Many people want to talk hateful and say things about others that well-brought-up people don’t say. Being angry is understandable; no one wants to lose their job. But being hateful and ugly is another.People’s children Dr. Meara‘s daughter or anyone else’s children should be left alone. Most likely those doing the talking do not even know her daughter. Any parent that is worth being called a parent wants to see the best for their child. I do we all do and Dr. Meara is most likely no different. I work and live in this county and I think perhaps there are some parents who could take lessons form Dr. Meara.

If you are upset with Dr. Meara fine it is your right to tell her. She is a grown woman and I am sure beyond a doubt that she is able to handle herself just fine. But children anyone’s children should be left alone. Much has been said about a person making 70K with out having a college degree. There are lots of people who make good money and do not have a degree. If this person has worked hard and bettered them self by doing so I am glad for them. If not I have to assume that this person lives with that though every day during times like these.

Our school board and Dr. Meara are doing the best they can to save jobs. It is not the School board or Dr. Meara that people should be upset with. It is the BOS who have turned down the school boards request because they want to see jobs cut, that should be receiving the questions and concerns and maybe anger of the hard working people of this county. The BOS and how they vote will decide if the hopes and dreams of the hard working people of this county mean anything. The BOS final decision will tell us where they stand on the people in this county.The school board has already said they do not want to see jobs lost and are trying to make that happen.Let your BOS know where you stand.

March 8th BOS Regular Meeting, PHS 7:00 p.m.

March 9th Regular School Board Meeting, PHS 7:00 p.m.

March 22nd Public Hearing on Budget, CIP and Fee Schedule, PHS 7:00 p.m.

March 31st BOS Budget Workshop, Village Building 7:00 p.m.

April 8th BOS Workshop, Powhatan Library 7:00 p.m.

April 12th   BOS Regular Meeting – Adopt Budget, CIP and Fee Schedule, PHS 7:00 p.m.

While I am admittedly lost in the details of EV’s post, he or she does bring up a very good point:  studies have shown that education levels are not directly correlated with spending levels.

Demographic trends may truly have more to do with Powhatan’s good test scores than does the increased government spending on schools.  If this is indeed the case, then it would follow that school spending could be decreased without necessarily damaging test scores.

EV…Thank you for showing us your true stupidity with your rambling!  You may want to see your doctor because you are experiencing diarrehea of the mouth…

Shocked,

you can quote ratios and titles/roles/positions counts all day long

table 13 is the cost and that is the question.  cost per pupil.

Even if that argument can be subtended during regular economic times, it certainly cannot be during a recession

how many studies exist disproving or not supporting the direct relationship of increase in cost and increase in academic achievement or only proving money correlates to academic excellence to a certain point?

as someone else referred, the quality of education has never cost as much as it did in the last couple years yet society is no more ‘educated’ in the last couple years than the previous decades or centuries.  a grade schooler can only get so prepared for life but maybe more facts can get crammed in their head.

You sound like you are an SOL/NCLB one size fits all kind of academic!

the costliest school divisions in virginia and the nation do not have the highest academic numbers and the least expensive divisions do not have the lowest.  The converse must be demonstrated for the money argument to be true.

the powhatan county school division benefits from a fortunate lack of lower socioeconomic families, low family transiency, high household income, and generally above average or positive characteristics on every demographic metric that can be quantified.  those metrics have a far greater determining factor for scholastic performance than scholastic performance has on those demographics particularly within a generation

further supporting those facts is the immigration pattern in the last decade or so.  the vast majority of families and as such children migrated TO the powhatan school division (yes because it wasn’t a bad division but when the crème de le crème demographically migrate in it drastically improves) and are not directly products OF the powhatan school division from earlier generations.

furthermore, powhatan county has gotten some high healthy ranks or something recently for a couple years.  again one only has to look at the immigration numbers (and not all immigrated because they have children to place in the school) to see why.  the demographic metrics have increased faster than the school division has cranked out 18 year olds.

Look at the ADM starting from 1990 through this year.  Huge change, super improvement (and certainly maintenance in some cases) in scores and raw number of pupils attaining those scores but since it happened within a decade or less than a generation it was not a product of the system feeding back into itself but rather the new immigration.  It would take at least 25 years for a decent sized cohort of the students of a good system to have children that hit the division as good potential students and then 20 more for their kids to enter the division.

thought experiment - if the cost structure, administrative structure and indeed actual employees of PCPS could be ratioed up and cloned and then applied to just about any school division (but let’s say Richmond City Public Schools) would, over time, the academic achievement numbers rise to what powhatan county currently has within 10, 15 or 20 years?

the answer - only if the demographic inputs start at what powhatan has or if they rise to what powhatan has rapidly within that period.
otherwise, why wouldn’t every school division that has trouble simply create the same public school division as the successful divisions and beg borrow or steal the leadership needed to nurse the division to health?

