If you became Governor - what would you do?

A poll published online May 10, 2010 by The Providence Business News asks the question

What should be the new governor’s top priority upon taking office in January 2011?

Readers are asked to select from 5 options.

1. Balancing state and local budgets 12 votes (33%)

2. Economic development/job creation 15 votes (42%)

3. Improving elementary, secondary and post-secondary education 3 votes (8%)

4. Improving the state's tax environment 5 votes (14%)

5. Implementing a robust energy and environmental protection policy 1 vote (3%)


These are very early and preliminary votes but it does suggest what the mind of the public expect from a governor. and their ignorance of what a governor in Rhode Island can be expected to do.

1. Balancing the budget

Given the Rhode Island Constitution and despite the long overdue separations of powers act, balancing the state budget is a legislative function. The most the Governor can be expected to do is:

a. to recommend a balanced budget to the legislature,
b. to manage, after the fact, a budget that the legislature approves, and
c. to do so as effectively and efficiently as circumstances and the law allow.

As for the local budgets, these are up to the local legislative bodies (town councils, boards of education, etc.)to determine and beyond the Governor's control.

So while it might be desirable to have strong leadership in the Governor's office, institutionally there is little real power here to achieve this goal without a commitment of cooperation from the General Assembly.


2. Economic development/job creation

Rhode Island is a small state that tries to behave like a big state. Localities compete as aggressively with one another for new businesses and jobs as Rhode Island does with other states. The Governor can lead here by setting some clear priorities and goals for development and by promoting the state to out of state employers. But the governor can only sell what the state has to offer and what the General Assembly will fund. These two are not always in synch.

In "Meeting the Challenge of the New Economy", the 1997 Annual report from the Rhode Island Economic Development Council, the Council listed 8 myths about Rhode Island's economy. Myth # 5 is

"by creating jobs, state and local government employment helps the economy."

The report continues,

"The Reality: The right number of state and local employees allows government to accomplish the tasks it needs to ( e.g. maintain the roads, police protection). More than we need, however, eliminates even more jobs in the moderate term by removing purchasing power from consumers and raising taxes."

This is even truer today than back in 1997, yet little has changed in terms of the Governor's ability to change labor contracts and renegotiate the long term commitments to public employees. Management, the Governor's Office, requires the legal tools to enable it to make the management decisions that creates and maintains the right number of highly trained, skilled and experience government workers to do the tasks it needs to do.

The governor does not create jobs, nor should he/she. Instead, the Governor should help create a climate that fosters private sector employment opportunities. Here again, cooperation between the GA and the Governor will be required.

3. Improving elementary, secondary and post-post secondary education.

The Governor is the public's elected CEO. Here is where the Governor can have a real impact and where real change can be brought about. Education is the most critical step in an economic and social policy. Economic development does not occur overnight, anymore than educating a child to become a productive worker does. Both are long term processes. Changing the educational environment is a leadership and policy issue. Setting that policy, especially strategic policy, is the job of even a weak Governor.

a. The first step in building and supporting a viable and adaptable system to meet the needs of students, parents, communities and employers would be to set middle and long range goals and objectives for the state's educational system. These would be based on realistic assessments of the changing workforce needs, regional and global economic trends and local and state capacity to respond to these needs would be.

b. Next would be to create and carry through a realistic plan to achieve such goals. For the next Governor it would be follow through on the work done by Dr. Gist and those involved in planning and seeking federal support through the Race to the Top grant competition.

c. Next is to build on our strengths beginning with the best talent we have. The new Governor should avoid the temptation to replace the team now in place solely to reward friends and cronies. We have seen enough of this in recent years and even recent days in the state.

d. Support for individual teachers efforts to use and share their best practices even when these are contrary to arbitrary and/or out-modded contractual work rules or administrative policies is critical. By promoting and rewarding professionalism through public recognition and professional advancement for outstanding performance would demonstrate to all the state's commitment to quality education and a quality workforce.

e. Support for the state's post secondary institutions including the technical as well as professional post secondary education at a level competitive with the rest of the region and the world would put action behind the claim that we have the well trained workforce employers are seeking

f. The Governor should also push for full funding for the plan at all levels and through all available means and would re-enforce that commitment.

