Students and Economics

Life is full of choices. Economists speak of scarcity. What they mean is that there are always more things to do than there is time to do them; more things to buy than we have money to spend. So we need to choose. Every choice has both advantages and disadvantages. The advantages are typically happiness or extra money; the disadvantages are all the other opportunities we passed up to take this one – all the things we might have done but didn’t because we made a decision. The financial term used for these forsaken opportunities is “opportunity cost”.

Given that life is full of choices, I asked the class today how they would know if one investment choice is better than another: If it makes you happier! If you profit! Ok, what is profit? The class defined that profit is what is left after you pay all expenses. They turned it into a math equation: Profit = revenue – expenses.

“All right,” I posed: I invest $100 and get back $105. My aunt invests $50 and gets back $55. Both have the same $5 profit. Who is doing better? Who has the higher return on investment? “Your aunt!” “How do you know? Can you develop an equation that measures how good the choice is?” Thirty minutes of students writing math on the whiteboard and debating equations ensued. Two groups had viable, but different equations. This difference in definition caused difficulty during class discussion, so the class voted to standardize on the business definition of ROI:
Return on investment = profit divided by investment.

Tomorrow we return again to “The time value of money.”
-Brad Houston, Rich Kids Economics Teacher

Arizona School Funding Falls off The Cliff

Our federal government has used the phrase frequently that bailouts and stimulus funds have kept our economy from falling over the cliff. In Arizona, school funding is falling off the cliff.

The current school year which we will call fiscal year 2011 (FY2011) has our State budget short nearly $900 million from being balanced. Depending on who you talk to, K-12 public education is 37 or 48 percent of the State budget. So if cuts come based on portion of the bduget, from K-12education, the additional cuts THIS YEAR would be $333 million. Why cuts? The State has exhausted their rollovers, fund sweeping, selling of assets and what is left, cliff-falling cuts.

Some politicians have suggested that there have really not been any cuts to education over the past few years. Let’s look at the cuts that have impacted Arizona schools, just this year.

Soft Capital $165 Million
New Utility Formula $100 Million
Building Renewal $231 Million
Charter SchoolAdditional Assistance $10 Million
Total $506 Million

In addition to the cuts, Arizona schools have not been getting the revenue payments. This year schools have been assured funding from the State for SIX months. Schools have expenses for twelve months. This is another cut, that is not calculated in the cuts above.

What do schools do when they don’t get the funding? THEY BORROW money from their lines of credit with banks and then they ask the County Treasurer to issue warrants. The issuance of warrants means they’ll ask their taxpayers for more local tax funds, at some future point. Reality, schools will be forced to make cuts, just like taxpayers do with thie personal budgets. The Grand Canyon School District saw this coming last year and captured every penny available, and worked to have cash in the bank to weather this year’s loss of funding. Next year…is another story.

There is another option, and this is one that is aggressively underway, at The Grand Canyon Schools. Searching for alternate sources of funding and developing a fund-development program, just like our colleges, universities and private schools have done for centuries. There is a foundation being formed whose sole purpose is to support Grand Canyon education. The contributions to the foundation will be used to support and help fund education for children who seek learning at the Grand Canyon Schools.

What are other ways that funds can be generated in schools? Advertising on busses, websites, facebook, gym walls, etc…Create business partnerships such as Pepsi, Coke – as in the past. Seek corporate sponsorship of labs, teachers and more.

These are bleak times which call for ingenuinty, creativity, and strong leadership. K-12 education will look much different than ever before. Services taken for granted will be reduced. The status quo is gone. State funding through statewide taxes is gone.

At the Grand Canyon, the only taxpayers that contribute to the funding of our education, as those who own property, in Tusayan. You see, education is funded through a real-estate tax. If you do not own real estate in the Grand Canyon School district, thank a taxpayer, in Tusayan for paying this tax that pays for educationg your child. Yes, there is a small amount of sales tax that is collected, as well. The sales tax is negligible when it comes to school funding.

In every adversity, there is opportunity. You can help by contributing to the foundation, to tax credits, you can make donations to the school district, you can offer ideas on how to generate funds, and you can look for our budget survey that will be on our school website next week, and offer your perspectives through the survey.

There is one more thing, you can contact your State legislators and encourage a suspension of the paperwork required of teachers and school districts, and a complete revamping of the State school funding formula. You could even ask for less cuts to public education, your child’s education…

If you would like to be on the mailing list that will get regular updates on Arizona School funding, be sure to send an email to sallen@grandcanyonschools.org so you can get up-to-date information on the Arizona economy and its impact on School Funding.

