Snow DAZE

WOW. Did we get emails. Check these out we will talk more Monday morning!
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Vincent,

I listen to your show today and I had a thought. You know when people get mad or irritated, they don't necessarily direct their attention to the real problem? What do you think about this:

The real problem people have with school closings is due to the fact that over the years the liberals have changed the dynamics of the family. What I mean is that when people say "when I went to school we did this and this, etc", what people forget is mom use to stay home and the dad was able to make a living on one income. Now, it takes both parents working to make ends meet. A parent drops a child off or send them to school and the announcement is made that school is a half a day, or pick up at a certain time, then the parent has to use vacation, sick, etc. day to go pick up the child. It seems that people don't want to or can't "baby-sit" there kids when school is closed or partial day. This is sad to me. It is not about kids being soft or administrator's making bad decisions, it is about parents having a harder time adapting to a changing economic situation that brews over into this issue.

It irritates me sometimes listening to your callers and trying to figure out what the real problem is, not the one they are addressing. We all are guilty of this to some degree, and if you haven't figured it out yet, we "Ozarkers" are againers, yes I spelled it right, againers. We will complain about anything and everything even if we can't substantiate the argument with good facts or not. It is like we all have opinions, right or wrong, however we don't always use good rational facts to back up what we argue. But, that is what makes us, us.

I enjoy your show, I don't always agree with your methods, point of view, or how you use names to label people, but that is what makes America, America. Freedom of speech. Your show is a great forum to get the issues out and talk about them. We have tendency in this country to not talk about the "elephant" in the room. But the only way to make things better is to do what you do, recognize the "elephant" in the room.
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Vince,

In response to all the conversations about school closings here are a few of my thoughts:
Is it really that inconvenient to add a couple of days to the end of the year? In my humble opinion, the true inconvenience is for parents to have an unscheduled absence during the winter. Especially for those that have no one to watch their kids on those days. Find a day care that will hold a spot for a kid that only needs it for a few unscheduled days. YEAH RIGHT, GOOD LUCK! This leaves those parents missing work. I don't know about yours, but my boss doesn't look too kindly at me calling in more than once or twice a year.

Here's a thought: How about announcing the closing the night before, instead of an hour or two before parents have to be at work? Give us time to make arrangements. Nooo, that would be too easy!

It's all about the funding. If all the kids are not in school a minimum number of hours on a scheduled day, the school looses funding for that day.

The same goes for individual absences. I have a child in elementary school in Springfield. She misses very little. A couple of years ago she was sick for a week. We were contacted by the school with threats of hearings if she did not return. While on the phone with them I questioned their actions, & was told about the funding issue. It has nothing to do with the missed education, it's all about the funding.

For years I have been searching for a definitive answer as to why we have a three month break in the summer. I didn't understand this when I was in school, & still don't over 15 years later with my kid.

Why not change the school year and put that three month break in the winter? Or better yet make the school year last all year?

This recommendation was officially made in 1994 by the US Department of Education in a document titled "Prisoners Of Time." It's a quite interesting read, outlining what I feel to be a very well thought out proposal.

In this document they not only recommend school lasting all year, but (here's a radical thought) the schools working with the parents on an individual basis for each students needs on education and vacations. One example they gave was Beacon Day School (elementary) and Beacon High School in Oakland, California, where the school year never really ends. At these private schools, the school day is over ten hours long. There is no set vacation period; parents plan vacations to fit family needs; students work in teams by achievement level, not age; letter grades are unknown. Leslie Medine, co-director of the schools, described different approaches to their two levels of schooling. Based on students' developmental needs, she testified, Day School students attend school 240 days a year, whereas high school students attend 215. Both schools are open from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., 240 days a year, with teachers working on flexible schedules for 210 days. Every six weeks, at least two teachers are on leave throughout the year, their places taken by eight permanent, full-time, substitute teachers known as "flexes." Yes this is a private school, but remember, this was the recommendation of the Department of education in 1994. Here we are 14 years later, using the same model as they were 40 years ago with my parents.

It's not an end all solution but if you want to check it out here's the link: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/PrisonersOfTime/index.html
Keep up the good work! I don't agree with everything you have to say, but I do enjoy your program every morning during my commute.

I'd vote for you if you do decide to run for mayor. You care & it shows, that's what Springfield needs!
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Litigation! C'mon Jericho, you've reported on some of the worst of these abuses.

25 kids on a bus slide off the ice...how many parents are going to sue the school district? Is there a chance that some "Slip n Fall" lawyer will contact all the parents and try to get something going on a group basis?

I just had a teenager in a brand new Jeep almost take me out and flip her vehicle on a county road. Is there a chance that her parents are going to try to sue the county because that particular curve was not salted and it was on the way to the High Shcol that should have been closed? I bet there is.

I hate to say it, but the culture today makes it even more difficult for administrators to make these calls.


To their credit, maybe SPringfield and most cities can get the major roads cleared by the morning. Sure, you can drive to Joplin and back with no problems. Before you judge the rural schools too harshly, try driving a school bus around icy roads in Forsyth or Chadwick.
It's a little different from I44!

