Gaddafi is dead

There closes yet another bloodly chapter in the Middle East. Although his final moments were brutal and displayed on the internet, he died the way Saddam Hussein should have died: at the hands of his own people.

That region is far from secure, though. Now western countries are going to vy for some control over Libya's oil economy.

But anyway, I shouldn't let the news of Gaddafi's demise get to me. There are many other concerns, like the lingering dry and mild winter ahead of us, rising gasoline prices, the continued economy and where in the hell my credit card is. It's been lost for over two weeks now. No one's used it so I'm sure it fell into a deep, dark crevice of my SUV. Cleaning that out will be a real chore!

Spending a few days in Chicagoland

I am on fall break. I took a cheap flight via Southwest direct from Tucson to Chicago-Midway. Weather here is beautiful, in the 70s with the smell of changing leaves in the air. My daughter thinks it's funny (and annoying) to see me photograph trees in their colorful prime. I was expecting much oolder weather.

I wish I had time to do all the usual things I enjoy doing here: a trip into Chicago, a hike along the dunes, and some country driving. Instead I'm victim to everyone else's schedule. Next time I fly out, I'm reserving a car for myself.

I've seen Erin and Ethan, but Eric is still in hiding. I worry about him. He never answers his email or voice messages.

Bisbee Animal Shelter

The Bisbee animal shelter is a small shelter in Bisbee-Naco that is run by the police department. Its annual budget is a mere $4500. It has 12 kennels and as many cages for cats. The cats are crowded often two to a small cage that isn't much bigger than a large trap.

A local doctor donated $71,000 to the animal shelter two years ago. A new building was constructed with that money but there are no animals in it. It's strictly an office building that isn't being used for anything but storage. I'm sure the doctor did not expect his money to go to waste.

It has a Facebook page that takes donations but the money goes to the chief volunteer who doesn't bookkeep. People who donate to the Bisbee Animal Shelter are really donating to the Bisbee police department, and those guys really don't need any more donuts.

Frivolous lawsuit?

I read in the local newspaper today of a lawsuit filed by Desiree and Thomas Apger. They are owners/manager of the Casita Dole Che in Sonoita. They are well-off. Allegedly Desiree was riding her own horse during a volunteer event hosted by the Friends of the San Pedro River in the Las Cienegas Conservation area near Sonoita. Her horse bucked when another rider passed them. She fell off her horse and injured her wrist and knee. Now she and her husband want $250,000.

That somehow does not look right.

http://www.svherald.com/content/news/2011/09/20/224911

The blog is up again?

For most of the summer I could not access this blog. I thought perhaps I had just reached Google's maximum allowed space. I couldn't edit nor add new posts. If I can add posts again, then I have a lot to say!

Testing one two...

Monument Fire getting dire

The fire that started Sunday afternoon is potentially now at 6500 acres with 24 homes destroyed in Ash Canyon when a massive flare-up occurred early in the afternoon.

Edit 20 Sep 11: This fire ended up burning over 30,000 acres. We were evacuated for four days. The nightmare lasted ten days.

A new fire closer to home

This fire broke out this afternoon in the Coronado National Memorial. It was first reported at around 80 acres, but grew to 1000 by 6pm. Kevin and I saw the fireline race up Thompson peak, the round top viewable from our neighborhood. Smoke is filling the valley. People in Ash and Stump canyon were asked to prepare for evacuation. Fire trucks from all kinds of districts were racing down Highway 92. I can see fire from our rooftop.

This fire is only eight miles away on the border. Winds are in our favor and we have plenty of road and homes blocking this fire, but the bad air could mean bad news for plenty of people closer to this fire.

This fire looks contained now as I'm not hearing the aircraft fly overhead anymore, but I can still see spot fires from our neighborhood's viewpoint.

This fire is a little too close for comfort and I doubt I'll be resting well tonight. Kevin's already out because he drank too much beer again.

Blazing Arizona

Sources: http://wallow.us www.inciweb.org

The wildfires I had predicted in March after damage from the Deep Freeze was evident are now coming to fruition. Unfortunately, the fires are WORSE than predicted. The biggest fire is the Wallow Fire (named after the once-lush Bear Wallow Canyon in the White Mountains). That fire was started by two campers who left their campsite unattended to go for a dayhike, only to come back to see the area ablaze and their two dogs, which they had tied to trees in their absence, burned to death. A friend of mine who's a hydrologist for Fort Huachuca, and who once worked for the forest service, told me that gruesome news this past weekend.

The fire is now over 389,ooo acres big. The daily news and weather forecasts spend most of their attention on these fires. Eagar and Greer are being evacuated.

Sunrises and sunsets continue to be dominated by streaks of brown. Every morning I get on my rooftop to get a better view of the sunrise. The colors I see are pretty accurate at predicting how hazy a day it will be. Yesterday the winds blew most of the smoke northerly; today it looks more like a easterly wind.

As of tomorrow the Coronado National Forest will be closed for all activities. This will be enforced until the monsoon seasons arrive, and they can't arrive fast enough.


The most current fire news now is the following:
The Murphy Complex fire, a combo of two former fires (Murphy-Pajarita) is now at 67,051 acres. That one began 30 May by alleged drug runners.

The Horseshoe2 Fire is at 106,661 acres.

The Wallow Fire is growing fast

This fire has already surpassed the fire in southern Georgia that has burned since late April. The National Forest Service has decided to close the Coronado National forest effective Thursday at noon due to high fire danger. Anyone caught could face fines of up to $5000. I hope the illegals know this!

The fires have made sunsets and sunrises rather ugly. During the day the haze and heat are unbearable.

From inciweb.org:

The Wallow Fire is burning actively in eastern Arizona near the communities of Nutrioso and Alpine. A COMMUNITY MEETING IS BEING HELD AT THE ROUND VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL AUDITORIUM TONIGHT (MONDAY) AT 6:00 P.M.

Size:

233,522 acres. The difference in acreage is due to an update from an infrared flyover of the fire from Sunday night.

Current Evacuations

· The evacuation of Blue River residents by Greenlee County officials remains in effect.

· The evacuation order for the communities of Alpine and Nutrioso by Apache County Emergency Management remains in effect.

Evacuations today by the Apache County Sheriff's Office included the following subdivisions along highways 180/191: Escudilla Mountain Estates, Bonita, White Mtn. Acres, and the H-V Ranch. This area includes CR 4000, CR 4001, and CR 4225.
Residents in the communities affected by this fire are asked to remain prepared in the event an order is needed.
Pre-Evacuation Advisories

· The pre-evacuation notice by the Apache County Sheriff's Office to the residents of Greer community and the surrounding areas remains in effect.

· Catron County Sheriff's Office has issued a pre-evacuation notice to the residents of Luna, New Mexico.

Fire Update

· Firefighters continue perimeter control in conjunction with San Carlos and Ft. Apache Indian reservations and continue point protection around values at risk.

· Fire crews will continue efforts to protect structures in the Escudilla Flats area and along Bill Knight Rd.

· Spot fires occurred up to 3 miles ahead of the fire on the northeast flank due to extreme winds.

· A Red Flag warning has been issued today for the hours of 10 am to 8 pm due to low humidity and high winds.

Closures:

Due to extreme fire conditions, the Apache National Forest is closed to all public entry. Property owners and their guests will continue to have access to private lands within the Forest. See website for closure order details. Please see the Forest website for more information: http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/asnf/

Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests Fire Restrictions: A Temporary Emergency Closure Order for the Apache National Forest was issued effective June 3 at 12:00 p.m. (noon). For more information, please call the Arizona fire restrictions hotline 1-877-864-6985 or visit http://www.wildlandfire.az.gov/.

Arizona is burning.

We now have wildfires all over the state and the two largest ones are in the White Mountains near Hannigan Meadows and the closer Horseshoe 2 Fire in the Chiricahuas. The Forest Service officially closed the White Mountains a few minutes ago and is busy evacuating all the campers. This doesn't bode too well. The fire there is spreading too fast with today's high winds.

Effective Now: Evacuation orders for everyone in Alpine to leave the area by 8 p.m. tonight
Posted: Thursday, June 2, 2011 5:15 pm

This is an evacuation order: EFFECTIVE NOW, Everyone in the Alpine Area is required to have left the area by 8:00 PM Tonight

Alpine Area Evacuees are requested to go to Blue Ridge High School in Pinetop-Lakeside, AZ, or to call and register with the Wallow Fire Joint Information Center if they go to a different location. Please call 928-333-3412 to register.

The evacuation route is as follows: Take U.S. Highway 180 north to Springerville, then U.S. Highway 60 west to Show Low, then State Route 260 east to Pinetop-Lakeside. It is requested that you DO NOT TAKE State Route 260 west to Pinetop-Lakeside.

