Monday, February 20, 2017
In much of the daily news and in many magazines, truth telling is trumping Trumpism. Facts are still facts, and diligent, whip-smart investigative journalists are digging to see what facts they can uncover beneath the facts we already know. It's not a perfect process. It's flawed, messy and many-headed. But that's what unfettered journalism is all about, and it's what authoritarian leaders hate and fear, and do everything they can to suppress.
Tags: Free press , Donald Trump , Censorship , Fake news
Thursday, February 16, 2017
The same item was on the February 14 agenda, submitted at the last minute by newly elected board member Rachael Sedgwick, but it was pulled before it was discussed in the open meeting. On Feb. 21, it is the agenda, period, unless other items are submitted. And Mark Stegeman has joined Rachael Sedgwick in requesting it.
After the last board meeting, I wrote that I wasn't sure if Sedgwick put in the earlier item on her own, but I suspected she did. This time, however, it's clear she has Stegeman with her, an experienced, thoughtful, strategic board member who knows how to dot his "i's" and cross his "t's." I expect the item will be discussed and voted on.
We'll see what happens. We could get a drip, drip, drip of information over the next few days, or not. I certainly wouldn't lay odds that Sanchez will have his job after the meeting; then again, I'm not a betting man. But you never know. These things have a habit of taking odd, unpredictable turns.
Stay tuned. I know I will.
Tags: TUSD Governing Board , H.T. Sanchez , Todd Jaeger , Rachael Sedgwick , Mark Stegeman
Wednesday, February 15, 2017
I'm only going to indulge in a general discussion of the situation. There's so much heat and so little light on both sides of this battle, it's impossible for me to sort out fact from fiction or determine the difference between cause-and-effect and random incidents. The fighting is fierce, filled with leaks, rumors, accusations and strange bedfellows.
So, just a few comments.
I think Sanchez should stay. [Open The Comments Floodgates!] He's done a decent job as superintendent—admirable in some instances, less admirable in others. Based on my 30 year-plus career as a public school teacher and a student of education around the country, I have no reason to think another superintendent will do a significantly better job steering this difficult district filled with the kinds of problems facing most large, ethnically diverse urban areas. More likely, the district's loss of continuity would do more harm than good.
Tags: TUSD , H.T. Sanchez , Todd Jaeger , Rachael Sedgwick , Michael Hicks , Mark Stegeman
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
The agenda for Tuesday night's TUSD Board meeting includes this "Action Item" requested by new board member Rachael Sedgwick:
Discussion/Consideration/Action re Employment, Assignment, Appointment, Promotion, Demotion, Dismissal, Salaries, Disciplining or Resignation of a Public Officer:The Superintendent is H.T. Sanchez. The General Counsel is Todd Jaeger.
- Superintendent
- General Counsel
Consider this post a heads up, not a discussion, because there too many questions and moving parts here for me to address them at this point. There could be far more to talk about Wednesday. If you recall, one of the major questions raised during the 2016 board election campaign was whether or not H.T. Sanchez was doing a competent job running the district, and if not, whether he should be fired. Sedgwick's action item addresses the question head on.
The public part of the meeting will begin around 5:30pm in the Multipurpose Room, Duffy Community Center, 5145 E. 5th Street, though Sedgwick's action item may be taken up considerably later in the meeting. You can watch a livestream of the meeting here.
Tags: TUSD , Rachael Sedgwick , H.T. Sanchez , Todd Jaeger
Monday, February 13, 2017
The Obama administration made some significant advances in draining the for-profit university swamp. Think Corinthian Colleges and ITT Tech, both of which went into bankruptcy when the Feds exposed them for the educational scams they were. Think University of Phoenix, which lost students and profitability when it was forced to mend its predatory recruiting practices. Trump and Falwell hope to fill the swamp back up, using federal dollars to fatten the alligators who profit by putting students into debt while giving them little in the way of education in return. "The goal," Falwell said, "is to pare [Obama-administration initiatives] back and give colleges and their accrediting agencies more leeway in governing their affairs."
Falwell is president of Liberty University. It's a nonprofit educational institution with a 14,000 student enrollment, so the brick-and-mortar university wasn't affected by Obama's crackdown on for-profits. But Liberty U. also has 65,000 online students, making it the second largest online college after University of Phoenix. Its online education is very profitable.
Most colleges now have a mix of residential and online students, but it’s almost unheard-of to have four times as many online students as residential students.Putting Falwell in charge of deregulating the for-profit college sector is kind of like, oh, say, putting Goldman Sachs executives in charge of deregulating the financial sector. Meaning Trump deserves some credit, for being consistent. Henhouse, meet fox.
Because internet courses are cheap to deliver at scale, the online division is a big revenue driver for Liberty, which brought in $591 million in tuition in 2013, against $470 million in expenses. Liberty is essentially a medium-size nonprofit college that owns a huge for-profit college.
Tags: Jerry Falwell , Jr. , Betsy DeVos , For-profit universities , Liberty University
Fiamme Pizza Napoletana isn’t just wheeling their way around Tucson anymore. Scott Volpe, owner, opened a restaurant of his own at 4706 E Sunrise Dr.
The restaurant has been open since Feb. 1, and is still getting in the swing of things. The restaurant fits about 25 people right now and they only have one built-in stove.
“I do have a couple ideas for the future, I definitely want to expand more,” said Volpe.
As a kid, Volpe grew up working in restaurants and said he always embraced the culture in pizza making after learning from his mentors, who have over 30 years of experience.
