McGehee: ‘Something has to give’
District holds meeting on possible budget cuts
http://www.lsjournal.com/2010/12/16/60691/mcgehee-something-has-to-give.html
Please read the whole article and the comments. Please post your own comments.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Lee's Summit R-7 School District
Lee's Summit R-7 School District
This doesn't state the whole picture. They have not met Federal standards for several years. They are under a corrective action for that. Missouri's standards aren't the same as Federal and they award this distinction on a regular basis. 330 districts got this distinction two years ago and most of them did not meet Federal standards. This is another way in which Missouri and R-7 mislead the people that they are supposed to be serving
This doesn't state the whole picture. They have not met Federal standards for several years. They are under a corrective action for that. Missouri's standards aren't the same as Federal and they award this distinction on a regular basis. 330 districts got this distinction two years ago and most of them did not meet Federal standards. This is another way in which Missouri and R-7 mislead the people that they are supposed to be serving
Monday, November 22, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
Monday, November 1, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Lee's Summit R7 Are Leaving Children Behind
I know that most of you have already read about my son dropping out of school. There were numerous reasons, but they all have to do with Lee's Summit refusing him the services that IDEA demands.
My daughters were also on IEPs. They started in kindergarten. They stayed on IEPs until Woodland was built. One daughter remained on her IEP, but the other was taken off. She really started to struggle and I had to demand that they retest her. Sure enough, she was falling behind and they put her back on an IEP for a month.
It seems as though Lee's Summit Middle Schools don't offer services. None of my children were given speech services while in middle school.
When one of my daughters started high school they put her in a reading lab. They don't have to count that as special education. I once again had to DEMAND that they test her. Her evaluations showed that she had a disability, but the district refused her services. She had to struggle through school and even take summer school.
She went to college last year. She had to take remedial courses because the Lee's Summit district failed her. This year she was forced to drop out because she couldn't keep up in English. Thanks to Lee's Summit the only children that are succeeding are those that make the district look good. How long will the residents of Lee's Summit remain bllind?
My daughters were also on IEPs. They started in kindergarten. They stayed on IEPs until Woodland was built. One daughter remained on her IEP, but the other was taken off. She really started to struggle and I had to demand that they retest her. Sure enough, she was falling behind and they put her back on an IEP for a month.
It seems as though Lee's Summit Middle Schools don't offer services. None of my children were given speech services while in middle school.
When one of my daughters started high school they put her in a reading lab. They don't have to count that as special education. I once again had to DEMAND that they test her. Her evaluations showed that she had a disability, but the district refused her services. She had to struggle through school and even take summer school.
She went to college last year. She had to take remedial courses because the Lee's Summit district failed her. This year she was forced to drop out because she couldn't keep up in English. Thanks to Lee's Summit the only children that are succeeding are those that make the district look good. How long will the residents of Lee's Summit remain bllind?
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
What About Those Elderly People That R7 Is Pushing Out?
I spoke to an elderly woman that had resided in Lee's Summmit for over 40 years. She is being forced to sell her home because she can no longer afford the taxes. This woman bought and paid for her home never dreaming that the R7 School Board would eventually force her out.
The Board could have not kept building $8.6 million administration centers that would rival that of any Fortune 500 company's board rooms. They could have not built a $12 million aquatic center. They could have spent $25,000 ban uniforms like other school districts and not spent $250,000. They really didn't need turf on the playing fields. They could have not used the bond money and then the taxes could have been lowered. Then they could have raised taxes for the real purpose of our taxes. EDUCATION. They didn't. Now elderly residents are being forced out of their homes in the name of keeping up with the Jones. Really? How sad!!!
Shame on you.
The Board could have not kept building $8.6 million administration centers that would rival that of any Fortune 500 company's board rooms. They could have not built a $12 million aquatic center. They could have spent $25,000 ban uniforms like other school districts and not spent $250,000. They really didn't need turf on the playing fields. They could have not used the bond money and then the taxes could have been lowered. Then they could have raised taxes for the real purpose of our taxes. EDUCATION. They didn't. Now elderly residents are being forced out of their homes in the name of keeping up with the Jones. Really? How sad!!!
Shame on you.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
School Board raises district tax levy
School Board raises district tax levy
They are now raising your taxes. Jackson County refused to allow them to value your home at more than what is worth, so they are raising your taxes. Hope your child is one of the 200 swimmers enjoying the 12 million dollar pool.
They are now raising your taxes. Jackson County refused to allow them to value your home at more than what is worth, so they are raising your taxes. Hope your child is one of the 200 swimmers enjoying the 12 million dollar pool.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
PRELIMINARY Adequate Yearly Progress -- LEE'S SUMMIT R-VII
PRELIMINARY Adequate Yearly Progress -- LEE'S SUMMIT R-VII
They are still under corrective action and they are still failing free lunch, black, and iep kids. I know that they don't matter to the district, but do they matter to the patrons? How long will you sit back and watch these children fail and do nothing about it?
They are still under corrective action and they are still failing free lunch, black, and iep kids. I know that they don't matter to the district, but do they matter to the patrons? How long will you sit back and watch these children fail and do nothing about it?
