May 20, 2008
Police to make budget presentation to City Council - TONIGHT
Petersburg’s police dept. plan on making their budget presentation tonight at the conclusion of Council’s regular agenda.
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From the announcements part of the meeting: The fire dept. will make their presentation at the next City Council meeting.
From tonight’s meeting re: school budget, here’s a run-down:
* The originally proposed city contribution to the school system for FY09: 10.28m, a 550k increase over current year’s budget
* The school system’s original request: 13.2m, 3.5m over current year’s budget
– the 3.5 requested increase would be used to cover:
i) 1.3 increase to ‘balance current budget’ = amount needed to level-fund the 08 budget into 09, as a result of lost revenues (the lost revs are a result of… declining enrollment? the reason is a guess/question on my part.)
ii) 1.7 teacher salary increase
iii) 500k administration increase
* The proposed figure in city budget now stands at: 11.180m, a 1.4m increase over current year’s budget, or 900k over the originally proposed contribution
re: the 900k increase (relative to the original number) to be allocated to the schools — I missed where the difference would be coming from (some eliminations, some capital revenues, ????). However, the City Manager made clear that four areas would not be subject to a decrease in the re-allocation of funds: i) social services (it was pointed out that while their budget item is among the city’s largest, the majority of their funds come from outside the city on some sort of matching/percentage basis), ii) police, iii) schools, and iv) an increase of 3% to city workers.
Of the additional 900k that would be allocated to the schools, Webb made clear his desire that the additional funds be allocated toward teacher salary increases, to address the teacher salary differential vis a vis surrounding jurisdictions. Webb also requested a quarterly reporting of how the schools were spending their funds.
500k administration increase for a district with declining enrollment?
We must have some pretty FANTASTIC administrators. Ones that can magically change poor teachers into GREAT teachers.
The only administrators that I want are ones that will first SLASH ADMINISTRATION, like Dr. Rhee:
http://aconstrainedvision.blogspot.com/2007/12/michelle-rhee.html
Webb also forcefully questioned whether or not the administration was not a little top-heavy.
Of the additional 900k that would be allocated to the schools, Webb made clear his desire that the additional funds be allocated toward teacher salary increases, to address the teacher salary differential vis a vis surrounding jurisdictions. Webb also requested a quarterly reporting of how the schools were spending their funds.
This was probably the best comment he has ever made about the school system. I agree 100%
Shawn: to answer Webb’s question. Yes they are. And for the last year plus I have asked SB to not dismiss those admins on contract but to place them back into the classrooms. It is no reason why we should pay these people to leave the school system when we are in adesperate need for teachers. If they feel that teaching is beneath them then they can quit (breech of contract) that way we don’t have to pay them, but to allow them to leave with a paycheck is not a practice we should allow.
re: the police dept.’s presentation, for the most part the info presented has already been posted to this site in recent weeks.
That said –
1)
A few details were noted:
* the Chief stated that it takes 6 months to get a trainee through the training program.
* the PD currently has 80 sworn officers, of 107 authorized
* while the Chief would like 20 or so officers, he could not bring that many new personnel onto staff all at one time.
Based upon the above, Pritchett suggested something along the following lines (if I bungle it, mea culpa): fund a salary increase for the existing force that would bring the salaries competitive with surrounding jurisdictions, fund a small batch of July 08 trainees who would come on the force in Jan 09 (I think these dates are illustrative), and fund a small batch of trainees for Jan 09, to enter the force in July 09, when the city is expected to have greater revenues from all the development that has been going on. Put differently, he suggested phasing in an increase of staff, as that would put less pressure on the city budget given city revenues will start to rise in 09. That would also be consistent with the PD’s ability to absorb new personnel onto its staff. Or so was my understanding of that part of the conversation.
2)
There was some interest among Council to clarify academy vs. starting salaries of police in Petersburg vs. surrounding jurisdictions. There was also interest in learning which jurisdictions pay for officers’ health insurance, and which do not.
My opinion here: it may or may not be the case that the local PD is close to other PDs when it comes to overall salary and benefits paid to its personnel. Either way, I do not think that is the right litmus to use. To say that we need to make salaries competitive with surrounding jurisdictions, so as to not lose experienced staff to neighboring communities, would be fine and dandy if one could say that the level of crime and the need for enforcement/prevention were also comparable. But that is not the case. Petersburg is once again the most dangerous city in the entire commonwealth on a per capita basis according to the numbers reported to Virginia State Police. In this context, we should be setting salaries that exceed those of our safer neighboring jurisdictions, so that this is the most desirable place to work as a police officer, so that other areas’ experienced staff are competiting to come here.
