I’m not sure lesser is really a kind word, but considering how the non-legislative news got pushed by the wayside, maybe it’s correct.
What did happen today that got missed, you ask? The weather is one that probably didn’t go unnoticed, but depending on where you live, funding to deal with it might have. Here in Missoula the main roads were worse than the secondary roads. Alas, global warming…what can you do?
Closer to earth, or at least its back alleys, was a story on the Poverello Center here in Missoula. Seems they stopped allowing drunk people into the shelter when it’s really cold out, like now. There’s a risk they could die. And this decision was made more than a year ago.
Why is that news? Maybe because the $5 million shelter spent too much on the cafeteria and not enough on the 100 beds they’ve got. But I don’t want to speculate too much on the homeless shelter, it being such a hot-button issue in the Garden City.
What did happen today that got missed, you ask? The weather is one that probably didn’t go unnoticed, but depending on where you live, funding to deal with it might have. Here in Missoula the main roads were worse than the secondary roads. Alas, global warming…what can you do?
Closer to earth, or at least its back alleys, was a story on the Poverello Center here in Missoula. Seems they stopped allowing drunk people into the shelter when it’s really cold out, like now. There’s a risk they could die. And this decision was made more than a year ago.
Why is that news? Maybe because the $5 million shelter spent too much on the cafeteria and not enough on the 100 beds they’ve got. But I don’t want to speculate too much on the homeless shelter, it being such a hot-button issue in the Garden City.
Heading over the Queen City we see that IR reporter Alexander Deedy had a story called Juneau's legislative agenda: Higher dropout age, funding for older students. I’ve only got 2 articles left on that site now, and I don’t know how I’ll get through January. I need to devise my state media strategy a little more, especially as my Missoulian subscription nears its end.
But back to Office of Public Instruction Director Denise Juneau, I was glad to see someone did some work and got her 2015 Montana OPI Legislative Agenda profiled (I figured it’d fall through the cracks).
Why? It’s a PDF. People hate to open those, in my opinion, and click away more often than not. Then trying to resize them…it’s a pain. Still, because of this report we know that:
But back to Office of Public Instruction Director Denise Juneau, I was glad to see someone did some work and got her 2015 Montana OPI Legislative Agenda profiled (I figured it’d fall through the cracks).
Why? It’s a PDF. People hate to open those, in my opinion, and click away more often than not. Then trying to resize them…it’s a pain. Still, because of this report we know that:
- From 2009 to 2013, the high school graduation rate has increased from 80.7% to 84.4%;
- Montana public schools educated 92% of the students in the state;
- From 2009 to 2013, high school drop-outs declined, from 5% to 3.6%;
- This accounts for 772 fewer dropouts, which translates into $68.2 million in additional revenue for them and their families over their lifetime;
- Nationally, high school dropouts earn $9,200 less than those who graduate;
- Montana lost $830 million this year due to lost earnings from dropouts;
- Montana families saved $1.9 million on college in 2013 by taking 3,097 AP exams and achieving passing grades;
- 38% of Montana middle school students were bullied in 2013;
- 19% of Montana middle school students were bullied online in 2013;
- 11.4% of Montana students were in need of special education services this past year, which accounts for 16,473 students. The state picks up 33% of those extra costs, while local schools cough-up 41%. The feds offer a measly 26%.
The feds got no money, folks – we all know this. A cool $18 trillion in debt means you’ve got $227 billion a year less (just in interest) that isn’t going to things like special education. And although we have a very, very small minority of whackos in key leadership positions in the 2015 Montana Legislature, the overwhelming majority of us know that taking money from the feds makes our state stronger and makes our country stronger. It’s just that convincing the feds to stop pissing so much money away overseas is virtually impossible.
In the IR article, Deedy goes into a few funding measures to improve AP testing (we actually have students going to Spokane, seriously?) and doing some stuff with raising the dropout age and funding it. Both of the latter bills are sponsored by Democrats – Senator Robyn Driscoll of Billings and Senator Mary Sheehy Moe of Great Falls – so that means Laszloffy will probably put her foot down on them.
In the IR article, Deedy goes into a few funding measures to improve AP testing (we actually have students going to Spokane, seriously?) and doing some stuff with raising the dropout age and funding it. Both of the latter bills are sponsored by Democrats – Senator Robyn Driscoll of Billings and Senator Mary Sheehy Moe of Great Falls – so that means Laszloffy will probably put her foot down on them.
Moving on to other matters, I thought we could get a bit more analysis from Chuck Johnson and Mike Dennison, but I guess that’s asking too much. I think the first day of school is really asking a lot from everyone. Sometimes just showing up is all it takes (Jonathan Windy Boy, anyone?)
On to other matters, Kohl’s in Missoula is planning to get 100 part-time jobs, the bastards. I caused a lot of uproar when I wrote about their crappy jobs earlier this year, but not as much when I compared them to Decker Trucking.
I just think these jobs are lousy, and I wouldn’t want to work there. I couldn’t afford to work there. Not only am I only making $8.05, but I’m not even getting 40 hours a week, so I’m not making $1,288 a month (which only takes legislators 7 days to make, by the way).
All in all, companies like this are bad for America. Oh, they could be, but that would take a real bout of leadership from management. Anyone who’s worked in the private sector knows not to expect that anytime soon.
On to other matters, Kohl’s in Missoula is planning to get 100 part-time jobs, the bastards. I caused a lot of uproar when I wrote about their crappy jobs earlier this year, but not as much when I compared them to Decker Trucking.
I just think these jobs are lousy, and I wouldn’t want to work there. I couldn’t afford to work there. Not only am I only making $8.05, but I’m not even getting 40 hours a week, so I’m not making $1,288 a month (which only takes legislators 7 days to make, by the way).
All in all, companies like this are bad for America. Oh, they could be, but that would take a real bout of leadership from management. Anyone who’s worked in the private sector knows not to expect that anytime soon.
Higher-ed is shit, but we’ve known that for decades. Today a report card came out, giving us a D- for a grade. It’s not an F, so there is that.
It really comes down to per student spending, which is a puny $136 per student per year. That’s $0.37 a day. Oregon got an F and we did tie Idaho. I’m just looking for the bright spots on this one, folks.
Speaking of looking for the bright spots, Jon Tester spoke about that to the Chamber of Commerce today in Helena. Tester’s the only guy we’ve got in Washington now, and he’s looking ahead to a 5-year highway bill that won’t rely on deficits to fund. He also wants to get our Pell Grants working better (hopefully for students) and also the Post Office working better. I see a lot of people in the Post Office in Missoula, and it’d be a shame to let it go under.
Those are the big stories of the day – maybe some legislators are reading them and not out painting the town red.
It really comes down to per student spending, which is a puny $136 per student per year. That’s $0.37 a day. Oregon got an F and we did tie Idaho. I’m just looking for the bright spots on this one, folks.
Speaking of looking for the bright spots, Jon Tester spoke about that to the Chamber of Commerce today in Helena. Tester’s the only guy we’ve got in Washington now, and he’s looking ahead to a 5-year highway bill that won’t rely on deficits to fund. He also wants to get our Pell Grants working better (hopefully for students) and also the Post Office working better. I see a lot of people in the Post Office in Missoula, and it’d be a shame to let it go under.
Those are the big stories of the day – maybe some legislators are reading them and not out painting the town red.