Volpe travelled to Italy, New York and California to learn more about the ingredients and to gain knowledge of how to make a mean slice of pizza.
He said his father’s side of the family is from Naples, Italy and that is where he began his training for three months before starting a business.
Since he and his staff didn’t have enough money to open a restaurant just yet, they built their own mobile pizza ovens and travelled to farmer’s markets in California. Volpe has been in Tucson for the past three years.
Now, along with their grand opening, they have a permanent spot at the Rillito Park Farmer’s Market every Sunday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Some customer favorites are the margherita and bianca pizzas with their arugula salads.
During the Valentine’s day season, they create heart-shaped pizzas for couples upon request and are thinking about making a delivery option but said they are too busy at the moment.
Every Monday, the 13 inch margherita pizzas are half off.
On top of it all, Volpe competes in pizza aerobic competitions. One is usually in March in Las Vegas and another is an international competition in May in Parma, Italy.
What is pizza aerobics, you ask? Well, it is exactly how it sounds. People from around the world compete in who can spin and flip the pizza dough in the best way.
“I’ve actually come pretty close to winning before and I’m planning to go again,” Volpe said.
If anyone is looking to have a pizza oven in your backyard, Fiamme Pizza Napoletana builds ovens for customers too. How about that?
Tags: pizza , italy , tucson , new , restaurant , california , margherita , bianca , arugula , brick , oven , mobile , farmer , market
Friday, February 10, 2017
Remember the evidence showing that vouchers improve student achievement? No? I didn't think so, since most studies have concluded there is little measurable difference between the achievement of similar students in district schools, charter schools or private schools. And on a country-to-country comparison, voucher programs appear to have harmed the overall quality of education.
The most glaring difference between the public education and voucher models of education is a comparison of Finland and Sweden. In the 1970s, Finland put together a comprehensive program to improve its public education system. Today, Finland has the best scores on international tests in Europe, scores that rival Asian countries which get the most attention for their high scores. In the 1990s, Sweden began a voucher system. Its scores on the international tests have fallen significantly since then.
Tags: Vouchers , School Tuition Organizations , Private school tax credits , Empowerment Scholarship Accounts , School choice
Thursday, February 9, 2017
Have you got game show ambitions? If you think you've got what it takes to be on Wheel of Fortune. Well, this is your chance because the Wheelmobile is rolling into Tucson and looking for contestants on their next show.
The Wheelmobile is the show’s promotional bus that travels from city to city in search of the most, high energy, fun and spunky contestants in America.
The event will take place on Saturday, Feb. 11 and Sunday, Feb. 12 from noon to 4 p.m. at the Casino Del Sol’s AVA Amphitheater. Gates to AVA will open at 10 a.m.
“We usually have about 1,000 to 3,000 people a day. All attendees are welcome to fill out an application which are then chosen at random from a raffle drum,” said Rachel Hartz of Wheel of Fortune media.
Once people are selected, they will come up on stage and do a speed round of the game. Hartz said it is not possible for everyone to be selected on stage but everyone who fills out an application can still become a contestant and can be contacted at a later date for an audition.
The majority of contestants who appear on the Wheel of fortune are chosen from these events in their hometowns. Since this began in 1999, the Wheelmobile have driven over 350,000 miles which has visited more than 300 cities.
If you or a family member is chosen and want to get the DVR ready, Wheel of Fortune airs weeknights at 6:30 p.m. on KGUN 9.
So don’t miss your opportunity to potentially wins thousands of dollars by visiting the Casino del Sol this weekend.
Tags: wheel , of , fortune , weekend , wheelmobile , tucson , casino , casino del sol , contestants , thousands , dollars , tv , KGUN 9 , cities , media , fun , Image
Thursday, February 2, 2017
I've always thought it was a shame that teachers don't get paid as much as they're worth. Many of the teachers and professors I've had so far have been integral in shaping my character, my
The most significant conclusion I came to after seeing this video, however, is that I wish videos such as this one didn't have to be newsworthy. I wish all teachers cared as deeply for their students' futures as much as White clearly does. Most of all, I wish this country as a whole would start to appreciate teachers as much as they deserve. I give kudos to White and his dedication to his students, but the fact of the matter is that there are teachers all across the country who feel the same way about their classes, yet their efforts often go unrecognized. Students of all ages and all backgrounds need to be told and shown someone believes in them and wants them to succeed. After all, our future presidents, surgeon generals, district attorneys, farmers and yes, future teachers, are being molded every day.
Can we make thanking our teachers an everyday practice now?
Tags: teacher , handshake , ABC News , North Carolina , Barry White Jr. , students , fifth grade , fun , Video
Wednesday, February 1, 2017
The crowd wasn't protesting McCain, especially since he's been something of an ally in the fight over the Muslim ban—though he has a bad habit of talking the talk, then wimping out when it's time to walk the walk (Stick with it, John. It's the right thing to do). Most of the signs and the emotions were directed at protecting the rights of Muslims and Hispanics who have every reason to fear for their safety and stability in the face of the pronouncements from Trump and his administration. The most frequent chant was, "No hate. No fear. Refugees are welcome here."
The rally is part of a national "Resist Trump" movement, and the plan is to make Tuesday the day people gather—#ResistTrumpTuesdays. Moveon.org, which is one of the groups coordinating the nationwide effort, held an hour-long call on Sunday updating listeners on what's happening in Washington, D.C. and efforts to fight against Trump's outrages.
You can see photos from rallies across the country here.
Tags: Resist Trump rallies , Senator McCain , Moveon.org , #ResistTrumpTuesdays