The northern evacuation route for residents of Blue, AZ is blocked. Residents of Blue should plan to take Forest Road 232 (Pueblo Park Road) into New Mexico.

An American Red Cross shelter has been established at Blue Ridge High School, 1200 West White Mountain Boulevard.

All evacuees are required to check in with Red Cross personnel after arrival. The shelter that has been established is a no-pet shelter.

For more information call: 928-333-3412 or call 593 from a landline or Cellular One cell phone.

NOTE: A Community Meeting will be held at 6 p.m. tonight at the Alpine Community Center. Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests personnel and Eastern Arizona Incident Management Team representatives will present information about the Wallow Fire and answer questions.

Stay posted to WMIcentral.com and the White Mountain Independent for additional updates.

Prior Post 06/02/2011, 4:27 p.m. - Pre-evacuation alert for Alpine in effect

This is a 12-24 hour pre-evacuation alert. There is a possibility of an evacuation within 12 hours in the Alpine area. It is recommended that residents within that area prepare for the shelter and care of their animals. It is also recommended that irreplaceable personal property, such as important documents, be gathered and packed. Pack sufficient clothing for a possible extended stay. If possible, arrange for lodging with friends or relatives.

Once again, this is an alert of the possibility of an evacuation within 12 hours in the Alpine area. This is a preliminary notification. This warning notice applies only to residents of Alpine, AZ.

The northern evacuation route for residents of Blue, AZ will be blocked if an evacuation order is issued.

Any evacuation notice will come from the Apache County Sheriff’s Office. Fire and other emergency services personnel will also attempt to notify residents in the event of an evacuation. Notification will be delivered to residents by direct contact or by telephone.

This is only a pre-evacuation alert. In the event of an evacuation order you will be notified about evacuation routes and centers.

A call center has been established. Person calling for information can call the following numbers: Frontier or Cellular One customers can dial 593. All other callers may call 928-333-3412.

“I want to encourage all residents to avoid rumors and hearsay, please use the official information sources. If an evacuation is ordered, residents will be notified by Apache County personnel either in person or by telephone. My deputies and other emergency services personnel will make all the necessary notifications when they become necessary, stated Sheriff Joseph Dedman.

The United States Forest Service has closed the Apache Sitgreaves Forest. The following campgrounds and areas are closed, including Big Lake Recreation area, Hannagan Meadows, KP Campground, Gabaldon and Mt Baldy Wilderness areas. Law enforcement personnel from USFS, Apache County Sheriff’s Office, AZ Game and Fish, AZ DPS and the Greenlee County Sheriff’s Office are currently evacuating remaining visitors from the closure areas.

These closures are due to the continued growth of the Wallow Fire, which was estimated to have consumed over 40,000 acres as of this morning. The Eastern Arizona Incident Management Team continues to direct the fire fighting efforts of over 600 personnel in the effort to bring containment to this fire.

Prior Post 06/02/2011, 9:30 p.m. - Wallow Fire grows to 40,509 acres as of today; more area closures in effect

The Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests has announced it is expanding the Closure Area affecting the Alpine Ranger District effective immediately. The new closure area also includes the following:

· Big Lake Recreation Area

· The road to Big Lake will be closed at the scenic overlook

· Gabaldon Campground is closed

· Mt. Baldy Wilderness is closed

· The entire trail system within the wilderness is closed

Permitees who have a legitimate need to access the area must obtain a permit from the District Ranger.

The Wallow Fire has also forced the closure of sections of State Routes 261 and 273 (the main access roads to Big Lake and Crescent Lake), SR 261 is closed starting seven miles south of SR 260 to Crescent Lake and SR 273 is closed between Sunrise Park and Big Lake. US 191 is closed between Alpine and the Strayhorse Campground. There is no estimated time for reopening these highways.

Due to the fire and road closures the following areas should also be avoided: Tonto Lake, Reservation Lake, Pacheta Lake and Drift Fence Lake on the White Mountain Apache Reservation.

NOTE: A Community Meeting will be held at 6 p.m. tonight at the Alpine Community Center. Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests personnel and Eastern Arizona Incident Management Team representatives will present information about the Wallow Fire and answer questions.

The Wallow Fire is about 12 miles shy of Alpine having increased in size from 6,700 on Wednesday to its current size of 40,509 acres.

Before yesterday's activity, the fire was moving at an average of a half-mile to a mile every day. Yesterday the fire increased in size by over 5 miles.

The Eastern Arizona Interagency Incident Management Team (one of four Type II teams in the United States) is directing the fire battle under the direction of Incident Commander John Philbin.

Containment is currently estimated at zero percent.

Forest Service public information officer Bob Dyson said given the continued dry windy weather, the forecast is not favorable for firefighters' efforts.

The fire has prompted evacuations of residents in Apache County whose homes are threatened and is threatening Hannagan Meadow Lodge. The lodge is still open, however the area is smoke ridden and there is flying ash in the air. Campgrounds in the area have also been evacuated.

“It’s staying on the west side of Fish Creek. The wind is out of the east this morning and it’s supposed to come out of the southwest later today," Lodge Manager Janice Muldoon said on Wednesday.

As of Thursday morning there were 601 personnel and 16 handcrews assigned to the fire.

Equipment resources include 14 engines, six water tenders, four dozers, three heli-tankers, two air attack planes, one medium and two light helicopters and four airtankers.

Additional crews are on their way to help battle the blaze.

Dyson said the plan Thursday is to conduct defensive operations and try to keep the fire from reaching Big Lake or from moving west onto the White Mountain Apache Reservation.

"What we need now is boots on the ground," he said.

In addition to Hannagan Meadow Lodge there are two guest ranches to the northeast of the fire and directly in the path of the wind driven fire.

Dyson said both were “defensible.” noting that the Forest Service has performed extensive work over the last couple of days to protect Hannagan Meadow Lodge.

On May 31, the Forest Service imposed fire restrictions across the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest.

No campfires are allowed except those in fire grills in developed recreation sites. Smoking in the forest is also prohibited except in a closed vehicle or within a building.

Although Highway 191 remains open, the Forest Service has closed two campgrounds, the KP Cienega and Hannagan campgrounds, and some roads on the west side of 191. The main water source for the fire crews is Acre Lake and the road to it has been closed.

Fire Facts

Date started: 5/29/2011

Personnel: 601, including 16 handcrews

Current location: 12 miles SW of Alpine, AZ

Equipment: 14 engines, 6 water tenders, 4 dozers

Cause: under investigation

Aircraft: 3 heli-tankers, 2 Air Attack planes,

Size: 40,509 (infrared flight)

1 med. and 2 light helicopters, 4 Air Tankers

Percent contained: 0

Estimated containment date: Unknown

Injuries to date: 0

Cost to date: $1,768,122

Prior Post 06/01/2011, 7:30 p.m. - Evacuations in effect due to Wallow Fire's progression; up to 15,000 acres burned

After briefing the public at a community meeting held tonight at the Round Valley High School Auditorium in Springerville, officials are estimating the Wallow Fire has consumed up to 15,000 acres.

Smoke today has made it impossible to obtain a clear acreage count. Infrared survalliance is expected to gain more accurate acreage numbers tonight.

Three airial attack helecopters are on scene. According to officials, the fire is actively burning at night and is at zero percent containment.

Hannagan Meadow Lodge has been evacuated in addition to campgrounds and ranches in the area.

The fire is approximately 15 miles from Alpine Arizona and the town and neighboring residences have not been evacuated.

See prior updates for areas under mandatory evacuation at this time.

Prior Post 06/01/2011, 4:15 p.m. - Evacuations in effect due to Wallow Fire's progression

Apache County Sheriff's deputies started evacuating dozens of campers in the Sprucedale area this afternoon, June 1, along Forest Road 26 about 18 miles northeast of the area where the Wallow Fire originated.

It was reported that fire crews were planning back-burns near two guest ranches in the Sprucedale area.

The movement of the fire has prompted the forest to announce the closure of the Alpine Ranger District of the Apache Sitgreaves National Forests effective immediately.

The southern boundary of the Closure Area is the Mogollon Rim and goes north to Forest Roads 249 and 116. The western side of the closure is the boundaries of the San Carlos Apache and White Mountain Apache Indian Reservations and goes east to Highway 191.

Highway 191 is closed from Alpine, AZ on the north, to the Strayhorse Campground on the south.

Portions of both Greenlee County and Apache County are affected by the closure.

