This will be the last Hallow until after New Year’s. My family to yours – the best of holidays and all blessings upon the entire Harrisburg School community. Your warmth and continued support and sincere interest in my family reflects the good will you display always. Thank you.
Victory doesn’t have to vanquish. The highest form of win is a self-win, a defeat of the obstacles that prevented growth and development. Victory can be, but is rarely freedom. Most victories come at the expense of another. Competition is an actual bondage, a lust for the power and rush of rising above another. It drives many to cheat, to lose sight of the inner values they hold dear. It is base and primal, this urge we have to gain and insert our will over another. For me, one so involved in athletics for almost 50 years, there is a constant tug and struggle with the reality of the games that mimic our life, and what they could mean, but what they really do. Watching the complete overemphasis we have placed on status, and this continual focus on seeing ourselves only in comparison to our perception of being better than another – while at the same time carrying a heart that revels in individual heightening, the quest for self-actualization – it is quite a tension. This time of year, when the little boy was born under the star, and he tread the earth never once winning a victory at the cost or harm of another, I wonder at our hypocrisy. What would the Son think of our infatuation and fanaticism with holding others hostage by exploiting their weaknesses. How does He view our greedy pursuits and adoration for being “on top”? What does He think of our envy, jealousy and petty bickering over the small little things that always seem to be about “getting mine”. Does He wonder if we are actually devolving with our need to destroy and destruct rather than use this wonderful gift of thinking to create and construct? What happened to the altruism He granted us? What happened to the trust and faith He asked of us? He was born under that star, he walked a path to show us what could be if we never made a choice that did not involve first thinking of our fellow man. That we must regard humility as our first virtue. That we shall always place everyone above ourselves. When we extinguish the hunger to be better than someone else and only focus on cultivating the gifts we have been given, then everyone wins. For our children, we must set individual expectations, and help them try for those goals without caring what anyone else’s goals are. We have to stop wishing our child was like that one next door, or crowing about our child being better than the one next door. We just have to be our best and keep trying to be our best and have the will to make ourselves know that was His way. To give all we have to all we know – but to give, not to take. Be willing to walk this world in two pairs of shoes – one pair, the shoes of whomever your savior is. The other pair – whomever you may be talking to at that moment. Live your life trying to walk in their shoes. And instead of trying to beat them, how about trying to help them and understand them? My hope for the world – that we learn to define success not in ranking how much better we are than others, but how much good we have done for others. Good will and peace. Not just for Christmas time – for always.
America is the greatest civilization of all time. None has achieved what we have. Innovation, creativity, charity and standing for values and freedoms so many desire. The opulence of our daily lives is a dream to two-thirds of the world. Cell phones, cars, televisions, computers - for the majority of this world, these things we take for granted are just fantasy as they work to simply have food, water and a shelter from the elements. Yet we complain - as our stomachs grow and our clothes slip from fashion - we whine when we can't have the next big thing. When our televisions don't carry the Nebraska game. When our cell service goes in and out. When it is 69 degrees instead of 72. I know we live in the moment, and lamenting and wanting more drives ambition that improves the human condition. But come on?? Sending all of our high school graduates into the Peace Corp, to go serve in Africa or Asia or South America - in places where one meal a day is a luxury, where a pair of shoes better last for two to three years, where clean water comes from the sky, where Dominos doesn't deliver....maybe we need a humility and reality check. We are spoiled. All of us. I had occasion to watch some of our students working at the Banquet, helping serve meals. Yes - these people are in dire straits, out of work, and certainly in need. But over half carried a cell phone? At least a third drove to the banquet in their own car?? I have been in homes that supposedly were lower socioeconomic and financially challenged. With the exception of the flat screen and the play station and the overstuffed furniture and computer, of course. When did these things become necessity?? Where did sacrifice go?
