.</div><div><br /></div><div>But nonetheless the Good Old Boy Board and Administration have made some changes and are in the process of shedding thirty-five employees and putting even more propaganda out in favor of themselves and Ms. Lang within the community. No one is talking education outcomes.</div><div><br /></div><div>And who'd ever guess by the gutting of World Cultural Geography that <a href="http://www.blogger.com/Here%20is%20the%20article%20on%20Ranelle%20Lang%20from%20Nebraska's%20Journal%20Star.%20Here%20is%20a%20second%20link%20to%20an%20earlier%20piece,%20looks%20like%20a%20public%20relations%20piece,%20on%20Lang%20interviewing%20in%20Nebraska.">Ms. Lang</a> had the wonderful relationship, as stated in her N<a href="http://www.blogger.com/Here%20is%20the%20article%20on%20Ranelle%20Lang%20from%20Nebraska's%20Journal%20Star.%20Here%20is%20a%20second%20link%20to%20an%20earlier%20piece,%20looks%20like%20a%20public%20relations%20piece,%20on%20Lang%20interviewing%20in%20Nebraska.">ebraska job interview process</a>, with the local Hispanic community and its leaders. Which leaders would that be Ms. Lang?</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, Tahoma, Verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal;font-size:16px;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div>Ms. Lang's home town wouldn't take her back so she may well be around now when those educational scores start coming in during the next two years. Only the Greeley Tribune and the lack of community interest will be able to paint those numbers pretty.</div><div><br /></div><div>Accountability for poor decision making doesn't fall just on the Board. The community willing to roll over and play intellectually dead while all this goes on around them has to take some hit too. This is what happens when politics and ideology are allowed to embed themselves into a community's public institutions. It doesn't matter what the politics are about or whose side they are on--it is deadly to the outcome. </div><div><br /></div><div>In this case Greeley's kids will pay the price for a very long time and those in the senior community, with few options to leave, will be able to serve as witness as services dwindle away and the various crime rates rise as happens with communities without viable opportunities for their citizens to succeed.</div><div><br /></div><div>And the crowning cherry on the top of this muddy mountain? The District is buying its textbooks from Texas. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-609079940616203249.post-33087402793308007762010-03-04T13:36:00.009-05:002010-03-04T14:07:42.960-05:00Should We Concentrate On Building Better Teachers in Greeley Colorado?Greeley-Evans School District 6 is my idea of a good example. It is a "hiring" problem. But that's not all. The article below on Building Better Teachers shared from the New York Times talks about the problem in common terms we can all understand. Although that isn't the only reason it is a great article. The article looks at the complexity of the problem of measurement and attaching pay to that measurement. Very long but a worthy read for the profession, for parents, and for voters. It focuses the debate on change in a reasonable and identified target area.<div><br /></div><div>I am thinking about the content a lot. For me a hiring problem, like the one I have described underlying Greeley District 6's problems (these are performance problems prior to the fall back in State and Local Taxes), is a management problem. To say that hiring a good Human Resources Director is crucial kind of undermines our common dislike of such people. And most people I know are just happy to have a warm personality in the job. But this job is so very important to a large organization and developing a productive strategy and atmosphere we should get beyond the stereotypes. I've had to do this job and I've got to say there is a good reason the personality types tend to be cool and distant. It also clarified to me why Unions are a good thing to have around as a check and balance. It is not a fun job when all the human drama in an organization gets dumped on your lap and, personally, I didn't find many rewards in it except I was forced to learn an abundant amount of regulations which come in handy. Along with the various methods large organizations use to shed nonperforming employees, measure performance, and how to build a rubric for, and assess, candidates for new positions. Oh, and I know how to read 'ERISA' language and understand the 401k statements before I went to business school. That helped in a course or two.</div><div><br /></div><div>There are three million teachers in the United States. Unless the merit pay (or similar) idea is used I don't see how education expects to only attract the cream of the crop. As I have said earlier in this blog--some of your teachers are bound to be average. In fact the bulk are likely to fall under the curve.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm not convinced either that really low performing districts shouldn't start with the management and the semi-skilled ideologues running the show. Train the human resources department at least. The Director can help train the Boards. </div><div><br /></div><div>I get the measurement idea but the most effective teachers have something beyond mechanized skills in their pocket. They have spontaneous innovation and a vast breadth of learned material to draw upon. This could be addressed by better education of teachers. I stayed in a fifth and sixth year, before it was "cool", to do so in order to take the courses they didn't make the teachers take. I took the advanced math, genetics, chemistry (the professor thought I was nuts enrolling in bonehead course when I didn't have to), and later pursued upper level economic courses.</div><div><br /></div><div>Still I remember clearly one of the questions on the teaching credential test. It isn't much of a math test certainly. "If Sue bought a car in 1973 and Bob purchased a car in 1978, how much older would Sue's car be than Bob's in 1980?"</div><div><br /></div><div>But I digress. On to the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/07/magazine/07Teachers-t.html?em">article</a>. I'll post a couple paragraphs below from the beginning. And spread it around please. </div><div><br /></div><div>"<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 22px; font-size:15px;">But when it came to actual teaching, the daily task of getting students to learn, the school floundered. Students disobeyed teachers’ instructions, and class discussions veered away from the lesson plans. In one class <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Lemov</span> observed, the teacher spent several minutes debating a student about why he <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">didn</span>’t have a pencil. Another divided her students into two groups to practice multiplication together, only to watch them turn to the more interesting work of chatting. A single quiet student soldiered on with the problems. As <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Lemov</span> drove from Syracuse back to his home in Albany, he tried to figure out what he could do to help. He knew how to advise schools to adopt a better curriculum or raise standards or develop better communication channels between teachers and principals. But he realized that he had no clue how to advise schools about their main event: how to teach.</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 22px; font-size:15px;"><p>Around the country, education researchers were beginning to address similar questions. The testing mandates in No Child Left Behind had generated a sea of data, and researchers were now able to parse student achievement in ways they never had before. A new generation of economists devised statistical methods to measure the “value added” to a student’s performance by almost every factor imaginable: class size versus per-pupil funding versus curriculum. When researchers ran the numbers in dozens of different studies, every factor under a school’s control produced just a tiny impact, except for one: which teacher the student had been assigned to. Some teachers could regularly lift their students’ test scores above the average for children of the same race, class and ability level. Others’ students left with below-average results year after year. William Sanders, a statistician studying Tennessee teachers with a colleague, found that a student with a weak teacher for three straight years would score, on average, 50 percentile points behind a similar student with a strong teacher for those years. Teachers working in the same building, teaching the same grade, produced very different outcomes. And the gaps were huge. Eric <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Hanushek</span>, a Stanford economist, found that while the top 5 percent of teachers were able to impart a year and a half’s worth of learning to students in one school year, as judged by standardized tests, the weakest 5 percent advanced their students only half a year of material each year."</p></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-609079940616203249.post-47619312272499489252010-03-03T10:19:00.010-05:002010-04-29T12:19:01.432-05:00Charter Schools, Standardized Testing, and Conservative Ideology Under the SpotlightGreeley Colorado District 6 has been championing expanding Charter Schools, as has, to be fair, the Obama Administration. For me Charter Schools are usually (not always) a political bone to throw to the predominantly wealthier classes to segregate their kids from those "not like us". Greeley's District 6 "dramatized" cuts are falling predominantly on the minority and poorer schools in Northern Colorado. <div><br /></div><div>Let's face it the poor just don't vote or are easily misled to vote against their own interests. Greeley's School Board isn't the first to be swayed politically, whether consciously or unconsciously, and won't be the last.</div><div><br /></div><div>But this article caught my eye this morning. A leopard changing spots? A product of conservative "balance the checkbook and ignore long term consequences" policy think tanks is learning from long term outcomes? If true it is a bright spot in a long dark tunnel. There is a reasonable place for both short and long term perspectives.</div><div><br /></div><div>I don't think I was the only child who heard their grandmother experienced voice reflect, "Moderation in all things, Baby-doll."</div><div><br /></div><div>Okay, maybe not the "Baby-doll" part. That's mine.</div><div><br /></div><div>Yet we stake out our polar positions and hold on for dear life it seems even when we realize the crowd has passed us by and isolation and rot is creeping in. Here Dr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Ratvich</span>, a 'leading' educational policy maker steps out of her mold. Politically well timed to be sure but there is obvious progress being made and that is just terrific from my viewpoint.</div><div><br /></div><div>Schools belong to their communities. Public goods, like education, fail in the free market ideals of America and should not be thrown into the private sector like chump change. They are simply too important to be left to corporate America and the "you-get-what-you-can-pay-for" feudal ethos. </div><div><br /></div><div>It is a great article. I encourage those on both sides of the Charter School article to read it. It will take a long time before the middle-classes let go of their indoctrination on testing and privatizing schools but it is a start. I've haven't posted general articles for a while but this one is really a bright spot to see coming forward. </div><div><br /></div><div>"<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 22px; font-family:georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size:15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">These and other experiences left her increasingly disaffected from the choice and accountability movements. Charter schools, she concluded, were proving to be no better on average than regular schools, but in many cities were bleeding resources from the public system. Testing had become not just a way to measure student learning, but an end in itself. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 22px; font-family:georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size:15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 22px; font-family:georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size:15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">From the </span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/03/education/03ravitch.html?pagewanted=1&hp"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">New York Times</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"> online.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 22px; font-family:georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size:15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 22px; font-family:georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size:15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">"...“The new thinking saw the public school system as obsolete, because it is controlled by the government,” she writes. “I argued that certain managerial and structural changes — that is, choice, charters, merit pay and accountability — would help to reform our schools.”</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 15px; font-family:georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size:10px;"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.467em; font-size:1.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">In January 2001, Dr. </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Ravitch</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"> was at the White House to hear President </span><a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/b/george_w_bush/index.html?inline=nyt-per" title="More articles about George W. Bush." style="text-decoration: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">George W. Bush</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">outline his vision for No Child Left Behind, which Congress approved with bipartisan majorities and which became law in 2002.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">“It sounded terrific,” she recalled in the interview.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">There were signs soon after, however, that her views were changing. She had endorsed mayoral control of New York City schools before Mayor </span><a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/b/michael_r_bloomberg/index.html?inline=nyt-per" title="More articles about Michael R. Bloomberg." style="text-decoration: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Michael R. </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Bloomberg</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"> obtained it in 2002, but by 2004 she had emerged as a fierce critic. Some said she was nursing a grudge because close friends had lost jobs in the mayor’s shake-up of the schools’ bureaucracy.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">In 2005, she said, a study she undertook of Pakistan’s weak and inequitable education system, dominated by private and religious institutions, convinced her that protecting the United States’ public schools was important to democracy.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">She remembers another date, Nov. 30, 2006, when at a Washington conference she heard a dozen experts conclude that the No Child law was not raising student achievement.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">These and other experiences left her increasingly disaffected from the choice and accountability movements. Charter schools, she concluded, were proving to be no better on average than regular schools, but in many cities were bleeding resources from the public system. Testing had become not just a way to measure student learning, but an end in itself."</span></p></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-609079940616203249.post-12534016305729458632010-02-28T15:40:00.005-05:002010-02-28T16:08:08.003-05:00Greeley's Superintendent Ranelle Lang Interviews for Lincoln Schools JobRanelle Lang, Superintendent of Greeley-Evans School District 6 apparently had an interview this last Thursday for a new job in her native Nebraska. A couple of local papers have published some of her comments. I've posted a piece below and also provided the link to the entire article.<div><br /></div><div>I've also heard back from the State on the comingling of Special Education funds. D6 is consolidating its Special Education programs. Special Education funds are often "restricted" funds and must be spent only to meet the specific needs given. Indeed both State and Federal funds must be spent on the intended purposes but they only cover 2/3 of the total expense. Local funds cover the remaining 1/3. Comingling funds then with general funds, to the extent of my knowledge, would likely then be difficult to trace and probably acceptable up to some degree such as funding the facilities. If anyone has anything additional on the topic, please feel free to call or post. </div><div><br /></div><div>Here is the <a href="http://journalstar.com/news/local/education/article_a79abadc-2282-11df-8fff-001cc4c002e0.html">article on Ranelle Lang</a> from Nebraska's Journal Star. Here is a second link to an earlier piece, looks like a public relations piece, on <a href="http://journalstar.com/news/local/education/article_b1587fee-1cdf-11df-a1da-001cc4c002e0.html">Lang interviewing in Nebraska</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div>"<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><strong style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: bold; font-style: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; ">On recruiting a diverse staff</strong></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 18px; ">Lang said the Greeley district, which is more than 50 percent Hispanic, has worked hard to recruit a diverse staff. She's hired two principals whose native language is not English.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 18px; ">And, she said, the district has started a leadership group for non-Anglo teachers and those who speak two languages.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 18px; "><strong style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: bold; font-style: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; ">On creating minority partnerships</strong></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 18px; ">Lang said she meets regularly with members of the Hispanic community in Greeley, and the district has created alternative programs to work with a wide variety of students. The district also has opened a welcome center where families can go to get all their children enrolled in school.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 18px; ">"It's really important that every single student is welcome and accepted and they feel like school is a place for them."'</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 18px; "><br /></p></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-609079940616203249.post-79289588489722688572010-02-23T02:42:00.013-05:002010-02-23T19:43:43.746-05:00One Notch Higher for Greeley Colorado District Six ParentsMy general opinion of the people living in Greeley Colorado's District 6 Schools jurisdiction just went up a notch last night after watching several adults and teens give the School Board of District 6, and Superintendent Renelle Lang, a common sense check on the true nature of their jobs: education. It is all about education of course. It is not about diminishing education so you can report to the State you've balanced your checkbook. But needless to say, following what was supposed to be organized as a "public hearing" the Board didn't flinch and went ahead with their intended plan to circumvent, anticipated, but as yet unkown, shortfalls in funding.<div><br /></div><div>This Greeley District 6 School Board sat stonefaced last night in the middle of frigid Northern Colorado for about forty-five minutes while they heard brief commentaries from the public concerning the closure and realignment of different schools to help cover the implied 12% shortfall they will be facing in next year's budget. The shortfall may only be about 6% but it looks like the board has already decided and may have already begun spending the funds, according to some sources, to do a <a href="http://greeleyville.blogspot.com/2010/01/financial-crisis-or-house-cleaning-for.html">full house cleaning and realignment</a> after years of poor decision making complicated by a recession. The budget crisis of course will cover their tracks with the general voter and parents and the new, lowered, graduation requirements will push off some of District 6 duties onto local community colleges and remedial programs thereby lowering District 6's future expenses.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN1SVOKN2ASi44AKz-mTeETTk6uDrJxSMTA9CDCdafDfrphjVAAbssZtxrqiBkgR0SegMsRRm7ZQ4Qffwb2dRCyaqrtWDerMgv-u-LcngzdLRVTQAm7npwcBaAxNUI9MFOvf0rq6jGqJdB/s320/Wholeboard.jpg" /></div><div><br /></div><div>Throughout the meeting, much of the board looked about as interested in what the speaker's had to say as a Kindergartner would be in reading Tolstoy.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">One student, called to speak, got up and addressed the board and spoke about the process of her own enlightenment and growing up to overcome earlier mistakes and decisions made. Then she went on to explain, politely, to the Board how she conceived their actions on lowering graduation requirements. "...makes me feel like I'm not good enough."<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPjSIcg8utXUKgTpfRK991DPhe64KZ3hw9ySjgG-aovxYQj_CZHWVUfqpBK2To3ZWr9Of28eq76EpN1XRO3HH-O6_Q6OcGyCCIBiCKf6MXypip4BfBRmpQ_ylhWYKqSad4w6cbHcwSZH5s/s320/Lang.jpg" /></div><div><br /></div><div>Another student, Melissa from Central High School, presented the ice-pop board with a petition with 248 signatures on it which endorsed holding the current expectations in place. That is 248 teenagers telling the board "Don't lower the bar" we deserve and need better for our futures and to be competitive in finding jobs. </div><div><br /></div><div>Board member Hinze looked several times, with his hand on his chin, like he would fall asleep out of having to endure the session.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6AnWfwlbT2xyzo3EkQbLGJZ_Osk_rjv7QW66e1RLHNIBuP2Lk0rfg6LC0QRW3us8KBPXFuvrn5nDmlYvAIv5wc9ivYIYNxX_W1H_dEF-15PHhyphenhyphenHPayYV2rVvkujRI4LmicPh_xEpOpaeL/s320/Hinz.jpg" /></div><div><br /></div><div>Ranelle Lang, never having to, nor having had as far as I know, to face public scrutiny, the teacher's union, or general public questions sat on the far end with a strange pasted on smile and took notes once in a while to show she was engaged in what the students were mentioning.