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Lee's Summit Schools Return To Building Upgrades - Kansas City News Story - KCTV Kansas City
Lee's Summit Schools Return To Building Upgrades - Kansas City News Story - KCTV Kansas City
We are combining classes and have 30 students per classroom, but we look good. Why don't the people of Lee's Summit see how wrong this is? Are all of the residents of Lee's Summit really that naive? Do they really care more about football fields than the students? I'm beginning to think so.
We are combining classes and have 30 students per classroom, but we look good. Why don't the people of Lee's Summit see how wrong this is? Are all of the residents of Lee's Summit really that naive? Do they really care more about football fields than the students? I'm beginning to think so.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Superintendent's Salary and Benefits
http://www.showmedaily.org/superintendent-contracts
A test of whether superintendent pay correlates with academic achievement used scores on Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) mathematics test. Meier and Wilkins found only a weak correlation that was not statistically significant. The method employed here tested whether improved test scores led to a larger increase in salary, and the analysis shows no measurable relationship between changes in superintendent salary and student achievement on the MAP mathematics test.
Superintendent contracts vary greatly in length, but almost all specify duration, responsibilities, salary, benefits, days off, evaluation process, and termination conditions. Contracts allow for an examination of non-salary benefits and the evaluation methods used by school boards. Nearly all included a clause to ensure that a superintendent would never be paid less in the future than the amount awarded in the current contract, but roughly 14 percent were given raises based on their annual evaluations.
Superintendents receive a wide range of non-salary benefits: 23 percent receive a car allowance, 6.2 percent receive a car from the district, and 6.9 percent receive additional monetary compensation, through annuities. According to three superintendents contacted for the study, annuities are used to offset the compensation differences between public school superintendents and the amount that an individual charged with running a similarly sized corporation would be paid.
Because superintendent salaries are public information, disguising a portion of compensation as annuity payments could also serve as a means by which school boards and superintendents attempt to avoid a measure of public scrutiny.
Conclusion
Salary is not the only form of compensation that superintendents receive. To find total superintendent compensation, reporters, district residents, and other interested parties must look at each benefit package. Superintendent pay is currently correlated largely with the composition of the school district, but superintendents would have more incentive to implement policies to bring about higher student achievement if their salaries were more closely tied to academic results and school board evaluations. There should be a more open discussion about superintendent compensation, how it is determined, and whether district residents are receiving the sufficient benefits for the costs.
interviews and correspondence with public officials
McGehee, David — Lee’s Summit R-VII School District Superintendent. Email correspondence on April 2, 2009
Missouri Public School Superintendent Contracts
Salary can be just one part of a superintendent’s total compensation. As part of the policy study “Actual Pay: A Survey of Superintendent Salary and Benefits,” the Show-Me Institute collected more than 450 employment contracts and responses from school districts. The table below lists, for the contracts that the Show-Me Institute received, the salary, car allowance, and annuity amount awarded by districts to their superintendents.
Because superintendent pay is highly correlated with district student enrollment figures, student enrollment is listed in the table as well.
Unless otherwise noted, enrollment, salary, car allowance, and annuity information all come from the same year listed, under the “year” column. Academic years are noted by the end year. For example, the 2008–09 school year would be listed as year 2009 in the table below. Unless indicated, all car and annuity amounts are annual totals.
Salaries of part-time superintendents are noted with an asterisk (ex.: Albany R-III, $35,000*).
Additional Data: Along with the contracts collected, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) provided superintendent data in September 2008 to the Show-Me Institute for academic years 2003–04 through 2007–08. You can download that Excel file here. In February 2010, DESE provided superintendent salary data to the Show-Me Institute for academic years 2008–09 thorugh 2009–10. You can download that Excel file here.
School District Enrollment Year Salary Car Allowance Annuity
Lee’s Summit R-VII 16,742 2007 $170,000 $6,000 $16,000 CHECK
A test of whether superintendent pay correlates with academic achievement used scores on Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) mathematics test. Meier and Wilkins found only a weak correlation that was not statistically significant. The method employed here tested whether improved test scores led to a larger increase in salary, and the analysis shows no measurable relationship between changes in superintendent salary and student achievement on the MAP mathematics test.
Superintendent contracts vary greatly in length, but almost all specify duration, responsibilities, salary, benefits, days off, evaluation process, and termination conditions. Contracts allow for an examination of non-salary benefits and the evaluation methods used by school boards. Nearly all included a clause to ensure that a superintendent would never be paid less in the future than the amount awarded in the current contract, but roughly 14 percent were given raises based on their annual evaluations.
Superintendents receive a wide range of non-salary benefits: 23 percent receive a car allowance, 6.2 percent receive a car from the district, and 6.9 percent receive additional monetary compensation, through annuities. According to three superintendents contacted for the study, annuities are used to offset the compensation differences between public school superintendents and the amount that an individual charged with running a similarly sized corporation would be paid.
Because superintendent salaries are public information, disguising a portion of compensation as annuity payments could also serve as a means by which school boards and superintendents attempt to avoid a measure of public scrutiny.
