Access 05.15.07

	Access
	Edition #136, May 15, 2007
"The art of taxation consists in so plucking the goose as to obtain the largest possible amount of feathers with the smallest possible amount of hissing." Jean-Baptiste Colbert, the minister of finance under Louis XIV             Next School Board Meeting is at 5:30 on May 22nd.	The Brevard Metropolitan Planning Agency recently recognized Andrea Alford, Brevard's Director of District & School Safety, for her work in promoting bicycle/pedestrian safety initiatives. Her dedication to safety and security initiatives is greatly appreciated.   The League of Women Voters recently registered 910 student voters. Congratulations to Ayn Samuelson and her crew for an active civics lesson.   I spent a pleasant morning at Sea Park Elementary School, a small learning community of about 300 students in a spotless facility. I encourage those who are interested in the advantages of a neighborhood school to contact the Principal, Ms. Ena Leiba, and arrange for a personal tour. BTW, I'm a Sea Park alumnus.   Press Release TITUSVILLE, FLORIDA – The office of Tyler Winik, the local high school senior who has been an outspoken, unpaid lobbyist for alcohol legislation reform, released the following statement on May 1, 2007:   "On Monday, April 30th, 2007, Caleb McKinney was sentenced to 30 days in jail, followed by 11 months probation, 25 hours of community service, and random testing to see if Mr. McKinney continues to consume alcohol as he is underage.   This proves that the wheels of justice do actually turn in Brevard County, more so now than ever.  Too often in rural spots in Brevard County, such as Mims, alcohol is viewed as a "right of passage."  Sadly for Morgan [Gordon] and Chelsea [Beck], this "right of passage" ended in tragedy for their family, their friends, and a community.  I knew both girls, Chelsea more than Morgan, and can say that both were beautiful, talented, and wonderful friends.   Brevard should realize that Mr. McKinney was not punished for providing the alcohol, and that he is not punished for the girls' deaths.  He is, however, punished by law for having an open house party.  Though it was alcohol that was rampant at the party, the open house party statute as currently written includes " anyone 18 years or older "   Friday night at midnight, we will sadly see the ending of the regular session of the Florida Legislature, with no movement on the four alcohol bills proposed by the City of Titusville and introduced by Senator Posey.  These bills will clearly spell out who is responsible in any given situation, and would aim to clear up any misconceptions.  I cannot express the amount of hours and trips to Tallahassee that not only I but officials with the City of Titusville and the county have put in/made to advocate stricter alcohol penalties. (Office of A.T. Karberg Winik, For Immediate Release: May 1, 2007)   The Florida Legislature has passed a bill requiring 150 minutes of Physical Education per week for grades K-5. Good work, folks!   "Florida is the third worst state in the country in its number of uninsured children, and the federal money that could help insure them is going to waste. An analysis by the Children's Campaign Inc., a Tallahassee-based advocacy group, found that Florida has forfeited $139 million in federal dollars since 1998 because it hasn't put forward its mandated contribution and, more recently, because it hasn't enrolled enough children to warrant the spending. The state must contribute about 30 cents for every federal dollar it receives. If it doesn't spend its federal allotment within three years, the money gets redistributed to states that would use it. About 500,000 children are believed to be uninsured but eligible for the plan." (News-Press.com)   "(So) the Liverpool Central School District, just outside Syracuse, has decided to phase out laptops starting this fall, joining a handful of other schools around the country that adopted one-to-one computing programs and are now abandoning them as educationally empty — and worse. Many of these districts had sought to prepare their students for a technology-driven world and close the so-called digital divide between students who had computers at home and those who did not. "After seven years, there was literally no evidence it had any impact on student achievement — none," said Mark Lawson, the school board president here in Liverpool, one of the first districts in New York State to experiment with putting technology directly into students' hands. "The teachers were telling us when there's a one-to-one relationship between the student and the laptop, the box gets in the way. It's a distraction to the educational process." Liverpool's turnabout comes as more and more school districts nationwide continue to bring laptops into the classroom. Federal education officials do not keep track of how many schools have such programs, but two educational consultants, Hayes Connection and the Greaves Group, conducted a study of the nation's 2,500 largest school districts last year and found that a quarter of the 1,000 respondents already had one-to-one computing, and fully half expected to by 2011. Yet school officials here and in several other places said laptops had been abused by students, did not fit into lesson plans, and showed little, if any, measurable effect on grades and test scores at a time of increased pressure to meet state standards. Districts have dropped laptop programs after resistance from teachers, logistical and technical problems, and escalating maintenance costs. Such disappointments are the latest example of how technology is often embraced by philanthropists and political leaders as a quick fix, only to leave teachers flummoxed about how best to integrate the new gadgets into curriculums. Last month, the United States Department of Education released a study showing no difference in academic achievement between students who used educational software programs for math and reading and those who did not." (New York Times, May 4, 2007)   The U.S. produces more tobacco than wheat. This year, about 168,000 deaths will be caused by tobacco.   Two Eskimos traveling by boat became so cold that they lit a fire. Not surprisingly, the boat sank and they perished. You can't have your kayak and heat it too.   Larry E. Hughes Parent, Citizen LarryHughes@ourflorida.info (321) 724-4203   No public resources were used in the creation or transmission of this email.   Please distribute to friends or neighbors who are interested in Public Schools. If they would like to subscribe, please send an email to LarryHughes@OurFlorida.info with the word "subscribe" in the Subject line. If you do not wish to receive this information, please reply with the word "unsubscribe" in the Subject line. I apologize for any inconvenience I may have caused you.