Practically Speaking

The room was packed; emotions ran high. Maybe 80 residents were in attendance? Judging from the Pro 4K-ers holding up little yellow "4K Yes" paper hands, they outnumbered those against maybe 5 to 1.  I thought to myself, Oh, this is going to be an emotion filled night. I was right. (My aside comments will be in parenthesis.)

Superintendent Matt Gibson opened the topic at 7:55pm stating that 4K was 1 of 25 ideas discussed as ways to ease Elmbrook's financial problems. 4K was the only one that had an educational and revenue benefit to it. He gave the statistic of 70% of districts in Wisconsin have 4K and touted that our 4K brought in more dollars than it spends: Cost $800,000 Brings in $2 million. (We can debate that at another time.)

Then Matt said something I really took issue to. He predicted 5 board members will vote FOR continuing 4K and said something about pressure on the newest board member.

I don't think that was proper at all!

Gibson then stated that he saw 4K as essential to replace declining enrollment. Then he gave the usual cautions of if we don't approve 4K, we think we can keep electives and interventions but the district would also need to look at closing schools or a referendum to raise the cap. (Check the cable broadcast for exact words.)

Board President Meg Wartman then said, that as we look at the same question and issue from different sides we may have different remedies: financial and educational. That told me she was still a no vote.

Now the public comment parade.

First was Julie Cramer, Hillside Principal. Of course she extolled the marvelous educational and socialization attributes of the 4K program. She also relied on the too familiar argument for keeping any pilot program in place: We already invested $500,000 in the program (as if that justifies anything).

Next was the Principal from Brookfield El. She raised the question: Do we need it? Students are fine without it--they have been fine without it for 40 years. Is fine good enough? Our vision has been to be an exemplary district. (We could be exemplary in that Elmbrook spends money very wisely--only on programs that show real benefit!)

I think 14 spoke in all--only one against. Emotions were high as the parents and grandparents told of their child's wonderful experiences with our 4K. One woman, Laurie B-something, a Psychiatrist in the community, was all excited because her little one recently at the Dr.s office knew their left from their right. She saw that as a milestone evidently.

Other comments included that 4K attracted young families to our community, those who favored 4K also favored the high school referendum, parents felt they could not "pull out" the energy and excitement from their child, and that it was not about the money: even without a 4K program, they would pay a private school for the 4K program if necessary.

Time for board discussion. Ziegler made the motion and Steve Schwei (on the phone) talked about 4K filling up the decline and deferring the need for cuts.

Tom Gehl commented first on the process saying he was deeply concerned with how Matt Gibson introduced the topic tonight. I hope I never hear a prediction on a vote prior [to voting] to relieve pressure on a new board member, he said. (So, Matt's comments did not sit well with Tom either.)

The only new information I heard was from Glen Allgaier. That man has really done his homework! He said those studies that the pro 4K-ers cited to show 4K to be beneficial were in regards to Kindergarten readiness, not long term benefit.

Eileen Depka, the Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services was pushing hard to keep 4K.

Cheri Sylla then proposed the Sunset 4K motion (5 year trial). The board eventually voted and it failed, 4-3.

Matt, now shaken, brings up our Strategic Plan--the Vision Statement. He concludes with 4K is one more piece of advance planning.

Meg took issue with his assumption that a No vote showed a lack of planning. She said, 4K came out of a financed need in the 2005 study and 4K was not even at the top of the list. Since then, we have been trying to prove academic merit, which we can't find. That brought up a startling comment regarding all day 5K. Meg questioned the benefits of all day 5K--We have not even tried to show the benefit of it by 5th grade--have we ever shown 5th grade gain? (Again, check the broadcast for her exact words.)

Meg concluded her remarks with, leadership sometimes means going against [what is popular] and looking at your neighbors and saying I can't. I have not supported 4K in the past or today; High School facilities [meetings] talks about wants vs needs. I don't know they have to have it [4K].

Eileen again pushes for passage of 4K citing the 400 responses from pro 4K residents. Tom Gehl questions that number and reminds her that since the 400 were from separate surveys, many of those were repeats.

Surprisingly, Steve Schwei pipes up again asking if they voted for a Sunset vote. (I thought they already did this.) But they vote AGAIN! Same result: 4 no--3 yes.

Now a woman, I think Laurie B, from the audience is allowed to speak before the board! This struck me as very unusual since it was in the middle of the discussion period. There were already 2 failed votes. Plus, I think this was the same Psychiatrist who was so excited that her youngster knew their left from their right spoke up. (Check the broadcast.) She was practically in tears, You are dealing with our kids lives! Etc. etc.

More discussion by the board. Finally, the board votes at around 10 pm. The results are the same: Elmbrook rejects 4K 

The four board members, Gehl, Wartman, Allgier, and Murphy showed real strength by voting NO amidst such emotions, but vote no they did.

Making these kind of unpopular decisions must be difficult. But in the future, because of budget constraints, we will have to look at each and every aspect of public education and weigh it in the light of does it show real merit and is the gain worth the investment.

Please send a note of thanks to these board members. It was a rough night!

P.S. I have tried to give a flavor of the night here for those of you (like me) who don't have cable TV. If I find out some of this information is incorrect, I will post a correction.

I have to admit that seeing the sea of yellow hands being held up by the hopeful citizens last night made me smile. It reminded me of an evening in the spring of 2003 when a group I was involved in earnestly held up little green trees during a common council meeting.

Our neighborhood was passionate about saving our Kinsey Park woods from an 8 foot wide asphalt bike road.  We worked hard as a neighborhood, petitioning, leafleting the neighborhood, speaking before the council and parks department meetings, lobbying the aldermen and meeting with the mayor.