Conclusion
Salary is not the only form of compensation that superintendents receive. To find total superintendent compensation, reporters, district residents, and other interested parties must look at each benefit package. Superintendent pay is currently correlated largely with the composition of the school district, but superintendents would have more incentive to implement policies to bring about higher student achievement if their salaries were more closely tied to academic results and school board evaluations. There should be a more open discussion about superintendent compensation, how it is determined, and whether district residents are receiving the sufficient benefits for the costs.
interviews and correspondence with public officials
McGehee, David — Lee’s Summit R-VII School District Superintendent. Email correspondence on April 2, 2009
Missouri Public School Superintendent Contracts
Salary can be just one part of a superintendent’s total compensation. As part of the policy study “Actual Pay: A Survey of Superintendent Salary and Benefits,” the Show-Me Institute collected more than 450 employment contracts and responses from school districts. The table below lists, for the contracts that the Show-Me Institute received, the salary, car allowance, and annuity amount awarded by districts to their superintendents.
Because superintendent pay is highly correlated with district student enrollment figures, student enrollment is listed in the table as well.
Unless otherwise noted, enrollment, salary, car allowance, and annuity information all come from the same year listed, under the “year” column. Academic years are noted by the end year. For example, the 2008–09 school year would be listed as year 2009 in the table below. Unless indicated, all car and annuity amounts are annual totals.
Salaries of part-time superintendents are noted with an asterisk (ex.: Albany R-III, $35,000*).
Additional Data: Along with the contracts collected, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) provided superintendent data in September 2008 to the Show-Me Institute for academic years 2003–04 through 2007–08. You can download that Excel file here. In February 2010, DESE provided superintendent salary data to the Show-Me Institute for academic years 2008–09 thorugh 2009–10. You can download that Excel file here.
School District Enrollment Year Salary Car Allowance Annuity
Lee’s Summit R-VII 16,742 2007 $170,000 $6,000 $16,000 CHECK
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Lee's Summit High Getting New Turf on Football Field - WDAF
Lee's Summit High Getting New Turf on Football Field - WDAF
Grisamore has claimed to be working for your autistic child. What has he done? Has he supported Bryce's Law? Has he offered legislation that would make our districts more accountable? No, he has accepted money from the MASA, MNEA, and many other school district associations and unions. Do you really believe that he will help with the issues that your autistic child is having with their school district? Didn't think so!!
Grisamore has claimed to be working for your autistic child. What has he done? Has he supported Bryce's Law? Has he offered legislation that would make our districts more accountable? No, he has accepted money from the MASA, MNEA, and many other school district associations and unions. Do you really believe that he will help with the issues that your autistic child is having with their school district? Didn't think so!!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Kansas City donates $5,000 to Lee’s Summit R-7 School District | GreenSummit Dispatch
Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Kansas City donates $5,000 to Lee’s Summit R-7 School District GreenSummit Dispatch
Do they know how much they pay for services that Lee's Summit refuses to children with special needs. That could help their bottom line. I have BC/BS and they have had to pay for a lot of medical services because R7 refused to do their job.
Do they know how much they pay for services that Lee's Summit refuses to children with special needs. That could help their bottom line. I have BC/BS and they have had to pay for a lot of medical services because R7 refused to do their job.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
News#Reductions
News#Reductions Perhaps we could hold off on putting turf on the fields. Maybe spending millions of dollars on capital improvements should not be our first priority
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Lee's Summit Has Less Students And Spends More Money
So LSR-7 has 17,000 students and an annual budget of $200 million but Blue Valley has 21,000 students and next year’s budget is $143 million. Very interesting!
http://www.kmbc.com/education/22778902/detail.html
Blue Valley Schools List $9M In Cuts
School District Facing Decreased Revenue
POSTED: 4:50 pm CST March 8, 2010
UPDATED: 5:19 pm CST March 8, 2010
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. -- The Blue Valley School District on Monday unveiled a list of cuts that total $9 million.
It's the list the board will work from when trying to trim the school budget.
Rarely has the affluent Johnson County school district had to make these kinds of cuts, KMBC's Micheal Mahoney reported.
The problem is the same as in many other school districts -- the recession has dropped property values, which is the main source of tax revenue for schools, and the state government doesn't have any money to spare.
Blue Valley has to play by the same rules as other school districts, and the problem is, we're capped," Blue Valley Superintendent Dr. Tom Trigg said.
In the past, Blue Valley could grow its way to prosperity, but school enrollment is flattening out. Currently, the district has about 21,000 students.
On Monday, the district revealed a series of cutbacks and revenue increases that would save the district $9 million.
The goal is to cut less than that -- about $6.25 million -- but administrators met Monday to draw up a bigger cut list in case they need to cut more later, Mahoney reported.
In all, the Blue Valley Schools have cut more than $11 million in the last two years.
"We're trying to keep the cuts away from the classroom, but no doubt that's going to impact the operation in a negative way," Trigg said.
The school district budget is $143 million for this year.
To see a list of the district's budget cuts, visit bluevalleyk12.org.
http://www.kmbc.com/education/22778902/detail.html
Blue Valley Schools List $9M In Cuts
School District Facing Decreased Revenue
POSTED: 4:50 pm CST March 8, 2010
UPDATED: 5:19 pm CST March 8, 2010
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. -- The Blue Valley School District on Monday unveiled a list of cuts that total $9 million.
It's the list the board will work from when trying to trim the school budget.