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Face the World Exchange Student program put forth several exchange students currently enrolled who will face the prospect, now, of not being able to graduate. Their instructor/supervisor of the Exchange program was very polite and considerate of the board, as was everyone who spoke, but she pleaded with the board to at least allow the students to walk at graduation. </div><div><br /></div><div>I kept thinking, in private business, this would be called a substantial breach of contract.</div><div><br /></div><div>I regret I didn't get the first woman's name who spoke before the Thompson but her summary, polite and eloquent, ripped open the heart of the matter. These cuts are falling on the minority and impoverished populations. There haven't been any serious discussions of educational outcomes in a District already failing in education outcomes. Property values will plummet in the closed school areas. Students will be burdened with a sense of disruption, absent decent literary resources in the Districts that need them the most, and additional staffing aide cuts will likely ensure that new mammoth school with a lot of problem students thrown-in will turn into a cesspool. (Cesspool comment is mine, I am not as generous with the Board's job performance as the speakers were). And especially poignant was the woman's point that the communities being targeted were the least likely to speak out in defense of their own needs.</div><div><br /></div><div>Another man, older, again I didn't get the name--I apologize, spoke about how the school Cameron had been targeted every time the District made cuts. Appears it isn't the first time the District 6 Board has carved more deeply into the poor and minority communities in Greeley. The speaker also noted that other solutions were available and had not been actively pursued.</div><div><br /></div><div>But, by far, the best moment of the meeting was the eloquent delivery by the Thompson family coupled with these other adults during this "public hearing". The forty-five minutes designated turned into an actual reality of about 30. There is a wonderful irony here of the work the Board does on numbers--but I'll leave that alone for now.</div><div><br /></div><div>Mr. Thompson stole the show for me. He spoke sandwiched between his eloquent daughter and wife. I'll paraphrase his words commenting about the changes to these specific neighborhood communities and the breaking up of his daughter's "family", "You, board members, have an ethical duty here to perform your job in a diligent manner and to listen, <i>really listen</i>, to what the public says here tonight and the impacts you are choosing to make on the education of the community--we elected you."</div><div><br /></div><div>Indeed. Bravo Mr. Thompson. Can we get a member of your family to run for school board next year?</div><div><br /></div><div>But listen they did not. In the regular school board session immediately following the vote was unanimous to give a green light to Mr. Eads, the ex-janitor turned operations supervisor's plan to consolidate schools. I've worked with many boards, served on many boards, and been in the audience listening to many boards--body language was clear, if polite, during the public session "The decision is done. Do we really have to sit here and listen to the public?" Not even the ill-famed Brett Reese made a peep during the session.</div><div><br /></div><div>In total, several students of District 6 along with parents and one, brave, educator faced the board and each were allotted three whole minutes to speak about the effects of this change on the entire lives of the students the District serves. I declined to submit to the sign-up intimidation sheet to make my comments as I knew I could express my thoughts through this blog and with only thirty minutes allotted I thought it appropriate to give that time to the other community members and teachers present. They did a much better job.<div><br /></div><div>About forty adults and teens filled the room. Two reporters were present. I handed the reporters a question about funding and had a short conversation with them. I am awaiting a formal response from the State on that same question but it hasn't come through yet. I'll publish when it does. </div><div><br /></div><div>This is the first time, outside a regular board meeting, which I am aware of that the full board and Ms. Lang were in front of the public. But comments were restricted to those that had signed up. I learned of the meeting just a short time before it started and was told by a teacher that comments had been restricted to written ones presubmitted. That was not exactly the case. And when asked whether, considering it was a "public hearing", if the general public could comment at the meeting, a dour faced Board President said, "No" and held up the written comments shifting them around to put them in his proscribed order. </div><div><br /></div><div>It was a pleasure to note that there were at least some more professional activity in the room. I was offered the opportunity to sign up to comment by, I am assuming, a staff member or assistant, who located me in the audience after my question. Also Ms. Trimberger came up to me at break and offered a kind and willing ear. </div><div><br /></div><div>The humorous moment in the room came when the President of the Board, Bruce, fumbled the name of a District employee--the educator/librarian who lectured the board on depriving specific communities of very critical literacy sources. The woman eloquently and politely, with heavy undertones, reminded the Board President that she is important enough and been around long enough that he should be able to get her name correct.</div><div><br /></div><div>The animosity between employee and employer was pretty clear if my take on her undertone was correct. I admire her for saying her peace. I know of other employees who felt too intimidated and are already in fear of losing their jobs through budget cuts to speak. Admittedly, I giggled. But I also felt just a moment of compassion. As someone who has managed hundreds of staff--and is horrible with name recall, I learned the lesson years ago that bobbling employees names is impolite at best. </div><div><br /></div><div>Practice Bruce, practice. Your charm is loosing its appeal, and effect, rapidly in the outer community as well. It was my assumption, and pretty obvious that the Board was jumping hoops and had already likely made their decisions, if not, already spent funds towards this direction.</div><div><br /></div><div>However to be fair the rest of the audience didn't seem to mind the time limits or the fact that the Board and Ms. Lang weren't taking questions or replying. This must be a new breed of public hearing. There were earlier sessions where the board broke up the public into four separate meetings spread across the town with one or two board members at each taking questions. I don't believe Ms. Lang has ever openly and professionally addressed the public. This is especially appalling to some given her salary and position that she leaves this responsibility to "others". For teachers, imagine having a "boss", unwilling to address you as a group.</div><div><br /></div><div>It was an odd meeting for me. I have never seen a public meeting quite so civilized. It was like sitting in church. The audience didn't chat very lively and at first there wasn't any audience interaction after a speaker said their peace. There was only one pro-consolidation speaker. A student spoke positively about the consolidation. Certainly I wasn't looking for a tea party style meeting or town hall debacle but I have never seen anything so demure, controlled, and unconducive to bringing out public commentaries.</div><div><br /></div><div>But still my respect for Greeley citizens rose a notch tonight. At least some are willing to step up to the plate and speak of the higher responsibilities of the community. Bravo. Kudos to everyone. Now if we can only get these community members on the board.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Board has a tough job and a huge mess to clean up, mostly of their and previous Board's making. You have to hire the people with the appropriate skills and lose the buddy-buddy-hire-me-I'm-just-like-you system. Education should not be a political and special interest playground for any ideology. I hear, through teachers, the District canned the Human Resources Director. I don't know what the reason was they wrote on paper. Nor should I or the teachers be privy to that information--but good job. I am fairly sure his salary was high enough to tide him and his family over better than some in the community are doing. One ideologue down and a few more to go.</div><div><br /></div><div>Of course it depends on their choices and process in finding a replacement whether or not this is the beginning of real change in the District or if it is just moving around the pea under new shells.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lincoln Nebraska School District, Ranelle Lang's home territory, in search of a new public schools administrator, keeps hitting this website looking for Ranelle Lang's contract. Hopefully to make her an offer she can't resist. Personally I think the Greeley Colorado District 6 should send a copy to them with blessings on their new hire.<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-609079940616203249.post-92214518784200995792010-01-25T02:08:00.012-05:002010-01-25T11:05:11.182-05:00Financial Crisis or House Cleaning for Greeley District 6 Schools<div style="text-align: left;">Cutting budgets is never easy. Particularly when you are talking about cutting out two hundred jobs in an already economically ravaged town. Yet, there are better approaches and poorer approaches. It isn't clear yet just what approach Greeley District 6 is applying but it already doesn't look pristine. What is certain is that the School Board and Superintendent Lang of Greeley Schools District 6 are facing a serious financial reworking of the District or they are being cagey about cleaning house (restructuring/downsizing). </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Maybe a little of both, eh? An interesting question isn't it.</div><div><br /></div><div>After having read through the <a href="http://www.greeleyschools.org/site_res_view_template.aspx?id=17057cbc-2605-4124-983b-4a3d95d6e912">school district's audited financials report</a> and the budget for the upcoming year, as posted on the District's website, I've been crunching some figures and noting some things that leave me with a lot more questions about the approach the long troubled District has taken.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><i>(Before you keep reading, for those of you who like to skip the pertinent informational numbers--the conclusion is in the bottom three to four paragraphs. So is the District Administrative Organizational Chart.)</i></div><div><br /></div><div>First of all I'd like to note that only 39.1 percent of students in this district tested proficient last year in math. 39.1 percent, grades 3-10 from the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">CASP</span> scores according to an October 2009 budget presentation that Mr. Wayne <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Eads</span> prepared for the board (it is available on the D6 website). I'll come back to Mr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Eads</span>, Chief Operations Manager, later on in the article but for now let's concentrate on the numbers. This leaves a bit over 60 percent of the students as <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">nonproficient</span>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Writing: 45.4 percent tested at or above proficiency. Well if we use the bell curve it doesn't seem too bad but I don't recall the theory behind education stating that more than 50% of students will not need to be proficient. </div><div><br /></div><div>No doubt there are those that will blame the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">writing and reading issues on immigrant children. That argument is a whole bucket of water complete with holes. If true then the proficiency rate trend would hold similar in all districts with nonnative language speakers. ESL learners tend to be convenient political scapegoats. But we will give D6 administrators the benefit of the doubt on reading and writing simply because they have enough problems without that one.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>But math? Math? The universal language. Come on people. There are more than just financial problems in the District.</div><div><br /></div><div>Okay, let's move on to the next area. Ms. Lang cites up to <a href="http://greeleyville.blogspot.com/2010/01/greeley-colorado-district-6-school.html">$16 million in cuts </a>may be needed in her letter delivered to staff last week through email. Shocking isn't it. No, not that Ms. Lang didn't have Mr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Eads</span> write the letter, but that $16 million is a whole lot of money to most folks.</div><div><br /></div><div>But that $16 million it isn't so big when you put it up against the <a href="http://www.greeleyschools.org/site_res_view_template.aspx?id=92872fbe-4020-437c-aaf6-ab12448cb47e">total budget</a> (revenues in the audited financials in 2009: $162,618,011) and examine the other budget figures for District 6 as prepared by, not the Finance Officer, not the Superintendent, but Mr. Wayne <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Eads</span>, Chief Operations Manager. If you take a quick peak at the organizational chart at the bottom you'll see finance, oddly, falls under his dominion.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>In 2009 budgeted reserves are $3,443,442. That is down from 2006 when reserves for general purposes (restricted reserves can not be used for general purposes) was $11,232,259 *Mr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Eads</span> notes "We have been spending our reserves on instructional tools." The State of Anti-Education Colorado isn't too happy about the "state" of the reserves. Mr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Eads</span> declares "This is a clear warning from the state that we are spending more than we are getting in revenue."</div><div><br /></div><div>Or would that be that the District is making poor spending choices? Flip-a-coin.</div><div><br /></div><div>The District is actually seeing a 2.97% revenue increase this year after restrictions the School Finance Act puts on the money reducing the overall increase. Student growth needs have already been calculated into the budget, again, according to Mr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Eads</span>, the custodian turned Operations <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Director</span> turned District Teacher Contract Negotiator turned Budget Analyst turned District Spokesperson turned School Board Advisor.</div><div><br /></div><div>What does Ms. Lang do for her $180,000 + salary+ perks besides manage a grouping of Principals? </div><div><br /></div><div>Mr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Eads</span> total revenue column lists $134.3 million (this comes from Mr. Eads presentation on the current budget rounds not the audited financials quoted above from 2009). This is an increase of $5.9 million from the previous year. The audited statement, of 2009, if I am reading it correctly has a total of $165 million as actual revenues received by the District. I have no explanation for the difference. I imagine a possibility is unanticipated revenue that came in during the year (a windfall), increase in federal funding for that year, Mr. Eads is eliminating restricted funding, or the State cut that amount from the District. Take your pick or make up your own reasoning.</div><div><br /></div><div></div><blockquote><div>The district maintains eight different governmental funds. The major funds are the General Fund, the Capital Reserve Fund, Designated Special purpose Grants Fund, and the Bond Redemption Debt Service Fund. (p. 14 of the Annual Audited Financial Statement for 2009)</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Mr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Eads</span> goes on in the slide presentation to list new funding items expected in the upcoming year to cost $1.65 million. He then goes on, in October, to talk about hearing about a 10% <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">shorfall</span> and ponders, "What are the consequences of an actual 10% reduction in the District's budget?"</div><div><br /></div><div>Now it starts getting more interesting, well at least for me, as Mr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Eads</span> 'brilliantly' reduces a grossly complex budget into two simplistic categories so, I am assuming, the Board, made up of common Greeley folk, can grasp it better. Expenditures are 87% People (note Ms. Lang changes this in her letter to employees as PERSONNEL COSTS) and 13% All non-salary items which are listed as Utilities, Fuel, Textbooks, Computers, Office Supplies. </div><div><br /></div><div>Okay so where are all the other expenses such as insurance, consultant fees (who are not personnel), maintenance, grounds keeping, etc? Did Mr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Eads</span> leave these out or figure they were just too complex for the Board to grasp things other than certain types of expenditures? Are they in restricted funds (which would maybe explain the above referenced thirty million dollar change in revenues)?</div><div><br /></div><div>Mr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Eads</span> then goes on to advise the Board, "If a 10% reduction were imposed among all employee groups we would have to lay off at least 200 employees. Class sizes would increase. Programs and services would be reduced." He goes on to give slight scenario examples, advise to the board on broader economic consequences to employees and the community, and lays out criteria and a timeline for how to proceed.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Gee, and I thought the Superintendent did all this work with the support staff. Guess not. So an Operations Manager is left to decide or recommend the cuts to the budget which will threaten learning outcomes for 19,300 students? Why are we paying Ms. Lang again? Public Relations? Fundraising? Oversight of the Teacher's Union? Um, I don't see any evidence of activity in these areas. She has the equivalent of a CFO, an Operations Manager, a Public and Community Relations Manager, a Human Resources Person, a Security Advisor, and an Assistant Superintendent plus more. </div><div><br /></div><div> I'd like to see <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Ead's</span> resume and both Mr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Eads</span> and Ms. Lang's job description please... thank you very much.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Let's visit the number relationships now. $16 million, the maximum predicted shortfall of revenue is, rounding numbers, right at 12 percent of Mr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Eads</span> $134 million dollar budget. It is about 10 percent if you use the $165 million dollar budget figure (rounded up) from the audited return mentioned above (available on the <a href="http://www.greeleyschools.org/home">D6 website</a>).</div><div><br /></div><div>So here are my thoughts. Do with them as you wish. I am not an accountant and there is certainly room for reasonable explanations in rebuttal here. If we could only get Ms. Lang present to answer questions.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>The 10% figure does not sound as significant as $16 million dollars when put in the context of the whole budget. Although I can understand why they would put the shortfall out in concrete terms rather than a percentage. After all math proficiency in the District isn't great. If all areas of the budget receive a universal 10% reduction what would the effects be?</div><div><br /></div><div>Why not go to the public and ask for specific help in raising funds to save specific favored programs? Why not make cuts in the "upper-crust" schools as deeply?</div><div><br /></div><div>Here is another radical idea, if 87% of the costs are personnel based then why not encourage those able to do it to take a 10% reduction in compensation for a period of one year. Hence saving a little over $14 million with 100% participation and saving 200 jobs (according to Mr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Eads</span>). It is a radical idea and rather a pushy one. Those making $180,000 a year, like Superintendent-What-Does-She-Do Ms. Lang would be sacrificing $18 thousand while a custodian like <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">Eads</span>-Used-To-Be, probably paid $18,000 a year or so would be sacrificing $1,800. On the flip side of the argument, the $1,800 would probably bite into essentials a lot more for the custodian than the $18,000 that wouldn't go into Ms. Lang's savings account. Alternative or future year benefits could be promised if better solutions develop. Although the Board's "promises" haven't proven to worth squat in <a href="http://greeleyville.blogspot.com/2009/10/is-greeley-district-six-school-board.html">contract negotiations</a>.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>So, why all the hoopla about consolidating schools, closing off buildings, selling buildings, and major changes? Hoopla is easy to create when there are other economic crisis in play throughout the State of Colorado and the Nation. Sometimes people have the tendency to overreact. Of course if you are one of the two hundred employees who have now been told job cuts are on the way a big reaction should be on the table. The sky is falling, the sky is falling, said Chicken Little.</div><div><br /></div><div>But what if it's not. What if the crisis is only a 10% crisis, as compared to say a "huge" crisis. Let's put Chicken Little away for a moment and play out another scenario. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Greeley has a school district which has had some very hard times and made some very poor financial decisions in the past. In my own personal view the main issue in the district is poor hiring choices (<a href="http://greeleyville.blogspot.com/2009/10/part-iii-greeley-school-district-six.html">see my prior posts on the topic</a>) that have left the district riddled with semi-skilled <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">ideologues</span> and a "good old boy" network. They've made some improvements in the last couple of years with some minor administration changes and new Board members. But more changes are needed. </div><div><br /></div><div>So I have to ask myself if I am a board member and have spent a couple years researching the problems and have identified the need to drastic changes to correct previous errors of judgment, how would one do that? Politely ask people to leave so you could replace them with more qualified staff and downsize the facilities? Somehow I don't think that would go over well. </div><div><br /></div><div>The problem becomes clearer. How do you make the needed changes when faced with 87% of your costs in personnel and most of that backed by a Union--where you have to have a substantial and documented objective reason for firing someone? Laying someone off due to economics is an easier route. Additionally firing classified staff gets even easier if the Union has been substantially weakened through failed contract negotiations and faces little public sympathy in an era of recession in a working-class town. In fact, considering the District has <a href="http://greeleyville.blogspot.com/2009/10/new-contract-offerred-to-greeley.html">forced contracts onto the teachers</a> that are only one year in duration, for this current school year, it might be substantially easier. So easy that teachers may have almost no recourse at all. Political enemies are next on the list. </div><div><br /></div><div> And then, finally, the house is clean and ready for a fresh start and the people mainly responsible for the problems in the first place get another turn at another go at fixing things without direct accountability or consequences for the initial errors.</div><div><br /></div><div>Okay, I am not an attorney. I wish I had stayed awake during my fund accounting courses. The above is a conspiracy scenario and a rather scary one to consider. I have been through a restructuring myself and I have also been in charge of restructuring a couple of smaller corporations. I know how the strategies in management can be played out. It doesn't mean, they are playing out. But appropriate questions should be asked of the Board and their employee, Ms. Lang. Or perhaps Mr. Eads is the one to be questioned. I also know that there are presentations I haven't seen and documents I haven't read. I do not have any experience at management levels in a government supported organization. I also don't know the true legal ramifications of the contractual failures. And, truly, the Board is in a very difficult place any way you look at the situation. </div><div><br /></div><div>Fixing both past and present errors in judgment and shortfalls with an open and forthright agenda would be the humane approach. Well, maybe not for the Board but certainly for the employees and community. Hiring highly skilled people to complete the downsizing would be sensible. </div><div><br /></div><div>Establishing a written criteria for selecting people to be laid off based on a combination of actual performance, tenure, job duties, etc., would go a long way towards ensuring that the above scenario has not one bite of reality in it. A preliminary plan for educational quality recovery might be the next best comforting thing. How does the District go forward after the debacle.</div><div><br /></div><div>Other things on my mind, where is Ms. Lang when the community needs to hear her professional assessment of the state of education in Greeley? Is direct oversight of the Principles and Associate Principles a good use of her time and skills during this crisis? Why is Mr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">Eads</span> signature on the cover letter of the Audited Financials in lieu of Ms. Lang's? Did Ms. Lang purposely not sign the audit? Is there another signature somewhere? Why is Mr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">Eads</span>, on the organizational chart, the supervisor of the finance officers in lieu of the Planning and Accountability Manager supervising this department? Maybe an ex-custodian has the qualifications, experience, and skills required to be in this position over a $134 million dollar budget. Maybe not. Personally, I'd feel a whole lot better if the information was coming out of Ms. Lang's mouth and not Mr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">Eads</span>'. At least I'd have a more complete picture of whether she has a handle on this mess. </div><div><br /></div><div>There are 19,300+ students counting on us to get it right.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:large;">The District 6 Organizational Chart--from the Audited Financial Report</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;">(If you double click on the chart it might open up into a bigger window. If not the chart can be found inside the audited financials on the District 6 website linked above.)</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0lMZW0pzCZb4HjiB05KABVNrbsV78p5tMkxpykkggGGjazL2_sB6vGXzGRnqp8NGP4ipGqCINwmehXhKI4NU_6UeFnauyQ4-DYwLOrULUzPK15u2xKiARVQ7sm8eoSYfrECGrmG4ubfda/s400/District6orgchart.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-609079940616203249.post-30555042320885387732010-01-23T17:50:00.014-05:002010-01-24T19:46:26.751-05:00Greeley Colorado District 6 School Superintendent: Up to $16 Million in Cuts<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Ranelle</span> Lang, Superintendent of Greeley Colorado District 6 School system, has proposed that all department heads produce multiple budget scenarios preparing for cuts of anywhere between eight, ten, to twelve percent or more according to a letter distributed by email (so much for Ms. Lang's personal touch and consideration) to District 6 employees.<div><br /></div><div><blockquote>Strength is what we need locally over the next several months and even years. We have significant challenges. The State of Colorado, reeling from the recession, must severely reduce the amount of money for K-12 education. These cuts will result in us having to pare $9 <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">million</span> to $16 million from our budget for the 2010-11 school year.</blockquote></div><div><br /></div><div>Have those department heads been given any guidance on what to trim? Is the least favorite employee to go? Do they not see the need for this program or that? Out it goes. Who is Captain of this ship anyhow? Where is the strategic planning for the budget cuts? Is the public going to be allowed to determine cuts? "Let's lose educating all those poor and brown people because they are, well, poor, and brown." What a recipe for disaster.<br /><div><br /></div><div>What Ms. Lang doesn't mention is any culpability on District 6's administrative watch. Relying on the fact that people assume all school districts are facing cuts is not quite the same as illustrating the depth of the problem and the history of the problem in D6 schools. Where are the reserves Ms. Lang? In economic good times reserves are created to be spent to soften the blows in economic downturns. Will you be voluntarily taking a twenty percent pay reduction for your own part? Will Mr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Eads</span>, the custodial worker turned manager of operations turned administrative mouthpiece, be turning over his spacious and elegant official digs to save facility costs? Will the administrative offices be closed and the paper-pushers be given a seat in the back of an overcrowded classroom? Will the expansive payroll department be moved to a smaller, less costly, outside facility?</div><div><br /></div><div>My beef isn't that Colorado is facing a downturn, although Ms. Lang would be well advised to understand the nature and trends in the recession before writing about it, it is that not once, in this letter or any other pseudo communication does the primary mission of the District rule the pages. All signs point to the fact that the Board and Administration in place do not have the skills to be managing a sinking ship. A fully floating ship might be fine under their direction but the 'Shari Lewis Lamb-Chop approach' to fixing this situation is really hard to stomach.</div><div><br /></div><div>Education. It is about education. Education is the goal here folks. Money is the tool to achieve the goal but the goal must still be met.</div><div><br /></div><div>Will jobs be lost and will that impact the surrounding economy? Of course it will. It doesn't take a college degree to figure that out. But it does take some intellect, some integrity, and a whole lot of spine to ensure that the cuts made impact the outcome of the educational integrity of the school district in the least intrusive way. And it takes even more character than that to admit that D6 has created, with poor management choices, a much bigger problem than any other school district faces. The voters of Greeley shouldn't escape being chastised either.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is what Ms. Lang isn't discussing--educational outcomes. She is discussing people. She is discussing shared sacrifice between the adults and she is discussing ways for the community to help balance the checkbook. She isn't discussing educational impacts. She isn't discussing the fact that each student in this district is going to pay a price much bigger over time than any adult will be likely to pay.</div><div><br /></div><div>District 6 already performs dismally. What is 20% less efficient than dismal?</div><div><br /></div><div>Ms. Lang needs to be challenged to prove she is worth the money paid. Stand up to the crisis. Demand that educational value be delivered. Hold classes on the field if needed. Go camp on the doorstep of the legislators. Send the kids in who will be paying the price of these cuts for years if not decades. Let them march on Denver. Make them visible so they too can be counted.</div><div><br /></div><div>Extend the school district into red tape and then let the State explain why it demands the board fire you when you are doing your job of educating the public--and defend yourself with that fact. Is the State really going to subsidize those oil & energy company interests when it has education bills to pay? It is extreme but then again so is the situation and the voters of Greeley just don't get it. They are looking at the checkbook online rather than the objective. They are mad because the checkbook doesn't balance! </div><div><br /></div><div> Who cares about educational quality? </div><div><br /></div><div>Meanwhile, behind the curtains, the job is simply not being done--seeing to the education of the youth in this district even when the tools to do the job are not being provided. Get a backbone and make EDUCATION the priority. Do something. </div><div><br /></div><div>Do anything besides disappear from view and write comfort letters while the executioner runs the guillotine 24/7. Superintendent is a leadership position. The job is to see to the education of the youth and to communicate needs to the community in a way that is clear, concise, and delivers an accurate assessment of needs and brings home the bacon. The community and the State's job is to fund the means to make it happen. The Board's job is to see Superintendents have the tools to do their own job. Put the consequences where they belong on these groups and not upon the backs of the very students without resources in the first place to fight the political battles.</div><div><br /></div><div>We can fund the military complex but not education? We can fund prisons but not education? We can fund <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Wal</span>-Mart but not education? What is wrong with this picture? Leaders need to point to the failings of the system not be a jockey on the horse that dissembles the education system for the underclasses. And sometimes it takes a whole lot of courage to stand up and point to the real priorities.</div><div><br /></div><div>And, by the way, it would also be nice if Ms. Lang attended to the job in person instead of distant, touchy-feeling letters of heart felt consideration as heads of your organization are about to cut off other heads with the axe. Be real. Look the people in the eye and tell them that education is the most important thing to provide when cuts come calling. Look them in the eye and tell them that you truly feel for them while you spend your own corporate salary and Mr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Eads</span> gives operational management suggestions for cuts that will effectively slaughter what remains of the quality of education in this district.</div><div><br /></div><div><blockquote>"I am also certain about this: Together we will figure this out. We have no choice given the cards we have been dealt."</blockquote></div><div><br /></div><div>Really? From behind a desk you are going to develop <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">camaraderie</span> with those who will suffer? Have you talked to the kids that are about to be thrown into larger class sizes, lose their favorite teachers, or will be turned away by their college of choice because they need remedial coursework just to be accepted? Have you commiserated with those teachers who had a contract forced down their throats or did you send Mr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Eads</span> to do the dirty work? Go to the Greeley Education Association meetings and face the music like a professional should and bring Mr. Eads.</div><div><br /></div><div>Okay, I'm done with this rant. You asked for my input Ms. Lang and I have given it. In the same cold impersonal way you've delivered your messages. In writing.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-609079940616203249.post-67362991742234519882010-01-14T18:44:00.007-05:002010-01-15T00:22:14.796-05:00The Guillotine is Rolled Out For Greeley Schools District 6Greeley's District 6 Administration and Board are in the process of organizing spring cleaning. Schools are being scheduled to be shut. Cameron will see its head roll. Jefferson is being merged. Just what that means I am not certain. It appears to mean that all the alternative students and "problems" will be stuffed into one school. Cuts are coming, to the best of my knowledge, to every area except the top run of administrators and to the middle-class white schools like Christa McAuliffe Elementary. <div><br /></div><div>The kids who need the most attention, require specialized help, are lower performers in general, some from homes with fewer resources--rounded up and stuffed into one facility. What could go wrong? The newest teachers in, with the freshest skill set, may be the first out. <div><div><div><br /></div><div>In the meantime it isn't clear how extensive operational cuts will be. The Operations Manager has been busy making recommendations and it appears the board is following his lead regardless of the impact on the quality of learning. Still no public appearance by Ms. Lang and her $200 thousand plus a year income.</div><div><br /></div><div>Teachers have, or were, wearing black shirts to represent the day the Board enforced a contract upon them.</div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA-jAKN1hS7ZKt74CHMoHaeayOR-2VqyPy1oKsk-rtAWj4nkvLjpF2eEv16e_9-pm5Xwy5eNf-kFSxaSTcaFz02uTk9kz9mEZm-Ekjm4A1L3vzrlIUDVo3bz7o76NhFeEnIp2cmkq5DGOY/s200/photo-(1).jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 108px; height: 200px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426770244938237362" /><div>The local teachers union appears to be either overwhelmed or under performing. The mainstream media isn't covering it from a teacher's angle. The concept that the Union has been broken by the Board certainly is real from my own perspective. The public isn't likely to come to the side of the teachers when they have just dumped the plea for more public funds down the drain. And Greeley citizens as a whole do not seem willing to put pressure on the administration to make cuts across the board rather than to focus on some demographics that are not popular.</div><div><br /></div><div>In general, it is pretty clear that the youth of Greeley are not a priority for the taxpayers. And, in my opinion, it is pretty clear that the Board, Ms. Lang, and Mr. Eads are using the opportunity to clean house. Heads on the chopping block will be the newly hired, political enemies, and any job where a highly skilled person is drawing a realistic salary and can be replaced by a common "Joe".</div><div><br /></div><div>Of course the State is demanding cuts and probably demanding that a plan be developed and submitted to the State. Mr. Ritter, a pseudo-Democrat, is focused on the Republican agenda for the State budget even though he has decided not to be elected. We can only hope that someone will be reviewing this plan that has the guts to stand up for what is best for the education of the students.</div><div><br /></div><div>You don't have to be a genius to figure out that if the State removes a million dollars or more from the local budget that it would serve to take out jobs which reduce incoming taxes even further which grows the problem instead of helping resolution. In the meantime while expenditures are being reduced the number of students requiring an education doesn't change. They are all still there at the doors waiting for their opportunity to enter the adult world workforce with a half-baked education and compete with other communities for real wage paying jobs.</div><div><br /></div><div>All in all it is depressing. The future of Greeley has just been flushed down the toilet and the public doesn't seem too distressed or too informed. I think it is time to call in the State. It is time for parents to go sit outside the Governor's door. It is time to take the students along too and show them the political process and how it works when the government doesn't pay attention to the needs of the future and/or is willing to force certain segments of the population, without as much political power, to bare the brunt of poor ideology, planning, and the cuts that are the natural consequence thereof. The Greeley District 6 Administration and Board is obviously not up to the task, overwhelmed, and willing to make cuts not in the best interest of education but in the best interests of what an Operations Manager recommends. The top level administrator isn't willing to face the public or the bulk of the district's employees. The cuts have already been politicized and are likely to continue in that direction. </div><div><br /></div><div>Just where is Ms. Lang the District Superintendent? Doesn't the public deserve to meet her face to face and have her explain her reasoning and position. After all Ms. Lang, so it seems, will be retaining her job and her contract. Shouldn't Ms. Lang have to look the teachers, staff, and operations people in the face and explain to them why they have been selected to have their careers pulled out from under them? Ms. Lang should earn those big bucks and take on the big responsibilities--regardless of how hard they may be. </div><div><br /></div><div>The one advantage, in all this mess, possible is that the people, to the best of my knowledge, who have been hired in the past for low wages based on ideology without the appropriate skills for the job, advanced on the basis of politics rather than educational best interests, could be forced to leave. The "good-old-boy network" could be dissembled in mass firings and rehirings only, unfortunately, the "good-old-boys" are doing the firing and rehiring.</div><div><br /></div><div>Hence the call for the State to step in.</div><div><br /></div><div>So the picture I paint here isn't pretty. The subject isn't getting the media and public coverage it deserves. The local fish-wrap is just an extended arm of the public relations sector of the District. Of course to be fair there isn't a good solution to be had and times are tough. But the cuts and changes are being driven less by the best interests of education than by political interests and naive extremist chopping block-watch-the-heads-roll maneuvering. That, or it is being driven by sheer panic and a lack of consensus on what to do. These administrators are over their heads and don't have the skills to deal with the situation in a fair and objective way. Special hires need to be made who have the background skills and objectivity for educational purposes.</div><div><br /></div><div>Hence the call for the State to step in, again.</div><div><br /></div><div>Which all leads me back to the supposition, how many times can I say it, it is time for the State to come in and take over the management of Greeley Colorado's infamous District 6. For the sake of the students, the classes in Greeley without political power, the future of Greeley itself, and also for the sake of the taxpayers. Somebody needs to do the real job, the whole job, and do it with the least politics and the maximum professionalism.</div><div><br /></div><div>And where is Ms. Lang?</div><div><br /></div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-609079940616203249.post-28572602322782471362009-12-17T10:41:00.004-05:002009-12-17T10:52:59.845-05:00Howard Dean's Recommendation for the Current Senate Reform Bill<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">This comes from today's Washington Post Editorial by Dean. Oddly I couldn't find any share links on the article or I would have just posted it to Facebook. So I am putting it up on Greeleyville instead. The commentary I read initially covering Dean's role was a bit snippy. The impression I got was that the writer held that President Obama had stiffed Dean and left him out of the cherry roles in the administration. Therefore Dean is now playing the role of rogue liberal and can rally people to not back the bill rather than towing the party line. </span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">I am not sure I buy into this analysis. It may be an odd concept but perhaps Dean is just stating the reality of how many people feel. I don't see it as a particular political strategy but it could certainly have those connotations to the inside circle. That is the problem with politics. It doesn't really matter whether the intent is there for Dean. If those "in-the-know" game players think the intent is there then they manifest it on the rest of us and the painting of a controversial relationship between Obama and Dean becomes our perception as well. A new reality so to speak. The real strategy, in my mind, is the need to create tension or increase tension when it already exists because that is what sells the news.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Here is my favorite paragraph from Dean's editorial. The whole thing is rather short and sweet but I thought this paragraph poignant. I hadn't realized that the preexisting conditions segment had been used for gain as well.</span><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/?reload=true"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"> Here is the link to the entire piece</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">.</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"> "Real health-care reform is supposed to eliminate discrimination based on preexisting conditions. But the legislation allows insurance companies to charge older Americans up to three times as much as younger Americans, pricing them out of coverage. The bill was supposed to give Americans choices about what kind of system they wanted to enroll in. Instead, it fines Americans if they do not sign up with an insurance company, which may take up to 30 percent of your premium dollars and spend it on CEO salaries -- in the range of $20 million a year -- and on return on equity for the company's shareholders. Few Americans will see any benefit until 2014, by which time premiums are likely to have doubled. In short, the winners in this bill are insurance companies; the American taxpayer is about to be fleeced with a bailout in a situation that dwarfs even what happened at AIG."