CHIPs Are Falling

It’s been one of the more popular federal programs the past two decades, but Congress failed to renew the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) before its authorization ran out Sept. 30. Now it’s unclear whether legislation to extend the program will pass before states, such as Florida, run out of money to keep the it afloat.

And children’s health is now a political pawn in Washington, D.C.

Enrollees in the state’s CHIP program - known in Florida as KidCare - are required to pay monthly premiums of $15 or $20. KidCare is reliant on federal funding, which accounts for 96 percent of its overall spending. If Congress doesn’t act soon to renew CHIP funding, Florida’s CHIP program will be forced to make some painful - and unpopular - choices. These could include shutting down the program until funding is restored and sending closure notices to thousands of Utah families as early as mid-January.

This problem is not unique to Florida. States across the country will also be running out of funding and left with the same hard decisions.

According to the federal government’s benefits resource website, CHIP provides health coverage to nearly eight million children and families nationally with incomes too high to qualify for Medicaid, but can't afford private coverage. Benefits covered through CHIP include routine check-ups, immunizations, doctor visits, prescriptions, dental and vision care, inpatient and outpatient hospital care, laboratory and X-ray services, and emergency services - in other words, basic health care options.

CHIP usually has near-unanimous bipartisan support, but has been neglected the last quarter of 2017 because of Congressional Republicans’ preoccupation with passing their current tax plan to redistribute our national wealth to billionaires and to repeal the Affordable Care Act. As a result, we have seen our leaders repeatedly ignore the needs of children. Instead, they have taken actions that put children’s health care at risk.

Adding insult to metaphorical injury, the GOP tax plan would repeal the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate which, according to the Congressional Budget Office, will cause 13 million fewer Americans to be covered by 2027 because they will opt not to get insurance. Additionally, Americans could expect a 10 percent spike in premiums in most years over the next decade. So not only are Congressional Republicans not helping children who depend on CHIP, they are repealing the individual mandate, and in doing so, saving over $300 billion to help pay for their massive tax cuts.

And yet, CHIP funding is in limbo.

Taking care of our children’s health care is supposed to be about people, not politics. Sadly, I'm not so sure this is the case anymore, even if the CHIP issue is resolved before it’s too late. I hope Congress gets its priorities straightened out and allow citizens across the nation to have the medical certainty they deserve and need.

A Small Step For Educators

It’s not what teachers in the Palm Beach School District were hoping for, but a moderate pay raise will pacify 12,500 educators, as well as other district employees and administrators in the new year.

The agreement, unanimously approved by the district Board of Education this week, gives teachers evaluated as “effective” last year 2.75 percent raises, while those rated “highly effective” are in line for a 3.5 percent increase in pay. The tentative raises are retroactive to July 1, and will be the largest that the county’s teachers have seen in four years if ratified by the Classroom Teachers Association membership.

District administrators, including Superintendent Dr. Robert Avossa, will see 3 percent raises.

In all, the raises will tally around $30 million.

While CTA President Justin Katz implied he is generally pleased with the final negotiation numbers - and there are some notable improvements over recent contracts - I'm not sure we’d call it a “victory.” Since the loss of automatic annual “step” salary increases several years ago, plus increases associated with insurance, teacher raises have not kept up with the cost of living; many teachers have lost thousands of dollars annually between what they were projected to make and where they stand today.

Factor in higher annual salaries and benefit packages in other states (especially along the east coast and in New England), and there are reasons the Palm Beach School District, like virtually every other district in Florida, is struggling to both bring in newer qualified educators and retain the educators recently hired.

On Facebook, Katz noted there “are efforts in the works to address salary compression” which will be dealt with during next year's negotiations. So possibly there’s hope on the horizon that teachers’ salaries may bounce back to where many believe they should be on the overall salary scale. 

The district is also pondering asking residents to support a small property tax increase, with the funds dedicated to teacher salaries in hopes of keeping them in district classrooms. Under the proposal being pushed by Avossa, voters would pay about $25 more per $100,000 of assessed property on their tax bills. If put on the ballot and approved, this would provide about $50 million a year toward teacher salaries.

