Gavin's position on 3rd grade CSR
This is an email sent by Dr. Gavin Huntley-Fenner, our appointed school board member, to a list of 3rd Grade Class Size Reduction volunteers in January 2004 -- 13 months ago. In a meeting with Legislative Action members last week, I asked Gavin for his position on 3rd Grade CSR and he said he was for it, but it requires financial support from parents annually (wow, that's going out on a limb, huh?)
But look at this letter and what he says about 3rd grade CSR. He defended his decision as the right and moral vote to take when I approached him afterwards. He asked me what I would do. I told him to do whatever I could to save it. Ultimately, it was saved by a group led by Debbie Coven and John Burger. But everyone got to jump on the "we saved 3rd grade bandwagon."
Gavin also mentioned that fundraising efforts this year were lagging and cited the relief effort for the Tsunami as a reason.
I've bolded certain portions for emphasis.
Fellow 3rd Grade CSR volunteers,
I wanted to give you my personal perspective on this issue as someone who has been intimately involved in the entire 3rd Grade CRS process from the first collection of the pilot dollars in the Spring through the collection of unfulfilled pledges at the tail end of the campaign. As an IPSF board member, I've also worked behind the scenes towards IPSF's goal of supporting public school education. Lastly, as a child development researcher I have attempted to stay current on the latest studies regarding the effects of class size on elementary school students.
As many of you are aware, both the school board and the IPSF board have voted to suspend fundraising activity specifically for 3rd Grade class size reduction (CSR), due to legitimate concerns over sustainability and the need to focus all available resources on expanded efforts to maintain CSR for K, 1, 2 and 9th grade. From my perspective, both boards made the right decision from the point of view of maintaining overall educational quality in the entire district. It was a hard decision, but it was the right decision.
As a community, we are in the unfortunate position where every decision of significant financial consequences leaves some children without the optimum support. As the financial bind tightens, good solid programs may disappear. Our community cannot save everything, yet we still can be better off than we are today. For the last two years, we have had pledge drives that are highly dependent on one or two charismatic individuals to initiate and sustain them. Today we never know if there is a commitment to 'at risk'
programs until the money is nearly due. Today we raise money to save one program or another without knowing whether we will have the wherewithal to save that program next year or the year after.
We have the good fortune to have an organization like IPSF that is taking a systematic approach to build sustainable school fundraising. We have a school board that works closely with IPSF and which is open to parental input. Our voices are heard both on the emotional level and on the reasoned and practical level. In every case whether there is one voice or 100 voices, our elected officials and the IPSF board continue to make decisions with all of the district's students in mind.
As parents, all of us fear the negative effects of larger class sizes.
The good news is that CSR remains a massive IUSD and IPSF priority - in significant part thanks to parental support. Other districts in Orange County may eliminate CSR altogether. In Irvine, the recent board votes have established K, 1, 2 and 9th grade CSR as priorities. In addition, both the district and IPSF have effectively pledged to support CSR fundraising in the years to come. This means that, in contrast to other districts in Orange County, in the future class size reduction in Irvine will be more likely not less likely.
Sincerely,
Gavin Huntley-Fenner, Ph.D.
Who am I:
I am a parent of a third grader who is currently benefiting from her smaller class size. I also have a 4-year-old who unfortunately may not be so lucky.
In the past year I worked on the 3rd grade CSR campaign.
a.. I attended the very first exploratory meeting John held at Turtle Rock and I pledged a donation on the spot.
b.. After the 3rd grade CSR kickoff meeting at John's home, I began to call my daughter's classmates, send emails, and approach folks on playgrounds and in front of the school.
I am an IPSF board member.
a.. I joined the board because I wanted to change the course of school fundraising in Irvine from perennial ad hoc pledge drives to a more systematic and productive approach.
b.. I supported the recent CSR campaign to IPSF and the school board despite my hope that as a community we would eventually evolve out of ad hoc drives.
I have a Ph.D. in child development
a.. I spent many years as a professor and researcher studying children's quantitative reasoning and understanding of mathematics concepts.
b.. I have some understanding of the research on the impacts of smaller class sizes.
