I always say when money is short; people will find a way around the problem. In this case, the San Antonio North Independent School District is putting technology to use to corral the attendance money from the state. They're implementing a pilot program that tracks students, using transmitters inside identification cards (RFID).
Next year, and John Jay High School and Anson Jones Middle School will track their 6,290 students who use the district buses according to the San Antonio Express-News. If successful, the district wants to use the ID cards at all 111 schools and almost 100,000 students. There must be some big bucks to gain because the district plans to spend $525,065 on the pilot program and about $136,005 to run it.
According to North Side Independent School District Deputy Superintendent, Brian Woods, the ID cards would keep more accurate figures and recoup the dollars lost when a student is reported absent but may be in the nurse's office or elsewhere on campus.
Mr. Woods said if the program is implemented, the district will see an increase in 0.5% in attendance levels along with Medicaid reimbursement for special needs students who ride district buses and would net the district $2 million to 2.5 million each year in funding.
You can't have a system like that without the naysayers worrying about privacy matters but the system already contains pertinent information like social security numbers and grades. All the data is maintained on the school's server and is password protected.
There are legitimate worries about the misuse of the technology but Mr. Woods said the program would have only limited potential use for disciplinary purposes. The program does have the capabilities of tracking special needs students on district buses.
RFID in schools is not new to Texas. The Spring and Santa Fe School District have been using the technology since 2010.
The Northside Independent School District school board unanimously approved the pilot program last week.
I hate to be a wet blanket but the wealthier school districts can afford the equipment and software to recoup lost state funds but there is not a chance the poorer school districts will improve their status.
How about it; is this something you would recommend to our school board?I know, we don't have that many students and the first year year outlay of $761,070 would bring out several anxiety attacks just thinking about that much money.
20 comments:
The schools could also offer free tattoos with every gps tracker inserted under the skin. Duel purpose: assure more public education dollars are paid and provide evidence for federal prosecuters. Why worry about the 5th amendment problems if you are not involved in illegal activities.
Of the people,for the people.
Northside school board voted overwhelmingly for it.
I'm all for it if it get the little suckers in the classroom. I did see the news report and the school is interested in that daily money from the state, and I can see why--Perry gutted that budget and schools are suffering!
Dale, it's like a catch and release thing! It's all good in the end, right?
EA
I didn't know which direction you were going to take...I wonder if the state is taking measures to prevent more schools from doing what SA is doing because they only have X amount of money in their treasury?
Sorry, to get way off topic, but after THREE shouts on the Vicad, and my late response, I had to catch your attention. Yes you Ds area patient lot.
" Mike, I am amazed at the you members of the party of Abraham. (The patient biblical Abe, that is.) You guys do have patience. In 72, ya'll were sent into political exile after Nixon kicked your d butts out of Texas. I think back then you called it a rebuilding year. Then the "Duk" in the tank was once again made a laughing stock by Bushy. And ya'll said wait until the next recount. 2000 and your Dems leave Texas because they couldn't reshape the political map, because the bad Rs wouldn't play with you. And the most embarrassing patient story is your sending your most promising Victoria legal mind over to the Victoria R to run for District Judge as a Republican. You Ds are a patient group. Hate to tell you... there are not enough years left in the sun's life time before you Ds ever regain political control of Texas. It makes no difference if the Ds have 20,000,000 new demographics in Texas and the Rs have only 1,000,000 old coggers. The new demos still will not vote. AND HA!, Mike you will have to keep on waiting for the long term. Keep being patient as your Texas Party continues to slave away in the politics of "long term". Oh, by the way,which telephone booth will all the voting Ds in Texas be having their State Convention in? Patience!!!!!!!!!! "
Dale
I'm truly sorry about the three shouts at the VA forum; I won't do that anymore.