Rarely has the affluent Johnson County school district had to make these kinds of cuts, KMBC's Micheal Mahoney reported.
The problem is the same as in many other school districts -- the recession has dropped property values, which is the main source of tax revenue for schools, and the state government doesn't have any money to spare.
Blue Valley has to play by the same rules as other school districts, and the problem is, we're capped," Blue Valley Superintendent Dr. Tom Trigg said.
In the past, Blue Valley could grow its way to prosperity, but school enrollment is flattening out. Currently, the district has about 21,000 students.
On Monday, the district revealed a series of cutbacks and revenue increases that would save the district $9 million.
The goal is to cut less than that -- about $6.25 million -- but administrators met Monday to draw up a bigger cut list in case they need to cut more later, Mahoney reported.
In all, the Blue Valley Schools have cut more than $11 million in the last two years.
"We're trying to keep the cuts away from the classroom, but no doubt that's going to impact the operation in a negative way," Trigg said.
The school district budget is $143 million for this year.
To see a list of the district's budget cuts, visit bluevalleyk12.org.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Bond Should Be Called No Tax Decrease
How many times have we heard that there needs to be budget cuts? Lee's Summit R-7 wants to raise your taxes. If you don't vote yes on this, they might be able to decrease your taxes and then raise them for the purpose of education and not to compete with Johnson County (as one board member said).
Here is what they propose to do with your money.
A remodeling project at Pleasant Lea Middle School to improve spaces for the school's teacher planning center and student guidance area.
Technology improvements to address instructional and operational technology needs, laptop and desktop replacement, network infrastructure, security and storage, and emerging technology initiatives in the areas of student instruction.
Resurfacing of all three R-7 middleschool tracks to serve physical-education classes, athletic teams and community walkers and runners.
Construction of two unlighted, multi-use women's softball fields at Lee's Summit North High School that would serve physical-education classes and athletic teams, eliminating team travel to Legacy Park for practices and home games.
A Lee's Summit High School multi-use physical-education/activity/athletic project that would remodel the school's existing spaces for wrestling, athletic training, mechanical and robotics team activities while constructing an approximately 7,700-square-foot new building. The new building would serve men's and women's programs and include restrooms, a weight training/strength-conditioning area, locker rooms, offices and storage areas.
Remodeling of the area currently used by Lee's Summit High School wrestlers to create a district-wide robotics center. This project would be made possible by the addition planned for the LSHS physical-education/activity/athletic facility listed above. The high schools' robotics teams would use the remodeled space, allowing them to share materials, tools, and shop facilities.
Renovation of existing tennis courts at all three high schools that would upgrade court surfaces and serve physical-education classes, athletic teams and community members.
Replacement of the existing grass turf at all three high schools' stadiums with multi-use, all-weather artificial turf to serve physical-education classes, high-school and middle-school football and soccer teams and high school marching bands, drumlines, cheerleaders, flag and dance teams. Community organizations would also have the opportunity to use the artificial turf fields. The project would eliminate the need for rescheduling and relocation of R-7 stadium events due to weather-related challenges while providing safe and dry fields for physical-education and extra-curricular activities. It would also offer a partial operation and maintenance cost savings payback over the life of the turf while bringing the district's stadiums at the majority of metro-area high schools.
This will all come at a cost of $16 million.
Lee's Summit has already spent $12 million on an aquatic center that is not used for recreational therapy as called for by IDEA. It is for the district's 300 swimmers.
We spent $8.6 million on a state of the art administration building. It has everything that any major corporation would want to look successful.
We bought laptops for all of the school board members. We bought Blackberrys for school personnel.
Lee's Summit has bragged about the fact that they spend the least per student of any district in the area.
And I thought that our taxes were going for education. Silly me!!
Here is what they propose to do with your money.
A remodeling project at Pleasant Lea Middle School to improve spaces for the school's teacher planning center and student guidance area.
Technology improvements to address instructional and operational technology needs, laptop and desktop replacement, network infrastructure, security and storage, and emerging technology initiatives in the areas of student instruction.
Resurfacing of all three R-7 middleschool tracks to serve physical-education classes, athletic teams and community walkers and runners.
Construction of two unlighted, multi-use women's softball fields at Lee's Summit North High School that would serve physical-education classes and athletic teams, eliminating team travel to Legacy Park for practices and home games.
A Lee's Summit High School multi-use physical-education/activity/athletic project that would remodel the school's existing spaces for wrestling, athletic training, mechanical and robotics team activities while constructing an approximately 7,700-square-foot new building. The new building would serve men's and women's programs and include restrooms, a weight training/strength-conditioning area, locker rooms, offices and storage areas.
Remodeling of the area currently used by Lee's Summit High School wrestlers to create a district-wide robotics center. This project would be made possible by the addition planned for the LSHS physical-education/activity/athletic facility listed above. The high schools' robotics teams would use the remodeled space, allowing them to share materials, tools, and shop facilities.
Renovation of existing tennis courts at all three high schools that would upgrade court surfaces and serve physical-education classes, athletic teams and community members.