They can’t because they are stuck in the demographic loop not a lack of money, access to divisions that are successful to mimic them or successful divisions’ leadership’s willingness to help

Successful divisions have good raw materials, they can’t create substantial good raw materials in a decade.  And money only matters to a certain point.  elsewise the state would find home schoolers and private schools that spend FRACTIONS of what public schools do guilty of child neglect.  But the state doesn’t and students can post just as good academically at a FRACTION of the state average as those at DOUBLE the state average.  Maybe the charter schools will show us the light.

As to the anonymity – is there anyone else in the system that feels they work in an environment where collegiality and academia occurs within the division from the teachers to the top?

Must not be because not a single person ever speaks out.  assuming they are not stupid, there must be another reason…

Table 13 does not even support your position. Why don’t you ask questions publicly instead of hiding behind your computer? You are basing your opinions on false assumptions and information and frankly, looking quite ridiculous to people who know better. You’re right, research is not reading the newspaper, nor is it reading a chart when you can’t understand it. 

You say that city schools aren’t good “comparators” (which isn’t even the correct use of the word) let me help you, city schools aren’t good comparisons to county schools.  That’s fine – let’s use Dinwiddie, the closest county school system with a comparable enrollment.  Dinwiddie has about 250 more students enrolled than Powhatan.

I also used Table 13, as well as Tables 2, 3, 5, 6, 15, 17, and 18 in researching my post.  Please don’t assume I got my facts from the newspaper, because you know what assuming does. You do realize these tables are from Fiscal Year 2008, right?  A lot has changed in the economy since then and a lot of the numbers have changed. But, if that’s what you want to argue, I’ll bite. 

How about Table 17 as long as we’re on tables?  Dinwiddie has 3.29 Principals and Assistant Principals per 1,000 students.  Powhatan has 2.59 Principals and Assistant Principals per 1,000 students and as stated before, the two school divisions are comparable in size.  So, Powhatan has LESS administrators per 1,000 students than a comparable school system.  So wouldn’t that mean that they should have less teachers?  Well, Dinwiddie has 94.84 total instructional positions per 1,000 students.  Powhatan has 109.64 instructional positions per 1,000 students. Chesterfield Schools have 92.84 total instructional positions per 1,000 students, Henrico is at 91.68 per 1,000 students, and Hanover is at 107.61 per 1,000 students.  Maybe we DO have more teachers than we need, of course, if we’re striving to be more like comparable school divisions, I guess that means some teachers would have to go.

Now let’s go to Table 18.  Dinwiddie has 20 Administrative positions and 55.75 Technical and Clerical positions.  Powhatan has 16.87 Administrative positions and 58.80 Technical and Clerical positions.  So maybe Powhatan should hire more administrators.  Everyone keeps talking about New Kent Public Schools – how they only have five central office employees.  New Kent is considered a small school system, being that is has less than 3,000 students.  Powhatan’s total enrollment is almost double that of New Kent.  Furthermore, according to Table 18, they have 16 Administrative positions – just like Powhatan!  Going back to Table 17, New Kent also has 3.27 Principals and Assistant Principals per 1,000 students and 107.97 total instructional positions per 1,000 students.  So again, another school division with MORE administrative staff and LESS instructional positions per 1,000 students.

Table 15 indicates that Dinwiddie spends $9,075 per pupil.  Powhatan spends $9,887 per pupil.  You say Powhatan is “above state average for comparable counties.”  What counties are you comparing Powhatan to?  Do they have some of the highest test scores in the state like Powhatan has?  However, I’m sure Powhatan wouldn’t have a problem going down to $9,075 per pupil if you wanted the SOL test scores and dropout rates that Dinwiddie has.  If you want test scores like Dinwiddie – why not?  In the 2008-2009 school year, 51.7% of Powhatan’s students graduated with Advanced Diplomas compared to 22.59% in Dinwiddie.  In Dinwiddie, 60% of students attended a 2 year or 4 year college while 75.5% of Powhatan students attended a 2 or 4 year college program.
Dinwiddie had 102 dropouts.  Powhatan?  12. 