.......I ask these things as our new governor-elect ponders a 10 percent cut to education and even more cuts to health care and social services. His plan is that the economy will recover to put more revenue in the state coffers at some point. How does that happen? People need to spend more. He is unwilling to ask the general population to make sacrifices for those in need of physical and mental health and schools. But he is willing to spout the rhetoric to spend on televisions, and cell phones, and computers and new clothes, so that we actually pay more tax, subtly, to the state to fund education and other needs. This is his plan. Don't save. Spend. Keep us in slavery with no direct plan to fund the most necessary program and best in the history of the world - our education system. Even though 60 communities in our state have already independently opted out of the tax plan to save their schools. He, and his minion, do not have the courage to ask the population for a revenue-increasing plan to keep education solvent and progressing. Teachers in this state have been 51st in salary for 37 straight years. And if that is not enough, they are falling further behind number 50. Here is the scenario - schools today try to serve not only the academic needs, but the physical and social needs as per community desire. Those students that schools continue to try and assist in other than academic pursuits will now be a huge burden as class sizes increase, a result of having to cut staff. When those students become too much of a burden, they will be sent into Corrections or Social Services as those programs will not have the cost of the private settings that will cost a district dollars. When these students are sent into the state system, the state will have to figure out how to pay - even though both of these state systems are also being cut. So where do these students finally end up? In prison, which ends up costing the taxpayers over 50K per year? So you tell me, right now we invest around 5K per year per student. How ridiculous and obvious to not spend what it takes at the beginning - 5-6K per year to adequately fund education rather than pay the 50K per year for who knows how long later? This is Oliver Twist, South Dakota-style. Then, when these felons are released on society, with the obscene and almost non-existent rehab in our correctional facilities, another burden to us either on the welfare rolls, the unemployment rolls or private charities. Then, likely back in prison at some time. Here is the gist: Education is an INVESTMENT, not an EXPENSE. Our population in South Dakota, with 60 communities already knowing this both consciously and intuitively, are ready, Governor-elect, to back any plan that properly funds education. Why aren't you? You are a genuine and good man. But what agenda could you possibly have, other than re-election, in not doing the right thing for our kids? At the very least, comment on how you can simply dismiss the law. The law says education will rise by cost of living or 3 percent, whichever is least. That is the LAW. Perhaps the schools should begin to disregard laws as the legislature has? I can think of at least five or six things that are unfunded mandates we could dismiss. We can all sacrifice things - the American people have shown they are willing to do that for the good of all. How about you ask the good people of South Dakota to invest in our kids? You may be surprised at the answer, Governor-elect. Look at what 60 communities already have said. One more local tidbit - look at the last poll on this blog - 87 percent of our respondents said education was underfunded. Not one said it was over-funded.
In relation to the above projected cuts of 5 to 10 percent, these are the effected items at Harrisburg High so far:
-A new schedule will not be in place for second semester. However, we will work on a schedule for the fall that has no economic impact on the school. Due to class sizes, we will have to limit study halls next year.
-All staff salaries will freeze.
-Professional development will be unlikely. Although we may be able to purchase computers for all, our staff will not be trained in their proper use.
-An alternative school to serve special segments of our population will be unlikely - but may take some form next year.
- New courses in American Sign Language - No, sorry.
-A new course in Athletic Training - No, sorry.
- New courses in American Sign Language - No, sorry.
-A new course in Athletic Training - No, sorry.
-Class sizes at around 23 per section. Likely not - class sizes will begin to reach maximum for our rooms - 27-28.
--Stay tuned - there will be more ideas to save money.
The interesting sidelight is that our capital outlay fund, which our Board and Superintendent have kept to a minimal levy on our district's taxpayers, will be healthy. So we can get desks and books and buildings and likely computers - we just can't pay or provide new needed teachers or programs. Ironic that the most important needs will be the least funded.
Let's celebrate the good things. Despite the financial news, we have and will continue to be captivated by our incredible students and staff. We had implemented a consequence for student irresponsibility of bringing student ID's to lunch. On Tuesday last week, all 439 students present brought their ID's. How amazing is that?? Our extra help sessions have assisted 60 students to improve grades. We are down to 22 students requiring extra help. We had 27 students score in the top 20 percent on their PSAT tests. One student was in the top 2 percent. FFA, FCCLA, Oral Interp., Debate, School Newspaper, Chorus, Band and all of our athletics are having excellent success with healthy numbers of participants and great leadership. And on Friday, our staff and students earned a new record in donations for the Children's Miracle Network and coat collection. This is an exciting and fantastic place for our students to grow. We are so fortunate.
Look for the Hallow after the new year - I know 2011 will be a great one - have the very best of all Christmases:
Monday, Dec. 20 - 7:00 6-12 Vocal Concert - Large Auditorium
Tuesday, Dec. 21 - 4:45 - Boys' Basketball at Madison
6:00 - Wrestling at home vs. Lennox
Wednesday - Dec. 22 - 1:05 Early Release
Dec. 23-26 - No Events Scheduled
Dec. 27 - 11:00 AM - Varsity Wrestling at Lincoln
Dec. 28 - 11:00 AM - Varsity Wrestling at Lincoln
Dec. 30 - Re-Scheduled Girls' Basketball at Winner
Jan. 3 - School Resumes