All that work culminated in a council vote one night. During that meeting, whenever an alderman said something against our plan, the sea of trees were held high and waved. Fortunately for us, we prevailed with a 7-6 vote.

Seeing the yellow hands last night reminded me of my experience 4 years ago. I had to laugh to myself how holding up that little green tree changed my life so.

My Kinsey Park issue was what sparked my interest in local politics and life has not been the same since!

The Kinsey Park issue also marked a turning point in local politics. It was only the 2nd incident, in recent times, that the public swayed the political process.

Since that time there have been a few more times that the public made their voices heard loud and clear.

Our Common Council votes are no longer 12-2 in favor of the mayor's agenda. The School Board demonstrated last night that they are willing to make the tough decisions.

I hope that people will step forward to run for the council and board positions open this spring. It would be such a shame to go back to business as usual. 

 Allgiaer, Murphy, Wartman, and Gehl vote NO

More later... 

I hope you are planning to attend the school board meeting tonight. I am planning on being there. It will probably be a very late evening.

The meeting starts at 7pm at the administration offices at 13780 Hope Street. If you are approaching from Capitol Drive, just turn right on 138th Street. Then take the fork to the right, which is 137th. Hope is the first cross street. Turn right and you will see the building set back a bit from that corner.

If you have never been at one of these meetings, you may speak, but only for a very brief time: 2 minutes, I think. I am not sure they require you to sign in ahead of time, but either way, you must state your name and address.

I am sure there will be a whole host of pro 4K people there who will speak--either those with children now in the program or parents of preschoolers who wish their children to attend 4K for "free" in the future. They will probably tell the board how much their little one enjoys the program or how much this program is needed. (It takes a strong soul to withstand these pleas designed to evoke a sympathetic, Its for the children YES vote.)

If you come to the meeting and speak, may I suggest you keep your comments brief, polite, and to the point. 

4K shows no longterm academic benefit.

For every student enrolled, the Elmbrook taxpayers must contribute to their educational expenses.

We don't have room for the present 200 students. Where are we going to put the 300 or potential 500 students? 

You may wish to cite the quote from the Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel's Oct 8th article:

"It [4K] would, however, cost the taxpayers more money, because it would be funded primarily from increased property taxes. The district would be allowed to collect more taxes because of its increased enrollment."

Lastly, you might wish to remind the board that if they want to be taken seriously regarding our high school needs, they should be looking for ways to reduce unnecessary teaching and support staff, classroom load, costly additions, and needless tax burden to the Elmbrook taxpayers instead of increasing them by implementing 4K.

IF you have not called Patrick Murphy yet, please do. He is key to the decision tonight. 

This is not a political commentary posting! It is about soup.

I grew up in a home that was not very enthused about turkey, but I married a turkey-a-holic!

It must be an inherited trait on the Y chromosome, because both my guys cannot get enough of the big bird!

Sadly, our turkey leftovers are history, but there is one last meal to be had from our Thanksgiving feast, and that is turkey soup. I make it just as I would chicken soup.

I take the roasted carcass and pick off all the meat I can and refrigerate. Place the bones, scraps, and even the skin into a large soup pot.

Cover with water and add a small onion, stalk of celery, and carrot. A few parsley stalks are good too. Simmer for a few hours.

Strain the contents through a collandar into a big bowl or another pot and return the broth to the soup kettle. Skim off excess fat.

Peel a few carrots and slice into disks, chop a med. onion, and slice up a few celery stalks and add these to the pot.

Simmer an hour longer and taste. Add salt and pepper to taste and some freshly chopped parsley (or dried).

By this time the bones are cool enough to go through, removing any pieces of meat. Put the meat in the broth.

Add more of the meat you set aside when you started the soup and cut into bite-sized pieces and toss in the pot.

Now you have a choice to make: Turkey Dumpling Soup or Turkey, Rosemary, Rice Soup.

For Turkey Dumpling, just take 1 beaten egg, 1 t salt, and 1 C white flour. Mix together until you can't get any more four into the egg and break off little pieces of the dough and toss into the boiling broth. Cook about 20 min. My guys really like these crude dumplings, so I make double the amount.

For the Turkey, Rosemary, Rice soup, add a sprig of rosemary to the soup, some cooked brown and wild rice (if you have any), and a few drops of Tabasco sauce. This of course it to taste. Simmer 20 minutes and then fish out the rosemary. If you have a herb bag or large tea ball, this would keep the rosemary leaves together. This soup creation came from a friend and we really like it just as well as the dumpling variation.

Depending on how much turkey you had to start with, you might have to add a little chicken bullion to make it more flavorful.

Anyway, turkey soup, either variation, has become a real family favorite. I freeze the left overs and keep them for future meals. It is like money in the bank!

Try it with your Christmas Turkey.
 

I know I pick on Lucy Ricardo of I Love Lucy fame from time to time, but no other character so easily embodies ridiculous thinking when it comes to money. Lucy Ricard math is: the reasoning process by which Lucy justifies a faulty fiscal policy in order to finagle what she wants out of Rickey.

Currently, some Elmbrook administrators and board members are engaging in what I call, Lucy Ricardo math by thinking that by boosting enrollment, we can ease our budget woes.

Tomorrow the board votes on keeping or discontinuing 4K. The board and administration admit there is not much real academic gain to a 4K program but tout it as a way to boost revenue.