While it’s easy to point at the district - and they are not entirely blameless here - at least they’re trying to be proactive. I'm not sure the same can be said in either the state or federal capitol. Many of the problems with funding public education in Florida today - that’s public education as a whole, not just salaries - stems from issues in both Washington, D.C. and Tallahassee. The continued push to use public education funding for charter schools, plus the continued chipping away of money dedicated to districts the past decade, has led to less financial flexibility for the district. 

Back in April, Avossa encouraged continued communication with state lawmakers, urging them to open the fiscal pursestrings and make education funding a priority. I urge continued open communications with both lawmakers and the work force you represent, and look forward to when teachers are truly compensated to where they want to stay in the profession. 

#MeToo

High-profile sexual harassment. Just a few years ago, it caused barely a ripple in the media, with the mid-1990s claims against President Bill Clinton and the early-2010s accusations against Bill Cosby seeming the only notable high-profile celebrity cases.

But in the past 13 months, starting with President Donald Trump’s infamous “Grab them by the pussy” Access Hollywood tape, it seems as if virtually every notable male member of the media and United States political machine has been infected by the Sexual Harassment Plague. It’s a “who’s who” list - Harvey Weinstein, Roy Moore, Charlie Rose, Al Franken, Matt Lauer, Garrison Keillor, John Conyers, David Sweeney, Louis C.K., Richard Dreyfuss, Dustin Hoffman, Andrew Kreisberg, John Lasseter, Jeremy Piven, Ben Affleck, Steven Seagal, Kevin Spacey, Jeffrey Tambor, George Takei, Mark Halperin, George H.W. Bush … and that’s just (some of) the names which have come out the past month!

What we are seeing today is a live-action broadcast of Howard Beale’s famous meltdown in Network: women today are mad as hell about being sexually harassed, and they’re not gonna take it anymore!

In large part, the extremely recent turn of events is a backlash against Trump, who has been accused at least 15 times since the 1980s of sexual assault and sexual harassment, and whose election on the heels of the previously-noted Access Hollywood tape revelation led to concerns of women being marginalized in the workplace and society.

And what a backlash it has been, starting with the Women's March - a worldwide protest on January 21, 2017 advocating legislation and policies regarding human rights, women's rights, immigration reform, healthcare reform, reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, racial equality, freedom of religion, and workers' rights. Far from being marginalized, women have found a rallying cry and a voice. And the proverbial dam burst with the graphic, detailed allegations by multiple women against Hollywood mogul Weinstein.

Which leads me to wonder, are men really that naive about sexual harassment?

It sure seems so. And that’s scary as hell.

But what is also scary to us is the real possibility that some of the already-accused and to-be-accused may very well be innocent of the allegations. Some of those listed previously deny the claims; others may be targeted by political opportunists. We’ve seen witch hunts before; just ask the good people of Salem, Mass. They aren’t for the feint of heart.

So, let’s keep our eye on the big picture. The only “good” Sexual Harassment in the Workplace is the smooth 1988 instrumental by Frank Zappa.

First of all, the punishment should fit the crime; there’s a world of difference between sexual harassment and an inappropriate relationship, and the last thing proponents of the charge need is to become this generation’s McCarthy Red Scare.

Secondly, as the Washington Post did with a failed sting operation recently - where the conservative watchdog group Project Veritas attempted to discredit the paper by planting a bogus story about Moore impregnating a 15-year-old - the media needs to do serious fact-checking on allegations before publishing stories. For those who have been accused, unjustly, they will be unable to fully clear their names with the public. And that’s just wrong.

Just as sexual harassment is wrong.

On The Air: The Connection Between Radio Broadcasting and the Debate World

QUIZ TIME: Which of these is not like the others? Oprah Winfrey, Tom Brokaw, Jane Pauley, Paul L. Gaba.

That last guy? That would be me. Yes, putting myself in the same sentence with three iconic broadcasters might seem narcissistic and vain. But I do have significant broadcasting training and experience. I’m just, um, using it differently. In a career called speech and debate.