Replacement of the existing grass turf at all three high schools' stadiums with multi-use, all-weather artificial turf to serve physical-education classes, high-school and middle-school football and soccer teams and high school marching bands, drumlines, cheerleaders, flag and dance teams. Community organizations would also have the opportunity to use the artificial turf fields. The project would eliminate the need for rescheduling and relocation of R-7 stadium events due to weather-related challenges while providing safe and dry fields for physical-education and extra-curricular activities. It would also offer a partial operation and maintenance cost savings payback over the life of the turf while bringing the district's stadiums at the majority of metro-area high schools.
This will all come at a cost of $16 million.
Lee's Summit has already spent $12 million on an aquatic center that is not used for recreational therapy as called for by IDEA. It is for the district's 300 swimmers.
We spent $8.6 million on a state of the art administration building. It has everything that any major corporation would want to look successful.
We bought laptops for all of the school board members. We bought Blackberrys for school personnel.
Lee's Summit has bragged about the fact that they spend the least per student of any district in the area.
And I thought that our taxes were going for education. Silly me!!
Lee's Summit R-7 School Board Elections
Only vote for one person in the school board election. I am not voting for any of the people that are on the ballot. I am going to write in my candidate. I hope that everyone else will do the same.
Here are the candidates. I can only assume that it will be business as usual and our children will be at the bottom of their priority list.
Gene Brixey, currently president of the Lee’s Summit Board of Education and member of the Board since 2004. Seems to me that things haven’t improved on his watch and its time for a change.
The debates for the candidates last year were not advertised and the only people that showed up were pro school district. The press release was sent out by the district, but not in time for the local papers to advertise it.
Annette Braam, served on the Board from 2002 to 2005.
Dr. Jimmie Colbert, retired teacher, taught for 40 years in California, St. Louis and Kansas City, “I want to be an advocate for teachers,”
Who will advocate for our children?
Here are the candidates. I can only assume that it will be business as usual and our children will be at the bottom of their priority list.
Gene Brixey, currently president of the Lee’s Summit Board of Education and member of the Board since 2004. Seems to me that things haven’t improved on his watch and its time for a change.
The debates for the candidates last year were not advertised and the only people that showed up were pro school district. The press release was sent out by the district, but not in time for the local papers to advertise it.
Annette Braam, served on the Board from 2002 to 2005.
Dr. Jimmie Colbert, retired teacher, taught for 40 years in California, St. Louis and Kansas City, “I want to be an advocate for teachers,”
Who will advocate for our children?
Sherri R. Tucker
1200 SE London Way
Lee’s Summit, MO 64081
816-554-3017
autism@kc.rr.com
Arne Duncan
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20202
To Whom it May Concern:
I am writing to you for advice. My child, Jacob Tucker, attended Lee’s Summit High School in the Lee’s Summit R-7 School District. We are in the state of Missouri. He was forced to drop out of school because he was receiving no services and was no longer progressing academically. He required medication to attend school because of the anxiety that attending caused him. He does not require this medication for any other part of his life. Once he was removed from the situation the medication was no longer needed.
The local school district, as well as the state education department, is unresponsive to our needs, and refuses to obey the regulations set down in IDEA. As result, my child, as well as others, are suffering and not receiving FAPE. Child complaints are not sufficiently researched and are almost always found in the favor of the districts. Even when the parent has documentation that the district is out of compliance the State finds in the district’s favor. Due process is out of the question as most parents cannot afford it and rarely prevail. The State and the district are co dysfunctional. Even the Special Education Advisory Panel is not set up in such a manner that it would be parent friendly.
My son has a diagnosis of Kanner’s Syndrome/Early Infantile Autism, Dysgraphia, Inattentive and Impulsive ADHD, and Anxiety Disorder. I requested, and received, an IEE but the district did not discuss it at the follow up meeting and simply stated, “We have all read the IEE.” That was the extent that it was considered.
My son has had an educational diagnosis of Autism since 1998. He had never received any services related to his autism. He has a nonverbal IQ of 123 and the interpersonal skills of a one year old. He received no OT services for his dysgraphia and was in regular education classes all day. He had an IEP, but it did not address his issues and the State and the district refused to allow his evaluation scores to be put in his present level of performance.
They also refused to allow the parent full participation in the IEP meeting. When we complained to the State we were told that parents do not have a right to be an equal partner on the IEP team. I have documentation for all of the claims that I am making and can provide them to you at any time.
I filed an OCR complaint. They found that my son’s IEP was not being implemented, but that it did not materially affect his education.
I would appreciate your guidance in helping me to explain the Federal regulations to the school district in such a way that they will comply with current special education law.
Sincerely,
Sherri R. Tucker
1200 SE London Way
Lee’s Summit, MO 64081
816-554-3017
autism@kc.rr.com
Arne Duncan
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20202
To Whom it May Concern:
I am writing to you for advice. My child, Jacob Tucker, attended Lee’s Summit High School in the Lee’s Summit R-7 School District. We are in the state of Missouri. He was forced to drop out of school because he was receiving no services and was no longer progressing academically. He required medication to attend school because of the anxiety that attending caused him. He does not require this medication for any other part of his life. Once he was removed from the situation the medication was no longer needed.