By the way, I have lived and driven in the Pocono Mountains, Philadelphia, Germany and Holland. I would rather drive in after a foot of snow than 2 inches of ice!

Have a great weekend,
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Hi. I was listening this morning to the debate over school closings.
Moving back here from Chicago after a 23-year-absence, I think the weather here has changed. We used to get more snow here, and ice was rare. Now it is more dangerous to drive because ice cannot be removed the way snow can be removed. A 2 1/2 foot snowfall in Chicago did not result in school cancelations because the equipment was available to move the snow.

The larger issue, though, and one I'd like to suggest you discuss
sometime: Low educational standards in Missouri. It is quite a shock moving my kids from North Shore Chicago schools to Springfield. School in Illinois goes until June and all snow days are made up. My kids go to Greenwood - which has been a disappointment to say the least - and that school does not make up for educational time lost to snow days.
Before we left Illinois, I sent off for both Missouri and Illinois educational standards. The Illinois standards took up a small book, with learning goals written out for each subject. Missouri's? It was one page, with generalities such as "Missouri schoolchildren will learn to think and analyze." The lack on hands-on inquiry learning styles we've seen here bespeaks antiquated teaching techniques, too, so I worry how Missouri students are going to compete with other states, let alone other countries.

Is this something you could address on your show? Perhaps gets experts from different states to speak to differing standards across this nation? The disparity in tax based funding? Where we used to live, per student expenditure was $17,500 per student; 20 minutes north in the town of Waukegan, IL, it was a fraction of that amount. The levels of achievement between the two areas were astounding. This seems to me a violation of equal access and protection under the law. I'd love to hear a panel of experts discuss this.
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Dear Vince,

I am a teacher and I come from CA. The children go to school until around June 17 or so all the time. Some schools are year round. We didn’t have snow or ice, but it could easily be 100 degrees – this is inland about 40 miles. That is the way it is - so what. Also, last week during the previous storm we never got salt on our street and the main street into our subdivision and the farm roads nearby didn’t get any attention until Tuesday night. We live in a hilly area within the city of Springfield. People can side off into ditches on these narrow roads – buses too. Why can’t they plan better and get out during the night or as soon as it starts – like in Omaha or Denver (I lived in Omaha) where they are prepared – if they want to keep schools open. Some people are from other areas – Springfield is growing – more people aren’t used to ice, especially when it is hard to walk. I grew up in St. Louis in the fifties and sixties and we had snow days.

Thanks,
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Vince - i've lived in MO my whole life - never have i seen ice like this. we are fogetting to talk about one thing - RESPONSIBILITY. Springfield called it right yesterday because no one got hurt and there were no accidents. One bad crash. One child hurt. Then think of the discussion we would be having now. And also think about the school SI and the hot water he would be in... right now he's a hero. he went against every other school district in the area and kept school in session and it was a good call. Personally I think we should have school year round OR simply build in the snow days and take them off. Extend the school year - SO WHAT! Anyone who has ever experienced a bad accident on ice (and I have) should realize not everyone has the capability or ability to drive in inclement weather. This attitude of "when I was kid we walked to school up hill both ways in the snow, ice, sleet, and rain AND WE LIKED IT!" Is simply irresponsible and frankly stupid. If you're parents knew the risks back then they would have never let you in your horse & buggy! I'm in favor of calling school in inclement weather and i'm in favor of a parent's right to keep their kids home if they feel it is unsafe to be on the roads.
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Vince,



I lived in Southern California since birth, with the exception of one year in Flagstaff. My experience with ice and snow was very limited prior to moving my family here 6 years ago. Bottom line – The schools should be open unless the roads are impassable (blizzard conditions), in order to allow the parents and children who want to make the effort to get there for the benefit of unbroken learning. The schools system should also allow parents to keep their children home if they can not get them to school, and be allotted a certain number of days a year for this outside of the normal number of days allotted for absence. Every time the schools are closed, there is a gap in homework, attentiveness and responsibility. It also forced me to drive my daughter from one end of this city to the other to take her to the daycare at my wife’s work, or forces me to bring my daughter to work with me all day. Fortunately I have both options. We shouldn’t be closing up shop and learning every time we get some bad weather. Learning and responsibility suffer.



You have an awesome show! Thank you for being on top of the issues.



Thank you,
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Vincent,

I grew up in Mexico and lived several years in Southern Texas. This is our first experience in Ice and Snow... I agree, yesterday did not merit school closing.

In some place in Mexico we have a term Hydro-Idiots, these are the ones that go crazy behind the wheel when it rains... do you think Springfield has Hypo-Idiots (those that go crazy behind the wheel when it snows or ices over)?

Have a nice day!
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In surrounding areas schools close when buses cannot reach country roads not kept up by city or county.

Also it is the cities' inability to keep up with the weather. They don't have the resources like say KC does.
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Vince I wanted to make a comment on the Snow Days.
I don't mind driving is this weather at all.
But we seem to have alot more ice or a mix than most places.
And we don't seem to have the infrastructure to clean more than the main roads. If they even decide to clean those off.
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GREAT thoughts! We WILL continue Monday