http://www.jasonhaap.com/index.php/content/ en jasonhaap@fuse.net Copyright 2009 2009-11-01T18:17:02+00:00 http://www.jasonhaap.com/index.php/content/comments/kids_in_danger/ http://www.jasonhaap.com/index.php/contents/kids_in_danger/#When:18:17:02Z Cincinnati’s children aren’t dangerous, but they are in danger! (Cincinnati) - Jason Haap, Green Party candidate for Cincinnati School Board, is calling on school and city leaders to adopt policies restricting the presence and potential use of tasers in the public schools.  “The City of Cincinnati’s children aren’t dangerous, but they are in danger of being tased—which can be deadly,” said Haap.  “Kids as young as 12 years old have already been tased for merely having a bad attitude, which is hardly a life-threatening circumstance against heavily armed officers.  Further, children as young as 9 years old can be tased under current Cincinnati policy.” It is widely believed that being tased can lead to an “Excited Delirium Death”—a controversial phenomenon which some say is a medical condition and others say is legal cover for potentially fatal torture. Not only could the City of Cincinnati and CPS’ current policies lead to a costly law suit, but there is overwhelming evidence that serious injuries and deaths can eventually occur. While it has been a few years since a local public school child got tased, Haap says we should not wait until the worst happens to consider the safety of our kids.  “A few weeks ago, everyone started talking about tasers again after Councilmember Cecil Thomas’ daughter was tased unnecessarily.  Research shows tasers can cause brain damage, in addition to the risk of death.  Why are we letting these weapons in our schools?” Communities as near as Oxford, Ohio have already banned taser use by police, and as reported locally the discussion is about whether officers should be allowed to use them on the street—not about whether kids should be tased in the schools! A common wall socket contains 120 volts.  “Should we punish kids by forcing them to stick a fork in a wall outlet?” asked Haap.  “Such a proposition is absurd.  So, too, is it absurd to think we should ever jolt a kid with 50,000 volts from a taser.” Haap wants school board and City Hall leaders to establish a temporary ban on tasers inside school buildings until new policies and training procedures can be implemented by the police to protect our children from potential abuse. 2009-11-01T18:17:02+00:00 http://www.jasonhaap.com/index.php/content/comments/citybeat_enquirer/ http://www.jasonhaap.com/index.php/contents/citybeat_enquirer/#When:09:51:47Z This week, I’ve been pleased to get positive ink from two Cincinnati newspapers—both CityBeat and The Enquirer.  CityBeat gave me their full endorsement, and The Enquirer gave me a near-endorsement.  Check out what they had to say! Though the print edition of CityBeat just included the names of endorsed school board candidates, the online version includes more detail: Jason Haap: The blogger known as The Dean of Cincinnati is a political gadfly who came close to running for mayor this year but decided to pursue a Cincinnati School Board seat. His thoughtful proposals, particularly cutting administrative costs at the same proportion as any cuts for student services, are alternative and progressive. And though I didn’t receive The Enquirer’s full endorsement, I am the only non-endorsed candidate to get mentioned in their endorsement piece.  Here’s what they had to say: We also applaud the thoughtful, idea-driven way in which first-time candidate Jason Haap has conducted his campaign. He shows maturity and promise as a candidate. I am pleased The Enquirer has acknowledged the fact I have conducted a mature, thoughtful, idea-driven campaign—as that was my goal from the beginning.  I am pleased to have brought ideas to the table as part of the campaigning process. 2009-10-31T09:51:47+00:00 http://www.jasonhaap.com/index.php/content/comments/plan_to_add_literacy_and_art_teachers/ http://www.jasonhaap.com/index.php/contents/plan_to_add_literacy_and_art_teachers/#When:14:09:27Z School board candidates Jason Haap and Lisa Schare cross party lines to benefit Cincinnati’s students (Cincinnati) - For the past couple weeks, Jason Haap, the Green Party candidate for school board, along with Lisa Schare, a Democratic candidate, have been talking about similar issues for the schools that have now converged into a new and concrete plan.  The school board race is officially non-partisan, and this new plan is a non-partisan project based on benefitting kids, crafted by the two public school teachers in the race. Haap has made holding principals accountable a cornerstone of his campaign.  “Principals are instructional and community leaders in each of their buildings,” explained Haap.  “We should have policies that hold principals accountable, providing them with the resources they need to take their schools to the next level.” “Whether we are talking about student achievement or parental involvement, the principals are uniquely positioned to make such concepts a reality,” continued Haap.  “They should be held accountable to meeting such goals, provided with constructive criticism as needed to help them and their buildings meet and exceed expectations.” Schare has been on the campaign trail advocating for principals to be reinstated as figures responsible for teacher evaluations.  She says CPS spends six million dollars a year paying outside agents* to perform a task best suited for principals. Haap and Schare say that combining these concepts would create a system where principals would be held accountable to accurate and fair evaluations of their own teachers, freeing up six million dollars for more constructive uses. “Lisa and I talked casually about the situation, and we quickly realized all the things that could happen with six million dollars,” explained Haap.  “That money could fund salaries and even benefits for 60 teachers.” Under the new plan by Haap and Schare, a fund should be established with this saved money, and it should be used to hire teachers in literacy, art, music, and physical education. “Just imagine what we could do,” said Haap.  “We could use this new and restricted fund to hire 10 physical education teachers, 15 art teachers, 15 music teachers, and 20 literacy teachers.  With our plan, struggling schools—which frequently are the schools lacking support in the arts—could benefit from additional instructors focusing on the whole child.” Haap and Schare say that the addition of literacy and arts teachers could enliven and support the core curriculum in creative ways to engage kids and to raise achievement.  Though this would require a change to the current collective bargaining agreement, Haap and Schare believe teachers would support holding principals accountable, and reallocating money into the creation of new teaching jobs that help students. *UPDATE:  A quick note on the use of the phrase “outside agents.”  The TES system does involve Lead Teachers evaluating other teachers, but the high cost comes from taking them out of the classroom and having to hire subs (which is not good for our students).  It is administered through Mayerson as a private agency.  It does cost about 6 million because the Lead Teachers are also given more money to evaluate teachers and engage all the consultant work regarding professional development.  But here is the point: this system wastes money and should be the responsibility of the principal in the building.  2009-10-25T14:09:27+00:00 http://www.jasonhaap.com/index.php/content/comments/prevailing_wage_reality_v._ideality/ http://www.jasonhaap.com/index.php/contents/prevailing_wage_reality_v._ideality/#When:02:23:49Z Photo courtesy of here. The issue of “prevailing wage” has captured the popular imagination with regards to the business of Cincinnati’s school board.  On one side, some board members say non-union workers are more affordable, making it easier to meet the promise made to taxpayers regarding the number of new or renovated seats in the district.  On the other side, union advocates say non-union workers produce shoddy work that costs more money in the long run.  The ensuing debate then falls into the realm of political ideology, into an “Us v. Them” argument between those who support unions, against those who oppose them.  However, I have just obtained new documents which may help settle this matter of ideality with a health dose of reality.  Check out this file featuring 66 photographs taken inside Rockdale Academy! This evening, I just got an email from Chris Dole—one time independent candidate for Hamilton County Commission—with whom I had the pleasure to speak at a recent event for Westside Progressives.  Here is the text of the email, along with the email he forwarded to me.  I asked and was told this was all “on the record.” Jason, You asked for proof of shoddy non - union workmanship. Here it is. One must pay for quality work. Thanks. Chris Dole Local 212 IBEW Ohio Political Coordinator ——-Original Message——- From: Charlie Kenser To: [Chris Dole] Sent: Tue, Oct 13, 2009 11:36 am Subject: Cincinnati Public Schools & Beacon Electric Chris, Here are some of the pictures we talked about earlier. The file is over 6MB, so I hope you can open it(you might need WinZip) Let me know. Charlie Kenser Membership Development Representative IBEW – Local 212 I offer the following file just as it was sent to me.  I’m interested what feedback can be offered.  Support?  Refutations?  