As I said before; Democrats operate as a 50 (40 of them with more vigor) state operation and the strategy that was used by Howard Dean and Chuck Schumer to take over Congress in 2006 and then the presidency in 2008 is a great example. The Texas State Convention is as impertinent as the GOP State Convention is in California..BTW California was once a red state..Lol
Your post is very confusing because you jumble local, state, and federal into a great big pot and apply revisionist history to it. I'm sorry but I don't have the slightest idea who the most promising legal mind in Victoria is... I believe that would be subjective anyway and I can't see why that matters.
I concede that Texas Democrats are a weak bunch because they are experiencing the same thing Republicans are at the national level....Tea Party v Established GOP = Mitt Romney.
The new Democrats will vote and the RNC knows that because they are taking steps to make voting harder. The newly elected GOP governors are trying to dismantle the unions because they support Democrats, the Florida governor is starting to purge the voter database again, and 12 GOP governors enacted voter IDs and eliminated early voting.... These are not moves made by a confident GOP that the new Democrats will not vote.
The DNC does not need Texas right now to win the presidency and that's the focal point. Right after the November election, they will run the numbers, look for several charismatic leaders who support the Democratic platform and decide whether to spend precious resources in Texas....IMO
Example: I think local and state politics in Texas is pretty boring and I don't pay much attention to it because it's dominated by Conservative Republicans....i.e. I didn't vote for David Hagen or his opponent....... Any party that has complete control will overreach because the arrogance of superiority will overcome them and the voters will vote them out...i.e. Intrusive procedures, last in the nation in health care for children, near last in education, and deteriorating infrastructure will get noticed by the voters... Texas has issues that a politician can run on.
One last example of what a GOP controlled house does when jobs are the most important topic...Yesterday they voted on something that has never happen...They are voting to ban abortions based on gender...lol
Thank you for the Dem lesson. Dave Hill tried to explain that to me once. I can now understand the strategy, with your explanation.
I was trying to mention Mr Cole, without saying it. ;)
You pretty well understand my thoughts regarding the GOP leadership on the state and national level. So there is no need to rehash it. But in One word, my GOP feeling is... frustration. After being a 60 year minority party, they just have that mentality. We can not govern. It has something to being in a forever fortress mentality.
The majority party does develop a fortress mentality toward the end of its time in power. The Dems did it (sort of) in the 80's and early 90's. After only 10 years the GOP was already in that siege mentality.
When you refer to the new demographics you are speaking of a growing hispanic base. If so, the problem with that larger segment is the development of a political involvement. For some reason, they do not historically vote. I keep hearing a story about crabs in a barrel pulling the others back down. After just three elections, I can really say there is something to the story. This powerful, potential polical interest will not support a or any candidate. I have been working to find fiscal conservatives to support and help them to getting elected. Hopefully, someday developing a GOP home for the hispanic interest. (But you can imagine the GOP ever being inclusive to fiscal conservatives much less hispanic americans. (Perhaps, I can relate to the crab story. The GOP establishment will never let that happen. Just see what they are doing to Cruz.)
I understand your points and I think we agree more or less except what I meant about the new demographics. It's known in political circles that once a person votes twice for the same political party in a presidential election; they are hooked for life. That's in either party.
In 2008, young people came out for President Obama liked it never has before. He already had the Hispanic, single women, and black vote.
I have to disagree with you when you say Hispanics don't vote. They may not vote proportionately and there's not a big choice in Texas but across the United States they do vote; ask majority leader Harry Reid and former governor of California Gray Davis... All a human being needs is a charismatic candidate and an issue. Let me explain the "charismatic candidate” which translates to electable"..... As you know, the first three states of a presidential campaign are Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina... The South Carolina crucial black vote was behind Hillary Clinton in Iowa... When Obama won Iowa and came close to Hillary in New Hampshire, he met the electability test and the rest is history.... It will be the Hispanic vote that determines Nevada, Colorado and Florida.... The Cuban Hispanics will support the Republican and the Porto Rican vote will go to the Democrat...Again, don’t mistake local politics to national ones.
I guess between the two of us we understand local, state and national politics. I am learning some good things from you. (And perhaps I can exemplify a Republican who is not all about personal greed.) We do have to be concerned for all members of our community, and not just ourself.
