The Horace Mann League Newsletter

Fall 2001, Vol 7, No. 1

Contents
 Print receives national award
Summer Board meeting
Horace Mann Stamp
Survey of Factors
Supreme Court: Cleveland Voucher case
Supreme Court: Good News Club case
Purpose of the Horace Mann League
Horace Mann print in every school
Officers and Directors of the League
Coming Events

Horace Mann Print Recieves National Award

The Horace Mann print earned an “Award of Excellence for Distinguished Achievement in the Category of Education Association—Special Publication” at the National School Public Relations Association annual meeting. The 24x 36 inch print was recognized for graphic design and message.

The Horace Mann print is available, framed or unframed, from the Horace Mann League.

It is the goal of the Horace Mann League to have the print of Horace Mann in every public school in America. The print has been presented to businesses and organizations that support public education in their community and state.

·   To order the Horace Mann print, click here.

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·   Summer Board Meeting Highlights

·   The Horace Mann League summer board meeting was held in Portland, Oregon, June 29-30.Highlights of the meeting included:

·   

1.                         Reviewed membership and financial status.

2.                         Reviewed the Horace Mann print award and established marketing goals.

3.                         Reviewed strategies for approval of a Horace Mann U.S postage stamp.

4.                         Discussed publishing book on the Good Things Happening in Public Schools.

5.                         Reviewed recruitment of new members.

6.                         Reviewed involvement in legal brief related to church state issues (See related article).

7.                         Reviewed criteria for possible corporate partnerships with the Horace Mann League.

8.                         Reviewed dues structure and established a “Lifetime” member status.

9.                         Established the “Distinguished Service Award” for presentation at the annual meeting.

10.                     Reviewed the 2002 AASA presentation, “A Dozen Reasons Why Vouchers Won’t Work”.

11.                     Reviewed the protocol for the annual luncheon and meeting.

12.                     Established the tentative agendas for the February 15, 2002, meeting in San Diego and June 28-29, 2002, meeting in Ann Arbor.

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The Ambassador Award

·   The Ambassador Award is presented to members who strengthen the Horace Mann League by nominating new members.

·   Individuals who support the strengthening of public education in their community can be nominated for membership.

·   The Horace Mann League has never aspired to be a large organization, but rather to have a membership that believes in the public school as the foundation for a strong democracy.

·   2000 Ambassador Award Recipients

·  
Spike Jorgensen, Walt Warfield, Colleen Wilcox, Art Stellar, John Monahan, Terry Grier

·   Send the name of an individual you would like to nominate to the Executive Director. A letter will be sent to the individual indicating that you nominated him or her for membership. Send names to:

·   Dr. Jack McKay, Exec. Dir.
The Horace Mann League
University of Nebraska at Omaha
Omaha, NE 68182-0162 or

·   Email: jmckay@mail.unomaha.edu

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Horace Mann League Information on the Internet

www.hmleague.org

The contents of the web site include the following:

Ben Canada, President, and Art Stellar, President-elect

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Horace Mann Stamp Project

For over fifteen years, the Horace Mann League has attempted to convince the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee (OSCA) to reconsider the Horace Mann Commemorative postage stamp.

Please look over the list of OSAC members. If you know any of the following members, please contact Dr. Pat Hoban (pat@wssra.org), 5114 27th St. E., Tacoma, WA 98424 (253) 926-2396

As part of the educational component of this project you will be asked to present this person with a Horace Mann print and a copy of the book, The Art of Teaching by Horace Mann.

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The 7th Annual Survey of Factors Impacting the Public Schools of Your Community

The survey can also be taken online. Visit the following website: http://www.hmleague.org

The following survey is designed to collect data from across the nation about factors that have an impact on the continuous improvement of the public schools. Please complete the survey and return before October 31, 2001. Results of the survey will be presented at AASA’s Annual Convention and in the Winter 2002 HML Newsletter.

From the list of 16 possible factors impacting your community’s public schools, what five do you believe to be the most harmful to continuous school improvement? Circle the five (5) factors you believe are negatively impacting your school‘s efforts to improve.

  1. The local tax base which prevents the community from raising sufficient school funds.
  2. The school board's lack of agreement on some common goals about the future needs of the public schools.
  3. The lack of administrative leadership ability to create and/or sustain continuous improvement of the public schools.
  4. The lack of time or resources to properly prepare and follow through on educational innovative practice.
  5. The inability of the community to respond to the social needs such as adequate health care, childcare, and mental health services
  6. The decline of the family structure to the degree that children are entering school unprepared to learn and without sufficient social skills.
  7. The growing power and influence of special interest groups to impose their curriculum, instructional practices or political/religious beliefs on the schools.
  8. The lack of sufficiently prepared school teachers and administrators to lead and manage change.
  9. The inability of public school personnel to nurture the community's moral standards (e.g., public schools nurture diversity, endorse different lifestyles, will not conduct prayer services, etc.).
  10. The inability of the public schools to meet the needs of all students (from the academically talented to the physically impaired)
  11. The increase in the retired (senior) population who have no ties to the local schools.
  12. The inability of teachers and administrators to appropriately discipline students for misbehavior.
  13. The community’s resistance to changing the traditional school calendar, grade organizational structure, and/or instructional practices.
  14. The negative myths perpetuated in the media about the public schools.
  15. The inability of educators to see schools differently due to a lack of preparation.
  16. The inability of the state legislature to properly fund public schools.

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Supreme Court Hears Cleveland Voucher Case

In September, the U.S. Supreme Court decided to hear arguments related to the Cleveland Voucher Plan.