</span></blockquote></span></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-609079940616203249.post-72195372776108053342009-12-16T15:40:00.007-05:002009-12-16T16:58:39.253-05:00Health Reform: Senator Joe Lieberman Skewered by Ann TelnaesThus far, the best indication of Senator Joe, Let-the-Poor-Die, Lieberman's take on what he would like the health care bill to look like comes from a searing Washington Post Cartoon done by Ann <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Telnaes</span>. She disembowels the Senator using his own words and a few well placed pen lines dancing to modern technology's tune. I've posted the link to the cartoon below along with Ann's Bio on the Washington Post.<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/opinions/cartoonsandvideos/telnaes/telnaes12152009.html"></a><blockquote><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/opinions/cartoonsandvideos/telnaes/telnaes12152009.html">Senator Joe Lieberman skewered by Ann <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Telnaes</span><br /></a><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:11px;">Ann <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Telnaes</span>, who was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning in 2001, has published her work in newspapers and magazines around the world. Her cartoons have been exhibited at the Library of Congress, in Paris and in Jerusalem and have been collected in two books, "Humor's Edge" and "Dick.</span><br /><div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div><div>On the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-kieschnick/ignore-lieberman-to-win-r_b_394479.html"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Huffington</span> Post</a>--the best quote I've seen in print yet although I heard something very similar expressed by our own Ed Craig.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 20px; font-family:Georgia, Century, Times, serif;font-size:13px;"></span></div><blockquote><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 20px; font-family:Georgia, Century, Times, serif;font-size:13px;">If I wanted Joe Lieberman to write health care reform, I would have voted for John McCain.</span></div><div></div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 20px; font-family:Georgia, Century, Times, serif;font-size:13px;"></span>Later in the post, this tidbit of information</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 20px; font-family:Georgia, Century, Times, serif;font-size:13px;"><blockquote>The Trojan Horse at the center of the Senate's health care package is the mandate that people without health insurance be forced to purchase it from private health insurance companies or pay a fine. And the dirty secret of the package is that the price they will be paying is quite high - like up to 10% of income. So the way that we move along the path towards greater coverage is that the taxpayers and poor and working class people pay more to the insurance companies. What part of this is the "good"?</blockquote></span></div><div><br /></div><div>I haven't seen the 10% data in a first source document anywhere but if that is true just imagine Santa Claus coming down the chimney for the insurance industry with 10% of all working class <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">American</span> paychecks in his sack for all the good little greedy toads and toadies in Insurance Land. I'd quit and take my blanket and lie on the steps of the Senate before I'll be shackled to an insurance company, private or nonprofit. </div><div><br /></div><div>Good grief, both <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8405125.stm">France and Britain</a> have dared to work together to fine and limit their banking industry and America can't even find the spine to tell the Insurance Companies they have to compete to survive? I think the American Senate has been paying <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucy_van_Pelt">Lucy van Pelt</a> for advice. </div><div><br /></div><div> In the meantime Howard Dean is calling in an Op-Ed piece on the Washington Post for a No-Vote on the now worthless reform bill and for the Senate to start over again. On a <a href="http://www.standwithdrdean.com/">Dr. Dean site</a> there is a form for submitting a supportive statement to the tune of </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; font-family:Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><blockquote>Give America a choice. We support <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">healthcare</span> reform that allows individual Americans to choose either a universally available public <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">healthcare</span> option like Medicare or for-profit private insurance. A public option is the only way to guarantee <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">healthcare</span> for all Americans and its inclusion is non- negotiable.</blockquote></span></div><div><br /></div><div>From Susie <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Madrak</span> on the <a href="http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/howard-dean-says-forget-bipartisan-he"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">CrooksandLiar's</span> website</a></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><p></p><blockquote><p>WASHINGTON -- Howard Dean said a public health insurance option is more important than bipartisanship, and that Democrats should pass health-care legislation that includes the option with 51 votes if necessary.</p><p>Dean added that Democrats should have "no intention" of working with Republicans if it's not the strongest possible legislation that could be passed with a simple majority.</p><p><strong>"If Republicans want to shill for insurance companies, then we should do it with 51 votes," Dean said during a news conference at the first day of the liberal America's Future Now! conference here.</strong></p><p>Dean, though, also praised what he called President <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Obama's</span> "realist" approach to trying to pass health care reform.</p></blockquote><p></p></span></div><div>If you want or need a quick lesson on how the "media" can get their own private agenda across without a word just take a look at this <a href="http://www.zimbio.com/Howard+Dean/articles/7CjtR8uzfcN/Howard+Dean+Says+Health+Care+Reform+Bill+Scrapped">site</a> and the picture of Dean the site has chosen to put up discussing his views on health reform. </div><div><br /></div><div>Speaking of the media, here is a <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Statement-by-the-President-on-the-Health-Care-Reform-Legislation-Introduced-in-the-House-Today/">nice clip from the White House (Obama) </a>on the House bill passed this summer. Note the words "...all Americans..." not "SOME" Americans. What happened to your Senate President Obama? </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:12px;"><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">"I thank Chairmen </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Rangel</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">, </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Waxman</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">, and Miller for their hard work on this bill that fundamentally reforms the health care system. As this process moves forward, I look forward to continuing to work with all House members in ensuring this legislation helps all Americans and plays an essential role in reducing deficits and bringing fiscal sustainability to our nation."</span></blockquote></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><br /></span></div><div>Searching on Thomas, Library of Congress, I came across the text for December 15, 2009 that I have posted at the end of the blog. But before I post this blog-o-information clips, I thought I'd share my own poignant morning discovery. I went into Fort Collins to visit the Harmony Campus Lab to get a routine blood test ($150) done for my doctor's appointment tomorrow. I was told at the receptionist's desk I'd have to show a photo ID to the nurse. The people in front of me were told the same thing.</div><div><br /></div><div>Excuse me? This is not a plane. I haven't read any terrorist threats lately to blow up <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Poudre</span> Valley anything. It is a place of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">healthcare</span> where people go to be cared for and to gain comfort. It is a place where people who take the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Hippocratic</span> oath work. It is not your friendly, give me your data, your ID, your social security number, your health care history, your fingerprints--so I can give it to the authorities to make sure you are going to put in your 10% to the Christmas Fund for the Insurance Elites type of place. Doctors do not swear to treat people only if they pass the photo identification test. If don't have an ID do you not pass go? Do you not get medical treatment? Maybe they can just do a skin test to see if you are brown and legal. If the medical center is really nice they can lay down a doormat in the foyer and allow the really sick and undocumented to die on a nice comfortable mat. Or the homeless, take your pick. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Really, while my rhetoric may be a bit extreme, the privacy invasion is getting out of hand. Do we surrender our individual identities in the name of efficiency? We didn't surrender it in the face of Redcoats, the Confederacy, or the Nazis. Are we going to do it under the guise of </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">healthcare</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"> reform? I sure hope not. Electronic records may be a step towards efficiency but there are some things that are just not for sale in America. And never should be.</span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Here is the text page of amendments. I am not sure why I am posting this here. Maybe I am imagining that there is some one out there who can decipher and make sense of this process. From my read through it looks like the Senate is making a mountain of regulations designed to control the initial development of what the press have referred to as the "nonprofit option". This option was batted about to negate the need for a true public option. I </span></span></span><a href="http://greeleyville.blogspot.com/2009/08/health-care-cooperatives-not-good.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">wrote on this topic</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> a couple of months ago suggesting it was a really bad way to produce quality care but a great way to ensure that private insurance"and medical care organizations would face little competition or reform. Here it looks like they are trying to develop the structure for a model to then be used nationwide. I could be wrong.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I repeat... I could be wrong. So if there is anyone reading with a clearer understanding of the process of amending Senate bills and you want to take a shot at it--please feel free to correct my interpretation.</span></span></span></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><center><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b></b></span></span></span></center><blockquote><center><b><a href="http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?r111:5:./temp/~r111vYTWQZ:e214865:"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">TEXT OF AMENDMENTS -- (Senate - December 15, 2009)</span></span></span></a></b></center><hr /><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">``(2) </span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">EXCEPTIONS</span></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.--The following rules shall apply to a proposal transmitted pursuant to paragraph (1):</span></span></span></p><center><pre><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">[Page: S13274] </span></span></span><b><a href="http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getpage.cgi?dbname=2009_record&page=S13274&position=all"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><cite><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">GPO's</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">PDF</span></span></span></span></cite></a></b></pre></center><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> ``(A) </span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ACHIEVING TARGET</span></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.--The requirement under subsection (c)(2)(A)(i) shall not apply.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> ``(B) </span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">REQUIRED INFORMATION</span></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.--The proposal shall not include--</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> ``(i) recommendations described in subsection (c)(2)(A)(i), pursuant to subsection (c)(3)(B)(i); or</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> ``(ii) an actuarial opinion by the Chief Actuary of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services certifying that the proposal meets the requirements of subsection (c)(2)(A)(i), pursuant to subsection (c)(3)(B)(iii);</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> ``(C) </span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">CONTINGENT SECRETARIAL PROPOSAL</span></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.--The Secretary shall not submit a proposal if the Board fails to submit a proposal pursuant to subsection (c)(5).</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> ``(D) </span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">CONGRESSIONAL CONSIDERATION</span></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.--</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> ``(i) </span></span></span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Subparagraphs</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (A) and (B) of subsection (d)(3) shall be applied by substituting `subsection (c)(2)(C)' for `</span></span></span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">subparagraphs</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (A)(i) and (C) of subsection (c)(2)'.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> ``(ii) </span></span></span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Subparagraphs</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (D) and (E) of subsection (d)(3) and subsection (d)(4)(B)(v) shall be applied by requiring a simple majority rather than three-fifths of the Members duly chosen and sworn.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> ``(iii) Subsection (d)(4)(B)(iv) shall not apply.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> ``(iv) Subsection (d)(4)(C)(v)(II) shall be applied by substituting `subsection (c)(2)(C)' for `</span></span></span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">subparagraphs</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (A)(i) and (C) of subsection (c)(2)'.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> ``(v) Subsection (d)(4)(E)(iv)(II) shall be applied by substituting `subsection (c)(2)(C)' for `</span></span></span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">subparagraphs</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (A)(i) and (C) of subsection (c)(2)'.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> ``(E) </span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">SECRETARIAL IMPLEMENTATION</span></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.--Subsection (e) shall not apply and the Secretary shall not implement the recommendations contained in the proposal unless the Secretary otherwise has the authority to implement such recommendations.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> ``(h) </span></span></span><em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Annual Report With Recommendations With Respect to the Private Sector</span></span></span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.--</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> ``(1) </span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">IN GENERAL</span></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.--Not later than July 1, 2014, and January 15, 2015, and annually thereafter, the Board shall submit to Congress, the Secretary, and the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission a report that includes recommendations on--</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> ``(A) requirements under the program under this title (or requirements included in the proposal submitted under this section in the year); and</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> ``(B) in the case of any report submitted in a year after a determination year (beginning with determination year 2017) in which the Chief Actuary of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has made a determination described in </span></span></span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">subclause</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (I) or (II) of subsection (c)(3)(A)(ii), other requirements determined appropriate by the Board;</span></span></span></p><p></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> that should be included in the requirements established under section 1311(c) of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act for a health plan to be certified as a qualified health plan, such as requirements that improve the health care delivery system and health outcomes (including by promoting integrated care, care coordination, prevention and wellness, and quality and efficiency), decrease health care spending, and other appropriate improvements</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> ``(2) </span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">INCORPORATION INTO CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS</span></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.--</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> ``(A) </span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">IN GENERAL</span></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.--The Secretary shall review the recommendations contained in the report submitted to the Secretary by the Board under paragraph (1). The Secretary may, if determined appropriate, incorporate such recommendations into the requirements for certification under such section 1311(c).</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> ``(B) </span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">REPORT TO CONGRESS</span></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.--Not later than December 31, 2014, and June 15, 2015, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the application of </span></span></span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">subparagraph</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (A). Such report shall include, with respect to each recommendation contained in a report submitted by the Board in that year, a description of whether or not the Secretary incorporated the recommendation into the requirements for certification under such section 1311(c), and if not, the reasons why.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> ``(3) </span></span></span><b><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">MACPAC</span></span></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.--The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission shall--</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> ``(A) review whether or not recommendations contained in a report submitted to the Commission by the Board under paragraph (1) would improve the Medicaid program under title XIX and the Children's Health Insurance Program under title XXI if implemented under such programs; and</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> ``(B) include in the Commission's annual report to Congress the results of such review.''.</span></span></span></p><p> </p><p> <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">SA 3241. Mr. CARPER (for himself, Mr. </span></span></span><em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Conrad</span></span></span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, and Mrs. </span></span></span><em><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Shaheen</span></span></span></span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to amendment SA 2786 proposed by Mr. </span></span></span><em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Reid</span></span></span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (for himself, Mr. </span></span></span><em><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Baucus</span></span></span></span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, Mr. </span></span></span><em><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Dodd</span></span></span></span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, and Mr. </span></span></span><em><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Harkin</span></span></span></span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">) to the bill H.R. 3590, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to modify the first-time </span></span></span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">homebuyers</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> credit in the case of members of the Armed Forces and certain other Federal employees, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:</span></span></span></b></p><p></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> On page 722, after line 20, insert the following:</span></span></span></p><p> <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">SEC. 3016. INTEGRATED HEALTH CARE SYSTEM COLLABORATION INITIATIVE.</span></span></span></b></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (a) </span></span></span><em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">In General</span></span></span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.--In order to improve health care quality and reduce costs, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (in this section referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall develop, in consultation with major integrated health systems that have consistently demonstrated high quality and low cost (as determined by the Secretary and verified by a third party) a collaboration initiative (referred to in this section as ``the Collaborative''). The Collaborative shall develop an exportable model of optimal health care delivery to apply value-based measurement, integrated information technology infrastructure, standard care pathways, and population-based payment models, to measurably improve health care quality, outcomes, and patient satisfaction and achieve cost savings.