The Budget Shortfall 2004
Proposed
Budget Cuts: Two TAG Resource Teachers ($98,816) and a spending
moratorium on the
money allocated for TAG support ( $70,000) . The
administration has proposed these cuts even though, in the District's
own words, " ... there is a larger proportion of our
highest achieving students represented in our non-attending/dropout
population
than any other group."
- Information from
MMSD on the Budget and the Budget Process
- Graphic illustration of
District support for TAG, 1998 - 2004(proposed)
- Budget
Analysis from School Board member Ruth Robarts
- School Board member Carol Carstensen responds to Ruth's letter.
- School Board member Bill Keys responds to Ruth's letter.
- School Board Candidates respond
to questions about TAG.
- What the School Board members said to us last year about TAG services and the TAG
budget.
- Sample letters for you to use as a guide for your own
letter: #1 , #2
, #3 , #4 ,
#5 , #6 , #7
, #8, #9 .
The most recent letters are published last. (Please
consider
sending us your letter to add to this file.)
- Talking Points
- The acronym TAG -- "talented and gifted" -- is an outdated and
grossly misleading phrase.
- What we are really referring to when we say "TAG student" is a
student who is performing at or above (often well above) grade level,
one who needs a "next level of challange" that is beyond the regular
classroom curriculum ."
- It is a myth that all TAG kids are white and rich.
- It is a myth that all TAG kids have very high IQ's (e.g., 180
and above).
- It is a myth that those kids will do "just fine" no matter what
the District has to offer them.
- By the District's own estimate, approximately 5000 students
(20% of all MMSD students) are served by the TAG budget. (The
District's special education budget also serves about 5000 students.)
- As our curriculum continues to be watered down, the percentage
of students needing additional challenge beyond what is offered in the
classroom will likely increase.
- Not even the most masterful teacher can successfully
differentiate and implement a curriculum that spans five or more grade
levels.
- The District has been in noncompliance with Standard t since
1990.
- As TAG services continue to deteriorate, we risk losing these
students to private schools and home schooling. (This would be
unfortunate because many of their parents are the ones who run our
PTO's, contribute money to school fundraisers and school board
campaigns, etc.)
- As teenagers, TAG students exhibit some of the highest rates of
depression, anxiety disorders, eating disorders and suicidality.
- Nationally, the dropout rate for TAG high school students is
estimated to be 18-22%.
- The evidence is clear: in order to survive (much less thrive),
TAG students need to spend a large portion of their school day with
same-ability peers.
- It is neither elitist nor lazy of us to want to see
our own children and all children motivated to grow into
their "zone of proximal development" (the place where subjects and
processes are just challenging enough to keep them reaching).
- Every child needs to be challenged at an appropriate level
-- "dumbing down" instruction is not the answer for any of the
children, whether they have special learning challenges, are "average"
or "typical" in any given area, or are considered gifted and
talented.
- Please send us additional points to add to this list.
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- Quotes from MMSD parents who have opted to send their
children to private schools.
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