In a recent article, Gibson said, "...finances are the key reason [for 4K]" and "...the main motivation for adding 4-K was financial..." and "If the board does not approve 4-K, members will need to find other ways to 'shore up' enrollment and revenues to avoid major budget cuts, he said."

Bob Borch, in the Elmbrook Link last January, urged increasing all possible enrollments for the same reason. We can see this desire to recruit every possible student in the district's reluctance to limit enrollment to resident students.  

Board President Meg Wartman, however, seems to "get it"; that adding more students to the Elmbrook School District is not the way to ease budget problems. (Meg does not buy into the Lucy Ricardo Math scenario.) She appears to understand that every student added means added expense for Elmbrook taxpayers and added burden on facilities, faculty, and services. 

In a recent article, Board President Wartman commented that raising the revenue cap instead of starting a 4K program to generate income for Elmbrook was a better solution. I would agree...to a point.*

I think her statement about raising the revenue cap leads me to believe that she understands that while adding 300 4K  students will increase Elmbrook's income, it would be at a huge expense to the taxpayers. She is also factoring in the increased burden 4K will place on facilities, faculty, and services--none of which are cost free. .

Adding 300 4K students would generate approx. $1,950,000 for Elmbrook's budget, but the majority, about $1.5 million of this comes directly from the Elmbrook taxpayers. Only about $450,000 comes from state aids.

Since the 4K program is estimated to cost Elmbrook around $860,000 out of their school budget, (the Journal recently stated $2 million) it seems foolish to burden Elmbrook's taxpayers with another $1.5 million just to get the $450,000 of "free" state aid money for a program that costs nearly twice that amount.

We cannot enroll our way out of our budget problems. Lucy Ricardo might do that, but intelligent people in the real world would not.

We may all Love Lucy, but not as Elmbrook's financial adviser!

*I agree...to a point. Simply raising the revenue cap with no effort to cut out the fat in the budget, is not something I would advocate, but even that may be more cost effective than increasing student populations which will prompt the need for more classrooms, teachers, support staff, and services. In a budget as large as the Elmbrook School District's certainly there are places to make thoughtful reductions. 

Recently at a neighborhood party, a few of the moms were talking about school and the high cost of private school tuition. Two of them had their children enrolled in parochial elementary and high schools.

I believe it is the right of every parent to choose the type of school their child attends.Sending children to private school or homeschooling them is a financial sacrifice many parents are willing to make, but as our property taxes increase it is a choice that is becoming increasingly difficult. (The major portion of your bill is the school tax).

That discussion reminded me of something I read in January's 2007 Elmbrook Link regarding the budget.

There has never been a greater need than now to recruit all possible resident-student enrollments into our schools, according to assistant superintendent for finance and operations, Bob Borch. The amount of revenue that the State of Wisconsin allows school districts to receive each year is based on enrollment figures under what are called, "state revenue caps." Either the School District of Elmbrook increases its resident enrollment as one way to produce more revenue or it must continue to make dramatic spending cuts to keep the annual budget in balance.  (Emphasis added)

When that publication came out, some people made the comment that because property taxes (school taxes) were getting so high, soon residents would have no choice but to send their kids to public school--they couldn't could afford tuition on top of the property taxes. Elmbrook was taxing us out of our ability to choose! This holds true for homeschoolers too. (Most homeschool moms cannot work outside the home and teach their children at the same time, so they are single income families.) 

The absurdity of Elmbrook's rational in their wish to recruit every possible student is unbelievable. In very rounded numbers, the total cost per student is $13,000/year. The district receives about $3,000/student from the coveted state reimbursement mentioned in the Link. The remaining $10,000 per student comes from us, the ELMBROOK School District taxpayers!

But cost aside, is this what Public Schools were designed to be? Something that parents had to enlist their children in with out a choice? A drift net that would snag and snare every living creature in its path? Or was the concept of the public school set up to be a safety net, designed to catch those who fell through the cracks, to keep them from injury.

If we look at the history of public education in the United States, we see that the Puritans were the first to implement free public education in the colonies. They wanted their children to be literate so they could read the Bible. It is ironic that the very reason for free public education is evolving into a mandate to attend a school where God cannot be mentioned nor a Bible read.

The first free public school in the United States was not available until the mid 1800s. (Section, The Beginning of the Public Education System)

The common-school reformers argued for the case on the belief that common schooling could create good citizens, unite society and prevent crime and poverty.

These reformers thought education should not just be for the wealthy, who could afford tuition to a private school or a tutor, but be available to all American children. It was not until 1918 that there even was a Federal law on the books requiring compulsory elementary school attendance in all states. These laws came about to ensure that all children, regardless of financial ability to pay, could reap the benefits of a basic education.   

Many families today are already being priced out of their ability to choose the type of education their child receives by the very system of public education (and resulting high property taxes) that was created to ensure all children be educated.  If this pattern of ever increasing school property taxes continues, then ironically, the only families that will still be able to choose will again be those who are very wealthy, or in select districts, the poor who qualify for school choice vouchers.

Elmbrook must come to terms that they must find other ways to work within their budget than just continually trying to increase their student enrollments. Recruiting all the resident students who currently attend private schools, non-resident students, and now the possible 4K students, just to receive the paltry (in comparison to the total cost) state aid monies to boost their budget is not the answer.

Enrollments will continue to drop. That is just the reality of the aging baby boom. Adding 4K may ease Elmbrook's budget woes for now (not the Embrook taxpayers' burden), but how will that help when enrollments drop further?

Elmbrook will suggest adding all day 4K, to double the state aid money. Then they will suggest adding 3K. The real answer lies in cutting the fat out of the budget and improving efficiency, and only asking the public to fund our own students.

Elmbrook needs to be reminded that they only receive about 25% of actual cost for each Elmbrook student from the state (that includes Elmbrook taxes too) and that it is the Elmbrook taxpayer that must make up the remaining 75%.

Elmbrook's drift net mentality costs the taxpayer about $10,000 per student. At that price, how does snagging a larger catch help us? 

Thanksgiving, like many other holidays and historical events these days, is losing its original significance. Christmas has de-evolved into a holiday gift getting frenzy--totally ignoring the birth of Christ, the original reason for the holiday. Easter no longer celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ but instead is a time of Easter egg hunts, bunnies and ham dinners.

Thanksgiving lately is either skipped over entirely as the world of retail moves immediately from Halloween to Christmas Holiday decorations and catalog ads. If the November holiday is mentioned, it is now a time set aside for "Turkey Day" and thanking those around us. My son was given a children's music tape by Steve Chapin that had a whole song about Thanksgiving being a time to have a family dinner and thanking the earth for food! This is not what Thanksgiving was ever intended to be.

Thanksgiving is a holiday celebration set aside to thank the Almighty for His providential care for us. Not to thank the earth. Not to thank your wife or neighbor or baby sitter. I don't have a problem with thanking people; I think we should thank those who work hard or are helpful. It is just that thanking those around us was not the original intent of the holiday.

Lest you think I am indulging in a little revisionist history of my own, read this post from Thanksgiving 2006 to see what our first president had to say about this holiday. 

“The father of our country understood that every action he took while president would establish a precedent for future officeholders, and he kept that in mind throughout his eight years in the White House. He wanted to make certain that future presidents acted with humility and respected the separation of powers among the three branches of government.”

That quote came directly from, The Everything American Government Book. Keep that quote in mind, that George Washington understood that every action he took established precedent, as you read his Thanksgiving proclamation of 1789.

Other presidents have made Thanksgiving proclamations since Washington. Tom Gehl included excerpts from Lincoln’s proclamation in his excellent blog piece from last year, For The Giving of Thanks.

There are a couple things to note in yesterday's Brookfieldnow article. The first is the subtitle: Few academic gains, tax costs are concerns

Bringing the tax cost in is misleading because it implies that the (our) tax cost would be less if we adopted a 4K program. Even though academically it does not improve children's lives, it does improve our tax situation, says those pro-4K.

Their argument is, "The increased revenue cap would help fund programs and services for all students, not just 4-year-olds, Gibson said."

The opposite, however, is true. Elmbrook's budget will increase by keeping 4K, but the taxpayer's tax bill does not go down as a result. The taxpayers are the ones funding this increased budget for Elmbrook. It does not help us.

One component of 4K that I don't think has been addressed by the board is where are we going to put the potential 500 students. Currently we have 200. They are planning on 300, with a total potential of 500. We don't have room for them all.

The administration keeps telling us that after the high school referendum is passed there is only one more phase--a minor one. Don't believe it. If we adopt a permanent or even sunsetted 4K, we will need to add on to our elementary schools. 

Tom Gehl, opposed to 4K, said that Research has not shown academic benefits to be sustainable beyond early elementary school. He is right--he understands.

Steve Schwei, Bob Ziegler and Cheri Sylla approve of 4K expansion. The paper said, "Each acknowledged the lack of long-term benefits demonstrated in the research but said they think Elmbrook has the ability to establish a more rigorous, challenging program that will show sustainable academic gains."

Unbelievable. They DON"T get it! This is exactly the worst thing you can do to a 4 year old--putting them into a more rigorous program. Children need to be children, free to learn and explore on their own through observation of the real world and creative play. Earlier rigors will only create very burned out, unhappy children once they hit 5th grade.

Did you notice the price went up again? The last quote I saw was around $860,000 a year. This article stated $2 million! Don't forget to add in the future elementary referendum for adding more kindergarten classroom space. 

There was a reference to one pro 4K parent who spoke in favor, the paper said, "she found it sad that the critical argument in the K4 debate has been cost." The point she is missing is that it is the administration itself that is making the emphasis on money.

The article concluded with, "Academics aside, Superintendent Matt Gibson said the continuation of K4 has financial benefits that may be critical to the district". If I were him, I would put academics aside too because there is no real benefit. (Sylla, Schwei, and Ziegler acknowledge the lack of benefit too.)

So, it is all about the money. Never mind that the 4K program really does not work--it lacks true academic benefits. Never mind that the taxpayers will foot the bill for all of the increases. All the administration and some board members care about is that their budget will increase.

I call that sad.

 
Contact the board--especially Patrick Murphy, by phone, in person, or letter and Glen Allgaier.

If you don't want the Elmbrook School District to implement a permanent 4K program, you better contact the board soon, or forever hold your peace. The board will vote on this next week Tuesday, Nov. 27.

Be sure to mention that adopting a 5 year Sunset Clause (the program would be discontinued after 5 years) is not a solution either.  For one thing, rarely does the sun ever set on any government program--the only two I can think of are the CCC and WPA. The vast majority of government programs expand in scope: think Social Security, Income Tax, Medicare, and for a more local flavor, Badger Care.

The five year Sunset option is no solution. It would still cost the taxpayers just as much each year and given that we don't have adequate facilities now, the 5 year plan could create the need for expensive additions. 

Don't just be the Silent Majority. The Board needs to hear from you! 

Contact the board--especially Patrick Murphy, by phone, in person, or letter and Glen Allgaier.

