Happy Earth Day To You

With due respect to The Beatles - “You say it’s your Earth Day? Happy Earth Day to you!”

Yes, it’s Earth Day’s birthday, the forty-sixth such celebration of the world around us. The first one, which took place 1970, was marked with a rally in Chicago and several other cities. Twenty years later, in 1990, Earth Day went international, with estimates ranging from 100 million to 200 million participating across the globe.

This year, Earth Day is next Friday, April 22, with the theme, “Trees for the Earth.” According to the Earth Day Network, trees will be the first of five major goals they are undertaking in honor of the five-year countdown to its 50th anniversary. Its concept to plant 7.8 billion trees by Earth Day’s 50th in 2020 - or one tree for every person on the planet.

According to the EDN, there are three major reasons “trees” is the focal point being undertaken:

(1) Trees help combat climate change, by absorbing excess and harmful carbon dioxide from our atmosphere. In fact, in a single year, an acre of mature trees absorbs the same amount of carbon dioxide produced by driving the average car 26,000 miles.

(2) Trees help us breathe clean air, by absorbing odors and pollutant gases (such as nitrogen oxides, ammonia, sulfur dioxide and ozone) and filter particulates out of the air by trapping them on their leaves and bark.

(3) Trees help communities achieve long-term economic and environmental sustainability and provide food, energy and income.

The planting of trees is not a novel concept. Many nations and religions celebrate foliage annually. For example, some aspect of Arbor Day is celebrated in more than 40 nations, having originated in Spain in 1594. In Florida, Arbor Day is the third Friday in January, and closely coincides with the Jewish holiday of Tu BiShvat, which is celebrated as an ecological awareness day. National Arbor Day is celebrated the last Friday in April, or a week after Earth Day this year.

While trees are the focus, Earth Day also recognizes environmental advances that have been made, and the past 12 months have seen some extraordinary ecological activity - most notably last December, when 196 nations signed the historic Paris Agreement, the pact that commits virtually every government across the globe to work together in an attempt to limit climate change and stem the continued rise of greenhouse gas emissions. Locally, just last month the Florida Senate’s Appropriations Committee killed a bill that would have stopped towns from banning fracking - a move celebrated by environmentalists across the state.

So, plant a tree - or two! And have a happy Earth Day all year long!

Tax Evasion 101

In the world of journalism, reporters want scoops. It doesn’t matter whether political, sports or entertainment; beating the competition is paramount, and the bigger the story, the more satisfying the feeling among staff and management.

This week, possibly the most amazing scoop in journalism history took place, and it defied all the standards, because of its sheer size. And it may take months, maybe even years, to fully appreciate and understand the ramifications and fallout that will take place on a global scale.

Oh, the Panama Papers offshore tax evasion network started as a traditional scoop, by Suddeutsche Zeitung, a large Germany daily newspaper, more than a year ago after reporters in Munich were contacted by someone connected with a Panama law firm which creates anonymous offshore companies across the world. But because of the magnitude of documents - some 11.5 million, at least - the Washington, D.C.-based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists was brought into the fold. Roughly 400 journalists from more than 100 media organizations in more than 60 nations were involved in an investigation that covers roughly 40 years of deceit by some of the most powerful people in the world.

And yet, one of the most surprising things about the entire fiasco is the lack of surprise we have in what has been discovered. Yes, the sheer volume of data and individuals involved is pretty amazing. We’re kind of jealous we weren’t invited to the party. But is anyone actually shocked that the wealthiest individuals in the world have been afforded (for a price) the opportunity to hide their earnings in order to not pay taxes on said financial gains?

For years, there has been a growing disconnect between the “haves” and the “have not quite as much” and the “we have almost nothing” in the United States and across the world. This isn’t just about individuals, either; corporations have benefitted from extremely favorable tax laws to either pay a much lower percentage of taxes, or even get refunds despite millions or billions of annual earnings. Meanwhile, Joe Citizen ends up paying a comparatively larger percentage of his salary in taxes.

Much of the political discord taking place in the 2016 presidential campaign is tied to this. The reason so many people are angry with government - and leaders in both major political parties - is due in large measure to the financial frustration individuals have faced the past decade (starting with the 2008 financial meltdown). Whether hesitation is worthy of such anger is up to debate, but the world of “perception is reality” has resulted in thousands of individuals voicing their displeasure with the political status quo in a way not seen for years.

Regardless of who is elected to take over the reins from President Barack Obama in November, this is a situation that those in Washington - whether the political elite or those in the role of political revolution - need to take seriously. There must be some measure of tax law fairness that gives the 99 percent a belief that government truly is of, by, and for the people.

How I Became Christian

When I lived in Michigan, I chose not to register with any political party. As a professional political journalist, who covered local, county and state officials in both major United States political parties, I felt I had a duty and obligation to be as impartial as possible with my coverage of the issues, and believed having no political philosophy that could be pinned on me was an advantage in my reporting on topics important to our readership.

I retained my NPA (no party affiliation) when I moved to Florida in 1999, and a year later discovered there were subtle differences in the voting methods between the two states. In Michigan, anyone could vote in primary elections, regardless of official political leanings. This means that Democrats could vote on the Republican side of the ticket, or vice-versa. It also meant NPAs such as myself could vote on either side of the aisle. The only catch was that you couldn't split your ticket.

Not so in Florida. As I discovered while campaigning for my CPF David Traill (a coworker at South Fork High School who was running for state representative as a Republican), if it's a contested race, only voters within that specific party can vote ... which meant I was not allowed to cast a ballot (and missed voting for the first and only time).