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (b) </span></span></span><em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Participation</span></span></span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.--Prior to January 1, 2010, the Secretary shall determine 5 initial participants who will form the Collaborative and at least 6 additional participants who will join the Collaborative beginning in the fourth year that the Collaborative is in effect.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (1) </span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">INITIAL PARTICIPANTS</span></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.--Initial participants selected by the Secretary shall meet the following criteria:</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (A) Be integrated health systems organized for the purpose of providing health care services.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (B) Have demonstrated a record of providing high value health care for at least the 5 previous years, as determined by the Secretary in consultation with the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (C) Agree to participate in the Medicare shared savings program under section 1899 of the Social Security Act, as added by section 3022, the National pilot program on payment bundling under section 1866D of such Act, as added by section 3023, or a program under the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation under section 1115A of such Act, as added by section 3021.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (D) Any additional criteria specified by the Secretary.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (2) </span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">ADDITIONAL PARTICIPANTS</span></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.--Beginning January 1, 2013, the Secretary shall select 6 or more additional participants who represent diverse geographic areas and are situated in areas of differing population densities who agree to comply with the guidelines, processes, and requirements set forth for the </span></span></span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Collaborative</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">. Such additional </span></span></span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">participants</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> shall meet the following additional criteria:</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (A) Be organized for the provision of patient medical care.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (B) Be capable of </span></span></span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">implementing</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">infrastructure</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> and health care delivery </span></span></span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">modifications</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> necessary to enhance health care quality and efficiency, as determined by the Secretary in </span></span></span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">consultation</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> with the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (C) The </span></span></span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">participant's</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> cost and intensity of care do not meet the definition of high value health care.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (D) Agree to participate in the Medicare shared savings program under section 1899 of the Social Security Act, as added by section 3022, the National pilot program on payment bundling under section 1866D of such Act, as added by section 3023, or a program under the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation under section 1115A of such Act, as added by section 3021.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (E) The participant would benefit from such participation (as determined by the Secretary, based on the likelihood that the participant would improve its performance under section 1886(p) of the Social Security Act, as added by section 3008, section 1886(q) of such Act, as added by section 3025, or any similar program under title XVIII of the Social Security Act).</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (3) </span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">ADDITIONAL CRITERIA</span></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.--In addition to the criteria described in paragraphs (1) and (2), the participants in the Collaborative shall meet the following criteria:</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (A) Agree to report on quality, cost, and efficiency in such form, manner, and frequency as specified by the Secretary.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (B) Provide care to patients enrolled in the Medicare program.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (C) Agree to contribute to a best practices network and website, that is maintained by the Collaborative for sharing strategies on quality improvement, care coordination, efficiency, and effectiveness.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (D) Use patient-centered processes of care, including those that emphasize patient and caregiver involvement in shared decision-making for treatment decisions.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (E) Meet other criteria determined to be appropriate by the Secretary.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (c) </span></span></span><em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Collaborative Initiative</span></span></span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.--</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (1) </span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">IN GENERAL</span></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.--Beginning January 1, 2010, the Collaborative shall begin a 2 year development phase in which initial participants share the quantitative and qualitative methods through which they have developed high value health care followed by a dissemination of that learning model to additional participants of the Collaborative.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (2) </span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">COORDINATING MEMBER</span></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.--In consultation with the Secretary, the Collaborative shall select a coordinating member organization (hereafter identified as the Coordinating Organization) of the Collaborative.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (3) </span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">QUALIFICATIONS</span></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.--The Coordinating Organization will have in place a comprehensive Medicare database and possess experience using and analyzing Medicare data to measure health care utilization, cost, and variation. The Coordinating Organization shall be responsible for reporting to the Secretary as required and for any other requirements deemed necessary by the Secretary.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (4) </span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">RESPONSIBILITIES</span></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.--The Coordinating Member shall--</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (A) lead efforts to develop each aspect of the learning model;</span></span></span></p><center><pre><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">[Page: S13275] </span></span></span><b><a href="http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getpage.cgi?dbname=2009_record&page=S13275&position=all"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span><cite><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">GPO's PDF</span></span></span></cite></a></b></pre></center><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (B) organize efforts to disseminate the learning model for high value health care, including educating participant institutions; and</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (C) provide administrative, technical, accounting, reporting, organizational and infrastructure support needed to carry out the goals of the Collaborative.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (5) </span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">DEVELOPMENT OF LEARNING MODEL</span></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.--</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (A) </span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">IN GENERAL</span></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.--Initial participants in the Collaborative shall work together to develop a learning model based on their experience that includes a reliance on evidence based care that emphasizes quality and practice techniques that emphasize efficiency, joint development and implementation of health information technology, introduction of clinical microsystems of care, shared decision-making, outcomes and measurement, and the establishment of an e-learning distributive network, which have been put into practice at their respective institutions.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (B) </span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">RESPONSIBILITIES</span></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.--The Coordinating Member shall do the following:</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (i) Partner with initial participants to comprehensively understand each institution's contribution to providing value-based health care.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (ii) Provide and measure value-based health care in a manner that ensures that measures are aligned with current measures approved by a consensus-based organization, such as the National Quality Forum, or other measures as determined appropriate by the Secretary, while also incorporating patient self-reported status and outcomes.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (iii) Create a replicable and scalable infrastructure for common measurement of value-based care that can be broadly disseminated across the Collaborative and other institutions.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (iv) Implement care pathways for common conditions using standard measures for assessment across institutions, targeting high variation and high cost conditions, including but not limited to--</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (I) acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and angioplasty;</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (II) coronary artery bypass graft surgery and percutaneous coronary intervention;</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (III) hip or knee replacement;</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (IV) spinal surgery; and</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (V) care for chronic diseases including, but not limited to, diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (v) Deploy and disseminate the comprehensive learning model across initial participant institutions, achieving improvements in care delivery and lowering costs, and demonstrating the portability and viability of the processes.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (6) </span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">ADDITIONAL BEST PRACTICES</span></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.--As additional methods of improving health care quality and efficiency are identified by members of the Collaborative or by other institutions, Initial Participants in the Collaborative shall incorporate those practices into the learning model.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (d) </span></span></span><em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Implementation of Learning Model</span></span></span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.--Beginning January 1, 2013, as additional participants are selected by the Secretary, Initial Participants in the Collaborative shall actively engage in the deployment of the learning model to educate each additional participant in the common conditions that have been identified.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (1) </span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">DISSEMINATION OF LEARNING MODEL</span></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.--Dissemination methods shall include but not be limited to the following methods:</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (A) Specialized teams deployed by the Initial Participants to teach and facilitate implementation on site.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (B) Distance-learning, taking advantage of latest interactive technologies.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (C) On-line, fully accessible repositories of shared learning and information related to best practices.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (D) Advanced population health information technology models.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (2) </span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">EVALUATION OF PARTICIPANTS</span></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.--</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (A) </span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">IN GENERAL</span></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.--Evaluation of initial participants shall be based on documented success in meeting quality and efficiency measurements. Specific statistically valid measures of evaluation shall be determined by the Secretary.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (B) </span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">PERFORMANCE TARGETS</span></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.--The Secretary shall develop performance targets for participants. Performance targets developed under the preceding sentence shall be based on whether participants have improved their performance under section 1886(p) of the Social Security Act, as added by section 3008, section 1886(q) of such Act, as added by section 3025, or any similar program under title XVIII of the Social Security Act (as determined by the Secretary).</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (e) </span></span></span><em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Measurement of Learning Model</span></span></span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.--Participants shall implement techniques under the comprehensive learning model. The Secretary shall determine whether such implementation improves quality and efficiency, including cost savings relative to baseline spending for the common conditions specified under subsection (c)(5)(B)(iv) and quality measures endorsed by a consensus-based organization or otherwise chosen by the Secretary. The Collaborative shall prepare a report annually on each participant's performance with respect to the efficiency and quality measurements established by the Secretary. Such report shall be submitted to the Secretary and Congress and shall be made publicly available.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (f) </span></span></span><em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Administrative Payment</span></span></span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.--For purposes of carrying out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated $228,000,000, to remain available until expended. Amounts appropriated under the preceding sentence shall be distributed in the following manner:</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (1) The Coordinating Organization shall receive $10,000,000 per year for program development related to the Collaborative, including for health information technology and other infrastructure, project evaluations, analysis, and measurement, compliance, auditings and other reporting. Not less than $5,000,000 of such funds shall be provided for education and training, including for support for the establishment of training teams for the Collaborative, to assist in the integration of new health information technology, best practices of care delivery, microsystems of care delivery, and a distributive e-learning network for the Collaborative.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (2) Each Initial Participant shall receive $4,000,000 per year for internal program development for health information technology and other infrastructure, education and training, project evaluations, analysis, and measurement, and compliance, auditing, and other reporting.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (3) Beginning in 2013, the Secretary may provide funding to additional participants in the Collaborative in an amount not to exceed $4,000,000 per participant per year under the same use guidelines as apply to the Initial Participants.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (g) </span></span></span><em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Continuation or Expansion</span></span></span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.--</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (1) </span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">TERMINATION</span></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.--Subject to paragraph (2), the Collaborative shall terminate on the date that is 6 years after the date on which the Collaborative is established.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (2) </span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">EXPANSION</span></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.--The Secretary may continue or expand the Collaborative if the Collaborative is consistently exceeding quality standards and is not increasing spending under the program.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (h) </span></span></span><em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Termination</span></span></span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.--The Secretary may terminate an agreement with a participating organization under the Collaborative if such organization consistently failed to meet quality standards in the fourth year or any subsequent year of the Collaborative</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (i) </span></span></span><em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Reports</span></span></span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.--</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (1) </span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">PERFORMANCE RESULTS REPORTS</span></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.--The Secretary shall provide such data as is necessary for the Collaborative to measure the efficacy of the Collaborative and facilitate regular reporting on spending and cost savings results relative to a value-based program initiative.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> (2) </span></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">REPORTS TO CONGRESS</span></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.--Not later than 2 years after the date the first agreement is entered into under this section, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to Congress and make publicly available a report on the authority granted to the Secretary to carry out the Collaborative under this section. Each report shall address the impact of the use of such authority on expenditures for, access to, and quality of,</span></span></span></p></blockquote><p></p></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><blockquote></blockquote> <div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><blockquote></blockquote><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-609079940616203249.post-45744653636681167882009-12-15T19:49:00.006-05:002009-12-15T19:56:10.459-05:00Senator Lieberman Takes Reform Out of Health Care BillGee thanks Joe. What a swell guy.<div><br /></div><div>All things I am hearing and reading point to the fact that Senator Joe Lieberman has gutted the "reform" from the health care bill in the Senate. Senator Harry Reid turned into a puddle at Lieberman's feet. I'm digging for more information and will post it as soon as I come up with something substantial to post.<div><br /></div><div>If I were in the other Democratic Senators shoes I'd vote against the bill. It is gutless. Worthless from its original intent.</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-609079940616203249.post-26721078030112124402009-12-13T08:40:00.007-05:002009-12-13T10:46:00.666-05:00A Mood is Rising in America's UnderclassesSixth grade gave me one of the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">loves</span> of my life, history. I had a superb teacher in a small rural school. He traded his history book for a coach's cap during part of each day. But he certainly didn't mind <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">mingling</span> the two. He'd round us up, all eighteen students, and send us out on a sunny day to the green playground field for a game of "History Baseball". It could just as easily been known as the "Geek's Revenge". The kids normally chosen last during recess to be on a team we often clamored over and fought over when it came down to the fact that the only way to score a home run would be if one could name all of Britain's King Henry's eight wives and their religious and genetic heritage. I found simply amazing how fast political alliances could change in the twelve year-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">old's</span> world.<div><br /></div><div>I am reminded of this sensation of change by the political climate emerging in America these days. </div><div><br /></div><div>Years after my sixth grade love affair began I found myself sitting in college absorbing every history course I could cram into my loaded schedule. I found a good history course to be a wonderful stress reliever for the pressure of college. But I was forever trying to fathom how the America I was growing up in had been the same America which bred <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">McCarthyism</span>, school segregation, and the likes of the Big Five oilmen and the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/13/business/economy/13rates.html?em">banking crisis</a> in the early part of the century. </div><div><br /></div><div>It didn't seem like that much time had passed yet the society I lived in had passed through all these troubled times. I didn't see any scars. Where were the scars? Did people just forget? Did time heal all? Was it real or did the victors in history just have their way with the retelling? How could it be possible that my parents, grandparents, and people I passed every day on the street had carried such hatred in their hearts to have allowed these things to occur? What happened to those democratic ideals? Didn't the government work for the people? After all I had been raised to the standard that all human beings in America had this gift of equality bestowed upon them at birth. I was told that over and over and over again in school. I not only took that literally I took it to heart. </div><div><br /></div><div>Yet, here, was evidence of time in which the world seemingly turned upside down and it wasn't so long ago.