My oven is back in business, thanks to my resident repairman. (My son)

Friday night, he searched the internet and ordered the parts. Today, the parts arrived. Tonight, he fixed the oven. Thanksgiving is saved!

By the way, I take no credit for his abilities. We never formally studied electronics in the 13 years I taught him. He just was interested and I had the good sense to get out of his way.

My husband and I always encouraged our son to do real work at an early age though, and he taught our son quite a bit about electricity and volt meters etc. while doing work around the house.

I think kids can do far more than we give them credit for. We tend to insulate them and keep them in the play workshop world too long instead of letting them do real jobs (with close supervision, of course).
 
Here is the culprit--a small, innocent looking relay--that because of its failure, could have burned down the house!

The surprising thing was that they were German made. We were expecting them to be of Chinese origin. Both were replaced, so the oven is back in business.

My final Thanksgiving food tip is to cook the turkey upside down.

I have done this for years and it results in very juicy white meat. I usually start it upside down for at least 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Since we don't carve the bird at the table, presentation is not an issue, so I left it upside down 1 hour longer last year. If you have those new silicone hot mitts, you can just grab the turkey and turn it back right side up after the alloted time and let it finish baking. If you don't have the mitts, turning can be a little challenging--but worth it in juicy white meat.

Maybe tomorrow I will get back to blogging about 4K. I needed to take a break and talk about more pleasant things for a bit, so thanks for bearing with me. The recipes also gave me a chance to try out an older laptop that came my way with the remote desktop feature on my computer. That was fun!

What would Thanksgiving be without apple pie? I have the traditional recipe from my mother here and also a pretty variation: Kyle's Apple Cranberry Pie. (I can't leave a recipe alone!)

Mom's Apple Pie

Enough pie crust for a double crust pie

Apples: A combination of Macintosh, Golden Delicious, and Granny Smith

½ cup to 2/3 cup sugar (I use ½ for an 8 inch crust and 2/3 for a 10 inch-again, our family likes things on the tart side)

2 Tablespoons of unbleached white flour (I have since changed to 1 T flour and 1T instant tapioca-it makes for a more translucent juice with a better consistency)

Cinnamon

Butter to dot the top, about 4 teaspoons

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Have the crust rolled out and ready-the bottom crust in the pie pan and the top, ready to go, rolled out on the pastry cloth.

Wash the apples and start cutting one of each into quarters. Cut out the core and peel with a sharp paring knife. Cut each quarter into 3 to 4 sections. Arrange with the peeled side out around the bottom of the crust. Keep cutting up the apples and putting into the pie shell. While you don't have to make art work of this job, you don't want large pockets of air. I like to keep piling the apple pieces up until they mound up about 1 ½ inches above the pie pan edge level.

Mix up the sugar and flour (flour and tapioca) in a bowl. Add in cinnamon. This is to taste. Sprinkle some on and stir it in.

Spoon the sugary mixture over the apples in the pie pan. Try to get it down into the cracks and spaces between the apples if you can.

Cut up the butter into about 8 pieces and place evenly over the apples and sugar mixture.

Now put the top crust on. Pat the edges together and cut off excess crust leaving about ½ to 5/8 inch extra beyond the pie plate edge. Use a butter knife or small paring knife to cut through the crust, gently supporting from the underside the crust with your finger.

Fold under about ½ inch of the crust until the entire pie edge has been tucked under. Go around again and pat and form into a nice, even smooth edge. Crimp or decorate the edge.

Cut steam vents into the top. Use a knife and just cut slits about 1 ½ inch from the pie edge. Be sure to cut enough-it prevents soggy crust. You can also cut words or shapes into the top.

Place into the oven and bake for 15 minutes at 450 degrees. Turn oven down to 350 degrees and bake for another 45 minutes. Filling should be bubbling inside when done. If crust gets too brown, cut off strips of aluminum foil and loosely put over the pie edges.

Take out of the oven and set aside to cool.

For best results, serve on the same day you bake the pie.

If you wish to make them ahead, then freeze when you have the pie completed, but still unbaked. Bake frozen. You will probably have to increase the 350 degree bake time.

Cranberry Variation:

Apples: Mixture of Macintosh, Golden Delicious, and Granny Smith - about 3 of each for a large pie

1 cup raw cranberries, washed

2/3 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon of white, unbleached flour

1 Tablespoon of instant tapioca

Cinnamon

Butter, about 4 teaspoons

Prepare as the Mom's Apple Pie above, but sprinkle the cranberries evenly through the apples in the pie shell.

The cranberries add a pretty color to the pie and give it a nice tart flavor. The tapioca keeps the juices from running too much and yet it is not too thick.
 

Macintosh apples break down in cooking and fill in the empty spaces. Golden Delicious keep their shape. Granny Smith give a nice, tart flavor.

I cannot remember when I made my first pie; maybe I was 7 years old? Mom always let my sister and I help in the kitchen and taught us to cook and bake at an early age. The great thing about it was that she did not mind that it looked like a disaster area when we finished. It is a fond memory that I hold in my heart.

Many people are very afraid of making a pie. I think it might be because they don't have a good pie crust recipe to start with. I think Mom's recipe came from the Settlement Cookbook. It is a good, simple, basic recipe. I've never had a flop and never heard a complaint. 

Here's the recipe--enough for 2 double crust or 4 single crust pies:

3 cups of all purpose, unbleached white flour -not bread flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/3 cups of real, salted butter OR  2/3 cup of real, salted butter and 2/3 cup of lard (yes, lard) I tend to use all butter simply because I always have it on hand. Lard makes a flakier crust.

½ cup of very cold water

The process:

Measure the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl.

With a pastry cutter, cut in 2/3 cup of the butter. (A pastry cutter is an inexpensive gizmo with a handle and multiple semi-circle dull blades--obtainable even from the widget section in the grocery store cooking accessories isle.) Keep cutting, pressing the cutter through the butter into the flour, until the texture is even. The color will be an even creamy tone.

Add the lard or remaining portion of butter and cut in again. This time you want to stop before it is all finely worked in. Stop when the largest chunks are the size of very small peas.

Next, fluff up the butter/lard/flour/salt mixture with a fork. Run the cold water until it is very cold and measure out ½ cup. Drizzle it into the mixture while tossing with a fork until the water is distributed. Here is where you must be careful. DO NOT OVER MIX! Over mixing will develop the gluten in the flour and make your crust tough. Properly done, your dough will probably be somewhat crumbly with some white looking streaks. This is fine.

Most recipes say to chill now. I have never needed to do that, but if your kitchen is very warm, you may want to chill for a half hour. You can also put it in the refrigerator and use it later in the week. I press down the crust dough in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. You can also freeze it in a plastic bag for future use.

When it is time to roll out the pie crust, get out the pastry canvas and pin sock. These are essential to pie making. You can use a stiff piece of laundered canvas or other tightly woven cotton cloth for the canvas. If you cannot find a pin sock, I have used a leg from a pair of clean pantie hose. Just cut off the leg and slip over the rolling pin. Leave an inch or so extra on each end and cut off the foot. Liberally flour the cloth and the rolling pin. That means you sprinkle on flour and work it into the fabric with your hand.

Cut the pie dough into 4 parts. With your hands, form the quarter section of the dough into a round, flattened disk, patting it into shape. Lay it in the center of the floured canvas. Take the rolling pin and start to gently press it into the center in a cross mark and roll outwards. You are flattening it out a little at a time. Continue rolling it in all directions, keeping its round shape. If it starts sticking to the canvas or pin, put more flour on the fabric. Roll from the center to the edges.

When it is about 1 to 1½ inches bigger than your pie pan all the way around (hold the pan over the crust to estimate) you are ready to put it into the pan. It will be a scant 1/8 inch thick. I roll the crust loosely onto the pin--about half way (here is where the canvas really helps you out; you can lift the cloth up from one side and help maneuver the pastry onto the pin)--and then lift the crust over the pan and lower it into place. Put the outer edge about ¾ - 1 inch over the pie pan edge. Then unroll the remaining crust. Re-center if needed. Ease the crust down to the bottom edges of the pan. If it cracks a little, just squish the edges back together. If you need to put in a patch (a piece of extra rolled out crust from the edge) just wet the area to be patched (use your finger or pastry brush) and put the piece of crust on top. Gently pat into place. No one will ever know!

Now if this is a double crust pie, you repeat the roll out, leave it on the canvas and make the filling. After the filling is in the pie shell, some people brush the edge of the crust in the pie pan with a little water (it acts like glue), but I don't. Once the filling is in the pie shell, repeat the loose roll up of half the pie crust onto the pin and transfer to the pie shell. Start at one edge, leaving that extra margin of crust to hang over the edge and unroll.

For either single or double crust pies, the crimp phase is pretty much the same. First, cut the excess of crust off the pie-I use a butter knife or small paring knife for this. I support the crust with my finger from underneath and cut into it. I leave about ½ inch for double crust and 3/4 inch for single crust pies beyond the pie pan edge.  Then start to gently turn and tuck that extra pie dough under all around the pie. Once you have gone around the pie once, go around again and push into place any irregular spots. The idea is to make it an even thickness.

Note that for single crust pies, there is a tendency for the crust to slip into the pie when blind baking (baking the crust with no filling in it--such as for a banana cream pie). To avoid this, make sure you do not stretch the crust to fit the pan. In fact, try to ease a little extra crust down into the pie pan.

Now comes the fun part: the crimp or decorative edge. The simplest method is to just use a fork dipped in flour to prevent sticking and press down gently to make little ridges. My favorite is the peaked crimp. For this one, I first pinch the crust edge into a raised lip all the way around the crust edge. Then using the knuckle of my right forefinger and thumb and forefinger of my left hand, I gently coax the dough into the pinch of my left two fingers with the knuckle of my right. Keeping my fingers lightly floured will keep the dough from sticking.

Be sure to cut ample steam vents into that top crust, or your crust will be soggy. This can be simply done, or in an artistic design. Sometimes I write the name of the pie into the crust with little slits or make hole in the center apple shaped, for an apple pie and add some extra crust apple leaves.

For a double crust fruit pie, bake at 450 degrees in a pre-heated oven (very important) for 15 minutes, then turn down to 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Because I like to really fill up my pies, usually I need to bake longer at 350-at least until I see the filling bubbling inside.

If you are baking a single crust pie, blind (no filling), be sure to *** the crust bottom with a fork before you put it into the pre-heated 450 degree oven. This prevents large bubbles from forming in the crust. These you bake at 450 for 8 to 10 minutes. Check after about 6 min. You don't want it to get too brown.  I have as of late started at 450 degrees and then turned down to 425 once the shell is in the oven. This seems to give me a good crust that does not get too brown.

You can make a fancier crust edge by using small cookie cutter shapes of pie dough and gluing onto crust edge with water. Martha Stewart had some very pretty pie edges on page 36 of her November magazine issue.

Sometimes I make some pretty shapes such as a free form Maple leaf or cookie cutter hearts, etc. to place on top of the whipped cream on a pumpkin pie. If you plan on doing this edge, cut more off your crust edge before you turn it under. Otherwise there will be too much crust under the cut outs. For shapes, roll out your crust as usual and cut out the shapes. You will need to flour the cutters to prevent sticking. Place on an un-greased cookie sheet. Bake as you would the single, blind crust, but check after a few minutes. The smaller shapes bake faster. You can also sprinkle these with cinnamon and sugar before baking. Better tell your family these are spoken for though, or they may disappear before you get them on the finished pie!

Glass pie pans are my favorites. They make a much crisper crust. Aluminum would be my second choice. (I won't use that horrid baker's secret tin ware.)

One lady recently told me her grandmother always replaced 1 t. of water with 1 t. cider vinegar per double crust pie. She said it made for a flakier crust. I may just try that trick. Let me know if you ever tried that one

I know many people like to use the Cuisinart for crust. I have one and have used it, but I still prefer to do it by hand. I think you have more control by hand.

For a little extra zip, I have used about 1/4 C lemon juice mixed with enough powdered sugar to make a thin frosting. I then drizzle it over an apple pie. Yum.

PS Dad sometimes would make pies too, so don't think pie making is only for women!
 

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One year when a family member had to avoid bread (wheat allergy), I improvised on my mom’s traditional stuffing recipe by replacing the bread with brown rice, wild rice and chopped rye crisp crackers. It was good! We all liked the rice and rye flavor so much that when bread no longer needed to be avoided, I kept the rice and rye bread ingredients and incorporated them in this new stuffing recipe. I have been using it ever since. 

Ingredients:

1 stick real butter 

3 cups diced celery

9 T. chopped fresh parsley – if you’re lucky, there is still some from your garden

(4 ½ T. dried parsley may be substituted)

½ cup chopped onion 

12 slices of bread, cubed.

(I like a mixture of a good rye, whole wheat (Manitowoc Ovens Hunger Filler is a favorite for this), and a white, such as Manitowoc Ovens English Muffin bread or a nice potato bread. The bread should have some body to it, not that soft, cottony type.

Freshly ground pepper—a few turns of the grinder do it for me

½ # (pre-cooked weight) wild rice – cooked (you can do this ahead of time)

1 # (pre-cooked weight) brown rice – you will need to cook this too before assembling

¼ cup roasted, unsalted sunflower seeds

1 teaspoon salt

1 to 1½  teaspoons dried marjoram

½ to 1 teaspoon ground sage (to taste, some people do not like sage)

*Optional: sliced mushrooms, coarsely chopped pecans, chopped apple, etc. 

Preparation:

In a large frying pan, melt the butter and gently sauté the onions. Add the celery until translucent. Add the bread and remaining ingredients and mix together. Taste it to make sure all is well.

I make my stuffing the day before Thanksgiving and keep it refrigerated in a plastic bag.

DO NOT pre-stuff the turkey the day before. I have heard this is a no-no because of possible bacteria build up.

When you are ready to bake the bird, spoon stuffing loosely into the cavity and pin/truss shut. The remaining stuffing can be put into a greased, covered casserole dish. I put this extra stuffing in the oven to bake closer to meal time for about 30 to 45 min. Baste it with some of the cooked turkey juices and stir the basting juices into the stuffing. (The turkey should be almost done now). Be careful the extra stuffing does not get too browned or the rice will get hard. When you scoop out the stuffing from the turkey, you can mix it into this extra stuffing in the casserole dish.

FYI: When I cook rice, I cook up a large batch and then freeze it in smaller amounts (for my family, 1-2 C. for brown and ½-1 C. for wild). This really helps when preparing meals that require some cooked rice. Sometimes, just the thought of having to cook the rice first can be rather defeating.

I do not cook my brown rice as long as the directions tell you. I put the rice into a large pot with plenty of cold water and start it cooking. About 20 to 30 minutes is usually sufficient. I then drain it and rinse. Brown rice is infinitely more nutritious than white, and I think it is tastier too.

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I was first introduced to raw cranberry relish at my mother-in-law's table, before I was married. It was a Prast family favorite. When it was time for me to host my first turkey dinner, I made what I thought was like my husband's mother's recipe. It wasn't. As it turned out, everyone liked my variation better!

This relish is ridiculously easy to make and is good at any time of year with pork, ham, chicken, and of course, turkey. You will need a food processor though, or it won't work.
 

Ingredients:

1 bag, 12 ounces, of fresh cranberries, washed (*frozen berries can be used too)

1 navel orange, scrubbed

¾ to 1 cup sugar (I use ¾ because we like things on the tart side-it is also less sugar!)

3 ribs of celery, diced-not the dark green outer ribs but the more mild flavored medium to light green ones

½ to 1 cup of coarsely chopped walnuts (I do this by hand as it yields a more even texture)
 

The Process:

First, cut the ends off of the orange, just far enough to reach the flesh of the orange. Trim off any blemishes on the peeling. Cut the orange in half and then each half into quarters.

Place the 8 pieces of orange, still with the peeling on, into the food processor, with the chopping blade installed. Pulse until the orange is chopped into approx ¼ inch bits. Some will be smaller, some larger. Set aside.

Next, put the cranberries into the food processor (no need to wash the work bowl). Pulse until the berries are at least quartered. Again, some pieces will be smaller, some larger. (Some people like them more finely chopped, I don't.)

Place the chopped berries into a mixing bowl and add the oranges, sugar, celery and walnuts and stir. It takes a few minutes for the sugar to dissolve. Serve.  Coarsely chopped fresh pineapple can be added too for a different twist.