Agreed, the call for regular reporting of school spending is most sensible, and long overdue.
As is a meaningful raise for teachers, so we attract and retain the region’s most qualified teachers, as again, I think our jurisdiction will require more of teachers than many jurisdictions will if things here are to turn around.
Back in the day (actually as recently as about 20 or 25 years ago) it didn’t matter what the starting pay was.
There were always people willing to join police departments just to have the job.
Things are different now. The average person looking for a career in law enforcement is more career oriented than in the past. These people will look beyond the “I just want to be a police officer” and want to know about pay and benefits, working conditions and advancement opportunities.
When you look at the PPD from that stand point, it’s not only starting pay that comes into the equation. A potential recruit is going to do his homework. He’ll ask questions like, “What kind of hours are being worked? How many calls for service are being run and how many officers are on duty at any one time?” When he finds out that PPD is working 12 hour shifts and that there are only a few other officers working per shift and the number of calls worked, it’s not difficult to see him thinking, “Why should I go work there, when I can start at a higher pay elsewhere and have better working conditions?”
I can tell you from experience that when working 12 hour shifts, you don’t do anything but get up, go to work, go home, sleep, repeat. That’s not much of a life.
I agree that it’s not enough to reach salary parity with the surrounding jurisdictions, we have to do better.
Question: Has there been (in recent history) an accounting of what school administrators make, vice teachers? How about City officials and Department Head salaries? Just would be interesting to get that data …
“In this context, we should be setting salaries that exceed those of our safer neighboring jurisdictions, so that this is the most desirable place to work as a police officer, so that other areas’ experienced staff are competiting to come here.”
Playing devils advocate - Chesterfield, Goochland, Henrico while having much lower crime per capita also have a SHITE load more in the way of tax money (ergo funding for police) coming in. I’m not sure where the proposed funding would come from to start a PBurg PD officer at something greater than a more affluent County officer?
Are there areas in the City budget that could be revised/trimmed so that funding could be shifted to a priority area?
I want to look at the Virginia Commission on Local Government to see just how much the City gets in the way of Federal and State funding.
Just a side note - I’m sure I’m like most any government worker (Federal, State, Local) we’re here more for the benefits than the pay. I could make considerably more in the private sector but not many of those folkes offer a nice retirement plan/pension these days. Eh and Law Enforcement (actually I think all Public Safety) in VRS gets their nice LEOS benefit of a $1,000 supplement per month to their retirement until they are eligible for Social Security. That’s a NICE perk.
Chuck, at last night’s meeting, it was clear that trimming *is* happening to address the priority of policing. Indeed, one member of Council said that the PD may even be a higher priority than the schools, as you can’t expect to address the schools in a high-crime context.
However, I also got the sense that some folks were looking for ways to say to themselves, “oh, the police aren’t that uncompetitive, so we don’t have to put too much more sweat into this whole stressful budget process b/c we can tell folks ’see, they don’t have it so bad after all’” - which is just nonsense.
Again, if folks were to attend these meetings, they would know that Council and the City Manager ARE revising/shifting funds to acknowledge key priorities. I think the question is: how much?
One place I could suggest:
There was a line item in the budget for something like 15K to the “Virginia Film Office” or some such.
Handing out funds to support the arts is tops in my book but only when your house is not burning down around you and you are flush with cash. Check that… if you are flush with cash you need to consider lowering your tax rate.
Finding a few more line items like the above in the budget would go a long way toward making up the money needed to fully fund public safety.
Also, how about the 450 or so properties the city owns? Why not liquidate some of that portfolio, and turn it into tax-generating assets?
If you profess to care about EDUCATION for petersburg’s kids, read these articles:
http://opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110011029
http://www.city-journal.org/html/15_3_black_family.html
http://www.economist.com/world/na/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11326407
http://www.american.com/archive/2007/july-august-magazine-contents/no-hesitations
If you don’t care about education, or all you care about are “jobs,” don’t read them, they won’t won’t change your mind.
That’s an excellent idea. Question though, when the city “convey’s”/gives property to places like Pathways as they did at the April 15th meeting - does a tax exempt entity still have to pay property taxes? (I’m just assuming they are tax exempt…)
And then, take a good, hard, look at those who are advocating leaving urban schools the way they are, but increasing their funding.
re: my #15 I think it was actually called disposition at the meeting not convey but…
“does a tax exempt entity still have to pay property taxes? (I’m just assuming they are tax exempt…)”
No.