4. Improving the State's Tax environment.

I realize this may go against a lot of people's gut reaction but here goes. The State's tax environment is not, nor should it be, based simple on "pricing" considerations. By this I mean, it should be based on the true cost/benefit to me to live and work here, not on my tax bill. It should be based on the real or "true" value I receive for the taxes I pay.

For example, policies which focus on "lowering my tax bill" by not fixing the bridges and roads that support my business; or provide me with workers who can not read, write, do math or think critically; or impose inconsistent and onerous laws, regulations, processes that impede my ability to conduct my business competitively; or make it impossible for me respond to a new business opportunity in a timely and competitive manner, are the hidden taxes which really create a bad tax environment.

By the same token, the value of a reliable and efficient public works department, a dependable and accessible government permitting service, a clean and safe water supply, etc. should be considered when evaluating the value you receive from paying your tax bill. For example, what is the value of the state's response during the recent floods worth to you? Or, What is the value of the life that fireman saved? These are examples of the positive value we receive for the tax bills we pay. They would be sorely missed if they weren't there.

Here is where the Governor can have a impact. He should direct the administration's efforts to address the hidden taxes imposed by the General Assembly, especially when they fail to address these issues. One way to attack this problem is to change the dialogue from "government waste" to "government value." Former seeks only to cut costs without reference to quality. The latter exposes the "hidden taxes" of government uneffectiveness and inefficiency and shifts the focus to discovering the potential the value of government services deliver by those taxes.

A policy of greater transparency, i.e. "the good, the bad, and the ugly" should be the Governor's position. The new governor should use the bully pulpit of the office to expose the smoke and mirrors of backroom deals and magical thinking that we find in the GA.

The goal is to address Myth #4 from the 1997 report.

"If it is good for business (or labor) it has to be bad for labor (or business)."

The adversarial period of 20th century business/labor relations must end. If we are to improve the tax environment for everyone in the state and compete in a 21st century global economy, we need to change the way we think about who We and They are. Here the moral leadership of the Governor's Office must come into play.


5. Implementing a robust energy and environmental protection policy

In order to implement such policies, they must be sustainable and realistic in terms of overall needs and resources available to the State and localities. The Governor can provide guidance in balancing the state's economic, and social needs as reflected in the state's energy production and consumption practices weighed against the long term hidden tax of poor or inadequate environmental regulation and enforcement. Here the Governor can provide leadership to bring competing interests together for find solutions that serve the best interests of all and not the best interest of "favored" interests.

The job of the next Governor is to create a political climate where all parties feel that they have been dealt with in fairness. This will go a long way in creating a physical, economic, social and political environment that supports the public's and State's immediate and long terms interests.

Trust comes before respect in education reform

The Providence Journal story "Hundreds of RI teachers rally to protest policies of Commissioner Gist" describes the continuing self defeating conflict between the Rhode island Teachers unions and the Rhode Island educational system and their taxpaying supporters. This guest posting reflects one person's take on the situation

Guest posting from Ethnographer

The question of trust and respect seem to be at the heart of the teacher vs public controversy now taking place here in Rhode Island. If these issues are not resolved between the teachers and public, it doesn't matter what the union or the courts say, the educational system in Rhode Island will continue to fail the students and the tax payers.

The industrial labor management mind set shared by the teacher's unions and the school systems is at the core of the current dispute. It is an outdated business model based on the lack of trust between the owners of capital and the workers who use that capital to make a commodity product that the capitalist owner sells to the public. If you believe that students are coffee beans, that model works well.

However, if you believe a student is a Human being, then this model does not work. An educational system in a modern civilized society is supposed to produce a human being who is an educated, self supporting adult who can perform to the best of his or her ability as a citizen in the community. Such as system would be based on a human investment business model.

So what happens when you can't trust the system to produce the results you expect for your child? Why should you respect those who are responsible are messing up the job and producing an inferior product?

Parents, employers, and taxpayers are tired of hearing the complaints from the unions about pay levels, tenure, seniority, and pensions. These complaints offer only one solution to the larger educational system-wide problem. That solution is based on the theory that more money and security paid to teachers is the only thing preventing better performance.