I learned a while back, my influence is limited to Victoria and a small area around our community. My goal is to redefine a Republican Party (which like the Dems) start growing leaders locally. Specifically, I am interested in prospecting for young hispanics who will take an interest in empowering young people to be self-dependent. We really do not need a government which is here to enable us. We can do it all on our own, thank you. I have met a lot of young college folks who would find a re-invented Republican Party more to their liking. It just is plain unfortunate the older Rs think the worlds choices revolve around them..when in fact the world revolves despite them.
Ron Paul has it right. It is too late to save the current Republicans. But we can introduce their children to liberty, and in twenty years there will be significantly greater liberty for all. What an idea? A fiscally conservative government which empowers everyone to be all they can be. And government merely acts as a referee to keep the playing field even.
That's a hard question Dale because it's a difficult subject but as I've said, it has been answered many times. To be independent is exactly what it means; diversity and not being an ideologue.
You are trying to go to step 10 by skipping 2-9.... Minorities and single women see the government as a safety net because they would have been bypassed for hiring, equal wages, education were it not for civil rights... It's better now but if government is replaced with plutocracy then situation reverses to what it used to be... People should have the opportunity to join unions when they can negotiate better wages and working conditions...
Correct me if I'm wrong but you are for individualism aka; Ayn Rand....They see that there is a role for government ,not for welfare or food stamps but as the equalizer. They do not hate the government because they see the benefits of Social Security and Medicare and a lot of times the VA. ..They like Pell Grants,student loans and other things that they don't have equal acess to..........You remember when Ron Paul stumbled when Wolf Blitzer asked him what he would do for those without insurance... He didn't have an answer that a normal person can relate to....And this is just a start, you would have to do a lot of reprogramming..:-)
Too late to answer. I'd have to go to Maslow to explain heirarchy of needs. College students are a group open to theories that are tempored with personal experience. This group is far beyond the 1-6 level of needs as you stated.
But we now have have a level of understanding where we can explore in the future. I am not your typical R. Perhaps I am tempored with my Roman Catholic biblical and faith teachings. :)
Dale
You are on to something ;young impressible minds..:-)
Oh,I knew you were not the typical "R" you are a anti-government Libertarian, renting the Republican airspace..lol
You are good person and that's what matters most.
Lol.....The mayor of NYC wants to ban drinks that are over 16 oz in certain venues and itisi blows a gasket and asks "where are the liberals on this?"....Be right there after we finish our daily meeting...ROTFLMAO
Maroons, I tell you. Maroons.
I thinks he's one of the candidates for a tiara like skit...:-)
I'm thinking of one but if I can just get enough nerve...Oh,I forgot the current set of moderators wouldn't let it go too far.
I think they are secretly glad I didn't yell "April Fools!" on itisi's blog! I think they are happy I just quit posting!
Maybe tomorrow I will think of something clever to post to stir them all up! The Tiara Treatment, for sure.
EA
I have no doubt that they are glad you are not currently posting because they don't have an answer.
Right now they are wallowing in self praise and getting their little ears tickled; anxiously awaiting a second dose of self assurance...They can't wait..lol
At one time we believed that attendance was important because the student wouldn't miss out on valuable instruction. Being in school was for the benefit of the student. Attendance laws were to help them be all they could be. (Actually it's worded in another catchy way.)
Now we know better.
Attendance seems to be more important than education. Look at the honor student who was sent to jail for missing school. Recently, there was a story about a girl who missed one day to grieve with her family after her uncle passed away and it caused her to get banned from attending her prom. These were not students who were struggling academically.
These laws are being abused and used for control coercion and greed.
Rebecca
Good examples of the extremes schools will go to just to obtain the attendance funds.
I can only hope some schools that are going to the dark side (greed) will put the money to use for the greater good, like computer labs,iPads, hiring and retaining good teachers, instead of financing their football program or administrative fees.
Back then mom,pop,neighbors and grand parents helped the schools with the attendance.
Post a Comment