Saving for a Rainy Day

Back on May 6th, I speculated as to what Secretary of Education Arne Duncan would think of the Pennsylvania Senate proposal to use the federal stimulus money to balance the state budget, instead of funding the state education shortfall, as proposed by Governor Rendell.

Well, as it turns out, not much.  Since this was not widely reported, I offer the following as a public service: "I was disappointed to see that instead of tapping into the state's rainy-day fund, the Pennsylvania Senate recently chose to reduce the percentage of the overall budget being spent on education". He continued: "to cut the state appropriation for primary education by $728 million while leaving $750 million in the rainy-day surplus is a disservice to our children."

It should be noted that this has just about eliminated the possibility that Pennsylvania will receive any money from the second round of stimulus funding (which is, in large part, contingent on how the first round was spent.)

If you're not going to use the rainy-day fund when it's raining, when do you use it? 

The Ferguson charrette

Readers: what follows are some highlights, courtesy of Jim Pawelczyk, from the public "charrette" on the Ferguson Township elementary school, one of two building projects currently in the initial design phase. (This occurred shortly before I left on vacation, which accounts for the delay.)  I share his enthusiasm for the work that's been done so far.

• We really do have a great group of professionals. John Boecker and David Schrader were very engaging. Our construction management team from Alexander was superb... They listened very carefully and were quick to capitalize on ideas that emerged. Some of the best contributors were the children who attended and created dozens of sketches. 
• Lots of good ideas on how to use the site to support learning. An interesting example: why convey rainwater in underground pipes when it's a learning opportunity?  Use troughs and swales to allow children to see, hear, and think about what happens. (This was the kids' idea.)
• There was extensive discussion about putting the new school on the soccer field vs. closer to where it is now. At the end of the day, the general consensus was to stay close to the original location of the building. 
• Much consensus that the building requires extensive renovation and reconstruction. (This is a very old building.) However, retaining the front of the building or reconstructing the cupola feature was viewed as a way to fit into the character of Pine Grove Mills.  It should be clear in the next month what sections might be reused. One interesting idea being considered is to reuse the current "all purpose" room as a library.
• Construction phasing will be challenging - but teachers, students and parents were more than willing to put up with the headache if it meant we could start construction in summer, 2010. One solution that received a lot of support was that administrative elements could be placed in temporary buildings while the children move into the new part of the school. "We'll make it work to get it done on time" was the spirit that pervaded the day.
• With the participants encouraging a concerted move toward sustainability, there was plenty of conversation about gardens and constructed wetlands to process gray water. The former is very much a tradition upon which the "Ferguson Family" would like to expand.

The emerging "theme" of the school revolves around agriculture, including the historical context of the community, the physical location of the school, the proximity to Ag Progress days, and sustainability goals. There were lots of interesting discussions among the teachers about curriculum opportunities that could be created.