The wider problem is not more money for teachers, the problem is better and more effective allocation of the current educational budget and resources to address the needs of the student. Cutting programs and services in order to pay higher wages and pensions to teachers is not the answer. But the unions fail to recognize this, asking for higher pay instead.

The unions, in selecting this solution, are responding to a problem brought on by mandates created by the General Assembly and Federal government. These mandates create "mission creep" problem by imposing more responsibilities upon the classroom teacher. These are responsibilities that they are not trained for or given resources to deal with effectively. Based on the industrial model, the unions respond by asking for more money for a heavier workload and more restricting work rules. Again, this makes sense if you are producing and now packaging coffee beans.

Who is responsible for this? The community and the parents are responsible when they ask their legislatures to mandate services for children that should be the responsibility of parents and performed at home. These services are imposed on the schools and, in turn, to the classroom teachers.

Our society has imposed more and more parental responsibilities upon the nations schools and their teachers. No longer is their only job to teach and educate the student in a set of proscribed skills; instead teachers are also expected to be a social worker and handle the problems the child brings into the classroom from home; to be a psychologist who diagnosis and treats psychological disorders and mental health issues that the student has; to act as a police officer to detect incidence and enforce rules against problems such as child abuse, bullying, substance abuse, etc. that may be brought into the school or classroom. No amount of pay increase is going to solve the problem of too much responsibility, limited time and resources, and inadequate staffing that are brought on by these mandates. No amount of money is going to solve the mission creep problem.

It is no wonder that the teachers are frightened and don't trust the school system to come up with a fair evaluation system. What are teacher going to be evaluated on? Are they being evaluated for their role as teacher, or social workers, or psychologists or police or all of the above? All they hear is "TEST SCORE."

This concern is expressed, for example,in this quote from the story.

“Poverty is an issue, and it has to be addressed,” said Debbie Scarpelli, a Pawtucket teacher. “We are there for our kids. But I have kids coming into school who had a brother shot in a drive-by. I have students who arrive from other countries whose first year of formal education is seventh grade. I don’t think it’s fair that only teachers and principals are held accountable for this.”

A school system that relies on a single quantitative measure as an indicator of quality, such as A Single Test Score, is using the same industrial labor management model that the union is. That "test score" is effectively the "profit" for the capitalist. And as we all know, profit bears no relation to the quality of the product produced by labor, only to the skills of lawyers and accountants to manipulate the numbers.

The problem teachers fear is that they will evaluated not as teachers but on the basis of their other roles. That test score is a combination of what the student brings into the classroom, something which is outside the teacher's control; and what the teacher can teach him or her in the classroom. But what part of the score belongs to the student and what part has been contributed by the teacher? Where do you draw the line? This is the question.

Trust can only be regained if the evaluation criteria are real, fair, and meaningful for both the teacher and parents. It is up to their respective representatives, the school system and the union, to find the common ground. Instead they are now maximizing their differences. They should come to an agreement that their common ground is preparing students to become educated and productive citizens.

Real means the teacher is evaluated only on what is done in the classroom. The impact on the students should be measured by what they know at the beginning the term and what they learned at the end of the term. For the parent, it is a perceived improvement in the student's total behavior both in the classroom and outside of it.

Fair is that the teacher is evaluated only on their teaching performance in the context of the classroom and school population. This is where they have control of their destiny and it is what they can honestly be held accountable for. They should be evaluated based on their teaching of these students, not on how they perform as social workers, police man, etc. For the parent, it is that their child's teacher is taking a personal interest in the child's educational needs.

Meaningful means that the teacher is being evaluated on the student's overall progress and not a single test score. For the parent it is a visual objective body of evidence that their child is being challenged and making progress. This is, for example, where a portfolio system is a more effective measure for individual progress as well as teacher performance.

Respect can be earned only when the parties involved can learn to trust one another. Building trust is the first step to education reform. Trust can come when the representatives of the teachers and the parents get away from the industrial business model and adopt a human investment model.

Ethnographer

Rhode Island's "Amazon tax" , does it make sense?