Additional questions? Rockdale Picture Explanation - I have maintained all along that facts should settle this matter.  One should be able to document whether non-union work costs more than union work long-term.  If union work costs less long-term, then it is more fiscally responsible to go with union workers—despite the fact the concept seems initially counter-intuitive.  Naturally, the opposite can be true, too—which is why I have asked for evidence. This is the first time someone has sent me anything. 2009-10-14T02:23:49+00:00 http://www.jasonhaap.com/index.php/content/comments/health_dept._can_develop_sex_ed/ http://www.jasonhaap.com/index.php/contents/health_dept._can_develop_sex_ed/#When:13:54:43Z Cincinnati Health Department can develop a model sex education curriculum (Cincinnati) - This past weekend, Jason Haap, the Green Party’s candidate for Cincinnati School board, spoke to Dr. Marilyn Crumpton, the Cincinnati Heath Department’s director of school and adolescent health.  Dr. Crumpton confirmed the Health Department has the capacity to create a sex education curriculum based on “best-practices”—a term for approaches founded on scientifically-based research. “CPS does not have a curriculum for sex ed,” explained Haap.  “I am concerned about this both from an educational perspective as well as from a public health perspective.  Our district should have comprehensive sex education for the higher grades, and it should be developed by public health professionals and not politically motivated abstinence-only advocates.” Haap points to a program recently implemented in Sangamon County, Illinois.  This year, the Sangamon County Department of Public Health created a model curriculum for sex education, making its materials and resources available for free to area public schools.  “Dr. Crumpton told me this would be within the scope and interest of the Cincinnati Health Department,” explained Haap.  “Rather than leaving the issue open to political debate,  the school board should adopt a model curriculum developed by local public health professionals.” Haap is calling on board members to act now.  “There is no reason to wait for an election to address this important issue,” continued Haap.  “I am calling on current board members to partner with the Cincinnati Health Department in creating a best-practices sex ed curriculum for our public schools.” “The will and ability exists in the health department,” concluded Haap.  “All we need now is leadership and action from the board.” 2009-10-12T13:54:43+00:00 http://www.jasonhaap.com/index.php/content/comments/the_merit_pay_myths/ http://www.jasonhaap.com/index.php/contents/the_merit_pay_myths/#When:12:15:28Z Today’s Washington Post has a good item about myths surrounding calls for merit pay systems.  And one of the items on the list fits with my call for “holding principals accountable.” Check out this excerpt, on the “myth” that principals are good judges of teacher talent: Local, state and federal spending on public school teacher salaries and benefits has reached an estimated $220 billion a year, yet the typical teacher evaluation in public education consists of a single, fleeting classroom visit by a harried principal who is often more interested in classroom behavior than quality of instruction. The result is reflected in statistics such as those in Chicago, where the nonprofit New Teacher Project found that 88 percent of the city’s 600 schools did not issue a single “unsatisfactory” teacher rating between 2003 and 2006. The absence of credible systems of evaluating teachers’ performance is a major barrier to successful performance pay plans. Holding principals accountable is an elementary first step towards improving the performance of our schools.  The board must adopt clear expectations for our principals, and we should hold them accountable towards actualizing those goals.  When they fail, we should provide them with the constructive criticism they need to get the job done, and they should be evaluated on their ability to work towards improvement.   2009-10-12T12:15:28+00:00 http://www.jasonhaap.com/index.php/content/comments/team_haap_on_board/ http://www.jasonhaap.com/index.php/contents/team_haap_on_board/#When:14:42:42Z Photo taken during the Pleasant Ridge Parade. 2009-10-10T14:42:42+00:00 http://www.jasonhaap.com/index.php/content/comments/cps_needs_sex_ed/ http://www.jasonhaap.com/index.php/contents/cps_needs_sex_ed/#When:18:36:55Z Schools should partner with Cincinnati Health Department (Cincinnati) - Today, Green Party school board candidate Jason Haap documented that CPS does not have a district-wide and comprehensive sex education program.  “Comprehensive sex ed is a matter of public health,” said Haap.  “We have a responsibility to guarantee such a curriculum for the overall safety and health of our kids.” After a few weeks of inquiry, Haap was informed today by CPS Director of Public Affairs Janet Walsh that individual schools may offer some kind of programming, but it does not follow any sort of district-wide standard. “It’s ironic,” explained Haap.  “Everyone expects core teachers to maintain high standards, such as those published by the Ohio Department of Education.  But why don’t we expect similar standards in terms of sex education?  Public health should be a bigger priority in our schools.” Haap points to Sangamon County in Illinois as an example of productive partnerships to promote sex ed.  “In Sangamon County, the public health department partnered with the schools, providing materials for free to area school districts.  I think it makes sense for public health experts to participate in this process.” Currently, Postponing Sexual Involvement (an abstinence-only oriented program) is active in CPS through Children’s Hospital.  “It’s noteworthy that abstinence program details are easily accessible, but details on more comprehensive sex ed throughout the district remain opaque,” said Haap.  “I think it would be great if the Cincinnati Health Department would follow the lead of Sangamon County.” Haap says he intends to communicate with the Cincinnati Health Department, along with Green Party Council candidate Anitra Brockman.  “We have a responsibility to educate our kids and work towards improved public health,” concluded Haap. 2009-10-07T18:36:55+00:00 http://www.jasonhaap.com/index.php/content/comments/eqcincy_endorsement/ http://www.jasonhaap.com/index.php/contents/eqcincy_endorsement/#When:00:42:28Z Equality Cincinnati PAC Endorses Jason Haap for Cincinnati School Board (Cincinnati) - Today, Equality Cincinnati PAC announced its endorsements for the upcoming City elections, and Jason Haap is proud to have been included as an endorsed candidate for Cincinnati School Board. “I know some of my opponents received endorsements from groups like asbestos workers, and while I admire the work of asbestos workers, I don’t think it’s quite the same as an endorsement from Equality Cincinnati,” said Haap. “Equality Cincinnati has been working towards inclusivity for years,” continued Haap.  “Our public schools should be a place where all students feel welcome and secure, and that’s why I worked to add ‘sexual orientation’ to the district’s anti-harassment policy language.” Last month, Haap successfully collaborated with advocates from GLSN to change the CPS policy on anti-harassment to be more inclusive.  “We ideally wanted language that would protect people on the basis of ‘real or perceived sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression,’ but we definitely got an improvement from the previous policy, which was exclusive,” explained Haap. “No students should be the victim of any kind of harassment, and CPS policy must work to protect all kids.” Haap says he will continue to work for school policies that value inclusivity on all levels.  “Petty personal prejudices have no place in public education, and all school board members should work actively towards a socially just agenda,” concluded Haap. 2009-10-05T00:42:28+00:00 http://www.jasonhaap.com/index.php/content/comments/a_case_for_proportional_cuts/ http://www.jasonhaap.com/index.php/contents/a_case_for_proportional_cuts/#When:00:45:42Z Did you see this item about the Reading School District?  This development helps make the case for my number one platform point—Proportional Cuts. No one at the Cincinnati Board of Education wants to talk about my plan, but we all know—when faced with tough economic times—that the future of a school levy is uncertain. Historically, when levies fail, districts punish kids by taking away services.  Just check out what’s happening in Reading: The Reading School Board has approved $762,808 in cuts that will be made if the district’s 3-year, 5.71-mill emergency levy fails in November. The district faces the loss of art, music and physical education at its elementary schools, which could mean a shortened school day for elementary students for the 2010-11 school year, Superintendent Scott Inskeep said. Reading students would also see increased pay-to-play fees. Most activities would cost between $400-600 per activity to cover the cost of the supplemental positions. Cuts to the budget also include the elimination of all field trips and busing to all extra- and co-curricular activities. If any district implemented my plan for Proportional Cuts, no high paid central office administrators could ever levy a cut against services for students without having that cut reflected proportionally in their own budgets.  This is a simple solution that puts kids first! 2009-09-25T00:45:42+00:00