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thirty years later I am finally resolving how societal norms and expectations can shift so rapidly. How a period of time can be defined by a beginning crisis and the ending result of the remedy of the crisis. This is how you title a chapter in a history book. </div><div><br /></div><div>Suddenly I find myself looking backwards over my shoulder and realizing why, in each society, there is a certain period of time known as the "<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/13/opinion/13rich.html">Golden Age</a>". I thought it was just my art history professor's conjuring up his favorite artworks and tagging them as superior. So what if Rome declined thereafter--it still made great art for many years. </div><div><br /></div><div>For the greater part of my life, by random chance of birth it would seem, I have lived through a time of great stability in America and, comparatively, one of peace. That time has ended. The "Golden Age" has peaked and what comes next appears to be in the hands of fate and in the simmering consciousness of the American underclasses.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now that this particular era has ended, I see some signs that America appears to be going down that not-so-gilded path towards the giant salad bowl looking to toss it up into the air. The salad, so it would appear, has taken those years of relative stability, and decided to settle itself into fixed strata. The lettuce leaves are all stacked at the bottom with the tomatoes and cucumbers being squished in the middle whilst the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">chevre</span> crumbles, bacon bits, and salad dressing are heaped on the top. A distinctively medieval European recipe. Not exactly what many people in this country expected to find on its table of feast.</div><div><br /></div><div>I read an interesting article describing the mood in universities around the country. The basic suggestion was that students were <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">full of jubilee</span> about the idea of change coming to this country when Obama had been elected. They were one with many of us who felt that the system had expunged the clog in the lines and eliminated the need to detour around the corruption and the ruination of the concept of the rule of law. Sure a lot of work had to be done but surely the tools were at hand. The voters had spoken.</div><div><br /></div><div>However the special interests, the elite, the corporate were not interested in the commentary the common man and woman had laid at their feet.</div><div><br /></div><div>Fantastic I thought to myself after hearing of the student interest! After my second stint in college for an advanced degree a few years ago I had become dismayed at the passive, commercialized, attitudes of my fellow students in class. All much younger than I, whizzes with the electronic gadgets calculating in their hands, they tended to ask less questions, never raise an eyebrow, whined and complained when too much complexity and history was brought into a subject being discussed, and just mechanically went about having professor's zip open their heads and stuff data inside and zip it closed. They smiled. They picked up their paper at the end of their incarceration and went on to claim their birthright--a job. Not just any job but one that paid money and required minimal physical labor. </div><div><br /></div><div>Comparatively to my earlier stint in college fifteen years ago this was rather like watching a a Twilight episode called the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Stepford</span> Students. One I wouldn't care to see again.</div><div><br /></div><div>It was business school. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Stepford</span> approach to <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/13/business/13drug.html?8dpc">capitalistic indoctrination</a>. Maximum efficiency. ROI the school mascot.</div><div><br /></div><div>When I first made the decision to go after my MBA I had called up my Alma Mater and spoke with the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Commandant</span> in charge of the Business School. "Could I write my own program with a dual major? Business and Ethics." A stern "No" came the reply. I sucked up the wounds of naivete and entered the program regardless. But I digress into the reality of the dark spaces behind the stage curtain.</div><div><br /></div><div>The article I read went on about how the financial crisis we are facing invokes the need for reworking and remaking content for the university classroom. Ultimately a professor disclosed his opinion about how his students had grown cynical over the past year upon realizing that the institutions in America are not interested in changing.</div><div><br /></div><div>Corporations have studied and prepared for this battle. </div><div><br /></div><div>I read a great book in the 1990's recommended to me by an early-entry triple-scoop kind of technology whiz geek. Who, come to think of it, worked for a Texas based insurance company. One of the big five. The book "The Sun, the Genome, and the Internet" frequently gets panned still in reviews by reviewers with less geek on their lapels than my friend's. But these <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">reviews </span>miss the big picture of the book.</div><div><br /></div><div>The book outlines how the infrastructure of western civilization, long reliant on coal, oil, and the auto industry to sustain their economy was about to undergo a radical transformation from these outdated sources of infrastructure and technology to, you guessed it, using the sun, the genome, and the Internet.</div><div><br /></div><div>The student of history will easily point out that these cycles replay themselves over and over again throughout all civilizations and human population centers. </div><div><br /></div><div>The importance of this shift, grossly understated in this book when taken into political terms, can only be described, less than adequately, as enormous. Our grandchildren and their children for years will be reading about this period of time where America attempted to shift power gears and ended up blowing out the clutch. The powers in charge of these aging technologies were not quite ready to be put to bed yet and wanted to take out one last hurrah of final profiteering before the economy shifted. Hence, I'll argue, one of the reasons for backing the Bush Cheney Iraq war. Also the fight over health care.</div><div><br /></div><div>The shift, for the American economy, got delayed for ten years--thank you to all the greedy profiteering self-interested executives and investors living in their castles on the hill and watching the peasants toil in the fields everyday looking up longingly for their opportunity to climb the ivory steps to their own gilded apartments in the high towers above those with "less".</div><div><br /></div><div>Now here we are, the lower classes in America, left with the proverbial mess after the big party and taped to our besotted foreheads is the taxpayers' bill for cleaning it up. The gum crushed into the pavement, the litter strewn about here and there, people maimed and laying on the curb, the panties wrapped around streetlights, and all those little annoying party favors. Obama crushed and weighted down with the responsibility for coming up with a plan to clean it all up. The nobility of course demanding, and receiving, payment for showing the lower-classes how to party.</div><div><br /></div><div>"Thanks for the good time. Don't call home when the baby arrives." </div><div><br /></div><div>Isn't it funny how sometimes that one crucial, beautifully snapped, public tableau, like the party scene, can implant itself into the brains of an entirely unsuspecting generation... and fester. College is a special place for the incubating "Festers". Hence underfunding college for the less-than-elite-legacy players is a great idea for those specially interested in staying in power. </div><div><br /></div><div>Fester like a wound improperly cleaned. Fester like a canker sore on a tongue so it hurts every time flicked. Fester to irritation like the pimple rubbed into a boil. Until suddenly the thought of the wound takes over everything and explodes into the consciousness so ripe and ugly that nothing else matters until it is cured.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now I am beginning to understand, you see, how those periods of strife appeared within my naive ideal of America. Now I am beginning to see how an idea can exist in the unspoken consciousness of people but never emerge until the moment is ripe. Now I understand how political dynamics can change just as rapidly as they did in the minor experiment of sixth grade politics. Seemingly overnight when placed against the scale of human history.</div><div><br /></div><div>The working class is restless in its slumber. The real question is whether or not it will awake. The students are becoming disquieted. The wind blowing across America's underclasses is not as <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">temperate</span> as it was yesterday. Now there is an air blowing that we have all been used. Duped. Taken advantage of. Our country seized by the powerful and wealthy and used to advance the big national corporate plunder. We, the common and average citizen, have been the mules to curry large amounts of wealth into the hands of the "handlers". The shadow thought of equality and democracy just a hand puppet figurine drawn on the wall to elicit cooperation.</div><div><br /></div><div>How long will this brew take to boil? Or will it just allow a lid to be put on the wicked pot of thievery and placed back on the stove to simmer? It has happened before. The robber barons have been clocked. The peasants have taken back their country and reignited the idea of democratic equality. History has repeated itself more than once. </div><div><br /></div><div>The only question is how to right the wrongs in a way which also upholds the integrity of the American ideal. This to me is what the real underlying fight for the public option in health care reform is all about. It isn't about the budget. It isn't about the Democrats versus the Republicans. It is about who owns this country. </div><div><br /></div><div>The people or the corporate elite.</div><div><br /></div><div>Time will tell. History will be written. Someday some teacher will ask his students the home run question. "What is the defining moment of American Democracy?" </div><div><br /></div><div>The entire American public is about to learn if the investment being made into the public education system pays off and how that question will be answered now and in the future. The power of the vote is mightier than the sword. I learned that in sixth grade. Hopefully other students did too.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-609079940616203249.post-60746625459755416762009-12-12T06:33:00.000-05:002009-12-12T06:57:10.940-05:00Healthcare Reform: Greeley's Thunderhead on Frog-Walking Conservative DemocratsA guest posting, written over the course of the last few months as the nations law makers bicker over health care, by the Greeley blogger Thunderhead. Thunderhead describes the legislative fallout of first giving the insurance industry the power to ignore antitrust legislation after WWII, for valid reasons, and now, three-quarters of a decade later, removing from the current House bill on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">healthcare</span> reform the language which would have terminated such an advantage for the insurance industry.<div><br /></div><div>Article 1 by Thunderhead</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; "><p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"></span></p><blockquote><p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;">For health care reform in the congress, a hidebound Republican Party is frog-walking conservative democrats away from the establishment of single-payer policies. As unemployment numbers stretch into the multi-millions, as the dollar undergoes devaluation, as more American work is outsourced by chasing cheap labor-gradients around the world, we’re just going to have to take Bush’s advice and buy that health insurance<i> savings</i> account after all. You remember…the republican solution to health care?</span><br /></p><p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;">Instead of repealing insurance mandates and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">anticompetitive</span> legislation, the Senate Finance Committee’s reform of health insurance does nothing to lower health care costs. In fact, competition is inhibited to support existing monopolistic and cartel formation. The Finance Committee’s policy-making elite relies upon the continued abandonment of federal antitrust enforcement to further the erosion of competition; it also ensures that the industry’s captive customer base undergoes additional harm from systematic denial of vital medical services in support of corporate/investor profits. </span><br /></p><p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;">Let us ask our health insurance agents: “What percentage of my spouse’s health and of my children’s health should be subject to profit-taking?”</span><br /></p><p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;">But why must we now advocate for competition? While competition is the health of our economic system most businesses, large or small, given the chance, will seek to eliminate it; competition protects the life of the economy and requires constant vigilance by congress. It is not true that free markets self-regulate; unrestrained, undisciplined markets are deregulated markets that hinder rivalry and rush toward monopolization—toward anti-business and the brute-force application of corporate economic might alone--wiping out competition and consumer choice along a trail of fraud and deceit. Government, the <i>necessary</i> evil, provides the proper restraint, discipline, regulation and enforcement which makes an economy work for everyone, the poor, the middle-class, and the wealthy.</span><br /></p><p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;">The Transition Report on Competition Policy compiled by the American Antitrust Institute states: that “…competition is the preferred regulator of business behavior.” The conclusion is undeniable--competition lowers costs. Competition is the market’s equivalent of <i>natural selection</i>. Bailouts are indicators that congress, over several administrations, failed to maintain competition in our markets. The aggregate of coincidence, folks, points to intent. Look to congressional PAC funding to see theirs.</span><br /></p><p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;">By refusing to invest the health insurance industry with competition the Senate Finance Committee publicly demonstrates that it has no interest in improving health care by controlling costs. Instead, the Finance Committee is perpetuating a monopolized health insurance market.</span><br /></p><p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;">Competition, essential to economists from Adam Smith to Milton Friedman, is now portrayed, through blustering media repetition, as a radicalized Bolshevik notion since it comes to a monopolized insurance market by means of “infused” competition via public option, that is, by government—the only entity large enough to compete with monopolization. Thus the Finance Committee will not place competition at the feet of an insurance industry which begs, by policies harmful to its customers, for regulation. </span><br /></p><p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;">The 60 member democratic majority is, in part, complicit with the shrinking ranks of the republicans in forging a bill unpalatable to the public. All things considered, much of the Senate simply cares more about the relationships they’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">ve</span> forged with large corporations. Their word, commitment and pride, is vested in those who pay to get them elected and re-elected. </span><br /></p><p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;">Yet you have to wonder why they are not upfront about the wretched truth of their policies. The exertion of extraordinary corporate influence on congress is the most fundamentally obvious example of conflict of interest, anywhere. It is what happens when congress understands the natural human weakness to accept bribery then sanctifies it with legality. How do we think it will turn out?</span> </p></blockquote><p></p></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-609079940616203249.post-47691900749211917092009-12-10T03:06:00.007-05:002009-12-10T03:58:12.687-05:00Sen. Reid Carves Tombstone for Public Option<div>Anyone have any ideas on what the tombstone over the public option for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">healthcare</span> will look like? Will it be a picture of <a href="http://reid.senate.gov/about/index.cfm">Harry Reid's</a> face alone or can we get a group photo of Senator Reid, Ms. Don't-Snow-on-my-private-parade <a href="http://snowe.senate.gov/public/">Olympia, Senator</a> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">MyPeopleGetWhateverItell'emIwant</span> <a href="http://baucus.senate.gov/">Montana's Max <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Baucus</span></a> (a Corporate <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Pinocchio</span> if there ever was one), and our own beloved almost-democrat-but-hey-she's-star-quality-cute-to-look-at <a href="http://betsymarkey.house.gov/">Congresswoman Betsy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Markey</span></a> plus a few of the other Colorado Republicans wearing democratic drag these days. Maybe we can even get a shot of the nine faces of <a href="http://lieberman.senate.gov/">Joe Lieberman</a> included. </div><div><br /></div><div>From the <a href=""Sen. Joseph Lieberman, speaking in that trademark sonorous baritone, utters a simple statement that translates into real trouble for Democratic leaders: "I'm going to be stubborn on this." Stubborn, he means, in opposing any health-care overhaul that includes a "public option," or government-run health-insurance plan, as the current bill does. His opposition is strong enough that Mr. Lieberman says he won't vote to let a bill come to a final vote if a public option is included.""><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">WSJ</span> on Lieberman</a></div><div></div><blockquote><div>"Sen. Joseph Lieberman, speaking in that trademark sonorous baritone, utters a simple statement that translates into real trouble for Democratic leaders: "I'm going to be stubborn on this."</div><div>Stubborn, he means, in opposing any health-care overhaul that includes a "public option," or government-run health-insurance plan, as the current bill does. His opposition is strong enough that Mr. Lieberman says he won't vote to let a bill come to a final vote if a public option is included." </div></blockquote><div></div><div><br /></div><div>Or how about that great ex-insurance salesman turned Senator <a href="http://www.statehealthfacts.org/profileind.jsp?ind=125&cat=3&rgn=29">Forty-two</a>-percent-of-folks-without-health-insurance <a href="http://bennelson.senate.gov/">Ben Nelson of Nebraska</a>. Maybe he'll stop in for a prime time photo-op as well. I'm sure he will want his grandchildren to understand how he helped create a second class citizenry for the other families in America.</div><div><br /></div><div>From <a href="http://blogs.abcnews.com/george/2009/11/ben-nelson-no-health-care-if-no-change-in-public-option-and-abortion-funding.html">ABC Blog News</a>:</div><div></div><blockquote><div>"On "This Week" Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., said he couldn't live with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">the health</span> care bill that was just voted on last night.</div><div>He gave me a list of non-starters, including the opt-out public option. Nelson did leave a little room for negotiation on a public option. "</div><div></div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div>It is the beautiful twins of corporate irony in action. The House bill takes out the provision that would remove protections for the Insurance Industry put in place around WWII which allows the entire industry to collude with impunity. Next the Senate takes out single payer and the true public option. I doubt the movie Mafia characters could have cooked up a better scheme. </div><div><br /></div><div>While the rest of us work for a living the insurance industry has been choosing those best dressed guys who like to sell shampoo to a bald man and nurturing and funding them for years straight into your Congress seats. Don't you love it when a plan comes together and you wake up in the morning feeling powerless in your own country? </div><div><br /></div><div>And then these senators go home to their well tended families, whip the servants (excuse me... the undocumented workers) into a frenzy getting a round of scotch for everyone, and tuck their loved ones into their warm cozy corporate paid-for beds. It is a tale even Hollywood wouldn't dare to film.</div><div><br /></div><div>If you want to get the undigested version the <a href="http://thomas.loc.gov/">Library of Congress</a>'s Thomas is a one-stop reading point. Hey maybe we should eliminate access to the library to those who can't afford to buy the books. Seems only fair and should move America back into feudalism more quickly than what the conservatives have planned. A short trip. Just a suggestion--I digress. </div><div><br /></div><div>Am I upset? Of course I am. I have no idea what to wear to the prison when I get thrown in as a conscientious objector refusing to purchase a government "approved" private nonprofit plan. Better garbage you couldn't snag out of Paris Hilton's boudoir than the rancid elitist fluff of hot air pumping out of the Senate.</div><div><br /></div><div>Although prison might not be such a bad idea if I get really sick. Prisoners have <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">healthcare</span>. Prisoners have more status than the poor and the working class in the Senate's eyes.</div><div><br /></div><div>So what does it take to get all these chumps out of office who sunk this ship? I'm ready to go to work to oust them. Each and every one of them.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bye bye Harry... your arrogance to make your face in history will take you back down to the jowls of the working class. This country is going to see an election that really will make the history books the next time around. Now I suddenly understand how all those third parties achieved power and how some parties died out. I say "bury" the Republicans and reduce the Democrats to groveling choir boys.</div><div><br /></div><div>I am not the only one disaffected. This commentary written by local chemist Ed Craig in a response to a friend asking about his feelings following <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Markey's</span> House vote. It should also raise the "find a new job" on the list of priorities of some <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">politicians</span>. Thank you Ed for the use of this material. </div><blockquote><div>"I see this very similar to what the Republicans are doing with Abortion. They make a big deal about making Abortion illegal. It <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">get's</span> the conservatives to show-up and vote for them. Well, the conservatives were in control of virtually everything for 8 years and they never once tried to push an Anti-Abortion bill through congress. Why? It's simple, as long as Abortion is out there they can count on the conservatives and religious idiots to show-up and vote for them. They know as soon as they make Abortion illegal all those people with evaporate.</div><div><br /></div><div>Health Care Reform is the same on the Democrat side. As long as it's out there Democrats will line-up to vote. Once people are satisfied with their Health Care then they won't be as interested in showing up to vote. Also a lot of the people in Congress are getting huge kickbacks from the health insurance companies and health care providers. Keeping people in office that are already beholding to the insurance companies and health care providers doesn't serve us any purpose at all other than preventing us from putting someone else in office that might not be so beholding.</div><div><br /></div><div>If <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Bennet</span>, Udall, or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Markey</span> want my vote they'll find a way to vote for some type of real health care reform. Otherwise they're no better than the Republicans so why keep them around. I went through this 30 years ago... I'm not waiting another 30 years for them to</div><div>grow a set of gonads. Either they can do the job or they can't. If they can't do the job then why would I want to keep them there?"</div><div></div></blockquote><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span></div><div>They don't have these problems in England and France. Oh that's right, England and France shed its love-affair with Monarchies a few heads ago except for photo shots and sound bites. Here our companies crawl in bed with the Monarchs while the not-too-bright peasants serve the both tea and crumpets in the hope that someday, maybe just someday, they, the servant might also be a royal.</div><div><br /></div><div>Personally I only bought into the Cinderella and Prince Charming on a White Horse idiocy until about age sixteen. I am not buying what the Congress is selling this time either. Proverbially, I say we set the Queen <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">O'Hearts</span> on the lot of them. My reasoning? Few seem to understand that Alice really lives in the real world and not everyone is so lucky as to pull a seat next to the White Rabbit.</div><div><br /></div><div>Pass the magic cookies please.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Tomorrow, okay or maybe the next day--on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Greeleyville</span>, a surprise guest columnist on Health Care Reform. Stay tuned.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-609079940616203249.post-78620380337403287392009-11-19T03:48:00.005-05:002009-11-19T03:56:50.308-05:00Mango Couscous And A Big TurkeyI hate cooking the same things over and over again. I don't like reading the same book twice, driving the same route every day, and I rarely watch a movie twice. I think that sensation of newness and creativity. I like the exploration of spaces, nooks, and crannies that can fill my mind. I'm an insatiable woman that way. <div><br /></div><div>Hence I look for new ways to torture my family on Thanksgiving every year. </div><div><br /></div><div>This year however I will be cooking at my brother's home. So I may have to calm the raging fires a bit and produce something akin to a normal Thanksgiving. I've got the organic bird. The stuffing recipe that could float a whale. Mashed potatoes (the one common bond between all genetically linked family members and non) with gravy. Oh, and the pumpkin pie.</div><div><br /></div><div>So I figure that leaves everything else to mess with. </div><div><br /></div><div>I'm posting one of my favorite previous, more successful, "different" things I've thrown in for Thanksgiving. I'm thinking of doing it again this year--since I didn't get time in isolation for this dish last year. </div><div><br /></div><div>I thought I'd post and share with readers. An apology for not blogging so to speak. Feel free to send me others--I'll post them if you want or else put them in with your comments. There is a comment link at the end of each post. If you click on that link you should get a comment window to open up.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Mango Couscous</div><div>The Washington Post, November 8, 2006</div><div><br /></div><div> * Cuisine: African</div><div> * Course: Side Dish</div><div> * Features: Fast, Meatless</div><div><br /></div><div>Summary:</div><div><br /></div><div>Who knew that tomato, raisins and mango go so well together? This is a very fruity, pretty and easy side dish.</div><div><br /></div><div>4 servings</div><div>Ingredients:</div><div><br /></div><div> * 1 cup couscous</div><div> * 2 tablespoons olive oil</div><div> * 1 medium clove garlic, minced</div><div> * Flesh of 1 mango, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 1 cup)</div><div> * 1 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">jalapeño</span> chili pepper, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped</div><div> * 1/2 cup dark raisins</div><div> * 1 medium tomato, cored, seeded, and coarsely chopped</div><div> * Juice of 1 lime</div><div> * 1/4 cup loosely packed small cilantro sprigs, finely chopped</div><div> * 1/4 cup loosely packed small flat-leaf parsley sprigs, finely chopped</div><div> * Salt</div><div><br /></div><div>Directions:</div><div><br /></div><div>Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, mango and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">jalapeño</span> chili pepper and cook about 5 minutes, until the mango begins to color lightly. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and the couscous, raisins, tomato, lime juice, cilantro and parsley, stirring to combine. Cook long enough just to heat through. Season with salt to taste. Serve hot or at room temperature.</div><div><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-609079940616203249.post-27894845814348937092009-11-19T03:03:00.004-05:002009-11-19T03:47:12.562-05:00Making Instant Window Ice in Greeley ColoradoAll right. Stop calling. I'll write. I'll write!<div><br /></div><div>It's true I have been skipping out on those refreshing blood pressure gushing cynical observations of mine. And, yes, I realize I've let some of my readers down and made them go search for some other neurotic politically minded blogger.</div><div><br /></div><div>But my heart has been more into reflection the last couple of months and I don't generally write about things when I feel befuddled and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">undazzled</span>. </div><div><br /></div><div>I first came to Greeley less than a year ago. After finishing the job from Mars, I wanted to be near my Mother where I could visit her in her final declining months. I also wanted to rekindle that spark of extended family I had left while my sons spent their twenties chasing mates. I figured my sons would check in as soon as they found someone they could bring home to Mom. </div><div><br /></div><div>The last <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Blondy</span> bimbo barely-high-school grad wannabe my youngest son almost introduced me to flopped miserably. He will be joining the household for Thanksgiving. I've noted he isn't bringing a guest. Is it the stuffing recipe or is it Mom? </div><div><br /></div><div>Or to put it another way, the nest was finally empty and I decided it wasn't really a nest at all so I set out looking to find a new one or at least have the fun of poking around other people's nests.</div><div><br /></div><div>After a few months I have learned some exciting things about Greeley and northern Colorado. One is how to make instant ice on my windshield in the morning. Another is that almost every town in Colorado sprawls all over the place uncontrolled. Greeley doesn't have a lock on the poor planning decisions department at all. I've also learned to expect the streets of Greeley to roll up at about seven in the evening. The only things I've seen out on the town in the evening are furry, harry, and Peter Cottontail. Maybe I'm just not looking in the right places.</div><div><br /></div><div>But what daunted me the most, and made me draw back considerably from writing, was the election process and the ideologies that process highlighted.</div><div><br /></div><div>I've never been someone who seriously wanted to tell other people what to do with their lives. In my book, if you are living up to your set of ideals and what you believe in, and you are not physically menacing or threatening another human being then that is a good thing. If <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">some one's</span> politics are not my own I have never really felt a serious need to change them.</div><div><br /></div><div>Then, again, I've never felt harm threatened by a conflicting political mindset. </div><div><br /></div><div>As I drive around Northern Colorado I can definitely feel the forces at work for minimum government and regulation. Every time I have visited my Uncle Billy's ranch I see those forces at work. He would sic his ranch dogs on any government anything that came on the ranch I think. Jail be dammed. Just leave him alone and he will be just fine. Probably some of the last words he whispered in his head as his family, not my side, shuttled the 96 year-old off into the rest home so they could mine his landed fortunes. </div><div><br /></div><div>Government has its place. Rules and regulation have their place. Keeping government out of our individual lives has a place too. There isn't one way that works for everything or everybody.</div><div><br /></div><div>But watching and reading and talking to people in Greeley holding vested interests in their own future well-being and their children's vote down 3A made me take a big breath and retrace my own views a bit.</div><div><br /></div><div>Yes, I blogged furiously about the problems in the District. I still believe that those problems are a big problem. But promoting the gutting and dismantling of what is left of Greeley's public school system was never my own intent. You don't identify that there is a deep gaping wound on your leg so that surgeons can cut the leg off. You identify it so it can be tended and bandaged and returned to normal. </div><div><br /></div><div>I guess that is not what the voters in Greeley are in tune with. They are in tune with taxes and their own personal advantages in the world. Well that may be a sweeping generalization but it does represent the total experience I've heard, summarized. </div><div><br /></div><div>To add onto my personal feelings of woe over the political environment I've recently read through the City's Charter and discovered that technically most the political power really has been handed over to a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">nonelected</span> official, the City Manager. The City Council are in effect stuffed puppets used to assuage the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">public</span> mindset that <b><i>they</i></b> are the ones in charge and can vote out those who don't perform. </div><div><br /></div><div>Do Greeley citizens really think that paying someone $1200 or so a month gives them a full-time Mayor for the city? Do Greeley citizens think that Greeley is still small and rural and doesn't need a full-time Mayor? Do Greeley citizens really think it is in their best interest to limit the people who can run for political office to a pool of people who are retired or have enough money they don't have to work for real wages or to build a real career? Fire the Mayor, either one Clark or Norton, I doubt they would be troubled about losing their position for long. Neither would the other council members. After all being the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">public</span> whipping post when your City Manager really makes all the calls on how things are done and who gets to benefit isn't a position of comfort.</div><div><br /></div><div>But I digress here over my disillusionment. Just remember <i><b>Y</b></i><b><i>O</i><i>U CALLED ME</i></b> and asked me to write! Suffer my <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">melancholy</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">whims</span>.</div><div><br /></div><div>But I still like the people here. I like all the trees. I like the fact that the downtown needs fixing--it is something for the community to work on together. I like my family and they are here. I like it that Denver is only an hour away but that Denver is not <b><i>HERE</i></b>. And I like the snow. I haven't had to shovel it yet though.</div><div><br /></div><div>In short, I'll get over it. I've decided I've just got the change blues. I'm going to volunteer for a while I think doing something that matters to the future big picture. It should help lift my spirits. There is a lot of work to be done in this community. My only regret is that I meet so many people that say change can't happen here and won't. They quit before they start. Or they have started before and it hasn't happened.</div><div><br /></div><div>Well change comes <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">incrementally</span> and it always demands payment in the form of human energy, patience, conflict, and time. </div><div><br /></div><div>I'm not quite sure it works the same in a town like Greeley. As I said I've never been particularly inclined to try to change things for other people. But here I don't think I'll be working to change things. I think I'll just be working to put reasonable working solutions together. The people Greeley already want good schools and good government. We just disagree on how to get to that nice safe warm place. As I see it, the places we are heading aren't going to get us there, so time to change course as compared to people. The people are good, the system choices are bad, and it is time to look further than out into our own backyards. </div><div><br /></div><div>The people can, and will, choose which path they want to walk.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the end I guess that is just like how it is supposed to be.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-609079940616203249.post-30591581457838911322009-11-12T21:43:00.004-05:002009-11-12T21:55:33.031-05:00Don't Forget Cranky's Students Are Posting Good ThingsThe <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">UNC</span> class covered election night at the Greeley Tribune. It is interesting to read their impressions for that night. So don't forget to give them some support and visit their postings on the <a href="http://uncoeditprof.blogspot.com/2009/11/boy-this-is-annoying.html">Cranky Copy Editor's</a> page. If you look to the left hand side of the blog you'll see the City Council links to the student postings. I am not a big fan of the Tribune myself. And I certainly would like to see their editorials improve. Maybe they could let the students write them so they have more factual reasoning and content. That would be nice! Some of these students are pretty good at this stuff.<div><br /></div><div>But the Cranky Copy Editor's post is a little life-changing. I just went back and changed the title on this piece from "Kids" to "Students". Sometimes it is easy to forget how language can be offensive even when not intentional. My favorite complaint is why does an individuals race or color has to come into a conversation when their race or color has absolutely nothing to do with what is being discussed. For example this conversation recently passed during a routine dinner in this household, "My old roommate, who was black, showed up later after I had talked to the landlord." Race and gender bias is embedded deeply in a culture. Always a hot button issue. These references happen frequently I've noticed but yet no one else seems to pay attention. Kind of like the gender discussion on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">CCE's</span> (Cranky Copy Editor) page.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyone got other ones?<div><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-609079940616203249.post-31427033307304560232009-11-08T20:34:00.004-05:002009-11-08T20:38:23.706-05:00Congressional Shocker: Betsy Markey Bats For The Other TeamIt would appear that I am not the only one peeved at the Democrats voting against health care reform. Thunderhead, a Greeley Colorado resident, posted the following note to <a href="Thunderhead: No one wants you on their football team when you cannot come through in the pinch.The Virginia governor's race should have been example enough, Betsy. Virginia's progressive base stayed home last Tuesday because their democratic governor decided he'd behave legislatively, like a Republican, and did so throughout his term. Like Virginia, we mistakenly believed you were on our team. The rule of thumb: when there's a choice between a republican candidate, and a democrat who acts like a republican, the republican will be chosen every time.That is what happened in Va. and is why Betsy, you do not deserve, nor will you win a second term as House Representative in this district. You betrayed your base on an historical issue. You may think, like other handwringing democrats who cannot be progressive, "what will the voters do instead, vote in a republican?" Wrong reasoning:That is what the, now former, democratic governor of Va. thought.To your base you are now a republican; you cannot make it up by voting left on other important issues; you voted to keep our health insurance industry monopolized, you voted for zero competition for the health insurance cartel, your base told you clearly: single or payer or robust public option. Always do what your base tells you. If in doubt within your district, always do what progressives nationally tell you; progressive democrats are progressive democrats anywhere in the country; they're not timid shape-shifting chimeras. But you knew better Betsy; you chose to be a political hybrid and try to hold your base hostage to a republican taking your seat. But it was you who brought harm to your base. You're a lame duck now, one year in to a two year term. And you are no democrat.">my previous thoughts about Northern Colorado's Congresswoman Betsy Markey</a>. I thought I'd repost it here.<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" border-collapse: collapse; font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Thunderhead: No one wants you on their football team when you cannot come through in the pinch.The Virginia governor's race should have been example enough, Betsy. Virginia's progressive base stayed home last Tuesday because their democratic governor decided he'd behave legislatively, like a Republican, and did so throughout his term. Like Virginia, we mistakenly believed you were on our team. The rule of thumb: when there's a choice between a republican candidate, and a democrat who acts like a republican, the republican will be chosen every time.That is what happened in Va. and is why Betsy, you do not deserve, nor will you win a second term as House Representative in this district. You betrayed your base on an historical issue. You may think, like other handwringing democrats who cannot be progressive, "what will the voters do instead, vote in a republican?" Wrong reasoning:That is what the, now former, democratic governor of Va. thought.To your base you are now a republican; you cannot make it up by voting left on other important issues; you voted to keep our health insurance industry monopolized, you voted for zero competition for the health insurance cartel, your base told you clearly: single or payer or robust public option. Always do what your base tells you. If in doubt within your district, always do what progressives nationally tell you; progressive democrats are progressive democrats anywhere in the country; they're not timid shape-shifting chimeras. But you knew better Betsy; you chose to be a political hybrid and try to hold your base hostage to a republican taking your seat. But it was you who brought harm to your base. You're a lame duck now, one year in to a two year term. And you are no democrat. </span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-609079940616203249.post-3575851096426762972009-11-08T15:15:00.009-05:002009-11-08T17:34:04.310-05:00Betsy Markey Votes to Support Second Class CitzenshipIt deeply saddened me this morning to find Betsy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Markey</span> voted against the Health Care Reform bill. While I realize she is playing to the conservative base in Northern Colorado it is appalling to watch someone in office drive the rest of us, also on the bus, over the cliff.<div><br /></div><div>Bye-bye Betsy. You have lost every voter in my family. Sometimes you have to stand up for what is logical and reasonable and in the interest of those without political power. But it takes a spine to do so in this region. </div><div><br /></div><div>I've never taken to the idea of single issue voting. But in the case of health care reform I believe it transcends other single issues that have become before it. Voting to support the egalitarian viewpoint that there are fundamentally two types of people who live in this society--those who die early and painfully because they do not have enough accumulated wealth or status as compared to those who have status, political power, and wealth is a fundamental undermining of all the principles on which this nation was established. Generations upon generations of my family have worked their fingers to the bone to keep this country moving towards equality. </div><div><br /></div><div>It is not the 1920's any longer Betsy. We are reaching the carrying-capacity point of many of our current systems. Those systems designed for "the few" cannot be expected to carry everyone into the future. Voting against a reasonable health care reform plan is foolish unless you hold to the egalitarian notion that there are two classes of people in our society and one of those classes deserves to work for the other but be rewarded with only as much gruel as the holders of political power will permit a second class citizen to gain. </div><div><br /></div><div>Personally I don't want to live in a society based on those principles. My ancestors left Europe in 1660 to shed the suffocating cloak of oppression. I cannot vote for a representative who desires, whether blindly or simply for re-election purposes, to use her power of authority as an elected representative of the people to restore such an abusive and inhumane system.