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Old 01-23-2013, 07:03 AM
 
3,669 posts, read 6,862,945 times
Reputation: 1803

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Quote:
Originally Posted by pobre View Post
This program IS replicating what is already available through the school districts.

Look, I have ZERO problem with Pre-K itself. I'm a strong advocate and a believer.

BUT, to re-write Machiavelli, the ends do NOT always justify the means. No matter how well-intentioned this program is (although my gut tells me that the kids are not the priority here...), spending upwards of 20K per kid just doesn't make sense.

How about ensuring that ALL kids have access to Pre-K before establishing a program that will only serve a few? There will still be eligible kids that won't be served, plus many more deemed ineligible. In addition, those who DO get in will either go to a PreK, or a "Center for Excellence"...isn't this the same kind of unequal education that this entire program is supposed to eliminate?

I'm sorry, I just think that this was rushed through for the sake of a few people's agenda...
This is NOT replicating any extant program.

Quote:
Originally Posted by txtea View Post
Exact problem I have with it. A red flag went up when Castro pushed this thru so quickly and campaigned so hard for it. Just another self-serving scheme to get the Hispanic vote. Why else would the program be primarily for kids that are low income and/or don't speak English? I doubt a family making a decent wage and living in a nice house in this city are eligible for this program. Don't get me wrong...at least some kids will get something out of this, but touting it as a Pre-K education for any kid in this city is a bunch of horse poo. If ALL the taxpayers are paying for it, then why aren't ALL the taxpayers children eligible for it?? Anyone else having a Henry Cisneros flashback?
Castro is more effective than Cisneros. Cisneros did not deliver much. Castro is pushing progress and serving our city well especially the parts that are traditionally under served.

Quote:
Originally Posted by dpantle View Post
I think most of us already know the purpose of this thread. Some kids get off on throwing rocks at wasp nests.
Your view is corrupt if you actually believe I would rather not discuss this with like minds.

Comparing yourself to a wasp nest puts this in perfect context, some are angry, others simply want to discuss the virtues of this program.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mom2Feebs View Post
Oh, but you specifically asked for it. So deal.
The only recognition is from Brookings and Rockefeller.

Oh and we are dealing with it rather well. It passed after all.

Quote:
Originally Posted by rynetwo View Post
No it's not but that's not the point. If you work in education you should know adding another program without researching and addressing the root cause is not helpful. To add this program is way more expensive than district run pre-k.
This was researched.

Quote:
Originally Posted by txtea View Post
Well why is that? Because we don't have a Pre-K daycare program? I didn't have one when I was a kid, yet I graduated High School.
Until we change this lazy, ghetto, don't give a damn culture that is growing all around us, the dropout rate, unemplyment rate and the abuse of our welfare system is going to continue to get worse.. We have more opportunities for education now than ever before, be it free or with some kind of government assistance. The resources are there for education already, it's the attitude that must be changed first. You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink it.
We are changing the culture but I wouldn't exactly label it the way you have especially since any words I use will reflect on me more than on what I am describing.

Simply put you don't like to see our community helped but it is happening and there are plenty of hard workers down here. Our children are going to benefit. In turn our community will too.

Now if you are serious about your concerns with the dropout rate, go mentor. You don't like the unemployment rate, how many are you hiring? See some don't want to solve problems, they only want to complain, even as our city is solving them, they still complain, and they do so with no merit.
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Old 01-23-2013, 04:29 PM
 
Location: Mid South Central TX
3,216 posts, read 8,538,917 times
Reputation: 2264
Quote:
Originally Posted by Merovee View Post
This is NOT replicating any extant program.
How so? Nearly all, if not all of the San Antonio school districts provide Pre-K for those who fall within certain guidelines (the same that will apply to this "new" program).
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Old 02-25-2013, 09:01 AM
 
Location: USA
4,430 posts, read 5,324,824 times
Reputation: 4121
Quote:
10. Is a new pre-K program really needed when so many children already are
Quote:
enrolled in pre-K?
Sixty percent of Texas four-year-olds already are enrolled in government preschool (public
pre-K, special education, Head Start). Forty-four percent of four-year-olds are enrolled in private or preschool. (The total is 104 percent because some children are enrolled in both types of programs.) The vast majority of four-year-olds in San Antonio are already served by one of the 678 existing pre-K facilities in town or are eligible for free pre-K. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, Texas has more children enrolled in pre-K than any other state,
almost three times more children enrolled than the next highest ranked state (Illinois) and more than the next three states combined. In the Fall of 2009, the top five states enrolled the following children in pre-K: Texas – 239,030; Illinois – 84,727; California – 71,783; Florida – 51,495; and New York – 51,251.
Best document so far...

http://heartland.org/sites/default/f...rek_for_sa.pdf
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Old 02-25-2013, 09:42 AM
 
6,693 posts, read 8,744,294 times
Reputation: 4846
Quote:
Originally Posted by rynetwo View Post
[b][font=Arial]

Best document so far...

http://heartland.org/sites/default/f...rek_for_sa.pdf
It won't be long before someone puts Julian Castro in his place regarding his pre-k program just like Dr. Ben Carsen did to Obama regarding his Obamacare program.
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Old 02-25-2013, 07:30 PM
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Location: Ohio
17,107 posts, read 38,038,481 times
Reputation: 14446
I read the tea leaves wrong on this one. NEISD is in on Pre-K4SA, unless they decide to pull out.