The question before the court, in, Zelman v. Simmons-Harris, is whether it is constitutional for the State of Ohio to issue vouchers worth $2,250, for Cleveland public school students to attend private and religious schools.

The US 6th Circuit Court ruled that the Cleveland Voucher Plan was not constitutional because of precedents set in Lemon v. Kurtzman (The three part test; a. secular intent, b. neither inhibits nor advances religion, and c. avoids excessive entanglement) and the parameters set in Everson v. Board of Education (transporting New Jersey children to parochial schools was the limit on use of public funds).

The Zelman v. Simmons-Harris case is particularly important because of the possible options before the current U.S. Supreme Court.

Some options they might consider:

  1. Uphold the precedence set in Lemon and Everson,
  2. Expand the “child benefit” theory with the burden being of the private or parochial to prove the public schools are inferior,
  3. Claim the public funds go to the parents and not directly to the private or parochial schools, therefore making them constitutional.

For more background on the case, click here. (Americans United for Separation of Church and State web site)

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Supreme Court Decision on the “Good News Clubs”

The Court’s decision, in Good News Club v. Milford Central School,  permitting private religious groups to use school buildings immediately after classes is an example of the trend to using equal access as a “trump card” over separation of church and state.

Good News Clubs are sponsored by the Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF), a national organization that seeks to convert children as young as five years old to fundamentalist Christianity. The Good News Clubs specifically seek to use public schools, right after school is dismissed, knowing they will attract more students.

While the Court’s decision is another small hole in the wall of separation between church and state, there are some details to consider:

  1. Nothing in the decision authorizes school-sponsored prayer, Bible reading or other religious activities.
  2. Evangelism by adults during the school day is strictly illegal.
  3. Revisit school policies about when outside organizations can enter the school, start preparing the meeting space, and when they can start the meeting with children.

Click here for more information. (Americans United for Separation of Church and State web site)

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League’s Goal is a Horace Mann Print in Every Public School . Three ways to ordering the Horace Mann Print:

Item

Quantity

Cost/Item

Total

The Horace Mann print 24 x 36 inches (not framed)

 

$20.00

 

The Horace Mann print 8 x 10 inches (framed)

 

$18.00

 

The Art of Teaching book

 

$10.00

 

Order Form for Horace Mann prints and books

Name: ______________________________
Credit Card #: __ __ __ __- __ __ __ __ -__ __ __ __ __-__ __ __ __

Address: ____________________________
Signature (If using credit card) __________________ Exp. Date__/__

City/State/Zip: ____________________________
Phone #: (__ __ __) __ __ __ - __ __ __ __

Payment: Make check to:

The Horace Mann League
University of Nebraska at Omaha
KH 414
Omaha, NE 68182-0162

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The Horace Mann League exists to:

1. Perpetuate the ideals of Horace Mann.
2. Preserve and support the common public school.
3. Preserve the separation of church and state.

Purposes:

The Horace Mann League exists to perpetuate the ideals of Horace Mann, the founder of the American public school system. Its basic purpose and activities are to strengthen our public schools. The League believes that the public school system of the United States is an indispensable agency for the perpetuation of the ideals of our democracy and a most necessary unifying and dynamic influence in American life.

According to the League’s beliefs, our public schools should be free, classless, non-sectarian, and open to all of the children of all of the people. Public schools should be dominated by such purposes as will insure the preparation of children and youth for effective citizenship in our democracy.

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A Horace Mann Print in Every School

At the meeting of the Board of Directors, it was determined that a reasonable goal of the Horace Mann League would be to have a print of Horace Mann in every public school in the nation.

The first step is to encourage members to place the Horace Mann print in their local public schools. Suggestions to accomplish the goal include seeking corporate sponsorship in placing prints in the public schools of the region or state. It is estimated that a single framed print would cost less than $100, if framed locally.

Print orders of 100 or more are discounted. Framing ranges from $30.00 to $100, depending on the matting and type of frame desired.

Click here for the order form.

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Officers

President Dr. Ben Canada, Atlanta, GA
President-elect Dr. Art Stellar, Yipsalanti, MI
Vice President Dr. Larry Dlugosh, Lincoln, NE
Past President Dr. Ken Bird, Omaha, NE

Board of Directors
Director City/State
Dr. David Berliner Phoenix, AZ
Dr. Mark Edwards Richmond, VA
Dr. Fred Hartmeister Lubbock, TX
Dr. Paul Houston Arlington, VA
Dr. Spike Joregensen Tok, AK
Dr. Iris Metts Upper Marlboro, MD
Dr. Douglas Otto Plano, TX
Dr. Steve Rasmussen Tacoma, WA
Dr. John Simpson Norfolk, VA
Dr. Stuart Thompson Hickory, NC
Dr. Walt Warfield Springfield, IL
Dr. Colleen Wilcox San Jose, CA

Executive Director
Dr. Jack McKay
The Horace Mann League of the USA
University of Nebraska at Omaha
Omaha, NE 68182-0162
(402) 554 2210 phone
(402) 554 2722 FAX
jmckay@mail.unomaha.edu

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Coming Events

Friday, February, 15, 2002, Board of Directors' meeting, San Diego, 3-6 pm, Marriott Hotel

Saturday, February, 15, 2002, Annual Meeting, San Diego, 11:45 am to 1:30 pm,Marriott Hotel

Friday-Saturday, June 28-29, 2002, Summer Board Mtg.,Yipsalanti, MI

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12/12/01