But the city is not totally misguided when it aquires property and sits on it. They could really do a better job about maintaining the property in the interim, but they have some valid reasons for buying and holding property.
They are thinking longer-term than we are.
I am sure brenda is right about selling some property, but the right buyer should be found first, or we’ll be yelling about other problems.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/21/nyregion/21fryer.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion&oref=slogin
This has been the reason for the past 5 years I have been asking the city for a real 5-10 yr plan not a VISION. A plan puts things in perspective. There is little arguements when I know what increases will be implimented. There are no one fussing when I know the plans for certain areas. The are no name calling when you say we did this by month/date/year…Structure and accountablility should be our focus areas.
We don’t have to keep asking about the river dredging when it could written that in 2012 it will be complete, the arguing shouldn’t started unless it hasn’t happened till 2013.
According to the most recent Federal and State Categorical Aid to Virginia’s Counties and Cities, FY 2006 report from the Virginia Commission on Local Government (http://www.dhcd.virginia.gov/CommissiononLocalGovernment/PDFs/cataid06.pdf) Public Safety received $8,710,677 in Federal and State aid (State-$7,797,752 and Federal $912,925) and Education received $39,575,840 (State-$31,305,728 and Federal $8,270,112) or MORE than 4.5 times that of Public Safety?
Is the $13M the School Board wants from the City in addition to the $39.5M they get from the State and Federal Government?!?!?
In total, according to the report, the City of Petersburg receives $68.1M in Federal and State aid. Add that to the reported $45.5M the City reported as Property Tax Revenue, All Other Tax Revenue, and Non-Tax Revenue (http://www.dhcd.virginia.gov/CommissiononLocalGovernment/PDFs/locrev06r.pdf) and seems like we would be in good shape - $113.6M.
Gah did’t space before/after parens!!! Forget the Klondike bar….What would you doooooooooooooooo for an EDIT button!
Richmond NAACP getting some press:
http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/search.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2008-05-21-0024.html
Ahhhh…. free speech…
I wonder when Petersburg’s NAACP will way in with THEIR theories on education:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=70894051
Hey Chuck, will take the request to the IT peeps. Meanwhile, I sometimes generate a comment in Word, so as to be able to see things better, and then copy/paste over… maybe that can help?
I wonder when Petersburg’s NAACP will way in with THEIR theories on education:
Once they get new leadership
Good morning.
Petersburg schools’ SOL scores, and possibly status, are looking up:
http://www.progress-index.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19711100&BRD=2271&PAG=461&dept_id=462946&rfi=6
Fantastic news, and cause for celebration.
The negativity sensed in those outside of the school community mostly was due to the perception that people in the school community blaming everyone but themselves for low performance — and the knowlege that such refusal to take a hard look in mirror will doom you, no matter your class, or race.
I have the wisdom to know that it is never easy to take that hard look, or accept it when someone else is shoving that mirror in your face. The instinct is to look away.
Congratulations petersburg!
When “they” become “us”… and when “them”… become “we” and when “their” become “our”… we shall find the answers to the questions we seek, we will hear the sound of a united community. Our differences will not go away, but our perspectives about how to address our differences will most assuredly take on a new personality. See you at the roundtables of discussions and the footsteps of action.
This step really goes with the idea I had earlier in the beginning of the school year. I suggested that we setup barometers throughout the city to show where we started from to our current scores on SOLs that way people will notice the increase and not to continue to say they are still failing, with no such thought improving.
CONGRATS PCPS
“When “they” become “us”… and when “them”… become “we” and when “their” become “our”… we shall find the answers to the questions we seek, we will hear the sound of a united community. Our differences will not go away, but our perspectives about how to address our differences will most assuredly take on a new personality.”
We both are working toward the FIRST part of your sentence. I am consciously trying to get rid of the DIFFERENCES that keep us apart. In my mind, there’s a lot more pesky diversity WITHIN races than between them.
But there has to be a equalization of cultural values and expections before there is equality in economic empowerment and mututal respect between all races.
Because of my communication flaws, some people think ill of my intensions. If they knew me, they’d know I think we have a crisis in education for WHITES and would maybe be a little more understanding that I am against keeping the bar low for blacks.
The only people who said integration would not be painful, for everyone, were liars. Anyone who said “white flight” was only about racism was being simplistic, at best. There will be pain, for everyone. It is like a birth.