A mandatory evacuation of all residents and visitors within the closure area is also in effect immediately. Private property within the closure area includes Sprucedale, Beaver Creek Ranch, Beaverhead, Brentwood and residents along Forest Road 26. Campgrounds include West Fork, and all of the campgrounds along the East Fork of the Black River. There is no access to the Black River.

Big Lake Recreation Area including all of the surrounding campgrounds remain open. Access to the area is from Highway 261 and Highway 273.

EDITOR'S NOTE: William Wiltbank owner of Beaver Creek Guest Ranch in the Sprucedale area signed an evacuation refusal with Apache County Sheriff's deputies late this afternoon. Deputies reported that he was gathering up horses at the ranch.

Prior Post 06/01/2011, 9:00 a.m. - Wallow Fire consumes 6,699 acres; community meeting tonight at 6 p.m.

A Community Meeting will be held beginning at 6 p.m. tonight at the Round Valley High School Auditorium in Springerville. Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests personnel and Eastern Arizona Incident Management Team representatives will present information about the Wallow Fire and answer the public's questions.

The Wallow Fire has grown to 6,699 acres as of Tuesday morning. Single and group tree torching with short sustained crown runs in heavy fuels were observed Tuesday. The fire continues to spot ahead and is actively backing down slopes. The fire remains active during nighttime hours due to poor relative humidity recoveries.

Forest Road (FR) 24 at the junction of FR 26 and Acre Lake Loop, also known as FR 8312, will be closed today. KP Cienega and Hannagan Campgrounds were closed Tuesday. An Emergency Road Closure is in effect at the junction of Forest Roads 24 and 25 off of Highway 191 to the Black River Bridge. Residents who live in Springerville, Eagar, Nutrioso, Alpine, and Luna, NM will continue to see and smell drift smoke from the Wallow Fire. Residents in Reserve, NM and Clifton, AZ have also reported significant smoke. Please see this link for information on proper precautions: http://www.azdhs.gov/phs/oeh/wildfire.htm

The A-S National Forests Fire Restrictions went into effect at midnight on May 31. The restrictions prohibit campfires, except in fire grills provided in developed recreation sites, smoking, except in an enclosed vehicle or building, and welding with an open flame. Please see the Forest website for more information: http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/asnf/

Fire Facts

Date started: 5/29/2011

Personnel: 418, including 10 handcrews

Current location: 18 miles SW of Alpine, AZ

Equipment: 10 engines, 3 water tenders, 2 dozers

Cause: under investigation

Aircraft: 2 heli-tankers, 2 Air Attack planes,

Size: 6,699

1 med. and 1 light helicopter, 4 Air Tankers on order

Percent contained: 0

Estimated containment date:

Injuries to date: 0

Cost to date: $916,542



Prior Post 05/31/2011, 12:30 p.m. - Wallow Fire grows to 2,616 acres; zero percent containment

The Wallow Fire is actively spreading at a rate of up to a mile in a 24-hour period. Isolated and group torching of trees has been observed with the fire spotting ahead an average of 100 to 150 feet. The fire is currently located both inside and outside of the Bear Wallow Wilderness area and is burning in grass, brush and mixed conifer with a large dead and down component.

Firefighters are scouting for containment opportunities that include roads and terrain features. They are also assessing needs for protection of structures along Forest Road 26 including Hannagan Lodge, Josh Ranch, Beaver Creek, Sprucedale and the Reno lookout.

An Emergency Road Closure is in effect at the junction of Forest Roads 24 and 25 off of Highway 191 to the Black River Bridge. Motorists traveling Highway 191 may have limited visibility due to smoke. Residents who live in Springerville, Eagar, Nutrioso, Alpine, and Luna, NM will continue to see and smell drift smoke from the Wallow Fire.

The Incident Command Post is located at the Alpine Elementary School.

Strong sustained and gusty winds are expected at various times throughout the coming week. Please check for RED FLAG conditions and updates by dialing 593 or 928-333-3412 or on the website 593info.org, the A-S National Forest website at: http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/asnf/ or here on WMIcentral.com.

Fire Facts

Date started: 5/29/2011

Number of personnel: 207

Current location: 18 miles SW of Alpine, AZ

Equipment: 10 engines, 3 water tenders, 2 dozers

Cause: under investigation

Aircraft: 2 helit-tankers, 2 Air Attack planes,

Size: 2,616

1 med. and 1 light helicopter, 4 Air Tankers on order

Percent contained: 0

Estimated containment date:

Injuries to date: 0

Cost to date: $50,000



Prior Post 05/30/2011 - 9:45 a.m.

The Wallow Fire burning southwest of Alpine, Arizona is actually two fires burning very close together. One has spread to 850 acres, the other is estimated at 600 acres. They are about a mile apart. A Type II Team will be taking command of the fire today.



Prior Post 05/29/2011 - 10:00 p.m.

A wildfire called the “Wallow Fire” is located about 15 miles southwest of Alpine, Arizona (legal: T3N, 28E, Sec 16) in the Bear Wallow Wilderness area. Currently the fire is at approximately 100 acres and is believed to be human caused. Resources on the scene are two engines, a dozer and a Type II team and additional resouces are enroute. The Type II Team will be briefed and transitioned on Monday at Noon.

The Reno Fire Lookout and some campers have been evacuated, and Hannagan Lodge residents have been notified. The Forest Service is asking recreationists and travelers to avoid the area at this time.

A road closure is in place from Wildcat Point on Forest Service Road 25 to Highway 191. The public is asked to avoid this area as well.

Strong winds are predicted for Monday with gusts as high as 34 mph. Please check for RED FLAG conditions and updates by dialing 593 or 928-333-3412 or on the website 593info.org at the ASNFs website at: http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/asnf/ or here on WMIcentral.com.

Another wildfire occurred Saturday afternoon called the “Club Fire” and was located in the Pinetop Country Club area. The fire is being called contained at 13.5 acres with a dozer line around the perimeter. No structures were threatened and no evacuations were called on this fire with fuel types of pine and grass.

A reminder, northern Arizona is very dry and we ask you call to inquire about fire restrictions for the Apache-Sitreaves National Forests or any area you plan on camping or recreating.

Here is quick overview of what RED FLAG means to you. The use of campfires and charcoal grills are prohibited on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests during RED FLAG conditions, as is smoking, except within a building, an automobile, a developed recreation site, or within a minimum 3 feet diameter area cleared of burnable material. Pressurized gas stoves are allowed. Private property owners may have to get a permit from their local fire department to do any burning, or may be prohibited from any open burning until red flag conditions subside.

Forest Service offices and local fire departments fly the RED FLAG when severe fire weather conditions are present.

The Forest Service continues to promote safety messages to those visiting any national forest. As dry conditions exists, please use extreme caution if camping on the A-S or any national forest. There are no fire restrictions currently on the A-S, but check prior to heading out to camp to check if there are any restrictions in place or Red Flag Warnings.

Safety tips to follow when visiting public lands or other areas:

When finished with the use of a campfire, completely extinguish your campfire by drowning the fire, stirring it, and drowning it again. Never leave a campfire unattended!

Be careful with gas lanterns, barbeques, gas stoves, and anything that can be a source of ignition for a wildfire.

Park vehicles away from dry grass and avoid driving through tall grass.

Dispose of a lit cigarette or other smoking materials appropriately.

http://www.wmicentral.com/news/pre-evacuation-alert-for-alpine-in-effect-apache-sitgreaves-forest/article_39ab81fe-8a47-11e0-abac-001cc4c002e0.html

"You'd lose your head if it wasn't screwed on you!"

Those were the loving words my mother would always yell at me if I'd misplace something: my school books, my wallet, my important papers. I can't blame her for losing patience with me; I have always been perpetually scatter-brained. Although I have never had to look for my head, it's my mind I've lost on a few occassions. Decades later I still have the same problem: Keys, wallet, dog leashes, work badge often are misplaced.

"If you'd put your wallet in the same place every day after work you'd always kniow where it is!" Kevin says. That's easy for him to say because I always forget what that same place is!

I've gotten better over the years putting things in common areas but every now and then I still fail at finding stuff. Even at work I always make sure my wallet is in my front pocket, my keys are in my bag, etc. I also do the same thing while hiking; I'd hate to lose my keys somewhere at 9000 feet.

So last weekend I did the usual gear check multiple times while on a hike. Keys? Check. Cell phone? Check. Wallet? Check. This was a slow, social hike where we enjoyed a group picnic afterwards. When I got home I removed my pocket's contents and showered because K and I were going to a high school graduation for his best friend's daughter in Bisbee.

And now I honestly can't remember if I drove off with my wallet with me. I had my cell phone and camera, as usual, but the wallet...I simply don't know.