I agree with the district's prioritization of K, 1, 2 and 9th grades over 3rd
But look at this letter and what he says about 3rd grade CSR. He defended his decision as the right and moral vote to take when I approached him afterwards. He asked me what I would do. I told him to do whatever I could to save it. Ultimately, it was saved by a group led by Debbie Coven and John Burger. But everyone got to jump on the "we saved 3rd grade bandwagon."
Gavin also mentioned that fundraising efforts this year were lagging and cited the relief effort for the Tsunami as a reason.
I've bolded certain portions for emphasis.
Fellow 3rd Grade CSR volunteers,
I wanted to give you my personal perspective on this issue as someone who has been intimately involved in the entire 3rd Grade CRS process from the first collection of the pilot dollars in the Spring through the collection of unfulfilled pledges at the tail end of the campaign. As an IPSF board member, I've also worked behind the scenes towards IPSF's goal of supporting public school education. Lastly, as a child development researcher I have attempted to stay current on the latest studies regarding the effects of class size on elementary school students.
As many of you are aware, both the school board and the IPSF board have voted to suspend fundraising activity specifically for 3rd Grade class size reduction (CSR), due to legitimate concerns over sustainability and the need to focus all available resources on expanded efforts to maintain CSR for K, 1, 2 and 9th grade. From my perspective, both boards made the right decision from the point of view of maintaining overall educational quality in the entire district. It was a hard decision, but it was the right decision.
As a community, we are in the unfortunate position where every decision of significant financial consequences leaves some children without the optimum support. As the financial bind tightens, good solid programs may disappear. Our community cannot save everything, yet we still can be better off than we are today. For the last two years, we have had pledge drives that are highly dependent on one or two charismatic individuals to initiate and sustain them. Today we never know if there is a commitment to 'at risk'
programs until the money is nearly due. Today we raise money to save one program or another without knowing whether we will have the wherewithal to save that program next year or the year after.
We have the good fortune to have an organization like IPSF that is taking a systematic approach to build sustainable school fundraising. We have a school board that works closely with IPSF and which is open to parental input. Our voices are heard both on the emotional level and on the reasoned and practical level. In every case whether there is one voice or 100 voices, our elected officials and the IPSF board continue to make decisions with all of the district's students in mind.
As parents, all of us fear the negative effects of larger class sizes.
The good news is that CSR remains a massive IUSD and IPSF priority - in significant part thanks to parental support. Other districts in Orange County may eliminate CSR altogether. In Irvine, the recent board votes have established K, 1, 2 and 9th grade CSR as priorities. In addition, both the district and IPSF have effectively pledged to support CSR fundraising in the years to come. This means that, in contrast to other districts in Orange County, in the future class size reduction in Irvine will be more likely not less likely.
Sincerely,
Gavin Huntley-Fenner, Ph.D.
Who am I:
I am a parent of a third grader who is currently benefiting from her smaller class size. I also have a 4-year-old who unfortunately may not be so lucky.
In the past year I worked on the 3rd grade CSR campaign.
a.. I attended the very first exploratory meeting John held at Turtle Rock and I pledged a donation on the spot.
b.. After the 3rd grade CSR kickoff meeting at John's home, I began to call my daughter's classmates, send emails, and approach folks on playgrounds and in front of the school.
I am an IPSF board member.
a.. I joined the board because I wanted to change the course of school fundraising in Irvine from perennial ad hoc pledge drives to a more systematic and productive approach.
b.. I supported the recent CSR campaign to IPSF and the school board despite my hope that as a community we would eventually evolve out of ad hoc drives.
I have a Ph.D. in child development
a.. I spent many years as a professor and researcher studying children's quantitative reasoning and understanding of mathematics concepts.
b.. I have some understanding of the research on the impacts of smaller class sizes.
I agree with the district's prioritization of K, 1, 2 and 9th grades over 3rd
posted by Dan Chmielewski at 10:04 AM
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