</div><div><br /></div><div>Second class citizenship based on wealth is class warfare.</div><div><br /></div><div>For more information on Democrats who voted against the bill, this morning's <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/11/08/us/politics/1108-health-care-vote.html?hp">New York Times</a> is carrying a list. </div><div><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 15px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10px;"><table cellspacing="0" class="nytint-sotovote" cellpadding="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-size:13px;"><tbody><tr class="nytint-senatorRow nytint-freshmen nytint-mccain nytint-switch"><td class="nytint-name" style="padding-top: 6px; padding-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.25em; vertical-align: top; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); width: 239px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Betsy </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Markey</span></span><span class="nytint-district" style=" text-transform: uppercase; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 6px; font-size:0.8em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">(COLO. 4)</span></span></td><td class="nytint-margin" style="padding-top: 6px; padding-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.25em; vertical-align: top; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); text-align: right; width: 33px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">+12</span></td><td class="nytint-senChart" style="padding-top: 7px; padding-right: 20px; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.25em; vertical-align: top; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); width: 87px; "><span class="nytint-graph nytint-dem" style="line-height: 4px; height: 7px; float: left; display: inline; margin-top: 3px; background-color: rgb(64, 86, 149); width: 9px; "></span></td><td class="nytint-victor" style="padding-top: 6px; padding-right: 3px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.6em; vertical-align: top; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); text-transform: uppercase; width: 44px; font-size:0.8em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">MCCAIN</span></td><td class="nytint-margin" style="padding-top: 6px; padding-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.25em; vertical-align: top; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); text-align: right; width: 33px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">+1%</span></td><td class="nytint-presChart" style="padding-top: 7px; padding-right: 20px; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.25em; vertical-align: top; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); width: 87px; "><span class="nytint-graph nytint-rep" style="line-height: 4px; height: 7px; float: left; display: inline; margin-top: 3px; background-color: rgb(180, 48, 48); width: 0px; "></span></td><td class="nytint-margin" style="padding-top: 6px; padding-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.25em; vertical-align: top; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); text-align: right; width: 33px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">18%</span></td><td class="nytint-insChart" style="padding-top: 7px; padding-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.25em; vertical-align: top; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); width: 87px; "><span class="nytint-graph nytint-uninsured" style="line-height: 4px; height: 7px; float: left; display: inline; margin-top: 3px; background-color: rgb(241, 192, 119); width: 13px; "></span></td><td class="nytint-freshmen" style="padding-top: 6px; padding-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 20px; line-height: 1.25em; vertical-align: top; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); width: 65px; "></td></tr></tbody></table></span></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-609079940616203249.post-18926190640982297052009-10-29T18:35:00.001-05:002009-10-29T20:08:53.136-05:00Is Greeley District Six School Board Going Union Busting?A little excitement with your prairie coffee? There are disturbing things going on between the Greeley Colorado District 6 School Board and the Teacher's Union--<a href="http://www.greeleyschools.org/home.aspx">Greeley Education Association</a>. Could the District 6 School Board be working a strategy to bust the Teacher's Union? There are contracts being placed in teacher's school mailboxes and at least some teachers feel they are under pressure to sign or they will be fired. Both <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Trimberger</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Broderius</span> of the Greeley District 6 School Board have their stamped signature on the contract. <div><br /></div><div>Please say it isn't so District 6. <div><br /></div><div>The School Board has stated at its most recent meeting that it has adopted it's last contract offer to the Teacher's Union. Ninety percent of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">GEA</span> turned that contract offer down prior to this meeting. There is a statement posted to the Di<a href="http://www.greeleyschools.org/home.aspx">strict 6 School Board's website</a> on the topic. The release is dated October 26, 2009. In it the school board cites that other staff will need to be laid off if the board honors what its previous promises and also grants current cost of living increases. </div><div><br /></div><div><blockquote>At its regular business meeting Monday evening, the District 6 Board of Education voted to render a final decision on the financial compensation items of the teachers union contract for the 2009-10 school year.<br />The Board approved the following compensation package for teachers for the 2009-10 school year:<br />• The district will pay the increased cost of contributions to the state retirement system (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">PERA</span>)<br />• The district will pay the increased cost of health, dental and vision insurance<br />• The district will pay for educational advancement on the salary schedule for teachers (often<br />referred to as “lane” raises or “horizontal movement” raises)<br />• The district will increase the per-hour pay rate for teachers’ non-contract work to $25 per hour<br />(currently is $18)<br />The master agreement contract between District 6 and the Greeley Education Association calls for the Board of Education to make the final determination on matters that have not been resolved through the regular negotiations process or through meditation (Article 5-e-3). Mediation between the district and the union was held on Sept. 25, with the assistance of a federal mediator, but ended without an<br />agreement on salaries and benefits.<br />“This was a difficult decision to make, because we do care deeply about our teachers and hold them in high regard. But these are very difficult financial times for the district and also for our local communities and our state,” said Board President Bruce <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Broderius</span>. “Financially, this is the best we can do. As disappointing as it is for all of us to be in the situation that we are, I truly hope we can still develop a partnership with the union to preserve jobs, to avoid layoffs, and to do what we can to lessen the fiscal crisis that will strike at the heart of our district in 2010.”<br />Salaries and wages for all of the district’s administrative and support staff employees were frozen at the beginning of the 2009-10 school year, remaining at last year’s levels.</blockquote><br /></div><div>The above statement tries to place the Board's decision into the context that it is acting under the current contract to make the final decision. I have not seen that current contract. It makes sense that some formal resolution in the case of an impasse to keep every one operating could be contained in the contract. And I certainly do not have the legal background to constructively comment that what the Board is doing is legally questionable. I think though from a humane perspective, from a public relations perspective they, the Board, just put the bus in a ditch. </div><div><br /></div><div>However, currently, there is a contract being dispersed throughout the school district in teacher's mailboxes and some teachers are under the belief that if they do not sign this contract they will be fired. This document is dated October 19, 2009. Other teachers, I hear, are packing their bags, if not now, then at the end of this year.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here is a <a href="http://greeleyville.blogspot.com/2009/10/new-contract-offerred-to-greeley.html">link to the contract</a> teachers found in their mailboxes this week. I've posted a photo copy of a contract with personal information removed.</div><div><br /></div><div>If the Board is continuing to operate underneath the old contract then what is this "other" contract all about? Why does it come without clear instructions on intent to the teachers? It has at-will employment law clauses in the new contract and it labels a long-standing teacher as a non-probationary employee. This would be, my assumption, bad faith actions if it was handled while active mediation was ongoing. That is at a minimum. If negotiations have now formally ended, and if the current contract is null and void because there wasn't any consensus reached, then is the Board indicating that it will fire any teacher unwilling to sign this new document or is the Board just trying to edge out the Union by breaking off chunks of the membership and getting them to sign independent of the Union while things are in transition? Certainly newbie young teachers without anything to gain in experience ratings or salary increases might be tempted to sign this contract under the duress of losing their job. </div><div><br /></div><div>Where is the District's highly-paid Superintendent in all these matters? Why hasn't the Superintendent addressed her staff and the public?</div><div><br /></div><div>My hope is that the Union is seeking to call a meeting ASAP for the teachers. That meeting needs to give teachers the ability to ask Union lawyers some good questions. For example, what does it mean if I sign this contract with the School District (union teachers say they have not been asked to personally sign a contract in years--the Union negotiates their contracts for them). Does this mean I am bound to a contract without representation of my union? How can I be forced under duress of losing my job into signing a contract? Those are just beginners.</div><div><br /></div><div>It seems a wonderful coincidence that the Board has danced this long with this Union until right up before the election cycle. Perhaps the Board has confidence that the Greeley public will not be supportive of the teachers considering the voters may turn away the Mill Levy Override. Even if the Mill Levy Override passes the District Board will be sitting pretty because they have strongly emphasized through out the Mill Levy Campaign that certified staff (teachers) will not receive any pay benefits from Measure 3A. So the District won't be needing to go back and revisit their current decision to abort negotiations and render a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">nonconsensual</span> contract on their teachers. </div><div><br /></div><div>A nice pickle to put the Union in. A nice pickle for the Union to get itself into.</div><div><br /></div><div>A scenario: If the District 6 Board pushes teachers into a panic mode and gets several teachers to sign these contracts what does that mean to the Union and their representation of the teachers. Is the Board trying to alienate teachers from their Union with this dog and pony show? </div><div><br /></div><div>That isn't the only benefit the Board might receive. If teachers get upset and walk off the job they can be replaced with newbies. If teachers sign the contract being shoved under their pen and then leave at the end of the year when public rancor has died down--the Board will get to hire "newbies". </div><div><br /></div><div>It doesn't get more corporate than the above scenario folks. Public education is not a business for a reason. Making teachers into manipulated widgets does not build the type of experiential investment needed to produce the results necessary for Greeley kids to compete in the big world. All efforts should be made to retain experienced talent and to mix in new and rising talent along the way. It is all part of a good human resources personnel. Teachers are the productive asset in any education system.</div><div><br /></div><div>With the Tribune trumpeting the Board's position and the District Superintendent Ms. Lang nowhere within the common <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">public</span> reach and Mr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Eads</span> being allowed to be the district spokesperson it is going to be up to the teachers and the public to demand real answers to the budgetary questions. It is a very easy time frame in which to manipulate public opinion against the teachers. </div><div><br /></div><div>Unfortunately there are a lot of other scenarios that could be at play here. Parties within negotiations and mediation often are tongue-tied for good reason. Contracts can have some funky clauses on "what happens next". Hence stories and rumors coming to the outside world can get very distorted. Both the Board and the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">GEA</span> will need public support as this gets touchy. It would nice to think that one or the other group will play fair and openly with the community. Public relation manipulation is yesterday's game plan. Today it is all about being honest and transparent. It is only fair that the Board be allowed to clear up their actions by better informing, clearly and meaningfully, the strategic purpose of their plans. </div><div><br /></div><div>This Board appears to have little credibility based on past performance--perceived or actual. That image problem, in and of itself, regardless of the source which began the problem, has put the Board in a poor position on community leadership. Credibility is essential in your governmental systems and this Board's credibility is on the line. Will the Board obfuscate and make the situation worse? Or will they be forthcoming and transparent with their teachers and begin taking some steps toward healing. Poor press management and poor spokesperson choices is likely just to darken the skies ahead.</div><div><br /></div><div>Certainly the Board, and the Board's employee Superintendent Lang, would have known for a while that by keeping experienced teachers around there would be step increases and other associated rise in labor costs. The bottleneck is a sign of long term poor planning. It can't all be about the economic downturn. </div><div><br /></div><div>Previous Articles:</div><div><a href="http://greeleyville.blogspot.com/2009/06/parity-and-greeleys-district-6.html">http://greeleyville.blogspot.com/2009/06/parity-and-greeleys-district-6.html</a></div><div><a href="http://greeleyville.blogspot.com/2009/07/greeley-district-6-performance-check.html">http://greeleyville.blogspot.com/2009/07/greeley-district-6-performance-check.html</a></div><div><a href="http://greeleyville.blogspot.com/2009/09/greeley-school-district-six-mill-levy.html">http://greeleyville.blogspot.com/2009/09/greeley-school-district-six-mill-levy.html</a></div><div><a href="http://greeleyville.blogspot.com/2009/09/part-ii-greeley-school-district-latino.html">http://greeleyville.blogspot.com/2009/09/part-ii-greeley-school-district-latino.html</a></div><div><a href="http://greeleyville.blogspot.com/2009/10/part-iii-greeley-school-district-six.html">http://greeleyville.blogspot.com/2009/10/part-iii-greeley-school-district-six.html</a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-609079940616203249.post-75940455968400665482009-10-29T16:00:00.000-05:002009-10-29T19:47:41.053-05:00New Contract Offerred to Greeley District 6 Teachers<div>The following are scans of a contract document placed within a Greeley Colorado District 6 Schools envelope and placed in the mailbox of a long time Greeley Colorado District 6 teacher who is also a member of the Greeley Education Association Union. To enlarge these documents for viewing click on the document icon and it will expand into the window. I have referred to these documents in the <a href="http://greeleyville.blogspot.com/2009/10/is-greeley-district-six-school-board.html">next posting</a>. </div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitvCn45Rf_yB7pD5pKDXkIzP3hQsZwToBJr0OMTiln8lOtL-xt4_yc5DKVbuO0r3-2Wl2ad5QHASLSuiPZc0J_YL23lgVi97WJtF60KYK5GmuCXGp0ksj7xBEaksnS3vavUty9xdda3QFd/s1600-h/d6contractpage2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 149px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitvCn45Rf_yB7pD5pKDXkIzP3hQsZwToBJr0OMTiln8lOtL-xt4_yc5DKVbuO0r3-2Wl2ad5QHASLSuiPZc0J_YL23lgVi97WJtF60KYK5GmuCXGp0ksj7xBEaksnS3vavUty9xdda3QFd/s200/d6contractpage2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398180791256972034" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMsvYlMGkEOm6x0ejmpOcYi-sktssN1zVCCQrnM_GAkKhdwzPfteVsuDVxXtSQSMErrjyq2R24GlOxPEAVk58NWGjgMy3ypFXNGbaju3y73naT7mVXLMghFZJu0queCSU2RyjokopNQJK3/s1600-h/d6contractpage1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMsvYlMGkEOm6x0ejmpOcYi-sktssN1zVCCQrnM_GAkKhdwzPfteVsuDVxXtSQSMErrjyq2R24GlOxPEAVk58NWGjgMy3ypFXNGbaju3y73naT7mVXLMghFZJu0queCSU2RyjokopNQJK3/s200/d6contractpage1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398180788138156578" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-609079940616203249.post-37226137457660976362009-10-27T11:06:00.005-05:002009-10-27T11:35:08.982-05:00Negotiations: Greeley Colorado District 6 Teachers Get Thrown Under the Bus<blockquote></blockquote>Greeley Colorado District 6 school teachers got a parochial school lesson last evening from the District School Board when the Board basically decided on a package deal for the teachers. Teachers are howling and the Union is threatening action. It remains to be seen what can or can't be done. While it would be reasonable during an economic downturn to curtail cost of living increases it is a hard pill to swallow when federal stimulus funds are coming into the district and a recovery is well underway except in job creation. Top that off with the fact that the <a href="http://www.bls.gov/CPI/">Consumer Price Index </a>shows that what $1.00 bought in 2007 now costs $1.04 or a $50,000 salary in 2007 is worth 2,080.27 less than it was in 2007.<div><br /></div><div>Of course the District is facing the same problem. It is going to have to spend $1.04 for every $1.00 spent previously and with property values sinking, the Tabor Act limiting tax increases not yet through the court system, and 3A swinging in the wind, I'd be sweating bullets too if I were on that School Board. Except that I suspect the State automatically adjusts the payments to the local schools for increases and, as I said previously, the state and local schools are eligible for stimulus funding. I've posted a couple of paragraphs on the federal money below taken from <a href="http://www.cde.state.co.us/scripts/federalstimulus/detail.asp?itemid=432776">the Colorado Department of Education website</a>. There are a few opportunities too, if I am reading the language on this page correctly, that District 6 should be applying for that could help with building attractive pay packages for high quality teachers and administrators in the future. Hope someone is on that and making it happen.</div><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; "><h2 style="font-size: 15px; color: rgb(25, 122, 155); "></h2></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; "><h2 style="font-size: 15px; color: rgb(25, 122, 155); "></h2></span><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; "><h2 style="font-size: 15px; color: rgb(25, 122, 155); ">Overview</h2><p>Congress designed the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund to prevent reductions in critical education and other services.</p><p>The Recovery Act allocates the following:</p><ol><li style="margin-top: 8px; ">A one-time appropriation of $53.6 billion for the overall State Fiscal Stabilization Fund</li><li style="margin-top: 8px; ">$39.7 billion in Education State Grants for states to use first in restoring state support of primary, secondary, and higher education through 2011 to the greater of 2008 or 2009 levels, and $8.8 billion in Government Services Grants to support any public safety or other government services, including education</li><li style="margin-top: 8px; ">At least $4.35 billion to fund Race to the Top State Grants, which includes $350 million in Standards and Assessments Grants</li><li style="margin-top: 8px; ">Up to $650 million in competitive grants to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">LEAs</span> or nonprofit organizations under the Investing in Innovation Fund</li></ol><h3 style="font-size: 12px; color: rgb(25, 122, 155); ">Funding</h3></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; ">Colorado is expected to receive $760,242,539 in Recovery Act funding for its State Fiscal Stabilization Fund state allocation, which includes $621.9 million for its Education State Grant and $138.3 million for its Government Services Grant.</span> </div></blockquote><div></div><div><br /></div><div>I'll write more on the negotiation topic when I get more information. I haven't posted too much on the topic as it is because to be honest it is difficult to tell facts from fiction and media hype. I've been in the middle of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">mediation</span> before and it is not a whole lot of fun to have the media perpetuating panic points. For example, a mild one, I heard last week that the Board were secretly putting new contracts in front of some select teachers and telling them they should sign them and that the new contracts would allow the teachers to be fired at will once signed. </div><div><br /></div><div>I sent that worried teacher back to dig for more details because it just sounded more than a little implausible that those details were correct. Every one is worried about the state of education in Greeley District 6. That much is obviously the truth.</div><div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0