The next day I needed to drive into town for a quick errand and couldn't find my wallet. I drove into town without it, but was determined to look for the thing when I got home.

I couldn't find it anywhere. All my usual places in the house proved futile. It wasn't in the bathroom, it wasn't on the microwave, it wasn't by the front door, it wasn't around my cluttered computer desk, which, honestly, could be declared an abyss. It also wasn't locked up in my glove compartment, although I looked all over the truck several days and was even forced to clean out my truck in search of my wallet and all I found were gas receipts from Charlestown, WV where gas was $1.74 on August 17, 2004.

I refused to believe I had actually LOST my wallet. It had to be somewhere, ANYWHERE, so I did a thorough cleansing of my truck, which, I must admit, was already a few years past due. I must have removed several pounds of sand and dog fur from the crevices of my truck.

By Day Three of the missing wallet I started panicking. I probably lost it somwhere, perhaps when I stopped my truck on the way home from Bisbee that night to photograph the night scene of the city lights in the distance.

By Day Four I gave up the search and planned on getting all my documents replaced: drivers license, retired military ID card, credit card. I dreaded calling up my credit card because the last time I had to call them to report fraudulent use, the issuer lowered my credit limit by $7000. I was determined to postpone this for as long as possible. But this also meant that any roadtrip anywhere would have to be cancelled or postponed until the essentials were replaced.

By Day Five a critical day had arrived. K was leaving for a few days in Phoenix where his daughter had flown in to visit for a few days. I would be all alone in this house with three goofy dogs, one blood-thirsty cat and a geriatric Siamese with "special needs." Oh joy. And although I love having the house to myself for several days--I can play Italian rock songs or my Germans Tagesschau as loud as possible and not have him yell at me to "TURN THAT SHIT DOWN!"--I also wouldn't have anyone to talk to or eat dinner with. It was back to microwaved Swiss cheese tortillas and green pea soups for a while.

As the final moment came where K was ready to leave, he said out loud from the hallway "Hey Connie, come here, I want to show you something."

Oh uh. The last time he said THAT it turned out to be a turd in the middle of my office.

I hesitantly walked over to where K stood in the hallway, his right arm pointing to something in my office. He was smiling widely.

There is was, my wallet. It was laying on the backside of my little TV, black-on-black, well camouflaged. It was not exactly in one of its regular places, and I don't even remember putting it there, a condition I seem to find myself more in lately anyway. A big relief came over me. YAY! No long line at the DMV, no calling the credit card issuer AGAIN about a new card, no having to replace my military ID card and having to deal with grumpy government workers.

What was it that George Carlin said about looking for lost things? "When you lose something, the longer you look for it, the stranger the places are that you are looking. ...You know why? You've already looked in the easy places. Those are the first places we look, the obvious places. That's why people say to each other, 'Well, I've looked everywhere.' Well, apparently NOT...the...damn thing is still gone, isn't it?!? Let's keep looking in obvious places. I'll look in the furnace, you check the cesspool." Carlin forgot to mention the back of TVs.

Countdown to the monsoon

Late May is when Tucsonans and other southern Arizonans begin the countdown to the monsoon. The first 100F day for the area was on Sunday, and now we just want some water. Whatever we get will not make up for the dryness we've had these last eight months.

Today's sky looked promising first thing this morning. Grey clouds hung low over the Mule Mountains and it felt a bit more humid. In the afternoon the sky over the western mountains looked overcast, but perhaps that was from the new fires burning south of Tucson. It was in the 90s today with a trace of humidity; there was nothing monsoonal about this.

Other common sounds I heard today were USBP helicopters flying low overhead a few times. Those choppers haven't been as often as they used to be, but more apprehensions also don't get reported. A USBP van was parked off one dirt road this evening as I walked the dogs, and it had its lights on facing the highway. Odd.

As for fires, here are the most recent updates.

The Horseshoe2 is now at:72,900 acres and 75% contained.
Arlene: 10,610 acres and fully contained.

There's now a new fire, the Murphy Fire, near Arivaca, that is around 1000 acres. It is also human caused.
The new Wallow fire in the Apache-Sitgreaves forest, which started yesterday, is 2,615 acres.

What a month!

And it's not even over yet.

It started with the demise of Osama bin Laden on May 1st. Ratko Mladic, a Bosnian Serb who was wanted for war crimes in Bosnia, was captured today, and inbetween my own uncle Leo's death, the brother of one of my friends died yesterday, and a hiking partner of mine is facing charges of second-degree murder. Yeah, I know, just typing that sounds bizarre because this person is a very kind and decent person who just happened to make a very foolish, split-second decision when he felt his life was threatened.

I'm doing 10001 for something very special to me (I'll reveal this in the next few months.)

Last Day of School

And despite a high rate of absenteeism, those who did show up today were well-mannered. It was a day of socializing, signing yearbooks, taking photos of friends. I recognized many faces but remembered no names, as usual, as I chatted for the last time this school year with a group of 7th graders.

It was a half day for the students, each class no more than 25 minutes long. That's barely time to get a class calmed down at the end of the school year! There were a few rough housers, and two boys in fifth period were borderline agressive toward each other. One accidentally pushed the other boy over a chair, the boy slipped and hurt his back. The boy who slipped just happened to be a child with special needs for his violent outbreaks, and although he was clearly not hurt, he wanted to use the slip as an excuse to get violent with the first boy. That didn't go too well with me because it was obvious the hurt boy was doing it for dramatics, and an entire classroom witnessed it. Luckily separating the two was all I needed to do, and I contined to talk calmly to the offended child.

At 12:13pm the school intercom played Alice Cooper's "School's out!" which was code for "good-bye till this August!" and the entire campus filled with screaming and running middle-school students looking for their school bus or private parent-chauffeur to oick them up. There surely were relieved teachers as well, who now have the rest of the week to finalize grades and clean out their classrooms.

The campus cleared out fast, too, and by the time I got to my truck, there was little evidence that there were students on campus today. There was no formal good-byes, just the usual "thank-you!" and I drove home.

Will I be back next year? I hope so. I've gained much confidence as a teacher, I have overcome the social stigma here of being an "overpaid teacher" (hardly!) and simply enjoy mentoring the students that want and need it. There will be changes for me this fall, that I know, and I have the summer now to prepare.

Current wildfires burning

The horizon now from all directions shows a whitish haze during the day and a brownish-reddish haze at dusk. Right now the winds are calm, but neither fire has been completely contained yet. These fires are burning in two very popular camping sites and will hamper businesses and family plans over the upcoming Memorial Day weekend. Even we had planned of camping nearby; guess that isn't going to happen.

1. Horseshoe Two:Basic Information
Incident Type Wildfire
Cause Human, Under Investigation
Date of Origin Sunday May 08th, 2011 approx. 11:00 AM
Location T28S R31e sect 32, Near Portal, AZ; Approx 2 miles west of Rodeo, NM
Incident Commander Dugger Hughes

Current Situation
Total Personnel 838
Size 44,650 acres
Percent Contained 35%
Estimated Containment Date Wednesday June 22nd, 2011 approx. 12:00 AM
Fuels Involved Grasses, shrubs, and trees

Fire Behavior Short upslope runs in brush in the timber fuels. Group tree torching throughout the day.

Significant Events Red Flag Warning existed today from 1:00 PM to 8:00 PM. This is the second day in a row for the Red Flag Warning. Forest Service road closures and evacuation of Paradise residences continues.


Outlook
Planned Actions Continue to hold and mop up burnout along Forest Service Road 42 to secure Paradise. Prep indirect lines in the northwest, south, and west, and burnout if conditionns are favorable.

Growth Potential High

Terrain Difficulty Extreme

Remarks The burnout in the north to protect the townsite of Paradise remains solid with an increased depth of the indirect burn.


Current Weather
Wind Conditions 32 mph W
Temperature 80 degrees
Humidity 3%

2. Arlene Fire

Basic Information
Incident Type Wildfire
Cause Under Investigation
Date of Origin Monday May 23rd, 2011 approx. 12:00 AM
Location 5 miles east of Lochiel, AZ
Incident Commander John Philbin

Current Situation
Total Personnel 260
Size 10,610 acres
Percent Contained 25%
Fuels Involved Grass, brush and decadent oak

Fire Behavior Fire behavior has moderated as strong winds decreased.

Significant Events The Eastern Arizona IMT has assumed command of the fire. The Incident Command Post is located on FR 58 at the Little Outfit Ranch.


Outlook
Planned Actions On Wednesday, firefighters will conduct mop-up about 130 feet in from the fire perimeter.

http://www.inciweb.org/

Our newest fire: the Arlene fire

This one started this morning around 9:30am just north of Lochiel in Parker Canyon. I saw the first waves of smoke billow over the Huachucas as I was driving home from the high school around 10:30am. It's now already 4000 acres and with the winds we've been having, will grow stronger. This one makes me a little nervous because a few strong hot embers could get the western Huachucas aflame. I may plan an evacuation if the winds continue.

The highlight was around 4pm as dense, dark brown smoke rose over the ridge and into the San Pedro valley over Sierra Vista. We live south of town so we were actually spared the smoke, and I got to see how the strong winds carried the smoke over the ridgeline and into town.

We are being engulfed in fires! The Horseshoe Fire2 is now over 40,000 acres big and still only 20% contained, but that fire has now crested over the ridge and has now started burning in the western slopes of the Chiricahuas.

An F4 tornadp ripped through the southwestern Missouri town of Joplin. It's right off I-44 near the Oklahoma state line. I drove through there at night on my way up to Chicagoland last December. The tornado has now claimed 116 lives with people still missing. The photos on the nightly news are devastating.

Like Kevin said today, "We've had killer tornadoes, extreme floods and lingering storms, all we need now is a massive earthquake along the New Madrid fault" to complete the disasters. If I were a believer I'd say this is the start of that Rapture due by this October.

As for me and my summer plans, I'm still in limbo, but I may have to cancel the trip to Chicagoland not so much because of gas prices (which now are supposed to drop by up to twenty cents in the next week or so; it's down to $3.64 in town), but the constant threat of fires this side of the mountains. I can't leave Kevin alone with all these pets and cars in our driveway.

Blackett's Ridge at moon rise

Blackett's Ridge is what Bill calls "the toughest little hill in Tucson" and I agree. I had always been wanting to do this six-mile ridgeline walk in Sabino Canyon, and when a hiker led this hike tonight at moon rise, I jumped at the opportunity. Now I wish I could have seen the beauty during the daytime and am determined to come back to this pretty area soon!

I didn't leave the house until 4pm, passing Kevin as he was on his way home from work. I was feeling tired, and there were several construction areas along I-10 that slowed me down. I didn't get to the northeast side of Tucson until 1:45 hours later. It normally takes me 1:20 hours. Temps were in the 80s with mostly clear skies.

prefer getting off Houghton Road when I drive to the east side, drive northbound for ten miles, then turn west on Speedway until that hits Tanque Verde Avenue. This is such a pretty part of Tucson, with stately homes on small hilltops and lots of green trees. I have to say this is the prettiest part of the entire city.

The hike was to start at 7pm with a moonrise at almost 8pm, but I found I was quickly in the back of the pack of 16 taking photos; it had been too long since I was in Sabino Canyon, I had forgotten how pretty it is here, and all the things one can photograph. The saguaros were in bloom and cactus wrens flitted about. Before I could even get my lens focused, the group was ahead and soon I lost them.

I admit, I have gotten out of shape this past semester! I felt it tonight. But dear Bill stayed with me, his headlamp lighting the path. I had my lamp inside the backpack but I never took it out for some reason, wanting to wait until I got to the top. By the time we got there over 1:30 hour later (!) most were already on the descent.

This wasn't a good hike to meet new people by as the individual pace didn't allow for much socializing. This was one of those go-out-and-back-at-your-own-pace type of hike. I will try to make more of these Tucson hikes, though, as there are so many corners of that city I haven't explored yet.

Local teachers to get a one-time bonus

This article from the Sierra Vista Herald on 11 May 2011 generated a lot of readers' comments. I'll post it all here.

Teachers will get 1-time bonus
By Adam Curtis
Herald/Review


SIERRA VISTA — In an effort to mitigate an ever-tightening pinch to district staff’s pocket books, the Sierra Vista Unified School District Governing Board unanimously approved a one-time signing bonus on Tuesday night for all returning employees.

The bonus carries a total cost of $675,000 and will be split 60/40 between certified and classified staff members who sign contracts for next year. Board members reminded the public during a well-attended regular meeting that this bonus is long overdue considering staff salaries have been frozen for three years while their health care and, more recently, state retirement costs have increased.




The board also passed the first budget revision for the current year, and Director of Financial Services Michelle Quiroz explained how conservative budgeting combined with relatively good news from the state enabled the district to offer the bonus.

While the district knows it faces an estimated mid-year reduction from the state of $647,000, staff had prepared for worse by setting aside about $1.6 million in unallocated funds for this year, Quiroz said. Newly available federal Education Jobs program grant money can essentially be used to absorb the state reduction, freeing up the unallocated money to help enrich employee pay instead of simply protecting it from reductions.

Board member Hal Thomas noted that the three-year salary freeze and a reduction in the district’s contribution to employee health care benefits last year have cost employees much more than the bonus will cover.

“This is an attempt to recoup some of that for them. It’s not nearly enough, I’d like to see it be at least twice that much, but we don’t have it,” Thomas said.

The bonus will equate to about $1,035 for each certified employee and $680 for each classified employee.

“Hopefully, that will answer the question whether we care about our teachers,” board president Don Rothery said. “We always have, we always will. I agree with what Hal said, it’s just a drop in the bucket.”

The budget revision reduced the district’s spending limit for the current year by about $365,630, leaving the budget at about $33.07 million for the current year ending June 30. While the district can spend that amount, the state has continued its recent practice of rolling over many of its actual monetary payments until the following budget year.

Anticipating another rollover in June, Quiroz said the state has deferred five of its 12 equalization payments in order to balance its own budget this year. That means the state owes the district about $8.3 million in actual funds used to support the budget and Quiroz doubts they will pay the full amount.

“Will we ever get that? Probably not,” Quiroz said. “Will we continue to see rollovers? Absolutely.”

While many districts have had to register warrants or request lines of credit from the county treasurers, Sierra Vista has been able to pay its bills without them so far, Quiroz said.

“This is just so not generally accepted accounting principals, it’s not a good thing,” Board member Deb Scott said. Her big fear is also that the state will end up saying it does not have enough money to cover the payments it owes and will simply not pay them.

In that case, property taxes would skyrocket, as the state would essentially shift its share of the burden to fund school district budgets onto the backs of local tax payers, Quiroz said.

STEM Charter School

The district will explore the possibility of sponsoring a seventh-12th-grade Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics focused charter school at the former Apache Middle School campus.

The board unanimously approved a work session with legal council to explore the legal and educational benefits of this idea during Tuesday’s meeting. The board work session is scheduled for 1 p.m. Friday, June 10 in the district administration building.

“This has certainly been one of my priorities since we made the vote to close Apache Middle School,” board member Deb Scott said. “I think it’s prudent on our part. It’s something we’ve been talking about and certainly the community is talking about STEM schools for seven through 12. … I know for a fact we meet those needs exceptionally well but this may be a way to show the community that we meet it even better than we currently do.”

Board member Hal Thomas is in favor of revising the district’s programs so they can offer a more narrow focus for students who know what they want to do.

Board member Nancy Richardson lamented that art is just as important as the typical STEM subjects and wanted to incorporate it into the discussion regarding a new school.

Superintendent Brett Agenbroad recently attended the 98th Arizona Town Hall and walked away with the understanding that educators need to get away from STEM and move to STEAM, which would include art.

The concept is that the creative minds needed to be engineers or scientists are also fostered and developed through the arts, Agenbroad said. As they work to develop this idea, the board and community will dictate what would be most advantageous to students.

Joyce Clark Middle School promotion

Due to logistical challenges, Joyce Clark Middle School’s promotion ceremony has been retooled to forgo formality in favor of fun.

School Principal Melissa Sadorf formed a committee of parents, students, staff and teachers in March to develop a new set of traditions to celebrate graduation that would be every bit as memorable, but also would be feasible with about 400 students and a small budget. They came up with a week’s worth of events, including a school dance, an open house for parents, and a variety of other fun-focused activities.

Three members of the school student council described each of the events for the board. The changes passed in a 4-1 vote, with Board President Don Rothery weighing in against them, not based on their substance, but on the process used to initiate them.

Rothery agreed 100 percent with what they’re doing for the kids, but thought someone should have contacted the board earlier in the process, he said. “I support what you’re doing, I don’t support how it was done.”

Call to the Public:

• Dorothy Dietz addressed the board with concerns about a lack of applicants for the local Kiwanis Club’s annual scholarships and about the lack of a scholarship fair or “college day” at the high school this year.

Agenbroad and several board members assured her that her concerns were both justified in light of staff cuts to counseling positions and will be addressed, adding a guarantee that there will be a college day next year.

• Pueblo del Sol Elementary School Teacher Jennifer Caputo addressed the board with concerns regarding the addition of 30 minutes of instructional time to the elementary school day.