For the people as a whole, of all races, much will be gained. EVERYONE will gain from less talent being squandered because it has a brown face. Less brilliant black minds will want to become “race/poverty fighters” and will become “wealth creators,” the only true way to “fight” poverty. Non-liberal whites, long unincentivized to challenge or fight bad notions that are hostile to their values, because these ideas were “contained” in the urban areas, will now have a chance, and an incentive, to make their case for how economic empowerment is achieved.
It won’t be good for everyone. Criminals who would have escaped jail will find their ways there. Whites and blacks that are too volatile to coexist will suffer. The “my child knows more than me” syndrome will explode. Some parents will be overjoyed. Some will not.
“They” will not become “us” with the wave of a wand, or a keystroke however. It will take patience, wisdom, and the marginalization of those voices that try to provoke mistrust on both sides.
Economic conservatisim is not “white” any more than marxism is “black.” The biggest gift a well-intentioned liberal can give is self-reliance, but they often don’t realize this.
The first african american I voted for was this man:
http://www.electclifton.org/about.html
I coulda voted for Hillary, I coulda voted for Rick Lazio: white, republican, and intellectual lightweight, but, in 2000, I didn’t.
Will I care if a bunch of petersburgers go out en masse to vote for obama? No. I don’t expect any more from petersburg, yet, than I expect from West Virginia or Kentucky when it comes to race-blindness.
I don’t expect petersburg to be oregon. We’ll need a lot more intellectual empowerment in ALL THREE places before that happens.
“Less brilliant black minds” should read “Fewer….”
I’ve been living in virginia too long.
My neighbor is a young aspiring recent graduate of the police academy. My wife and I have met him and his spouse who are newlyweds.
My heart tells me to try to convince him to stay, my brain knows that as soon as he is able, he is going to pack up his wife and his experience of working on the front lines of Petersburg at minimum wage (comparatively speaking) and head to the sunny horizons of Chesterfield.
Oh well, I guess that will just be PAR FOR THE COURSE!
Cute.
Don’t listen to your heart.
One of things that makes america strong is the mobility of the labor force. It is in the young man’s best interest, and that of his family’s, to not shun opportunity that presents itself. This is also true for chief monroe, and most of the leaders in richmond are not from richmond and hence were a loss to somewhere, and a gain to this area.
And if he’s paid more, he’ll have more money to spend in petersburg.
Petersburg either has to have legally binding contracts for their new PD recruits, or has to DESERVE the ones they have. I agree with brenda that petersburg probably should compensate our police MORE than other localities, given the sorts of calls they have to respond to, and the hand-tying that the allies of criminals accomplish in politically in urban areas.
As far as your and Linas’ particular bete noire is concerned, I don’t support it. Like the library, I don’t condemn it either. I found it politically unviable to condemn either project. Just look how much flack I took here for questioning your jazz fest. If you strongly condemn ward III’s public work’s project, you should condemn ward iv’s too.
I see potential benefits to both projects, so I prefer to sit on the fence until they are proved a success or failure. For now, they are water under the bridge.
Realize, of course, that if the project is successful, the boosters will look like visionaries, and the opponents naysayers.
I don’t live in zone 3, so my opinion on the matter doesn’t carry much weight anyway.
In this case, what happens in ward III does not stay in ward III.
I agree that there should be, and probably are, binding contracts for PD recruits. However, they wait until the contract comes to an end, and after seeing very little or no room for advancement and little to no equipment and logistical support to fight crime in Petersburg, they will leave.
Don’t build it and they will leave.
Once the golf course and library become great institutions of development for the city and me and Linas are shown as “naysayers” with a “particular bete noire”, I will ride along the back nine while reading a book and thank my God that I did not sit on the fence waiting for the efforts of someone else to succeed or fail.
“discretion is the better part of valor”
I try to choose my battles as best I can, but even so, I find I sometimes take a side too readily, and to too little effect.
When I don’t know what the outcome of someone else’s particular decision will be, I don’t tend to be as dogmatic as my heart might tell me to be.
I have been wrong enough times to learn this lesson.
I am sure that has happened to you, too.
The corollary, of course, is that you and Linas are “the visionaries.”
Hopefully, you’ll have the class not to dance around in the end zone too much. :)
Point well taken. Humility is better than humiliation. “Everything I think I know is subject to revision, especially what I think I know about the truth.”
It is an honor to coexist with you all here. Thank you PPN.
You win.
