Dr. Harry Alvis

  "The tax which will be paid for the purpose of education is not more than the thousandth part of what will be paid to kings and nobles who will rise up among us if we leave the people in ignorance."        — Thomas Jefferson.   In everyday life, "debt" carries a negative connotation - something to fear, avoid, or eliminate entirely.  A person or family certainly should not depend on it.  Which is a mindset that makes perfect sense. However, in the world of public school finance, debt is not only appropriate, it is necessary.  The personal finance mindset does not translate to public schools. Without debt, most schools simply could not operate the way communities expect them to.   Think about what we ask our schools to provide: Safe buildings Modern classrooms Secure entrances Functioning HVAC systems Up to date technology State of the art Career and Technical Ed programs Transportation Any facility that supports anything from acad...

“We’re the only profession where success depends on 25 other people’s choices—and then we try to pay based on it.” “Tying teacher pay to test scores is like judging a chef based on how hungry the customers were when they walked in.”                     - Unknown   More and more states have either implemented a merit pay system, or it is in the conversation stage as a silver-bullet solution for improving schools.  The idea is simple and appealing:   Reward great teachers financially, and student achievement will rise. Also, teachers who are not performing well,  will be motivated to do so.      But large-scale studies have struggled to confirm this chain of logic. One of the most well-known randomized studies—the Project on Incentives in Teaching (POINT) —found that bonus pay for middle school math teachers produced no significant gains in student achievement ( Springer et al., 2010). Simila...

  "Any fact becomes important when it is connected to another"                              - Umberto Eco   I don't think there is anyone out there who doesn't think that education could be improved.  No matter how "good" it is, there is ALWAYS the prospect of better on the horizon.  However, education is a very personal experience, and every person it is different.  What is highly effective for one, may not work for another.  For this reason, blanket "fixes" for the entire system have been nothing more than ways to produce headlines for political clout (that topic is a whole post by itself).  That is why my frustration grows at an exponential rate when non-educators decide they can "fix" our education system.     Reformers are POSITIVE that America's schools would be fine if teachers would just work harder, and they are sure they would do that if merit ...

  "If you think education is expensive, try ignorance."                         - Derek Bok In Arkansas, school funding is a shared responsibility between state and local communities.  While the state provides foundation funding to help equalize opportunities, the financial health and long-term viability of a school district still depend heavily on local support. One question that occasionally arises in policy discussions AND discussions among communities is: Could a public school district remain viable if it relied ONLY on the minimum 25 mills from its local community? The short answer is it would be extremely difficult - and in many communities, impossible. Understanding the 25 Mil Requirement Arkansas law requires every school district to levy a uniform rate of 25 mills for maintenance and operation (M&O).  This tax is applied to the assessed  property value in the district and is used sole...

  "Schools are the heart of rural communities."                         - Mike Beebe In Arkansas, public education has always been more than classrooms, textbooks, and buses. Our schools are the heartbeat of our communities. In small towns across the state, the school building is where Friday night lights glow, where families gather, and where generations of Arkansans begin their lives and discover their passions.  The school building is the catalyst that drives the feeling of community.  It is a touchstone of commonality and belonging.  It is what connects community members to each other and creates the hometown feeling.  I think many of us long for a "Mayberry" type existence where everyone is neighborly, we take care of one another, everyone has pride in their community, and it isn't just my kid and your kid, we see the children of the community as OUR kids.  That is why the massive wa...

  "I hate paying taxes, but I LOVE the civilization they give me."                             - Oliver Wendell Holmes   Taxes is seen as a dirty word.  When we hear it, we automatically assume a negative mindset.  Understandably so.  We don't often feel like we see any benefit of those dollars or we feel like the money is being used inappropriately.     Before I got into the superintendency, I served as a city councilman in my small community.  The mayor was wanting to institute a local sales tax that would generate around $50,000 per year for the city.  The purpose was to add another patrol officer to the police department.  We invited the community to come and listen and speak on this proposal.  During that meeting, one community member voiced opposition to the tax.  He felt that community members already paid a "premium" to live there and an addition...

  "If you drop one person into the jungle, you've fed the animals.  If you drop 100 people, you've introduced a new apex predator."                                             - Jimmy Carr   Growing up, I believed that teaching was an independent endeavor.  The teacher closes the classroom door, and does whatever it is they are going to do.  I was fortunate that most of the teachers I had worked tirelessly to deliver instruction and meet the needs of the students in the room.  However, that is not always the case.  I took two years of high school Spanish and 80% of the time I spent there was watching Garfield cartoons (they were in Spanish at least) and talking about the virtues of mexican food.  While I did truly enjoy the class, I can't honestly say I learned any spanish (I mispronounced 'quesadilla' for way longer th...