The local school district, as well as the state education department, is unresponsive to our needs, and refuses to obey the regulations set down in IDEA. As result, my child, as well as others, are suffering and not receiving FAPE. Child complaints are not sufficiently researched and are almost always found in the favor of the districts. Even when the parent has documentation that the district is out of compliance the State finds in the district’s favor. Due process is out of the question as most parents cannot afford it and rarely prevail. The State and the district are co dysfunctional. Even the Special Education Advisory Panel is not set up in such a manner that it would be parent friendly.
My son has a diagnosis of Kanner’s Syndrome/Early Infantile Autism, Dysgraphia, Inattentive and Impulsive ADHD, and Anxiety Disorder. I requested, and received, an IEE but the district did not discuss it at the follow up meeting and simply stated, “We have all read the IEE.” That was the extent that it was considered.
My son has had an educational diagnosis of Autism since 1998. He had never received any services related to his autism. He has a nonverbal IQ of 123 and the interpersonal skills of a one year old. He received no OT services for his dysgraphia and was in regular education classes all day. He had an IEP, but it did not address his issues and the State and the district refused to allow his evaluation scores to be put in his present level of performance.
They also refused to allow the parent full participation in the IEP meeting. When we complained to the State we were told that parents do not have a right to be an equal partner on the IEP team. I have documentation for all of the claims that I am making and can provide them to you at any time.
I filed an OCR complaint. They found that my son’s IEP was not being implemented, but that it did not materially affect his education.
I would appreciate your guidance in helping me to explain the Federal regulations to the school district in such a way that they will comply with current special education law.
Sincerely,
Sherri R. Tucker
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Story of My Son's Education
I was talking to a friend today and some things came to mind. Many people want to know why I fight with the school district and the State. I have earned quite a reputation as a crazy mom. There are many people that are happy with the education that their children are getting and wonder why I am not. Well, let me explain it to you.
I have known that my son has autism since he was three years old. I lived in a very small town in Illinois with the population of 1,200. I had twin daughters that were 5 years old and were in all day kindergarten. The town was having testing for children 3-5 years of age. I thought it was to see where they were academically and what they needed to work on prior to starting kindergarten. My son was three years old and the only child that I had home during the day. I signed him up for the testing and took him up to the school. I wasn’t sure if he would go through it because he was a screamer. I don’t mean that he screamed every once in awhile. I mean that he screamed 24/7. For the first two and a half years of his life he would sleep for 30 minutes and scream for the next two hours. This went on all of the time. He didn’t speak or even make noises. He never said MaMa or DaDa. He just screamed. When you tried to hold him he would arch his back. He never reached for me and even really acknowledged me. He just screamed. I had asked the pediatrician and he said boys don’t talk as early as girls and some babies cry more than others. So, they took him into another room for awhile and when they brought him back they said that if they felt that he needed to start Early Childhood they would call me within a week. Within three days I received a phone call. They weren’t sure what his issues were, but the district felt that he "wasn't right" and put him into school. They didn't know what the problem was, but they were determined to find out and give the best that they had.
This was a town of 1,200 people. Their resources were very limited. I didn't even know that my child had an issue. I was blind. Something that would affect my judgment for the next ten years.
These wonderful people put my son into a classroom of six students and two teachers. They gave him OT and ST. They worked on his social skills. They worked on any issue that came up. Not because they had to. He didn't even have an IEP yet. They did it because they saw a child that needed help to be successful in life. They treated him like a human being that needed guidance and support. He was not another drain on their budget. They had practically no budget. It didn't matter. HE mattered.
When he was four they did some educational evaluations. This was before the internet. This was before anyone knew anything about autism. They said that his tests came back with some very odd results. They said that he was way at one end of the curve on some things and at the other end of the curve on other things. There was nothing in the middle. They said that he didn’t make eye contact. I had never noticed this. They said that he didn’t play with other children. That he would only parallel play. They said that he used dramatic and constructive play, but not interactive play. He could name colors, count up to 12, and recognized numbers. He could sequence objects by size and understood concept of big. He needed a routine and things had to always be the same and if it was not it would throw him off. He would flap his arms and rock when he became excited. He couldn’t follow simple instructions. He displayed a short attention span. He was very interested in Thomas the Tank Engine and could name every engine, their color, and their number. He could tell the name of a Disney VHS tape just by the font. You could lay out the movies, without the box, and he could name the movie just because of the font. I never even noticed that each movie had a different font. They took all of this information and started reading. They found that he exhibited many language, behavior, and socialization characteristics that may indicate a pervasive developmental disorder. They included: late talking, limited variety of responses, non-use of greetings, lack of conversation, lack of playing with others, limited eye contact, perseverative language, echolalic language, arm flapping, strange attachment to objects, and an ability to repeat video scripts verbatim.
When my son was five we moved back to Kansas City. This is where my husband and I were raised. We carefully called and interviewed every school district on both sides of the state line. We wanted to make sure that Jake would get the best that Kansas City had to offer.
After several phone calls and interviews we chose Lee's Summit. I went and told the personnel here that the district in Illinois felt that Jake wasn't ready for regular kindergarten. They felt that he needed 1 on 1 or small group instruction for at least one more year. It stated it in his IEP. Lee's Summit assured me that they were a big district that could handle all of his needs and issues and that the best thing for Jake was going to kindergarten. Once again, I was blind.