Quote:
Dear Parents,

I am sending this letter to inform you of North East ISD’s decision regarding its participation in the
City of San Antonio’s Pre-K 4 SA program.

On Nov. 6, 2012, San Antonio residents voted to approve Pre-K 4 SA. This increased everyone’s sales
tax by one-eighth of a cent, with those funds going to establish a full-day Pre-K program in San
Antonio for 4-year-old students.

School districts within the city limits were presented with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
from the City that explained the obligations of the program for the City and each school district. The
City asked each school district, including NEISD to approve the MOU and participate in the program.

Since the program passed, our executive staff and Board of Trustees have diligently researched,
discussed and weighed the pros and cons of this decision. We believe in the importance of early
childhood education. That is why, for years, we have invested in our own high-quality PreKindergarten program.
In all honesty, we do still have concerns regarding the City’s plans, primarily because many details
have yet to be determined by the City. These include transportation logistics, facility issues and
curriculum.

But, as I told the school board during a special board meeting tonight, we will keep a very close eye on
the progress and re-evaluate the program on May 1, June 1 and July 1. If by July 15 NEISD
staff ascertains the City will not be ready, we will pull out of the program.

I know there is a lot of division in the community regarding Pre-K 4 SA, but ultimately we believe the
decision to enroll children in this program should be made by the parents. You all are the ones who
should determine if Pre-K 4 SA is best for you and your family. If the District does not participate in
the program, we take that option away from you, and I do not think that is right.

On Monday, Feb. 25, the District’s Board of Trustees voted to proceed and participate in Pre-K 4 SA.
We will continue to monitor the program and keep you updated on any major developments.

Sincerely,
Brian G. Gottardy, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
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Old 02-25-2013, 07:41 PM
 
4,145 posts, read 10,410,074 times
Reputation: 3339
Quote:
Originally Posted by Merovee View Post
Pre-K 4 SA makes top 'innovations' list - San Antonio Express-News

My favorite part of the article is the surprise that it happened here in Texas!

Other towns were also recognized for their own unrelated initiatives: Portland, Chicago, Los Angeles and Youngstown, Ohio.
What would be even more awesome is if they recognized something that actually existed, instead of a mythical program where the creators said "hey, let's come up with a catchy name for something that doesn't exist and fool uneducated voters into giving us money because we know they won't take the time to research it and find out it's a sham".

That would be even more awesome.
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Old 02-25-2013, 08:34 PM
 
Location: South Central Texas
114,841 posts, read 65,664,685 times
Reputation: 166930
The problem is each year hundreds if not thousands of new "kids" are thrown into the mix. Getting our borders under control is a must! Our schools are inundated with more kids who need to be brought up to speed. Many can't speak English as well as other problems that require more funds and time for our schools to deal with. This all holds back the other children in many ways. We can never get caught up without getting a handle on immigration. I think this is the real reason for the pre-k crap. I attended a meeting at the Gkids elementary the other day. From what I understood all Spanish only speaking students will be: First taught to be more proficient in Spanish and then at some point will be led towards the English language. This will involve mixing students in some way ..English only and Spanish only or Bi -Lingual. This disrupts what would be a normal flow of teaching in our schools.

We didn't need this new Pre-K program our schools have pre-k. We just rebuilt probably every school in the city in recent years. In fact increased their size so much as to leave little area for playground at most. Then we discovered we rebuilt too many. In fact we don't need as many schools so now some are being used for alternative programs. Wasted funds as they are really misused and/or underused facilities. Now thanks to some misled voters we have a new tax forever. New facilities are being built ...Why?

I would have preferred it if Brookings and Rockefeller Institutes had funded the programs rather than simply recognizing them.
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Old 02-26-2013, 07:45 AM
 
Location: Texas
475 posts, read 1,092,235 times
Reputation: 230
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bo View Post
I read the tea leaves wrong on this one. NEISD is in on Pre-K4SA, unless they decide to pull out.
I think the board decided that if the district voted no, then the slots for the district would be reallocated to other participating districts. This would guarantee that this program would serve only as a redistribution of funds from the increased sales tax. The way the letter is worded, it seems as if NEISD is keeping its options open at this time and will still pull out if their concerns are not addressed; probably a good decision given the relative lack of information from the corporation set up to run this program.
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Old 02-26-2013, 09:59 AM
 
4,145 posts, read 10,410,074 times
Reputation: 3339
Quote:
Originally Posted by MattTx View Post
It won't be long before someone puts Julian Castro in his place regarding his pre-k program just like Dr. Ben Carsen did to Obama regarding his Obamacare program.
We can pray. In this city, I'd be shocked if someone was held accountable for something like this. The amount of truly uninformed voters in this town is astounding. They didn't hold him accountable for his little switcharoo stunt years ago, and they won't hold him accountable now, because they don't know what on earth is going on. They just see Castro=good. They don't know why. It's similar to our national political scene.
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Old 02-26-2013, 10:15 AM
 
Location: San Antonio
1,640 posts, read 2,402,101 times
Reputation: 1859
And yet another voice from the wilderness that was not heard during the rush to Pre-K.


Turn pre-K project over to school districts - San Antonio Express-News

For a city that cannot control gang activity, forestall teen pregnancy, or slow the outspreading of graffiti, why do I think the bureaucracy can do this well? With its per pupil cost, why not contract with TMI or San Antonio Academy, each less expensive and equipped to do the job?
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