Board Clerk Connie Johnson later echoed concerns about teachers not having adequate time for even small breaks during the day.

• Town and Country Elementary School Parent Teacher Student Organization Vice President Michele Frias informed the board of a joint meeting all the elementary PTSOs held with Agenbroad and other administrative staff.

With a school closure off the immediate horizon, she hopes to work together to promote the district, facilitate positive change and rebuild trust in the community.

Also …

In other business the board unanimously OK’d:

• Changing the elementary school library position to a media literacy and technology integration specialist. This will enable the district to use grant funding and hire an additional person to do this job.

• Established two new positions to support teachers and students next year, to be entirely funded through grants. The positions are an elementary reading achievement coach and a high school technology integration special development specialist.

• An intergovernmental agreement with Cochise College for dual enrollment courses and another IGA with the college for the Tech Prep Program.

• The award of contracts to certificated employees, school nurses and therapists for next year.

• A five-year contract with Dollar Rent-a-Car for rental vehicles used for district travel.

• A contract with Lifetouch National School Studios for the senior and group photographer at graduation.

• The adoption of next year’s governing board meeting calendar.

• The revision of two course names at Joyce Clark Middle School.



And here are the comments from readers:


cchavez on Mon, 05/16/2011 - 17:18
Title: quality education

I just want to clarify some misinformation. First, teachers are NOT contracted to work 181 days. Our students attend 181 days, but the teachers are required to work a few days before students arrive and a day and a half after school gets out. Of course, I don’t know any elementary teachers who show up to work on our first contracted day. Many of us actually come back to the classroom at least a week earlier. We have not had any type of raise in the past 3 years, while we have been forced to either cut our health insurance benefits or pay extra to keep what we used to have. My own children don’t have health insurance because my husband and I both work for the district and we can’t afford to purchase insurance for them.

Furthermore, there is not a school in Sierra Vista that can outperform any of the SVPS schools. I just compared and double checked my facts on elementary schools in SV. According to the Arizona Department of Education website, the highest scoring charter schools, are outscored by the lowest scoring SVPS school. The lowest scoring charter school only had 50% of their 3rd-8th graders pass the reading portion, 60% pass the writing, and 63% pass the math portion of the AIMS tests. The average percentage of 3rd-8th graders passing the AIMS in the 3 largest charter schools in SV is 63% in reading, 65% in writing, and 72% in math. Compare that to the SVPS elementary schools with 77% in reading and writing and 80% passing in math. Check it out yourself at the Arizona Dept. of Ed. website.

Here are just a couple other ways that charter school education differs from and is often lacking in academic perfomance. Teachers in public schools must be certified and prove that we are highly qualified each year, while teachers in charter schools don’t even have to have a teaching degree. Charter schools are for-profit businesses, while public schools are non-profit. These schools get to chose how they spend their money while public schools don’t have that choice


Knight Rider on Mon, 05/16/2011 - 21:08
Title: Funny comparison...
Your comparison is like a runner in the Boston marathon celebrating for coming in second to last… Hey look, I wasn’t the worst!

Sumtingwong on Mon, 05/16/2011 - 19:26
Title: Wow
What a comparison. Compare it to other places other than SV. In other words, the charter. nor the public schools do worth a darn in SV.

WW2 Marine Veteran on Mon, 05/16/2011 - 11:22
Title: marciensv & SV Guy messages
marciensv & SV Guy: In addition to my comment about private & charter school, there is another altenative (although not an easy one). That is home schooling. There are some good lesson material on the market to help those who want to dedicate their time to home schooling. I have seem good positive results accomplished by those who want to educate their children away from the NEA which I believe has become a failure.

WW2 Marine Veteran on Mon, 05/16/2011 - 11:03
Title: SV Guy & marciensv messages
SV Guy & marciensv: You both try to make valid points. My problem with public education is their union (NEA) for public education. They have done too much for irreparable harm. I tried to get my children educated in Lutheran Schools whenever possible. We now have public education in Charter Schools without the NEA, paid for by tax payers but still with qualified teachers. I endorse that system.
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Knight Rider on Sat, 05/14/2011 - 19:04
Title: 675k
So I hope we won’t see them trying to push another override since they obviously have money stashed somewhere.

Sumtingwong on Sun, 05/15/2011 - 05:23
Title: OPM
They probably have another 100K stashed for expenses, to push for another override.

Phoebe on Sat, 05/14/2011 - 08:32
Title: A Noble Profession
A final thought…
As a teacher, it bothers me when people judge educators so harshly and belittle what we do with statements related to our salary, the fact that we have healthcare and a retirement plan, that we should be happy that we have a job at all, that what we do isn’t hard, that we get off earlier in the day than other professions, that we have summers. To those people, I say that in my experience I have noticed that no one truly appreciates what teachers do unless they are linked to education in some way as an educator, education employee, a family member of one of the previous two, or a dedicated volunteer and no one can empathize with the art of classroom management unless they have been a first year teacher. My salary of $27,000/year is a reflection of how the state legislators view education. I have healthcare, but my husband and I dread what our finances will become when we have to add children someday (if we can ever afford kids at all). If I am able to stay in this profession for thirty years, you bet I deserve a retirement. Teachers manage 25+ students, create lessons, grade papers, modify strategies based on student data, etc. When the student’s day ends, ours doesn’t. We have faculty meetings, IEP or 504 meetings, set up for the next day, and we HAVE to participate in extra-curricular activities, whether they are clubs, the arts, or athletics. Then, when we are finally done with all of that, then we have time to go to the bathroom. Summer? I’ll be spending mine making lesson plans for the year so that when I get home in the evenings I can spend time with my husband and not in front of the computer. In spite of all this, I truly love my job and the kids. They are the reason I am in this field. It is just too bad that the attitudes of some people demean what I do to make a difference in their lives.

FreeThinker on Mon, 05/16/2011 - 07:43
Title: An arrogant profession
As a tax payer, it bothers us when a teacher fails to properly educate students, blames their teaching negligence on a lack of funding, while looking down their nose at the very people that pay their salary.

The level of arrogance is unbelievably amazing! A teacher, complaining about their salary, doesn’t realize how their negligence of poorly educating students will produce a negative result on their future income.

Better educated students =’s better pay for teachers, it’s that simple. 50 years ago, students had a better education than they do today on a smaller budget so please, spare us the pathetic excuse, "We didn’t fail we are just not funded enough"


Knight Rider on Sun, 05/15/2011 - 21:20
Title: A few questions...
Can you tell us how you and other teachers you work with are evaluated? I ask because in order to get a raise, or keep my job for that matter, I undergo at least 4 formal evaluations of my performance every year. I find it fascinating that a teacher doesn’t have to be good at teaching to keep their jobs. If you have 30 kids and half fail do you get fired? Or are you merely evaluated with someone sitting through a few of your classes to essentially critique and evaluate your teaching style? As for all the other stuff, I really could care the less how much extra time teachers claim to put in. We all decide what we want to do with our lives and you chose to be a teacher so I assume you did some research and knew what you were getting into before you chose that path. There are some very good teachers and hey, you might be one of them, but there are also many bad teachers that just seem to hang around until they can retire.

jmskarhus
on Mon, 05/16/2011 - 10:40
Title: Teacher Evaluation is a Complex Issue
You make an interesting point, regarding teacher evaluation. If you can come up with a truly equitable solution, you’ll be a very rich man. Different systems across the county have tried to varying levels of success, but measuring teacher success is mucy more difficult than simply looking at results on standardized tests. Like districts across the state, SVPS is reassesing our current teacher evaluation system, so that between 33 and 50% of the evaluation will be based directly on student acheivement. Principals and the superintendent will also be evaluated similarly. In theory, this is a great idea. Of course every teacher should contribute to the advancement of their students and, somehow, their performance appraisals should be tied to their ability to teach their students. And if it were that simple, it would have been done a long time. There are many problems with the practical implementation of this kind of evaluation; I’ll hit the highlights:

1) I can’t make my students succeed. I set high standards and give every student the opportunity to learn. I use many strategies to motivate them. Every year, the majority of my students learn a significant amount of Spanish and are ready to move on to Spanish Two, but some choose to fail. Students make choices that I can’t control: deciding to pay attention, to study, todo the work, etc.

2) Most subjects don’t have a standardized appraisal instrument. While imperfect, we could use AIMS scores to evaluate learning in reading, writing, math, and, I believe, science. For about 70% of the courses in Arizona, there is no standard appraisal. This is not insurmountable by any means, but certainly needs to be addressed.