See, I was expecting you to eviscerate me for chosing to quote falstaff, but you chose to be nice instead.
Touche.
sounds like chekmate guys
Has Chief Dixon taken a residence in Petersburg yet? He has 12 months, does anyone know when that official date is?He has a school age child, where is his child enrolled for school next year?
Will his Child be going to Petersburg High School?
The child was enrolled in Richmond Public Schools this year. I would bet a LOT Of money that he stays in Richmond Schools next year.
Are police required to have the appropiate documentation to file an official police report in their car?
Has anyone ever tried to get crime statistics from the Petersburg Police?
Has anyone ever seen a policeman on a bicycle in Walnut Hill?
Within the police department, the city is divided into five (5) separate areas for the purpose of establishing patrol zones. Each zone has a Community Policing Beat Committee comprised of officers from each specialty unit within the department. (E.g., investigations, traffic, bike unit, juvenile, K-9, etc.) Each committee meets monthly to discuss problems and possible solutions or strategies to address problems within their zone. Click on Crime Statistics for a picture of the patrol map.
Straight from the website… The directions say to click on the crime statistics for a picture of the patrol map.. there is no map! There is no patrol..
I see a lot of police cars on crater rd. I see them parked on Bank Street..
I see them giving speeding tickets on Washington Street.. BUT.. I NEVER see them in Walnut HILL unless someones house alarm goes off.
This City is QUICKLY losing my interest as a place to raise my children. I pay the highest property tax rate nearly in the state.. I have to pay for private school for my children AND To boot they get to live in the highest crime rate city in the commonwealth. I have convinced others to move to Pburg.. guess what has happened to most of them??
They were ROBBED!! and of course so was I! Do you think anyone was caught? who do you think had to tell the police where the stolen property was? Do you think anything happened to the truant children who did it? or better yet! where is the accountability of these parents? And why would a school system or truancy officer not know a child was not in school for 2 weeks?
I honestly feel like I am living in some freaky Sunday night movie where the Government of some rural town (although we are not rural), has become completely corrupt. Where is our Super Star to come save the day?
My three children have come up with some interesting names of the city
Dirtyburg
The land of the Misfits
Coming from children that have migrated from Washington DC proper, to the City of Richmond and now Petersburg!
There will be NO more promoting Petersburg in my household.. we are now on our plan of exit.
3 years is enough! I have seen enough.. fought enough with the police and the School Board!
I am a rat on a treadmill….. going nowhere
Why no response to Gigi’s indictment from one of our esteemed city leaders? I know they read PPN.
Many in Petersburg share Gigi’s feelings. The kettle is boiling. Someday it will boil over. Then decent folks will take back the city.
Thank you post #39 for the information that you shared, and for the questions that should be asked. I and others will document these questions and attempt to get the answers to them.
Your three childrens reference to “Dirtyburg” are probably in allignment with the “Dirty South” theme set by the younger generation. It is a term that announces their defiance of authority and rebellious nature often seen in the youth. Their indignation is quite justifiable when you look at some of the leadership that has gotten us to where we are today.
Their reference to “The land of the Misfits” just goes to show the accuracy in their ability to critique their environment.
Listen to them long enough and we may just hear them give an analysis of what a solution would look like. I mean, given their ability to identify the problem, we should give them a chance to identify a method to change our city, or move.
Wherever you go as a family and wherever you decide to live, the process will be the same, identify the problem and then get into the solution. If you find a place in this great country of ours, or in the wide world, that have no problems, please be so kind to drop us a line in this city, that everyone loves to hate, and let us know where in the world did you find such a place that have no problems to solve.
It is a false argument to set up the straw man comparison of a “place that have (sic) no problems to solve” in order to counter Gigi’s indictment. No place is without problems but many people don’t want to live in a place with as many serious problems as Petersburg, not if they can help it. Particularly when they know such problems are benignly tolerated by those in charge.
“Your three childrens reference to “Dirtyburg” are probably in allignment with the “Dirty South” theme set by the younger generation. It is a term that announces their defiance of authority and rebellious nature often seen in the youth. Their indignation is quite justifiable when you look at some of the leadership that has gotten us to where we are today.”
Eh I just figured hey, they’re kids, they see naught but McDonald’s bags, beer bottles, dirty diapers, 20oz soda bottles, empty cigarette packs, etc. just tossly willy-nilly about the city.
Re: Walnut Hill and GiGi’s comments, we sometimes get the impression (living in that area too) that our neighborhood is not as “important” as oh say….Old Towne, Folley’s Castle, or any of the other ‘historic’ neighborhoods - but, that could just be that we might have *knock wood* a few less problems?