Jake went to Prairie View from kindergarten through sixth grade. He had some amazing teachers there. They were kind, supportive, and made accommodations that his IEP didn't call for. We had no issues there. I truly felt that we had picked the best school district that we could have. I volunteered in his classroom every week for at least 2-3 hours. I helped with the school carnival. I helped with health fair. I wrote to the Kansas City Star and told them what an amazing job they were doing with my son.
I didn't know much about autism and I felt like the district was doing all that Jake needed. Little did I know that when he got into high school my only hope for him would be living in a group home. That is where we are now. On his IEP the district has decided that his transition program would be to live semi-independently.
WHY? Because the district never addressed his autism. They didn't address his dysgraphia. They didn't address his social issues. They didn't address his written language issues. Why didn't they? I didn't demand it. In seventh grade the only goal he had on his IEP was to be able to write a paragraph. This is a child with autism, dysgraphia, and a written language deficit.
I thought that you had to believe in the experts and trust them. That blindness has caused the loss of my son's independence. If I had educated myself and fought for him, he would have a different future. His future was stolen and I stood back and let it happen.
I gave the school district a five year old with potential. They have given back a child that will never leave home. I let them do this to my child. My silence and acceptance granted them permission to destroy my son's future. He could have been an independent taxpaying citizen. Now he will be a burden on tax payers. Not to worry, Lee's Summit. You have no group homes here, so he won't burden your city.
Your children still have a chance. Your children still have a future. I pray that none of you ever have to read the following and have it apply to your child. But, if you continue to sit back and do nothing, you will face the same situation that I face today. I let the State of Missouri and the Lee's Summit School District steal my son's future. I will live with that until the day that I die because Jake will be living with me until the day I die. What will happen to him after that, only God knows. I pray that you never have to go to bed at night and think about that.
I have known that my son has autism since he was three years old. I lived in a very small town in Illinois with the population of 1,200. I had twin daughters that were 5 years old and were in all day kindergarten. The town was having testing for children 3-5 years of age. I thought it was to see where they were academically and what they needed to work on prior to starting kindergarten. My son was three years old and the only child that I had home during the day. I signed him up for the testing and took him up to the school. I wasn’t sure if he would go through it because he was a screamer. I don’t mean that he screamed every once in awhile. I mean that he screamed 24/7. For the first two and a half years of his life he would sleep for 30 minutes and scream for the next two hours. This went on all of the time. He didn’t speak or even make noises. He never said MaMa or DaDa. He just screamed. When you tried to hold him he would arch his back. He never reached for me and even really acknowledged me. He just screamed. I had asked the pediatrician and he said boys don’t talk as early as girls and some babies cry more than others. So, they took him into another room for awhile and when they brought him back they said that if they felt that he needed to start Early Childhood they would call me within a week. Within three days I received a phone call. They weren’t sure what his issues were, but the district felt that he "wasn't right" and put him into school. They didn't know what the problem was, but they were determined to find out and give the best that they had.
This was a town of 1,200 people. Their resources were very limited. I didn't even know that my child had an issue. I was blind. Something that would affect my judgment for the next ten years.
These wonderful people put my son into a classroom of six students and two teachers. They gave him OT and ST. They worked on his social skills. They worked on any issue that came up. Not because they had to. He didn't even have an IEP yet. They did it because they saw a child that needed help to be successful in life. They treated him like a human being that needed guidance and support. He was not another drain on their budget. They had practically no budget. It didn't matter. HE mattered.
When he was four they did some educational evaluations. This was before the internet. This was before anyone knew anything about autism. They said that his tests came back with some very odd results. They said that he was way at one end of the curve on some things and at the other end of the curve on other things. There was nothing in the middle. They said that he didn’t make eye contact. I had never noticed this. They said that he didn’t play with other children. That he would only parallel play. They said that he used dramatic and constructive play, but not interactive play. He could name colors, count up to 12, and recognized numbers. He could sequence objects by size and understood concept of big. He needed a routine and things had to always be the same and if it was not it would throw him off. He would flap his arms and rock when he became excited. He couldn’t follow simple instructions. He displayed a short attention span. He was very interested in Thomas the Tank Engine and could name every engine, their color, and their number. He could tell the name of a Disney VHS tape just by the font. You could lay out the movies, without the box, and he could name the movie just because of the font. I never even noticed that each movie had a different font. They took all of this information and started reading. They found that he exhibited many language, behavior, and socialization characteristics that may indicate a pervasive developmental disorder. They included: late talking, limited variety of responses, non-use of greetings, lack of conversation, lack of playing with others, limited eye contact, perseverative language, echolalic language, arm flapping, strange attachment to objects, and an ability to repeat video scripts verbatim.
When my son was five we moved back to Kansas City. This is where my husband and I were raised. We carefully called and interviewed every school district on both sides of the state line. We wanted to make sure that Jake would get the best that Kansas City had to offer.
After several phone calls and interviews we chose Lee's Summit. I went and told the personnel here that the district in Illinois felt that Jake wasn't ready for regular kindergarten. They felt that he needed 1 on 1 or small group instruction for at least one more year. It stated it in his IEP. Lee's Summit assured me that they were a big district that could handle all of his needs and issues and that the best thing for Jake was going to kindergarten. Once again, I was blind.
