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Katy Citizen Watchdog$ |
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We’re Taxpayers. It’s Our Money. |
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Technology Spending Gone Awry! |
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Back To “Watchdog Archives (Commentary)” Here is a story of technology spending gone awry. The taxpayers of Katy ISD in Katy, Texas, are being asked to support a huge technology bond issue on May 13. The New Katy Times has joined together with Katy activist A. D. Muller in seeking a detailed open records request from the Katy ISD in reference to an instructional management program (KMAC) which four Katy ISD administrators have developed and upon which they are seeking a patent. Katy ISD has already paid Xpediant $13 Million since 2002 to provide technology to the district. Three Xpediant employees are listed on the KMAC patent application along with the Katy administrators. Katy ISD has not been able to provide the New Katy Times with any written evaluations from classroom teachers regarding Xpediant's performance, nor has the district been able to provide any comprehensive classroom teachers' written evaluations which show that KMAC has raised academic achievement. (As an aside, it turns out that Xpediant is in trouble with the Texas Attorney General's office for not filing franchise tax reports.) The Katy ISD administrators intend to sell their KMAC product to other school districts around the state. Remember that the Katy administrators developed this product during school time while they were being paid by the district to perform their administrative duties. As if $13 Million is not enough, the Katy taxpayers are being asked to approve even more spending on technology. If I were a Katy ISD taxpayer, I would run out and buy tomorrow's Friday edition of The New Katy Times to see what new details have surfaced regarding Xpediant, KMAC, and the upcoming technology bond election. By the way, other school districts in the country need to follow this KMAC issue carefully because in due time, I suspect that many districts will be approached by the Katy ISD administrators about purchasing KMAC. As an experienced classroom teacher, let me say this as clearly as I possibly can. It does not make any difference how fancy a lesson plan looks. It can be gold-plated, but it really does not matter a whit. A lesson plan is completely dependent upon where the students are in their academic acquisition. Each student is different; each classroom is different; and each day is different. Teachers can only go as fast as the students they teach will allow them to go. Spending thousands of dollars on "an instructional management program" (a glorified lesson plan) is a waste of taxpayers' money. It is not what is written down on a lesson plan that counts; it is the quality of the instruction which a teacher delivers to his students which counts. Donna Garner Writer/Consultant for MyStudyHall.com Grammar Packets Texas Alternative Document (TAD) for English/Language Arts/Reading (Pre-K-12) Research-Paper Writing Steps to Research Paper Expository Reseach Paper - English I-II Expository Research Paper - English III-IV
© 2006 by Donna Garner. All rights reserved. |
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Donna Garner |
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Date: 04/20/2006 |