As Rhode Island and Rhode Islanders struggle through the economic depression, State and local budget and debt crises, and high unemployment, local elected official are reaching out for all possible sources of new revenue and cost cutting. The crisis can be treated as a threat or an opportunity. How the public and the politicians respond to the crises will have a profound impact on small business in the post crisis period.

For example, one step that the RI General Assembly and Governor have taken is the "Amazon Law", is also known as an "Ad tax." This is potentially one of the most costly short term solutions to the long term future welfare of small business, entrepreneurship and competitiveness in this state.

An excellent argument pointing out the potential impact of the law can be found at affiliates-make-money-online.

Key points:
(1) This "Ad Tax" is going to impose excessive bookkeeping requirements on small businesses selling out of state through affiliates as the small business becomes responsible to knowing, recording and collecting the appropriate tax on each individual sale into each jurisdiction which has imposed an "Ad Tax"

(2) Affiliate programs are fairly inexpensive to set up and run, making them attractive for the entrepreneurial unemployed and underemployed to start their own business. If successful they become tax payers instead of tax beneficiaries. If Rhode Island wants to claim the title, "The Small Business State," it should be breaking down the barriers of entry, not erecting new ones.

(3) Tax avoidance is a major problem in Rhode Island and its legacy of under the table transactions, its long list of special interest sales tax exemptions and Florida auto license plates. The state should be considering closing some of these loopholes.

One way to bring about change is to change the culture of tax avoidance. It could begin by using publicity to educate consumers about their legal responsibilities for use tax payments, and the cost of tax avoidance on the community and the state. Maybe even trying collections as a voluntary contribution to the state at tax return time rather than trying to collect it from thousands of residents by legal means.

The Rhode Island General Assembly should revisit the "Amazon Tax" and commission a professional third party study and analysis of the true cost and benefits of the Amazon tax to the state and to small business. Such a study could be commissioned by the RIEDC or RIPEC.

In defense of Rhode Island Teachers

In light of the Central Falls teachers crisis and the real vile comments that have been appearing in the comments to stories about the crisis on Projo.com, it is only fair to point out that the problem is not the truly professional teacher, it is in an educational system out of touch with the times and the institutions that support it.

Education is critical to individual and community success. Education is how society recruits and trains its young to become full citizens, adults and contributors to the common welfare. And education is done by teachers.

In these tough times, when taxes are perceived to be too high and the quality of the product these taxes buy seems poor and getting worse and when educational establishment itself is found wanting, let us not confuse the individuals who are responsible for what goes on in the classroom, with those institutions which claim to represent or command them.

Teachers, and teaching are a noble professional. Teachers are the link between our past and the future. They are the bearers of the community's wisdom and experience. They are charge with instilling in the next generation the knowledge, skills and values that make civil society possible. They are expected to take the raw talents and potentials of each child and shape and mold them into the best that they can be, even as the child rebels against it.

Rhode Islanders are today engaged in a serious dialogue over the merits and direction of its educational system. Interests groups are aligning themselves for and against the changes that must be made to bring our educational system into the 21st century and prepare our children to compete in the global economy and rapidly changing technological environment. While contracts, standards, policies, and philosophies are being debated, we most not lose sight of the individual teachers and what they do. These individuals are often maligned, disrespected, and treated as the cause of the problem rather than as the victims of the system that they are.

Ever heard the phrase "Those who can't do, teach"? At the Bowery Poetry Club, slam poet Taylor Mali begs to differ, and delivers a powerful, 3-minute response on behalf of educators everywhere.

Central Falls School Crisis -- Taking the High Road

How quickly things change and change for the better when Leaders decide that leadership and not ego is where their duty lies. In this morning's Projo Superintendent Gallo is reported to have replied to Central Falls Teachers Union president Jane Sessums.

On Tuesday, Seesums displayed real leadership when she made the first move to bring sanity to what was becoming an extremely emotional and partisan battle between the advocates for union rights versus union responsibilities. In a news release which appeared yesterday, Seesums said that the teachers were willing to embrace a set of reforms that were very similar to changes Gallo initially proposed.