3) Not every student has the same ability. Due to intelligence, motivation, level of support at home, including the value of education, socioeconomic status, language ability, prior learning (we get many students from schools around the country, as well as charter schools, who are unprepared for the rigor offered at Buena) etc., it is inequitable to assess the teacher on their ability to get every student to the same level.

So while I agree with your premise, and we are making strides to move in this direction, evaluating teachers on student ability is a very complex issue.

I do disagree with your assessment that there are "many" bad teachers. Hard numbers would require significant research, but anecdotally, having taught at BHS for over 10 years, I would estimate the number at far less than 10%. There certainly needs to be more done to improve struggling teachers and to remove those who don’t want to improve, but this doesn’t negate the excellence produced at Buena every year.

FreeThinker on Mon, 05/16/2011 - 17:55
Title: The hand you hold is the same hand that holds you down
Unfortunately, some people still refuse to see the light outside of the cave of government. “Good” teachers can earn a more than comfortable living wage if they were able to compete in a free market & not enslaved by unions & government regulations/legislation. Education is a product, not a right of the people to be provided by government, & if this product was sold, instead of taxed in a free market, good teachers would eliminate the bad teachers while producing very well educated students.
Teachers, do you really want a better salary? Then compete for it!
People, do you really want a better education for your children? Then shop for it!
To think, if government wasn’t standing in the way, both parties would benefit tremendously. However, both parties keep turning to government to solve their educational issues & that has always produce the same negative result, poorly compensated teachers & poorly educated students.
The teachers blame the tax payers for their poorly compensated income, the tax payer blames the teachers for their poorly educated children, & the government sits back, gets fat off of our money, laughs at both parties, while creating new legislation that just sustains the problem with no intention to solve.

Knight Rider on Mon, 05/16/2011 - 13:49
Title: Thanks...
I appreciate the serious response to my questions. It sounds as though even teachers realize that there is no good way to evaluate them, and I agree you can’t base things purely on student performance because we all know some students are not interested in learning. Hopefully a way to properly evaluate teachers will be developed. I would certainly be more comfortable supporting pay raises if I knew good teachers were going to benefit and the freeloaders were being fired.

Phoebe on Sat, 05/14/2011 - 08:02
Title: Living Wage
As a teacher in a surrounding district, my first reaction if I were an employee of SVPS would be concern about receiving a bonus when district schools are at risk for a shut down. As much as I would deeply appreciate the money, future school closures would mean a loss of a job, in which case $1,035 wouldn’t matter. But my real comment is to all of the people previously commenting about a teacher’s wage. First of all, contrary to a previous comment, there are not as many SVPS teachers that are retired military as you would think, so please erase the double salary from your mind. Also, to the person who keeps bashing what teachers make, because of insurance and healthcare increases my pay check has actually decreased in my years of teaching. Plus, because of pay freezes many teachers still make what a first year teacher does, $27,000 a year. This is my salary that I have had for the past three years. An additional tax, compounded by higher insurance and retirement means that I only my $680 a paycheck. This is not a living wage. I know teachers that are the only breadwinner in their family and I don’t know how they are able to provide for their children. It is, therefore, not surprising that their children receive free or reduced meals. I am so thankful that my husband has a job outside of K-12 education now. He lost his teaching job last year and there was no way we would be able to pay our bills and keep our house on just my salary (and please don’t argue that our 1100 sq. ft. house is to lavish for our income) if he hadn’t have found something within a few months. Thank you for reading my point of view.

FreeThinker on Sun, 05/15/2011 - 11:02
Title: Just be honest...Please!!!
So teaching is really about the money & not the love for teaching. It’s okay, you can say it, "I do this for the money & the expect a steady income for teaching" There’s nothing wrong with that statement especially if you worked very hard to acquire a degree in teaching. You are no different then any "greedy" corporation, you teach in order to create wealth for yourself.

Why is this so hard to admit too? Nobody does anything out of their benevolence, they do it out of their "Greed", self interest to acquire wealth. The problem is Phoebe, you thought a career in public education would always be there for you regardless of what level of educated students your public education system turns out but, unfortunately for you, your chickens have come home to roost. Your public education programs has dumb down the future leaders, innovators, & wealth creators to the point where there is no one that will strive to achieve because they were educated to beleive that "Greed" is immoral. Your public education system has created a society of mind less people that were taught/told to provide for their neighbor & to depend on government to provide for them while never addressing the issue of "Who will provide for government?" Or, "How can I provide for my neighbor when I can’t provide for myself?"

This is the end result of "The hand you hold is the same hand that holds you down" Welcome to the ugly side of Darwinism that everybody ignores & refuses to embrace, the "survival of the fittest, only the strong will survive"

You want a "living Wage?" Welcome to the jungle girl! You better learn to saddle up & ride with the cowboys cause government can’t rescue you no more. They have tossed you overboard to lighten up their load so higher level proletariat’s won’t have to make such sacrifices.

RHH on Thu, 05/12/2011 - 21:28
Title: Do teachers not deserve more
Do teachers not deserve more pay to better the education of the kids that will some day run this nation? Where is the motivation or incentive for teachers to stay strong in the field that their in? Yep, they get into the field knowing the pay but they end up having families who need food on the table and a roof over their heads. Non educators seem to think its so easy to take a classroom of 25 plus kids and give them the education they need and deserve. It’s funny that people can trash talk teachers, where did you get your education from? Where do you stand now, was it not because educators provided the knowledge you have today?

marciensv
on Thu, 05/12/2011 - 11:33
Title: teachers and bonus
I see nothing wrong with this one time bonus. I do think there are some good teachers, but like any career/job there are also poor ones. Its a shame that there has to be this blanket coverage. But until teachers here get a better salary we are stuck with teachers that offer little quality. Do you realize teachers have to read and grade assignments, enter into grade books, plan for weekly lessons, mandatory schooling, and meeting with parents. A quality teacher is not able to complete all this by the end of the school day. But I also feel that with better pay comes increased hours/days. We have to keep up with other countries or get passed by.Unfortunately, here the teachers like children are low on the funding list. I asked someone recently with a masters if he would take a job that started at 34,000 a year. He was insulted. So why do people in the private sector feel they deserve $17 hr for AA, $23 for BA and $30 MA for entry level positions? Why do some people charge travel cost plus actual time for service calls? I don’t get paid to get to work. Why do some dealerships charge $75-$125 hr for just labor to fix a car. In some cases I’ve paid more for labor then the cost of the part. Do those mechanics have a BA or MA?

SV Guy
on Sat, 05/14/2011 - 08:35
Title: teachers and bonus
I absolutely disagree with your comment about teachers offering little quality. Do you visit the schools and the classrooms? I do and what I find is teachers going above and beyond in every way! We do have quality in our schools! I feel that you make blanket calls about schools all the time without actually rolling up your sleeves and finding out for yourself.

marciensv
on Mon, 05/16/2011 - 06:21
Title: sorry to disagree
sorry SV Guy, I disagree with you. Just like any profession….NOT all teachers do a good job. Like I said there are good teachers and there are poor teachers. To say that EVERY teacher goes above what it expected is just not realistic. Again there are slackers in every job and profession. I think its time to opened your eyes.

brian
on Sun, 05/15/2011 - 08:16
Title: define "quality", by what
define "quality", by what standard do you measure quality?

Quality is the standard of something as measured against other things of a similar kind; the degree of excellence of something. So per this defintion- the quality of our schools is in the measurement of comparing us to other schools. Our school district consistently scores in the highest percentage of the state; we have all performing plus and above rated schools in our district which is rare for a district. In addition, PDS just won a Blue Ribbon award for the nation compared to all other schools both public, private, and charter. I do find it interesting that you ask that because in Sierra Vista many businesses are lacking in quality so when I have to compare- Sierra Vista Public Schools offers a quality that is lacking in many businesses in our town.

Sumtingwong on Thu, 05/12/2011 - 09:34
Title: A thank you to the school board
By giving out this bonus you have proven an override wasn’t needed, and won’t be needed next time you try and shove one down our throats. Giving away money is no problem for the board, as board president Don Rothery said, $675,000, is just a drop in the bucket. By giving this bonus you actually save us taxpayer’s money, as the next override sure won’t stand a chance of passing. The voters will remember how big of a bucket you have.

Amazed2
on Thu, 05/12/2011 - 19:15
Title: Comprehend Much?
I’ll put the two quotes together to see if they make more sense to you this way. “This is an attempt to recoup some of that for them. It’s not nearly enough, I’d like to see it be at least twice that much, but we don’t have it,” Thomas said. “Hopefully, that will answer the question whether we care about our teachers,” board president Don Rothery said. “We always have, we always will. I agree with what Hal said, it’s just a drop in the bucket.”