Do some of you even know what the Board decided last night on the budget?  No, of course not, because instead of speaking your mind in front of the Superintendent and the School Board you instead decide to be cowardly and hide behind a website.  If you are this displeased with the school system, I urge you to speak with your Superintendent and School Board and make your concerns known instead of whining about them on the internet.

EV, per total pupil cost, Powhatan schools are below state average and yet has managed to provide high performance results.

Civics Nerd, in the age of “self” first, taxes are the first thing some people want to think about.  I admire Delegate Ware and Senator Watkins for not pushing taxes. Instead they are focused on cutting spending.

Looks like the school division managed to come up with a budget that still protected the overall integrity of the program and cut spending at the same time.  Amazing concept.

Shocked-

Very well put!  I appreciate reading a well-thought out argument.  I agree that our budget issues today are the result of a governor and General Assembly (including our representatives Lee Ware and John Watkins) who are not willing to make the unpopular decisions necessary to save education.  Our local leaders can only do so much when the state is slashing education and local monies out of control!!

Shocked - you get YOUR facts straight

get Table 13 from the DOE, omit cities and towns which are not appropriate comparators, review totals by category or add a column for a per pupil calc of just about any system in the 3K-10K ADM

powhatan is higher across almost all comparables and particularly in admin and nursing

per pupil powhatan is about at the state average for all counties and above the state average for comparable counties

research is not reading the newspaper

Talking about pay cuts. The way I see it. It should be everyone. Top to bottom. If the people at Central office think they are too good for a pay cut, then maybe they need to look for another job. I know everyone wants to keep their job, but if you don’t work or do the job you are to do at the fullest then you too should be looking foe another job.

It amazes me how low and utterly disgusting people become when trying to save their own behind.  Personal attacks on individuals not even associated with the school system?  Stalking people’s Facebook pages? Really?  Are we in the third grade?  Actually I take that back, I won’t insult a third grader, a third grader would have more integrity than that.  And a third grader I’m positive would have better grammar than the poster with no tact or reliability below.  And an Assistant Director of Transportation position was created?  For who?  Andrew Spencer, current Director of Transportation, was in that position several years ago under the then Director of Transportation before he was promoted to Director – the Assistant Director of Transportation position has been on the books at least for the past several years. 

If you want someone to blame, blame your Governor, the General Assembly (which, by the way, your representative has done nothing for you in terms of helping you keep your jobs) or heck, even the President.  The Superintendent and School Board are working hard to keep a high level of education to the students of Powhatan County with the money they have been dealt by the County and the State. It further perplexes me that you all are tearing down the same Superintendent and School Board that has been trying to save YOUR jobs for over one year.  They are people faced with very hard decisions in very hard economic times and if they had it their way would not fire anyone or decrease anyone’s salary but that is not the hand that has been dealt to us as a Country right now.  Everyone’s position is on the chopping block and I don’t understand how people with no education on the matter can say that Central Office staff is not included in that – if you want to assume something to make yourself feel better that’s fine but don’t go spreading your lies to other people. 

People really need to get their facts straight before they open their mouths.  Chesterfield Superintendent Marcus Newsome said he would cut his own salary by 7%...good for him…he already makes $248,667 per year!  Hanover County Superintendent makes $240,828 per year.  Henrico County Superintendent makes $211,448 per year. Richmond City School Superintendent Yvonne Brandon makes $170,000.  Those schools divisions are bigger than Powhatan you say?  How about Hopewell City Public Schools, with an estimated enrollment around the same as Powhatan – if not a few hundred less – the Superintendent makes $140,664 and has much less experience than Dr. Meara.  Wow – I guess hard work and education doesn’t get you many places these days.  Now let’s go to Petersburg Public Schools – also comparable to Powhatan in enrollment.  Their Superintendent makes $154,704 per year and has only been Superintendent since 2007.  Meara has been Superintendent in Powhatan since 1989!!  People commenting would know this if they took the time to their research and realized we have some of the lowest paid Superintendents and Assistant Superintendents in Central Virginia.  And now their salaries are looking to be cut even more? 

Thank you Mr. Moore for trying to inject some wisdom into the meaningless comments of others. The people of Powhatan appreciate your honesty and integrity. 

I think everyone should count their blessings that they work for a caring school system such as Powhatan County.  If you don’t like it – help out Powhatan’s budget and quit and go work for Chesterfield Public Schools and start whining about their budget.

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