This shift in position is a welcome change from the bellicose bullying and insensitivity demonstrated back in February by American Federation of Teachers union rep James Parisi . By demonstrating a more reasonable position, Seesums opened the door for reconciliation.

According to today's story, Superintendent Gallo's response is

“My heart skipped a beat,” Gallo said after reading Sessums’ proposal. “I thought, ‘They are basically saying they want what we want for the first time, with the kind of assurances I need.’ … This brings the union back with us, in the conversation about meaningful reform. It’s where they should be.”

While there are issues still to be resolved, these adults have potentially given the students of Central Falls High a valuable lesson about responsibility and conflict management.

Transformation requires the cooperation of all parties and transformation is the only way to salvage the best of the past while adapting to the realities of a rapidly changing future. Now if only the public commentators will take a moment to reflect on what is happening, maybe they will support Central Falls' effort to correct the problems that are causing their high school to be classified as a "Failing School." Then Central Falls might become a positive model for educational reform, rather than the partisan poster child for those who would destroy unions or destroy public education.

Best of luck to all.

Central Falls High School Crisis --The Revolution and Counter-revolution continues

Earlier in February, we asked our viewers to comment on the pending confrontation between the Central Falls School Administration and the local AFT Union. Today's Providence Journal describes the latest in the battle for the hearts, minds, and soul of Central Falls and its parents, teachers, unions, school administration, and most of all, the students.

To read the comments to this article is to get peek into the soup that is public opinion. There are the emotional and, at times irrational, members of the public who place their ideological biases over their own best interests and the interests of the community. And then there are those who see the problem and want to help, to enlighten and to solve it by offering analysis and information.

The Central Falls case is not a simple labor management issue. It is far bigger than that. It impacts the rights of parents and students to expect and get a decent education and preparation for the future. After all isn't that what education is for?

It is about the self identity that the teachers have for themselves. These highly trained and well paid, professionals have not been behaving like the professionals they claim to be. Instead they are are behaving like union day laborers who approach their work as if it were an hourly wage job. If they wanted to be day labors, become substitutes, if they want to be treated as professional learn what the word means.

It is is about a bankrupt State that can no longer afford to feed off of federal handouts, excessive state and local taxes, and one shot stop gaps and windfalls. IT IS ABOUT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT for all.

AND it is about survival. It is about the survival of students in a rapidly changing and unforgiving world. It is about the survival of a community high school and its traditions which once helped hundreds of immigrant families to work their way into the American middle class. It is about the survival of a public education system in this state which can prepare the next generation of working+consuming+ taxpaying citizens.

We are in the middle of a revolution and the world is watching. The Central Falls situation has made statewide news. It has made the regional news. It has made the national news and even drawn the attention of the US Secretary of Education and the President of the United States. It has even reached to the other side of the world in New Zeeland. Just about as far as you can go before you start back.

Be aware Rhode Island, this is another Gaspee burning. We are witnessing a revolutionary moment. Where do you stand?

Frances Gallo: Her side of the Story

We have been following the Central Falls School crisis with great interest.

On Saturday February 27 Superintendent Frances Gallo of the Central Falls School Department was a late addition to the Annual Winter Meeting of the Rhode Island State Coalition (RISC) held in Newport, RI. After weeks of controversy, Superintendent Gallo was given the opportunity to give her side of the story leading up to the firing of the whole teacher staff at Central Falls.

I came away from the meeting extremely impressed and moved by this very professional and articulate woman and the courage she is demonstrating to take on the Teachers' union and to call their bluff. I want to share that moment with you. Thanks to RISC the following two segment of their video record (posted on You Tube) of the Winter meeting captures the moment.

Yesterday, March 1st, her actions drew comments from President Obama supporting the need for radical change in those schools which are failing to educate their students. Here, in her own words, is her side of the story.

RISC Winter Meeting: Central Falls Superintendent Frances Gallo (part 1)





RISC Winter Meeting: Central Falls Superintendent Frances Gallo (part 2) [NOTE: If the video does not launch automatically, DOUBLE-CLICK ON IT, it should take you directly to YOU TUBE]



I think she has said it all. The issues are not local, they are national and impact the future of this nation.