Jake went to Prairie View from kindergarten through sixth grade. He had some amazing teachers there. They were kind, supportive, and made accommodations that his IEP didn't call for. We had no issues there. I truly felt that we had picked the best school district that we could have. I volunteered in his classroom every week for at least 2-3 hours. I helped with the school carnival. I helped with health fair. I wrote to the Kansas City Star and told them what an amazing job they were doing with my son.
I didn't know much about autism and I felt like the district was doing all that Jake needed. Little did I know that when he got into high school my only hope for him would be living in a group home. That is where we are now. On his IEP the district has decided that his transition program would be to live semi-independently.
WHY? Because the district never addressed his autism. They didn't address his dysgraphia. They didn't address his social issues. They didn't address his written language issues. Why didn't they? I didn't demand it. In seventh grade the only goal he had on his IEP was to be able to write a paragraph. This is a child with autism, dysgraphia, and a written language deficit.
I thought that you had to believe in the experts and trust them. That blindness has caused the loss of my son's independence. If I had educated myself and fought for him, he would have a different future. His future was stolen and I stood back and let it happen.
I gave the school district a five year old with potential. They have given back a child that will never leave home. I let them do this to my child. My silence and acceptance granted them permission to destroy my son's future. He could have been an independent taxpaying citizen. Now he will be a burden on tax payers. Not to worry, Lee's Summit. You have no group homes here, so he won't burden your city.
Your children still have a chance. Your children still have a future. I pray that none of you ever have to read the following and have it apply to your child. But, if you continue to sit back and do nothing, you will face the same situation that I face today. I let the State of Missouri and the Lee's Summit School District steal my son's future. I will live with that until the day that I die because Jake will be living with me until the day I die. What will happen to him after that, only God knows. I pray that you never have to go to bed at night and think about that.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Sunday, January 3, 2010
The National Report Card On Higher Education
http://measuringup2008.highereducation.org/states/report_cards/index.php?state=MO&myYear=2006&cat=10yr
Lee's Summit School District Ranks 39th In The State (And You Were Told That They Rank 7th In The Nation)
Missouri School District Rankings
Rank (of 501) District # Students # Ranked Elementary Schools # Ranked Middle Schools # Ranked High Schools Rank score*
31 Blair Oaks R-II 903 1 0 1 0.829
32 Hume R-VIII 157 1 0 0 0.823
33 Dadeville R-II 167 1 0 1 0.822
34 Park Hill 9992 9 2 2 0.817
35 Rock Port R-II 375 1 0 1 0.817
36 Blue Springs R-IV 13927 13 4 2 0.811
37 Wellington-Napoleon R-IX 442 1 0 1 0.806
38 Orearville R-IV 34 1 0 0 0.805
39 Lee's Summit R-VII 17204 16 3 3 0.802
40 Shell Knob 78 162 1 0 0 0.800
http://www.schooldigger.com/go/MO/districtrank.aspx
Rank (of 501) District # Students # Ranked Elementary Schools # Ranked Middle Schools # Ranked High Schools Rank score*
31 Blair Oaks R-II 903 1 0 1 0.829
32 Hume R-VIII 157 1 0 0 0.823
33 Dadeville R-II 167 1 0 1 0.822
34 Park Hill 9992 9 2 2 0.817
35 Rock Port R-II 375 1 0 1 0.817
36 Blue Springs R-IV 13927 13 4 2 0.811
37 Wellington-Napoleon R-IX 442 1 0 1 0.806
38 Orearville R-IV 34 1 0 0 0.805
39 Lee's Summit R-VII 17204 16 3 3 0.802
40 Shell Knob 78 162 1 0 0 0.800
http://www.schooldigger.com/go/MO/districtrank.aspx
Lee's Summit man arrested for sliding into street sign
A Lee's Summit man was arrested after sliding into a street sign today. The roads in Lee's Summit had not been treated or plowed and he slid into a median and knocked over a sign while trying to make a right turn. He was driving less than 5 mph.
The man assumed that he should call in his report because of the inclement conditions. He assumed that the protocol was that if no one were injured, there was no other car in the accident, and the roads were such that he should make a report when he returned home.
Instead, he was arrested and handcuffed for leaving the scene of an accident. He was forced to pay a $900 bond. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Lee's Summit.
Is Lee's Summit that short on cash that they can't clear our roads and are arresting folks for sliding into street signs? Maybe we shouldn't have loaned Red Development millions of dollars if we couldn't afford to take care of our taxpayers and we have to resort to arresting honest, taxpaying citizens.
Is anyone else tired of the school district and the city taking our hard earned dollars and scandering them? I certainly am.
The man assumed that he should call in his report because of the inclement conditions. He assumed that the protocol was that if no one were injured, there was no other car in the accident, and the roads were such that he should make a report when he returned home.
Instead, he was arrested and handcuffed for leaving the scene of an accident. He was forced to pay a $900 bond. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Lee's Summit.
Is Lee's Summit that short on cash that they can't clear our roads and are arresting folks for sliding into street signs? Maybe we shouldn't have loaned Red Development millions of dollars if we couldn't afford to take care of our taxpayers and we have to resort to arresting honest, taxpaying citizens.
Is anyone else tired of the school district and the city taking our hard earned dollars and scandering them? I certainly am.
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