Just in case you need a little more explanation, it is a drop in the bucket compared to what they owe the teachers after 3 years of pay freezes. Nice way to try to twist what they said and their intended meaning.

pundit on Thu, 05/12/2011 - 06:31
Title: Most private sector worker
Most private sector worker have seen wages go down in the last 3 years and we feel Lucky to have a job at all, as should the teachers. Its’ outrageous that the board decided to give this bonus.

SV Guy
on Sat, 05/14/2011 - 08:39
Title: Most private sector worker
Oh please; I am so tired of this. Most private sector workers make a lot more than $28,000 a year so name me one. Even the cashiers at the grocery stores make $30,000 a year. Walk a mile in an educators shoes and then complain; I bet you won’t.

sensei
on Thu, 05/12/2011 - 05:27
Title: Sumtingwong
Teachers and staff are getting a windfall? Oil companies get windfalls because they are anything but underpaid. Only you would say that any money that goes to teachers and classified staff is a windfall. Do you mind explaining what it is you do that has made you so qualified to insult teachers in every way possible? Honestly, what kind of work do you do that makes you so unappreciative of teachers? What makes your contribution to society so superior? If you feel that paying taxes makes you unique you are in for a surprise, teachers also pay taxes and have children that attend public schools. Again, many teachers are military veterans or are married to soldiers, DA civilians or defense contractors.

marciensv
on Thu, 05/12/2011 - 11:54
Title: you forgot to mention
If a teacher is retired military, they are collecting 2 checks. They have no reason to cry to the bank. How much is the monthly retirement check. And how much is the monthly teachers check. I don’t feel sorry for a 3 check family that can not make ends meet. There is a huge difference between a 1 check person trying to pay school loans. And if married to a solider, they can live in military housing, have no water bill, have no electric bill. And what do you think they pay for health insurance. Even if there is a layoff they will have a roof over their head. This is not the case for a 1 check civilian.

sensei
on Wed, 05/11/2011 - 21:50
Title: Vote No and Sumtingwong
I explained this before. Teachers didn’t demand a 181-day contract; that is all the number of contracted days this and most other states will fund. Are you willing to pay more taxes to pay the teachers to teach more days? You must think teachers are supposed to work two more months for free and pay out of pocket to attend college classes so that they can stay certified. Our society was once mostly agrarian and kids were out of school during the summer so they could help their families with the farm work. This tradition is part of our culture and, along with our unwillingness to pay more in taxes, is the reason why teachers are only funded to teach for 181 days. By the way, 80 to 85% of school budgets are used to pay salaries and benefits. How do you give children a good education without being willing to pay for good teachers?

JPD on Wed, 05/11/2011 - 21:42
Title: Clarification
When government workers say they haven’t had an increase, they usually mean they got their cost of living increase, but nothing more. I don’t consider that "frozen," since many people in private industry get only very small increases (and no cost of living). Did the teachers get cost of living increases or not in the past 3 years? Just wondering.

Amazed2
on Thu, 05/12/2011 - 07:54
Title: No, JPD
They did not get a cost of living increase. If they had been attending school towards a masters, they did not get that step up. They have received nothing of an increase for any reason in 3 years. But their share of health insurance did go up. So their net has seen a nice drop.


Sumtingwong on Wed, 05/11/2011 - 12:45
Title: ALL??????
The bonus is for all of the returning employees. Staff? Sounds like more than just the teachers are getting this windfall.

VOTE NO on Wed, 05/11/2011 - 06:12
Title: And
And the school district just keeps on WASTING our tax dollars. Just remember to VOTE NO when they ask for ANOTHER override. Get a clue, put the money towards educating the children.

jmskarhus
on Wed, 05/11/2011 - 10:45
Title: Money Well Spent!
Please elaborate on your view that the district is "WASTING our tax dollars," as well as how you believe money is not currently being very well spent "towards educating the children."

SVPS was extremely conservative this year, so we had enough left over to pay our excellent teaching and support staff a small amount of the money that has been cut from their salaries the last few years and which will continue to be cut next year. To elaborate, salaries for every school employee have been frozen for the third year in a row, so my base salary for next year is approximately $4000 less than what district policy mandates for my experience and education. Additionally, the state has mandated that instead employees paying 50% and the employer paying 50% of our retirement benefit, employees will now pay 53%. Teachers have agreed to greatly increased class sizes, which saves the district hundreds of thousands of dollars. These are just a few examples of the sacrifices we have made to maintain a healthy budget in these times of drastic state cuts — so that your taxes will remain low.

Teacher retention is extremely important to maintaining a quality education for our children, and money is one key factor to maintaining the excellent teachers and support staff employed by SVPS.

Proud US Citizen on Wed, 05/11/2011 - 09:17
Title: VOTE NO is CLUELESS
You do know what the real "waste" of our tax dollars is in school districts not only here, but across the U.S….

The fact that taxpayers have to educate illegal aliens, who shouldn’t even be here in the first place!

Holland for years used to "educate everyone", but then they finally realized enough is enough, and stopped it!

The U.S. I believe is the only country on the face of the earth that gives an education to ALL, whether they are entitled to it or not.

So you should "get a clue", and petition your reps to get the Supreme Court (whose decision it was many years ago to educate those illegally here) to revisit that decision.

VOTE NO on Wed, 05/11/2011 - 12:54
Title: Obviously
Obviously Proud US Citizen is a school teacher. I do not want to hear how very hard teachers have it. Give me a break. I wish I only had to work 180 days a year. I am not as clueless as you think. Maybe the clueless one is you Proud.

Amazed2
on Wed, 05/11/2011 - 14:54
Title: Pointing fingers
I wouldn’t be too quick to point fingers at someone as clueless when you don’t know that the number of instructional days in the district is 181 and teachers work more than that. Also, the average person with 2 weeks vacation works 240 days. Many positions have 3 weeks, so 235 days. An article released in Feb states that the "salaries averaging $50,034 per year" is what is expected for recent 4 year degree grads. On the other hand, you have SV teachers starting at $28,272.70. So you think that a 45-50 day difference warrants a pay $21,762 below the average compared to other 4 year grads? That much might make sense if teachers were making $70 an hour. Straight up per hours worked, if $50K is $25/hr (w/ vacation included) then that equivalent would have teachers starting around $37K. Not to hard to look at the numbers and take an objective view of the situation. Oh, and if the teacher was really lucky and started the year the freezes hit, 4 years into it and they could still be making their same low starting salary.


Biker
on Wed, 05/11/2011 - 07:58
Title: Crazy??
Please tell me how giving a teacher a bonus is wrong, when they haven’t been given a pay increase in three years all while inflation and benifits have gone up???? The education of a certified teacher, educated to the federal standard cost that person well in the 70-80 thousand dollar range….Anyone who thinks teachers do it for the money are a joke. Heaven forbid they get a bonus after being neglicted for three years going on four years. Must be nice to sit back and get your raise every year, while others struggle to get by….

Proud US Citizen on Wed, 05/11/2011 - 05:44
Title: 1 time bonus
To those here who feel that the educators of our children are overpaid, I would suggest you speak with a teacher.

Unlike most jobs, where one has set hours of employment, teachers do not fall into that category.

Even though their salaries are based on the actual school day, I don’t know of one teacher who only "works" during that time.

Most teachers come in early, stay after the students have left, and most "work" nights and weekends for the benefit of their students.

I for one am glad to see that the Sierra Vista Unified School District has found this means, although not as much as it should be, but at least something to recognize what these teachers do to educate our children.

Sumtingwong on Wed, 05/11/2011 - 09:19
Title: Right, Unlike most jobs
Most jobs require a person to work 250 days a year, whereas teachers work about 180.

Playdeebug
on Wed, 05/11/2011 - 12:16
Title: And...
Those same teachers are only contracted to be paid for 180 days- thus they may chose to stretch that pay over the summer, but it’s still only a paycheck equal to 9 months of the year. I had to get a summer job to support myself when I worked as a school nurse; not just due to the paycut, but also because of the 9 month contracts.


Proud US Citizen on Wed, 05/11/2011 - 11:03
Title: Another clueless
Your comment tells all that you don’t know any teachers. Sheesh….

Biker
on Wed, 05/11/2011 - 09:44
Title: Ya don't get it....
What’s your point? I don’t think there is a teacher out there that became a teacher to get rich. I do think though between the education they must have and the work they perform they should be entitled to a 3.5 percent raise every year. How can you expect someone to live on an entry level teacher’s salary when the cost of EVERYTHING keeps going up? Three years not an extra penny, yet they pay more into benefits now. Give them a break, we’re not talking about welfare here, we’re talking about fairly compensating someone for doing their job.