I was with Traill at the Martin County Office of Elections when I discovered this quirk, and was none too pleased to find out I was unable to vote for the man for whom I was campaigning. Despite all the signs posted along roadways, all the fire ant hills I'd stepped in, all the staples we had shot at opposing candidates' signage, I could not make my voice heard at the ballot box. Traill came up with the brilliant idea of inquiring of the elections department employees if I could rescind my registration and re-register. They consulted with the department head for about fifteen minutes, and said it was allowed (although I still couldn't vote in the primary; I'd have to wait until either the general election in November, or a run-off election in October if needed). To the best of their collective knowledge, I was the first individual in Martin County to ever rescind and re-register in one fell swoop.

Traill didn't advance past the primary, so I never did vote for him. But about a month after becoming a member of the GOP, I received a personal letter from The Rev. Donald Wildmon, chairman of the American Family Association. In it, Wildmon said he was writing me because I was "a good Christian voter with good, Christian morals and values."

So, following the logic, by becoming a Republican, I also converted.

Friends of mine had a field day with this. Traill offered to take me Christmas tree shopping. Others offered to introduce me to BLT sandwiches, to mass, and to communion. Others were jealous of me having two paths to heaven.

I have since switched parties (Palm Beach County is more heavily Democrat), but still don't vote along a specific party platform. I'm not sure if I am still Christian, though.

Alphabet Soup

It’s that time of year again. The moment where high school students across the county grab their lucky Number 2 pencils and sit for hours at a time in classrooms, computer labs, and gymnasiums, eagerly answering all sorts to questions about math and literature.

That’s right, next week area juniors will get heir first crack at the newly-revised SAT standardized high-stakes test, courtesy of the School District of Palm Beach County, which has offered the test to all district 11th graders the past few years as a means of helping boost their opportunities for higher education acceptance after they graduate.

About a year ago, Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed an executive order suspending the 11th-grade Florida Standards Assessment for English language arts, which helped (a bit) to lessen the overflow of alphabet soup tests our students are required to take yearly. I'm no fan of Voldemort, but it was (to his credit) one small step in the right direction. Unfortunately, it seems this action was the only step recently to reduce the number of days our students are forced to take a battery of tests assessing reading, writing, math, science, and history. Freshmen and sophomores are still taking the FSA (and will do so in the days following the SAT). In April and May, area students will take AP, Cambridge AICE, and International Baccalaureate subject area tests. And as if national- and state-endorsed testing wasn’t enough, there’s always the Palm Beach Performance Assessment thrown their way by the very district in which they live. And when autumn rolls around, the testing cycle begins all over again.

If our children were automobiles, this would be the equivalent of being in the shop every other day going through diagnostic tests to see how they are performing. Of course, these various assessments aren’t even truly “diagnostic” in nature; teachers and administrators don’t get to see the student responses to be able to truly analyze where improvements are needed in the teaching process, and even if they did get said results, it’s usually months later - and often, the students have different teachers by that point.

I believe there is a time and a place - and a purpose - for properly structured and presented testing. But one of the other huge issues is that the tests keep changing, and the bar keeps shifting as to what constitutes “passing” or “good” scores. If these tests are truly to incorporated into the formal educational process as a way of analyzing student learning, the legislature and testing companies have to stop making changes yearly on what seems to be a whim. The best way to truly assess learning is to use a stable method of assessment, and with structural changes taking place seemingly every year, there is no true way to measure results on a year-to-year basis.

I call, again, to end the madness. Let our students learn more; let our teachers educate more; let both groups test less.

Downsizing The Taj

For years, critics of the School District of Palm Beach County - which includes parents, politicians and teachers employed by the district - have complained loudly and openly (and justifiably) about the bloated work force at its Forest Hill Blvd. headquarters and the vast amount of government waste that permeated from within the Taj Mahal.

But in an announcement this week, Schools Superintendent Robert Avossa pulled a move out of the “downsize government” playbook and showed that maybe, just maybe, a bureaucratic administrator can take a mandate from the masses and make it work.

On Wednesday, Avossa presented an overview of the district’s proposed 2016-21 Strategic Plan to the school board. And the most unexpected part of said plan was a call for elimination of 58 positions in the district’s regional offices, reducing staffs by more than half and eliminating what he has called “redundancy built into the system.”

His proposal is the first of what is expected to be multiple refinements to the district system’s operations, and would take effect in July. More than 100 district employees currently stationed in those offices will need to reapply for new positions; while Avossa said many will be rehired into the 43 jobs that will remain, more than half will have to find positions as school administrators or teachers within the Palm Beach Schools, or possibly leave the school district.

According to Avossa’s plan, approximately $4.5 million will be saved and channeled to the 115 poorest schools within Palm Beach County, meaning the reduction in systematic redundancy will be translated into financial assistance to the students and employees in most dire need of aid.

This is both a financial and marketing coup for Avossa, who has been with the district less than a year. In one fell swoop, he has managed to (a) rid administration of some fat, (b) find a way to keep all those impacted employed with the district if they so choose, and (c) funnel much-needed financial aid to the schools most at risk. And the public relations kudos he has already received from many within the county through this measure has already helped turn a negative view of the district into a positive (although, given the vocal anger targeted at district administration just a day before - when upset parents and students lashed out at its leaders when they refused to delay or cancel classes whilst tornado sirens were blaring in the early morning hours - I'm not sure how much of a positive it became).

Some are calling the announcement “surprising,” but given Avossa’s history, perhaps it shouldn’t be so unexpected. In 2012, he was superintendent of the Fulton County Schools in Georgia, and he streamlined that district’s central office; that restructuring impacted around 60 positions, out of a workforce of 14,000, and included reassignment of employees from the central office to regional offices, where they would work on instructional and curriculum programs to assist or coach teachers on specific needs.

So good move, Dr. Avossa. I applaud your proactive decision.

Now, about those teacher salary increases …