Wednesday

The REAL Truth About Delaware Schools-43rd in the Nation!

Delaware-Three Electoral Votes and Ready to Rumble

Some Interrrrresting TRUE News About Delaware Schools
=============================================

First, we issue an abject and sincere apology about last week’s Delaware missive.

We referred to Delaware’s great political writer, Celia Cohen, as Cynthia Cohen. We heard from Celia herself who was way too modest about her talent and stated firmly that she was a Delaware native and intends to stay here. So much for Grandmother’s attempts to promote Celia to national prominence.


Some Delaware Political Race Tidbits
===============================

Judge Lee, we hear, is annoyed about Nanny Minner’s prison task force. Seems he thinks it’s a ploy to postpone debate over the issue until after the election.

Grandmother thinks so too.

Also, note Ruth Ann’s low profile of late. Seems her strategy is to hide behind her lead and shut up. She’s even refused to engage in debates with her opponents because, well what’s in it for Minner?

We do hear that Judge Lee’s inching into Minner’s lead. Let the nanny hide, she’ll have to come out sooner or later.

On a similar note, I hear tell the Republicans are launching ads highlighting the corruption in New Castle County. Or so says a Republican party email to me:

State GOP Launches Ads Exposing the Whole Truth about the Corruption in County Government
“Inaction by Current County officials – including Chris Coons – has not only cost voters their tax dollars, but their trust in county government, and it’s time voters learned the truth,” said GOP Executive Director David A. Crossan

Myself got curious and did some investigating about this corruption as alleged by the Republican email. Indeed voters should know the truth. From the Delawareonline web site , I discovered:

The council president is the second-highest elected position in the county after the county executive. Because of federal racketeering, wire fraud and mail fraud indictments against New Castle County Executive Tom Gordon and his top aide Sherry Freebery, the council president race has focused on how candidates would prevent similar problems in county government. Gordon and Freebery have denied the charges.

Chris Coons, the incumbent council president in New Castle county, evidently did not react to the corruption of Tom Gordon and his aide Sherry Freebery. Federal racketerring, wire and mail fraud, goodness! How could the council president have missed all of this?

How Good (Bad?) Are Delaware Schools?
================================

It was a quiet afternoon spent listening to the local talk show jock when I was jolted by a GOP political ad criticizing Ruthie Ann. The ad stated that Delaware was 49th in SAT scores. That’s right, 49 out of 51 including the District of Columbia.

I was not about to believe a partisan ad outright so myself did a little investigating.

From this web site I learn the following:


Delaware was the 43rd state out of 51 based on the SAT scores from 2003. I don’t know where the GOP ad got 49 out of 51 as the statistic but I did observe that rankings of state order are adjusted for various reasons that confused my head.

I decided it’s no mind because 43 out of 50 is bad enough!

Ruthie Ann, sweetheart…how can you brag so adroitly about Delaware test scores rising so fast when, hey Nanny mine, where else you gonna go but up when you’re already at the bottom of the barrel?

So myself got more curious and wanted to know just how does Delaware rank in terms of payments to their teachers. Perhaps, or so I reasoned, if the state paid teachers a decent salary the student scores would improve. Since I was so curious once I faced the many statistics available, I thought I’d check in on the status of pupil to student ratio in the mighty state of Delaware.

Before we go there, ruminate on this interesting fact: Since 1993, Delaware students’ verbal test scores have steadily WENT DOWN.

The state of Delaware, ladies and germs, is ELEVENTH, from highest to lowest, in terms of salaries paid to teachers. Which means, let me interpret, that only ten other states pays their teachers more than Delaware. And for this we get 43rd in the union in terms of SAT scores?

In terms or pupil to student ratio, a statistic that the mighty teacher’s unions cite as a direct impact to quality of education, get this, Delaware is EIGHTH in the nation, from smallest pupil/teacher ratio to highest. Which means only seven other states have less pupils to teacher.

Again I must ask, with all of this, Delaware still is 43rd in the country in SAT scores?

Indeed, Ruthie Ann Nanny Girl, you did do something about the problem. You took the typical Democratic approach to the thing and THREW MONEY AT THE PROBLEM!

Fat lot of good it did, eh mine ineffective Governor?

No comments: