When Schools Compete, They Improve

Posted on by Sarah Brodsky

In case anybody thinks that charter schools and parental choice programs don’t encourage urban districts to improve, here’s an article about Cleveland’s public school system. The Cleveland public schools are facing a significant amount of competition. This is their response:

He is pinning the district’s hopes for revival on niche offerings, like single-gender schools and two new high schools specializing in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Where have we heard about those niche offerings before? They sound a lot like specialized charter schools and private schools. Cleveland’s public schools could have given parents these options earlier, but they had no incentive to change until they began losing students to single-gender schools and science academies.

Maybe the expanding charters in St. Louis will trigger similar progress.

Multiplication in Columbia

Posted on by Sarah Brodsky

The Columbia Tribune is fun to read when the math wars flare up. Sometimes, the intensity of the debate seems to be out of proportion to what’s at stake. Take a look at this exchange from a recent school board meeting:

Math teacher Teresa Barry challenged the notion that all students should be learning only one method of calculation, and to prove her point, she asked board members to multiply 12 by 16. When member Tom Rose said he got the solution by first multiplying 16 by 10 in his head, Barry was quick to mockingly chastise him for not using the traditional algorithm.

Sorry to bring out the snarkiness for which this blog is known, but if by “traditional” they mean long multiplication, then that is the traditional algorithm. (You might write it out by first multiplying 16 by 2, but the order doesn’t matter.) At any rate, even if a board member used some obscure ancient Chinese algorithm, is that really worth calling a meeting about?

I’ve concluded that the math wars are less about specific algorithms — the competing methods are, in some cases, algorithmically equivalent — than about philosophies of education. Even if all parents agreed on how to write out a multiplication problem, there would still be passionate debates about explicit instruction vs. exploration, how much practice kids need, what topics should be taught at each grade level, etc.

It just goes to show that one standard form of education can’t satisfy everyone. Why not offer a few different math courses, based on different approaches, and let parents choose which ones they want for their kids? That system works well enough for other subjects. Some students study Spanish, others study French, and nobody argues at board meetings about which language is better.

Ameren, Renewable Energy, and Time Travel

Posted on by Jacob Voss

Several elements came together allowing me to write this blog post. The first was an ongoing series of articles from the Post-Dispatch and other outlets detailing the Missouri Clean Energy Initiative, scheduled for the upcoming November ballot. The second element was the electric bill I received from Ameren yesterday. And, finally, a few days ago I watched Back to the Future again — so Doc Brown has been on my mind a lot lately.

According to the Post article, the initiative’s sponsors released a study finding that, over time, as the percentage of power Missouri gained from renewable energy grew, the more money we would eventually save:

over a period of 20 years, an average utility bill of $80 a month would see a peak increase of 53 cents a month during the first four years the standard was in place. Over the course of 20 years, that home-owner would see a peak savings of $1.65.

This depends, of course, on all other factors remaining stable — such as amount of energy used, and the overall price rate. The Missouri Clean Energy Initiative has issued a brochure containing some useful facts.

Cheap energy sounds great, but 20 years is a long way away. I want to know what my options are now, and how much they would cost me. And what better tool to use in my research than Dr. Emmett Brown’s time machine?

As we all know, the DeLorean time machine’s flux capacitor requires 1.21 gigawatts of power to function. This is the same as saying 1,210,000 kilowatts of power. Now, while the average home in St. Louis city only uses between 1,000 and 4,000 kWh (kilowatts per hour), I feel as though the DeLorean time machine is an example we all know, love, and respect.

Now, if Doc Brown were to fire up the DeLorean today (in late September), he would be charged a rate of 7.92 cents per kWh. When you do all the crazy math (which I have), you find out it would cost Doc $95,839.50 to use the DeLorean one time during the summer months. Great Scott! When you add in the 12-percent proposed rate increase, his total reaches $107,340.24. Maybe stealing a sports almanac from the future isn’t such a bad idea anymore.

If Doc was to be patient, and use the DeLorean during the winter (October–May), he would be charged a rate of 5.62 cents for the first 750 kWh, and then 3.78 cents for each additional kWh. This comes to $45,759.05 — or $51,250.14 after the rate increase.

One would think a person as smart as Doc Brown would consider alternate, renewable energy options. Luckily for him, Ameren offers Pure Power options. As a resident, Doc would have the option of paying an additional 1.5 cent per kWh, or he could buy blocks of 1,000 kWh for $15 apiece. If Doc chose the “100% P.U.R.E.” energy block option, he would have to buy 1,210 blocks, paying only $18,150. This would cost much less, and he would have the satisfaction of knowing he’d gone green while time traveling.

Ed Martin Goes There

Posted on by David Stokes

We have written extensively on this blog about the unconstitutional scam that is the red-light camera industry. Those cameras are just horrible. Ed Martin adds to the discussion with a great first-person account of getting a ticket from a camera. My addition to Ed’s comments: The suburbs that do this are just as bad as the city of Saint Louis. I highly recommend Ed’s post, and thanks go to Combest for the link.

P.S. — I know I used the word “extensively” and then posted just one link. Trust me, I’ve written about it many more times, I just didn’t feel the need to find every one of the posts. Ed’s article is the main point here, anyway.

Bob Herbert’s Weak Attempt on Health Care

Posted on by David Stokes

If Bob Herbert of the New York Times had read the Show-Me Institute’s primer on health savings accounts, perhaps he would not have written such a pathetic piece about health care, carried in today’s Post-Dispatch. Some of the problems Herbert decries — such as employees losing their health care, and young, healthy people choosing to go without — are already happening now. Increasing the options available for private insurance is an answer to those problems, not a way to make our health care system worse. As for the tax implications, we absolutely should level the playing field between the tax code’s treatment of employer-based plans and individual plans. Why should health care provided by a company be tax exempt as pretax income and individual insurance be classified as after-tax? Reducing the cost of individual plans via a tax credit will encourage insurance plan purchases by more healthy, young people — not fewer.

I guess in the end, though, it comes down to a difference of outlook:

The upshot is that many more Americans — millions more — would find themselves on their own in the bewildering and often treacherous health insurance marketplace.

Herbert, and others like him, think that average people are too stupid to take care of themselves. Needless to day, I disagree.

Property Tax Increase Shot Down in St. Charles

Posted on by Calvin Harris II

This morning, the St. Charles County Council considered a plan to fund county employee pay raises through an increase in property tax rates. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the plan was withdrawn because the council lacked the requisite number of votes to overturn an objection by the county executive. Proponents said the tax boost was quite minuscule, and was needed to keep sheriff’s deputies and other workers from leaving for other jobs. Opponents say the county should hold the line on taxes during a time of economic distress.

While I am not a fan of increasing taxes, I do understand the logic and legitimacy of the few supporters of the tax increase. If you want good employees, you have to pay for good employees. But I do not recommend placing all of this responsibility solely on the taxpayers. While tax increases aren’t always necessarily a bad thing, I would prefer to see government officials figure out how to solve this issue by other means (e.g., perhaps outsourcing some county offices to the private sector).

They’re Back: Missourians for Cleaner and Cheaper Energy

Posted on by Jacob Voss

It wasn’t too long ago that the “Clean Energy Initiative” was almost dropped from the November election ballot. You may remember this initiative as the law that would require 2 percent of Missouri’s electricity be derived from renewable energy by 2011, with 15 percent being required by 2021 (with at least 2 percent being solar). To top it off, electricity rates can only increase 1 percent each year, somehow. I assume magic and/or sorcery will be involved.

Members of Missourians for Cleaner and Cheaper Energy were ready to do battle with the utility companies until November, but there’s just one problem: The utility companies have yet to oppose the measure. This is an unexpected turn of events. Imagine the MCCE’s shock after finally making it onto the ballot, then finding no opposition. It would be like Clubber Lang not showing up for the end of Rocky III.

According to the Kansas City Star (link via John Combest), the initiative looks as though it will pass without any problems now. If the measure achieves what it promises, Missouri should be in great shape. But I am suspicious that energy prices will rise beyond the 1-percent promissory increase. They may call it something else in the ballot language, but either way, I will have to pay more. I’m sure a bit of the proposed 12-percent rate hike will go toward renewable energy standards.

So, when considering the little energy initiative that could, find out how the law will affect you and whether the advancements it promises are worth the price.

Disappointment, Bemusement, and Sadness

Posted on by David Stokes

Disappointment because the innovative plan to finance our bridge repair program has been replaced. There is nobody to blame here — it is just a bad time to go for large amounts of private capital. The decision to go with bonding is an unfortunate necessity. (The above link, and other articles on the subject, at Combest.)

Bemusement because silly cases also make bad laws, to paraphrase Oliver Wendell Holmes. Is it really necessary to have Kansas City practically come to a constitutional crisis over the issue of a wife volunteering in the office? I understand the complaints against her, but this entire situation is just crazy. I am generally in favor of anything that paralyzes local and state government. Gridlock is good! But this is insane. …

Sadness because one of my best friends had a brain aneurysm yesterday, and will be taken off life support today. I commend his wonderful family for its decision to save other lives by donating Sherman’s organs. I will miss you forever, Sherman.

Check Out Policy Pulse!

Posted on by Eric D. Dixon

The Show-Me Institute recently unveiled a new online resource: Policy Pulse, an interactive tool that gives users greater flexibility and control in researching the policy areas and legislation that interest them. While the new Missouri Accountability Portal is an outstanding resource for government transparency, we wanted to complement its functionality by creating an easy-to-use search and tracking system that integrates the ability to keep tabs on legislative action with the latest highlights in relevant news and commentary.

So, be sure to check it out and spread the word!

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