What Proposition 100 Passage Means to the Grand Canyon Schools

A Public Release from the Office of Superintendent, Sharyl Allen – May 19, 2010

In his book A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens penned, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness.” Amazingly, things haven’t changed much since 1859. For many of us, this is the worst economic times of our lifetime. Our school district, like others, are spinning from the massive change that has occurred in less than a year. Proposition 100 has prevented worse times, this fall. What does it mean here?

Proposition 100 means that we will not need to make another $125,000.00 in cuts. The following cuts that were slated have been averted:

 $10,000.00 from Activities Travel Budget
 $5,000.00 in Staff Development
 All Overtime (caused primarily by student field and athletic trips; snow removal)
 Additional maintenance/custodial/district office supplies
 Principal Position
 Maintenance Position

The Grand Canyon Schools will continue to expand Honors and CTE class offerings for high school students, as recommended by the Accreditation review. Skills classes for students who need extra help will continue to be offered in Reading and Math. We are continuing to provide small class sizes in most of our classes. We will continue to make the difficult decision of reducing staff as our enrollment has dropped and continues to shrink.

We must remember that the passage of the sales tax is a short-term fix. We still have long-term challenges facing our school district, public education and our State. The budget cuts that have already been enacted will impact the district for the 2010-11 school year.

Despite careful planning and conservative management of our budget, we could face additional cuts as the State still has to balance next year’s budget. All of our staff members and departments continue to be challenged to do more with less.

We are committed to the students and the vision and mission of this school district. I.B. will continue to be a keystone of our curriculum framework and instructional focus. We are aggressively pursuing innovative ways to fund the school district and provide the exceptional education each child deserves. We must be creative in providing a quality education for every child who comes to our school, to learn, regardless of the daunting obstacles that face us.

Today, the passage of Proposition 100 is good news for the Grand Canyon School District. The citizens of Arizona have spoken loudly, with the passage of two sales tax propositions for education in the last 10 years, EDUCATION IS IMPORTANT to Arizona.

Is Education a Privilege or a Right?

This past week, two different conversations with teachers raised the question: is education a privilege or a right? Join me as we repaint the conversations.

A high school teacher recently returned from six weeks in India on a Rotary Exchange program. One of the requirements of the program was spending a lot of time in schools. India has public schools for those who cannot afford private schooling. In their public schools, students are often left without teachers. The parents work and save so they can send their children to private schools. Why? They know their child’s future depends on the quality of education. In the classrooms, often sixty to seventy students, the teacher never had to address student behavior or ask students to get out their homework. Students worked.

The teacher reminsced, “what would it be like, if our students had the same desire to excel in their learning?”

A middle school teacher returned from visiting a charter school in Phoenix, that offers a Math program we are considering. The teacher shared, “as I pulled up with a BMW in front of me and another BMW behind me, I realized that I was at a school where families had wealth.” You might be asking yourself, what does wealth have to do with learning? Good question! Let’s see if it gets answered as we continue observing this story.

As the teacher observed and talked with children, in the classrooms, there was not a single student who did not have completed homework. No excuses, no incomplete work whether it was a 1st grader or a fifth grade student. The children had learned to focus as they were in what was called open classrooms. Open classrooms are big rooms where two classes are taught at the same time. However, their classes were about the same size as Grand Canyon classes 15-20 students. The kids were engaged in their learning and could clearly explain what they had learned and why they explored solutions in certain ways.

So what did the children in India and a Phoenix charter school have in common? What was different?

Perhaps the children understood that when we look at education as a privilege and something of great worth, we are willing to work hard for results. When education is seen as an entitlement, something that is deserved just because, it loses value and luster. If one feels like studying or doing homework ok but if not, ok.

Perhaps the children and their parents understood, that today knowledge is valued. Those who learn, and are willing to tackle that which is hard, benefit, in the long-run. Whether it is a child in a 70 student classroom in India, or one who rode to school in a BMW, children all over the world, share a common goal of a better life. Could education be the greatest equalizer in pursuit of greatness? You be the judge and while you are judging the value of education, perhaps, we can all work a little harder at making certain that our kids are taking advantage of the privilege for which you and I are paying for them – a public education!

School Funding

Grand Canyon school funding is dependent upon three sources: The State Government, The Federal Government and local property owners. The State Government is bankrupt. The Federal Government is bankrupt. The local property owners are overburdened. Why does this matter?

Public education is the great equalizer. Every citizen and non-citizen can participate in public education and pursue their dreams. Without knowledge, we really have nothing. So if public education is dependent upon government that is broke and taxpayers that are overtaxed, what next? Ah, that’s the good question.

Whenever, your expenses are more than your income, what are your choices?