I’ve been coaching speech and debate in Florida since 2000, and hundreds of students have enrolled in my class the past 17 years. Many have inquired about my own debating experiences. Sadly, my high school offered no such program. However, “radio broadcasting” was an option, and I spent 2 1/2 years as a DJ and newscaster at the Bloomfield Hills (Mich.) School District’s educational radio station, WBFH-FM. And while “radio broadcasting” and “debate” might seem as alike as chalk and cheese, the skills I learned at “The Biff” prepared me for all of my professional experiences.

While yearbook, newspaper, and marketing were available, I quickly caught the radio bug. It was exciting, a chance to do something beyond the mundane required courses. It offered an opportunity to speak into a microphone and spin tunes – for a grade! And to wear cool shades and sign autographs – for groupies! And to emulate the cool cats on WKRP in Cincinnati (a staple of early 1980s air aces).

But beyond these perks were numerous life skills, which are universally applicable to those taught in debate. Both hone critical thinking, researching, writing, and oral communication abilities. Both involve mentorship of students from an adult supervisor, and of newer students by program veterans. Both utilize real world knowledge. Both are comprised of close-knit groups of highly intelligent and motivated young adults, many of whom remain friends long after graduation. Both teach management, teamwork, confidence, and important “people skills.” And both give youth a purpose.

At the time, I didn’t realize this; but one of the great things about education is its impact is measured futuristically. Looking back, I see the powerful foundation radio provided me scholastically and professionally.

My radio teacher and mentor was Pete Bowers, who was the only general manager WBFH knew from its inception in 1976 until his retirement in June 2017. And I can say, unequivocally, the biggest positive influences in my life include Bowers, who helped guide me to a focus on broadcasting and journalism as an undergrad at Central Michigan University, and later into teaching.

“Even though most of my students didn’t go into broadcasting, it’s still one of the best classes someone can take because of the life skills they learn,” Bowers says. “You keep hearing, ‘People need better communication skills.’ Well, I hope that's what they learn here.”

Great teachers like Bowers make a difference. And Bowers cared. Passionately. About the product being put on the air, and – more importantly – for the students under his guidance.

Practical application of life skills is common to both debate and radio. “You can read a book on how to be an on-air personality 30 times, but you’ll never be good until you actually do it,” Bowers says. “And every time you do something, the better you will be. I had them do show prep, so they knew what ‘hot topics’ were out there to talk about. I mean, for the school musical, you have three months to prepare for a few shows; in radio, you have three minutes to prepare for each performance.”

“The exercise of on-air prep – such as compiling news stories, sports scores, and writing on-air commercials – provided as much useful real-world experience as any college course would,” says Detroit Lions Marketing Manager and WBFH alum Frank Novak. “The skills I learned played a huge role in not only building that first resume, but providing me with the background and experience I could take into the ‘real world.’”

Along with “live” impromptu and extemp moments (quick, how does the DJ handle dead air when the song doesn’t play on cue?), radio and debate go hand-in-hand in myriad ways. Morning shows are full of humorous (and often team) interpretations as part of the schtick. Sportscasting requires “setting the scene” for listeners. Newscasting or hosting a talk show mandates being on top of current events, locally and globally, as well as solid oration and interviewing skills. And radio is, of course, “theatre of the mind,” with no costumes or props - just like interpretation events.

“In radio, you have to be compelling and interesting, because there’s nowhere to hide. It’s up to you to engage the audience, and I learned that in educational radio,” says WBFH alum Matt Friedman, founder of the Tanner Friedman Strategic Communications public relations firm in Detroit. “You are on the spot at some point, and you have to figure out a way to deliver.”

There’s also management skills. “Regardless of what you may go into as a career, you will most likely have people working underneath you,” Bowers says. “You have to handle those kinds of responsibilities at a high school radio station.” Radio students manage and work in various departments, such as news, sales, and promotions; debate offers leadership as interp, congress, or debate events captains, among other options. And both programs usually have a student president to coordinate and lead by example.

As with debate, high school radio veterans work with newer students to learn the ropes, whether in using digital recording equipment, writing news copy, or airing phone calls live. Students also need to be able to conduct interviews, do sports broadcasts and remotes from news events, and handle other "professional" broadcast duties, in between studying for exams and doing homework for other classes.

“It’s fun to see advanced students work with the newer staff to learn these things,” Bowers says. “I could go in there and do that, but it’s way better when one of your advanced students engineer shows and teach them how to be an air personality – how to run the board, find things they need to play, read the weather live. They learn what it’s like to be the teacher.

“And as they progress as a student broadcaster, when I listen to them, I can tell if it’s an improvement, and make sure to mention it to them the next time I see them,” Bowers says. “I think that’s important for an educator, to provide that kind of feedback.”

Both debate and radio provide confidence to young adults. “My high school radio teacher (David Albery) gave me the confidence and knowledge to make it happen,” says Cara Carriveau, afternoon drive host at WSHE in Chicago, who started at West Bloomfield (Mich.) High School’s WBLD. “His belief in my abilities was so amazing, I can't even imagine how my life would have turned out had I not taken that radio class. I certainly would have struggled in college, and in fact may never have even figured out my passion for a career in radio at all.”

“High school radio made me a better conversationalist and made me well read,” adds Christopher Grindrod, a WOVI (Novi, Mich.) alum who spent several years in Bonaire (an island in the Leeward Antilles) with the international broadcast ministry Trans World Radio.

Since 2003, WBFH has been recognized as the best high school radio station in the nation six times, and the top high school station in Michigan 11 times, with numerous students earning honors in various individual state and national broadcasting categories. Fourteen students have attended the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communication at Syracuse University - the top broadcast/journalism school in the nation.

“It’s nice to be recognized, but we don’t do what we do to win state and national awards,” Bowers says. “However, it is a nice motivator for younger students.”

Another parallel with debate.

Looking back, some of the coolest things about being in high school radio was the variety of unique experiences it provided. Like playing a charity basketball game against DJs from a professional Detroit-area rock and roll station, or the annual marathon to raise money for the March of Dimes, which involved seeking pledges for songs or goody stunts.

The irony is Bowers never planned to go into education. “When I was at Central Michigan University, I’d sit around the radio station with my broadcasting peers and we’d talk about, after we’ve been in the business for a long time, how nice it would be to buy our own radio stations, to program what we wanted, to hire who we wanted,” Bowers says. “Well, that happened to me at age 23. I remember the job posting said ‘radio station manager,’ and I said, ‘Sounds good to me!’

“Teaching wasn’t part of it. Then (the district) said, ‘By the way, at some point we’ll be offering classes,” Bowers says. “I told them, ‘I don’t have a teaching certificate.’ So they worked to get me vocationally certified. I had never done any student teaching, or even taken an education course. And they said, ‘Well, it’s just like any other class, except you’re in the front.’”

In some ways, this parallels the world of high school debate coaches – the difference being we become educators with the intent of teaching. And then administration swoops in and entices us into coaching. This usually happens when we are new to the profession, meaning we (a) have time and (b) need the financial stipend to (c) help pay those impending college loans.

Trial by fire. Many a debate coach (and every novice) have been there.

Bowers literally built the station from scratch. There were no “Introduction to Radio” textbook, so he used the Federal Communication Commission licensing guidelines as source material. He created 40 “minimum objectives” for students to achieve every semester, showing basic proficiency in a variety of areas such as recording promotions and writing news copy. He incorporated “old time radio” programs from the 1930s into teaching the history of radio broadcasting.

Bowers may have started out focusing on management, but he’d turned 180 degrees by the time he retired. “I got to love teaching,” Bowers says. “It was like being a stand-up comic wanna-be. I had the microphone, which I walked around the class with. I used props. I had lots of stories (from my college radio career), and I always tried to relate them to the topics we talked about, to try and pass along my experiences to them. Keeping the attention of teens for 90 minutes isn’t easy.”

Looking back, I spent nearly 20 years in communications prior to becoming an educator. I took my experience at WBFH and scored a mid-week graveyard shift at the college FM station – a rarity for freshmen. While still in college, I landed employment at WWJ, Detroit’s all-news radio station. After graduation, I worked a variety of newspaper jobs across Michigan, covering everything from local high school sports to corruption in county government. And in the mid-1990s, while I was free-lancing for The Detroit News, Bowers offered me the WBFH assistant manager position, which led me back to college, a teaching degree, and a move to Florida in 1999.

I’m not alone in following that kind of path. “My experience at WSDP set the trajectory of my career at the age of 16,” says Central Michigan University associate broadcast professor Patty Williamson, an alum of the Plymouth (Mich.) station. “I chose my college based on the strength of their broadcasting program, worked in commercial radio for a decade, and then decided to go back to school for advanced degrees in the same field. Now I teach young aspiring broadcasters and filmmakers. The experiences I had at my high school station gave me the foundational skills I've built upon for the past 30 years.”

So while Oprah, Tom, and Jane used their debate experiences to foster careers in broadcasting, I brought my radio background into the debate classroom. I incorporate many of the lessons Bowers provided over four decades as a model. The crux is helping young adults learn how to harness their inner voice and make it shine. In some cases, their voices were already there, but needed to be fine-tuned; in others, they didn't even realize they had a voice. I can only hope to have been, and to be, as positive an influence for my students as Pete Bowers was for his.

Take that, Oprah!

You can watch Pete Bowers’ retirement ceremony video, where alumni such as myself paid tribute, below:

This originally appeared in the November/December 2017 edition of The Rostrum.

Time, The Avenger

Does time exist? This has been a philosophical quandary for years. For example, the philosophy of time that takes the view that only the present is real is called “presentism,” while the view that all points in time are equally “real” is referred to as “eternalism.” 

Regardless of this argument, time - a man-made concept - does exist. We use a clock to measure time; information about time tells us the durations of events, and when they occur, and which events happen before which others. Nevertheless, despite 2,500 years of investigation into the nature of time, there are many unresolved issues.

One of those unresolved issues is whether we really need to have Daylight Savings Time as part of our world. This is a timely subject since DST ends at 2 a.m. Sunday, November 5, which means we turn our physical clocks back an hour and “re-gain” the hour we “lost” back in March.

There are advantages and disadvantages to adjusting time. Among the “pro” arguments: while changing the clocks does not create extra daylight, it does impact when the sun rises and sets; this creates an additional hour of natural daylight, and longer evenings, thus both boosting the economy and motivating people to get out of the house. Activities such as boating, golf, shopping, and dining out, are all increased when it’s light out.

More natural light means energy savings, too, because people are less reliant on artificial light for activities. A 2016 study by researchers from Prague’s Charles University and the Czech National Bank on energy use and DST found a positive relationship between latitude and energy savings.

Studies have also found DST contributes to improved road safety by reducing pedestrian fatalities by 13% during dawn and dusk hours, and that there is a seven-percent decrease in robberies following the spring shift to DST. (No word on whether robberies increase seven percent after the autumn shift.)

For all this DST rah-rah, there are some concerns. The biggest negative is health-related. Changing the time disrupts our body clocks. For most people, the resulting tiredness is simply an inconvenience; for others, however, the time change can have more serious consequences. A 2009 study in the Journal of Applied Psychology links the lack of sleep at the start of DST to car accidents, workplace injuries, suicide, and miscarriages. Further, the early evening darkness after the end of the DST period is linked to depression. And the risk of suffering a heart attack is also increased when DST begins. (However, the extra hour of sleep we get at the end of DST has in turn been linked to fewer heart attacks.)

Several states are exploring the idea of removing DST from their lexicon. Florida is not among them, nor does it appear on the horizon in Tallahassee. Nor does moving all of Florida into the Eastern Time Zone; currently, the western half of the Panhandle is in the Central Time Zone. But that’s another discussion for another time.