We really need a Walnut Hill Homeowner’s Assoc. like some other areas I think.
“Eh I just figured hey, they’re kids, they see naught but McDonald’s bags, beer bottles, dirty diapers, 20oz soda bottles, empty cigarette packs, etc. just tossly willy-nilly about the city.”
I think not. Throwing trash and substance abuse is just the tip of the iceberg of a total disregard for law and order and respect for life. I merely indicate that the children identified the problem. Glad they don’t want to be a part of the “crew” of destruction that is seemingly headed toward anarchy.
I agree that it is “benignly tolerated by those in charge”. I would even say that it is malignantly tolerated in some cases.
Forgive my “straw man comparison”, and I do not wish to counter GiGi’s comments, but to add to it with some sense of getting into the solution. Once again, I thank the post for the questions and comments.
To participate in meaningful problem-solving requires that one be part of a two-way conversation. I suspect GiGi wouldn’t be so frustrated if she didn’t for some reason feel like she was alone at the table.
GiGi - at some point in the murky past I loaded a map of the patrol zone footprints to this site’s directory, under ‘maps’. It is dated August 2006. I have no idea if there have been any changes to the patrol zones under Dixon.
And again, the drum beats: where is the response from our esteemed leaders?
Perhaps some of the leaders are trying to parse gigi’s comments for crypto-racism.
Her kids’ mocking of petersburg reminds me of when I first came to town. I was talking to a guy who had moved here shortly before, and I asked him “did you see those ‘a city of readers’ stickers? — yeah? well what do you think a more accurate on would be?” He said, “…. a City of Felons.”
My next door neighbor had a man he had hired to be an “electrician” sneak into his house and ambush him with a knife. They fought until his girlfriend called the police, but not before he had severely cut his hand (he’s a musician),
anyhoo, though the man was arrested, and my neighbor insisted they try him for attempted murder, they tried him for a lesser charge and he was back on the streets of petersburg in six months.
“And again, the drum beats: where is the response from our esteemed leaders?”
What you talking ’bout Mr. Drum man?
Who are these “esteemed leaders” you expect to respond here? If not us, who? If not now, when?
Have we seen an “esteemed leader” write anything here at PPN? They don’t even respond to public comment periods at their own meetings, so don’t expect that they will jump into the foray here.
You are the leader, now lead. Help support someone who will be running for city council and school board this November. They need to get 125 petition signatures by June 10th in order to get on the ballot, unless they want to run as a write-in.
“Perhaps some of the leaders are trying to parse gigi’s comments for crypto-racism.”
Again, if by leaders we are talking about the current crop of city council members and school board reps, I don’t think they are reading PPN, if they are reading this and are treating it like they treat public comment periods, then we will never hear from them.
If not us, who? If not now, when?
“I NEVER see them in Walnut HILL unless someones house alarm goes off.”
For the record, I have seen a patrol car sit on Arch St. on a regular basis. I have seen patrol cars at Lee Memorial Park. I have seen patrol cars in East Walnut Hill. I have seen a bike officer on the Boulevard, but I do tral a lot.
I meant to say, I do travel a lot. How about that edit button? At myfamily.com a user logged in as an administrator can edit everybody, but everybody can only edit what they post.
They were ROBBED!! and of course so was I! Do you think anyone was caught? who do you think had to tell the police where the stolen property was? Do you think anything happened to the truant children who did it? or better yet! where is the accountability of these parents? And why would a school system or truancy officer not know a child was not in school for 2 weeks?
This is why I suggested community service to our dear Judges. These kids need something to do when they are suspended from school why should they be free to roam the streets. To be suspended from school now is more like a badge od freedom to run the streets. I brought up the same suggestion a few months ago to the school board and council and was shot down.
By putting these kids in a community service program we can provide an additional punishment to them for being expelled from school and if nothing else we can get some streets, and gutters cleaned at no cost to the city. Just as the article I wrote while back. “Clean up your act or clean our streets.”
I am working on a proposal now to give the kids in the area an avenue to do more constrctive things. I hope this works and get the support from the community, because it is truly a need.
John, your “Clean up your act or clean our streets” suggestion seems most constructive from an incentive alignment perspective. Were there particular reasons given for its not being adopted? (e.g., were there some anticipated challenges to its implementation that were raised? Other?)
I look forward to learning of the proposal you are currently working on.