1. Cut expenses
2. Increase your income

This is exactly what school districts are doing and what government is doing. As a result, the education sysstem you may be familiar with is changing. Remember, the only constant thing is change. We have the choice of an optimistic attitude in which we can turn the changes to our advantage. That is what we are doing at the Grand Canyon! How? Another good question.

1. We are communicating with our community about public school financing and how it works.
2. We are creating a coalition of experts who will help us become and independent public school.
3. We are examining everything we do to ensure that it furthers the achievement of our children, if it doesn’t, then it will no longer be done.
4. We are using Zero Based Budgeting in the development of our department and district budget. This will ensure we fund needs first.

As we look to the next school year, which begins July 1, our State is anticipating have expenses that exceed income by $4.3 billion dollars. That is almost half of the State budget. Public education accounts for 48% of the State’s general fund. So, we are planning on budget cuts and at the same time planning on how to provide for our student needs differently.

If you want to be involved in this endeavor, leave a post, give the school district a call, or simply stay tuned for more updates.

It is indeed a Happy New Year! It is causing us to become innovative thinkers once again, and that is a good thing.

Cheerfully,

Sharyl Allen, Grand Canyon School Superintendent

Five Grains of Corn

The other day, I was in Phoenix visiting with family and friends from Toronto. The conversation turned to Thanksgiving and how Americans open their homes and invite others to celebrate with them. This particular Canadian was so grateful for the generosity of Americans, having benefitted as an Iranian refugee in 1980 from American kindness. She went on to share, “Canadian Thanksgiving, isn’t like this… I wonder why?”

Thanksgiving is distinctly an American holiday. There is nothing like it anywhere else in the world. Thanksgiving is unusual in many ways. It does not commemorate a famous statesman, a battle won, or the writing of a historic document. Thanksgiving is a time set by Americans to express deep gratitude felt for the productivity of American soil. It reminds us of the dangers and hardships through which our ancestors passed. It gives us the opportunity to express our gratitude to God for all of the blessings that we receive as people and a nation of givers.

Early New Englanders had a Thanksgiving custom that kept their minds in contact with their gratitude for the sacrifices of early pilgrims. By every plate was placed five grains of corn as a reminder of the days, when their ancestors food supply had become so depleted that five grains of corn was the ration to those still alive. They did not want their children to forget that on the day the food ration was only five grains of corn, only seven people were healthy enough to take care of the sick. Nearly half of those who had come to this land of promise lay in wind-swept graves. By the grace of God and the caring hearts of our Native brothers, the early pilgrims were taught how to live in this new land.

Why is American Thanksgiving different than Canada’s or any other nation’s? We need only look back to five grains of corn to find the answer.

From all of us at the Grand Canyon, thank you for being such a vital part of our school community. We love and appreciate being a part of your lives and having you as a part of ours. Happy Thanksgiving!

What is “Better”?

How often have you heard the use of the word “better”? Let me share some examples with you and see how many you are smiling and nodding your head in agreement: “I am feeling better.”, “Our school is getting better.”, “You had better tell me the truth!”, “Does that feel better?”, “This is better than the alternative.”, “Arizona had better get better in Math and Science.”

I’m sure you can add to the list of the use of the word, better. But what does it really mean? Some of the adjectives for better include: finer, stronger, superior, improved health, preferred, higher, and do any of these adjectives help us define better?

Well, I’m going to challenge you to get “better” at mathematics in your home. I’d like to share why it is important that, in your home, mathematicians are encouraged to blossom.

Today, there are a lot of woes facing all of us from the credit fiasco to growing unemployment lines. Perhaps it is the loss of confidence in political figures or the continued war in the Middle East. For others it is the growing gap between the rich and poor, and for me, it is the growing gap between those who can and don’t learn how to be better mathematicians than couch potatoes.

A Wall Street Journal article in September, 2008, reported the following: “The U.S. where blissful ignorance is celebrated and intellectual excellence ridiculed. Brittney Spears, Sean Penn, Paris Hilton are icons and most Americans watch 4.5 hours of mindless television every day. The United States, where we have the highest high school drop-out rate in the industrialized world and where children are undisciplined when it comes to the learning of Math and Science.”

Bill Gates recently traveled abroad visiting world high schools and made the following comment, “comparing our high schools with those abroad, I am terrified regarding our workforce of tomorrow.”

So what does this have to do with me, you might be asking. Thanks for asking. It has a lot to do with you. Too often, when kids come home with math homework, parent’s don’t remember how to do those Algebra or Geometry problems, so they simply tell kids, “I wasn’t very good at math…Math is important, just not for us…” STOP those words before they come out of your mouth. You use the math skills you learned every day in problem solving, innovation, predicting, projecting, estimating, and more.

The technology advances we enjoy, today, are a result of math and science innovations. We have satellite technology which gives us cell phones, digital television, increased homeland security, instant worldwide communication and more. Math encourages innovation. Disciplined students who are willing to work when it gets tougher ensures the health of our economy, the security of our nation, medical breakthroughs, and the ingenuity of future generations to improve the quality of life for all.

So the next time, your child wants to get out of a math class or doing a math problem, remember, Math may be the most important skill your child learns for their future. Let’s all say YES!!!, to more Math for our kids and move from the bottom of the industrialized world in our ability to use Math.

Just One Thing

Did you see the movie, City Slickers? If so, do you remember Curly and how he held your attention when he held up a single finger and said, “it’s just one thing”. Do you remember, anxiously waiting to learn what the one thing was and then being somewhat disappointed? Well, for those who are seeking the one thing that leads to more success, more time with family, more recognition, more of whatever it is you need, then perhaps just this one thing will help your family and you.

In order to build a phenomenal life, you need to develop the ability to FOCUS.

And you have to focus in on one project and see it through to completion.

Not ten projects, nor do you increase productivity by multi-tasking. Do you remember Steven Covey author of 7-Habits for Highly Effective People? Dr. Covey talked about the important-NOT urgent things in our lives should get the most attention, yet most of us spend our time with the urgent-important and urgent-NOT important issues. Why?

Why indeed!

I remember my first big high school principalship and my second year as the principal, two of the three assistants were new to administration and management of lots of stuff and people. I challenged our team to spend 50% of our time in the important-NOT urgent quadrant. One particular assistant said, “it’s so hard to do that because there are sooo many things that happen in a day.” He paused and then with a funny look on his face shared this profound insight. “ I get an adreline rush from running around putting out other’s little crises. It makes me feel needed.”

Now for the rest of the story…

After this aspiring assistant principal realized that he could do more good by spending more time in the important-NOT urgent areas of our school, he led the school through a major change initiative that took two years to implement. The results of his labors are still evident at this school nearly 10 years later and the school was and remains and excelling high school. Focus on one project, just one and do it exceptionally well.

Just one. One more time, Just one… at a time.

Remember,

Real success comes from putting your nose to the grindstone and putting the concepts you have devised in action – one at a time.

Until next time, may you be focused, in pursuing your dreams.

Sharyl Allen, GC Schools Superintendent

What Did the President Say to Kids?

From Wakefield High in Arlington, Virginia to the Grand Canyon School District, President Obama shared a message of responsibility with our students. Whose responsibility is it to do your homework, to listen, and put in the hard work it takes to succeed? “I want to focus on the responsibility each of you has for your education.

The President continued with a focus on the importance of education, learning, and understanding that success only comes after lots of failures. He shared that some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who have had the most failures. JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was rejected twelve times before it was finally published. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team and he stated, “I have failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

As the President wound up his speech to students, he emphasized, ” Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something and to learn something new.” He continued with, “I expect you to get serious this year. I expect you to do your best effort in everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don’t let us down – don’t let your family or your country or yourself down. Make us all proud. I know you can do it.”

During the 15 minute speech, students were quiet and listening. After the speech students in different classes shared their perspectives on the President’s speech, what they liked. One student commented, “I liked his message that failing just means that I need to spend more time learning and asking for help.”

There was a lot to appreciate in the message the President shared with our students. If you haven’t had a chance to hear a re-broadcast of the speech, you can get a copy of the prepared speech at www.whitehouse.gov. I’m sure that you will will agree, the message was right on target for what any of us would want our youth to know and understand.

Sharyl Allen, GC School Superintendent

President Obama’s Speech

On Tuesday, at 9:00 a.m., Grand Canyon students and their teachers will have the chance to listen to the president’s speech on goals and staying in school. This speech has stirred up controversy around our nation. There are some who believe it is an attempt to promote a political agenda through bypassing of parents. I encourage you to read the speech and then make a judgment on this Presidential act.

This is not the first president to ever address our nation’s children, nor is it likely to be the last. I agree that parents should be informed and be able to discuss such a speech with their children, in advance of an event. My apologies to Grand Canyon parents that we didn’t do a better job communicating with you on this issue. The Grand Canyon staff understands that it is not our role to promote a particular political agenda, but to ensure that your children are taught how to look at the many sides of an issue, and make their own decisions on the issue.

The President’s prepared speech is available at whitehouse.gov and I encourage each of you to go and read the prepared speech.

Students can opt out of listening to the President’s speech. If you would like your child to be exempt from the speech, just give us a call.

In the meantime, join in giving our President the benefit of the doubt. Read the message he wishes to share with the youth of our nation. It is worthwhile and may be just what your child needs to hear.

Sharyl Allen, GC Schools Sup’t.