This salad can be made the day ahead of Thanksgiving, but I like to keep the ingredients separated. I just put the chopped berries in the serving bowl first, then the pile of chopped oranges. I put the sugar in a zip loc bag, celery in another small zip loc and walnuts in a 3^rd bag.  I place the baggies on top of the berries and oranges and cover the whole bowl with plastic wrap and put in refrigerator until the next day. An hour or two before serving time, I just mix all the ingredients together. I found this delayed mix method works better-it makes a prettier presentation. If mixed too early, the red bleeds into the orange, walnuts, and celery. (It still tastes fine the next day though).

*Fresh cranberries aren't available all year, so I make sure I buy extra bags for the freezer.

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Almost had a meltdown yesterday after I turned on my oven to start dinner. I threw in 3 sweet potatoes, set the temperature and did some other kitchen-y things. I thank God I did not set it to auto-start and leave as is sometimes my habit.

As I was cutting up some salad, I smelled something burning in the oven. Hmm, that's odd, I thought. Guess it is time to clean the oven? But the smell got stronger. I peeked inside and found my sweet potatoes rather blackened on the tops.

My oven is one of those Acubake type, the heating element alters from top to bottom to keep the temperature even. It works very well--usually. Yesterday, as my techno-boy tells me, the relay died in the open position (that means on). Even turning off the oven had no effect, the element stayed on! We resorted to turning off the circuit breaker.

Well, now you know my favorite way of making sweet potatoes. I just wash them, cut of the ends a tiny bit to prevent exploding spuds, and throw them on the oven rack at 350 degrees until tender.

What I would like to know from you is do you know of any horror stories of auto start oven timers? I find it very convenient to put something in the oven, set the timer and temp, and then leave. Love that coming home to a ready meal.  But now I am wondering if I must add auto start to the list of things not to do--like leaving the house with the dishwasher or dryer on?

Please share your ovens gone wrong stories with me if you have any. I want to know if auto start is trustworthy.

PS I was to have made Thanksgiving dinner. It may still be on my horizon if I can get my oven fixed in time. In the meanwhile, I am going to dig out some of my favorite recipes to share with you later.


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Someone brought to my attention that Wauwatosa Schools puts their school board meetings on Google video.

What a great idea!

I don't have cable TV (I just can't justify the cost) and I don't think I am alone it that. So I have often wondered why Elmbrook doesn't put their meetings on their website so all residents can view for free. But this Google video option would suit me just as well. 

I searched on Google video for Elmbrook, just in case our school district already was uploading to the web. I did not find any regular board meetings, but I did stumble onto Elmbrook HG&D discussion from Sept. 11, 2007 in case that would interest you.

So, how about it Elmbrook? The board meeting could be uploaded to Google video just as easily as to the public access cable channel, couldn't it? And best of all, it is free!

While we are on the subject of free access to public meetings, how about Brookfield doing the same with their Common Council meetings?

I Googled Brookfield but only found video of the sermons from my church. (If the council meetings are already on the web, I apologize that I am not a better Googler.)

This type of free public access to meetings will become more popular as time goes on. I just wish it was now. 

If this picture and title seem a bit familiar, it is because I used it last April to discuss the district's desire to pull in every possible student--even if they were non-resident students. See: Uncle Matt wants you, even if it means we have to build bigger schools

The defeat of the spring referendum and the groups that formed as a result of that defeat, at least brought attention to the fact that the non-resident student population was driving the space needs at the high school level.

But the district is still looking for ways to increase their income. One of the ways they can do that is by increasing enrollments. Adding non-resident enrollment is a rather hot potato right now, but the district is still trying to sell us on the merits of 4K.

The Journal Sentinel reported today that the push for 4K was primarily for monetary reasons.

Here are some revealing excerpts from the article: (Emphasis added)

If the Elmbrook School Board does not create a permanent 4-K program, it will have to find other ways to raise revenue to protect district wide programs and services, Superintendent Matt Gibson said.

Stressing that he didn't intend it as a threat, Gibson said the main motivation for adding 4-K was financial - the state's revenue cap formula.

Student learning and achievement, and competitiveness with area school districts, are other reasons to offer 4-K, Gibson said. But finances are the key reason, he said.

As Elmbrook's enrollment declines, the state revenue caps endanger the district's ability to fund existing programs and services, Gibson said.

If the board does not approve 4-K, members will need to find other ways to "shore up" enrollment and revenues to avoid major budget cuts, he said.

Please keep in mind that the taxpayers of Elmbrook must fund every student enrolled in the Elmbrook school system. There are state aids, but these too are funded by taxpayers! Since state aid does not cover the entire tuition costs, our portion varies from about $3,000 to $10,000 per student. The Elmbrook taxpayer never comes out ahead. 

The more students we enroll, the more taxes the district must collect. There is no cash cow here, not even with the 4K students.

Notice that there was no mention of how the 4K program increases long term academic success.

Even Matt Gibson admits, finances are the key reason to start a 4K program.

Remember that yes, 4K puts more money into the school budget, but that money comes from us!

It is rather like the stereotypical welfare mother having more children to collect more money each month. The additional children give her an increase in income, but her increase is funded by an increase in our taxes. And like that mother, the increase in number of children also causes an increase in operational expenses.

There is no getting ahead on this one.

I could have just as easily titled this posting: Uncle Matt wants your 4 year old--for the money! Is that what education is all about?

Contact the board--especially Patrick Murphy, by phone, in person, or letter and Glen Allgaier.

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On November 27^th,  Elmbrook's school board will decide the very important question of should we continue or discontinue 4K. We do not get to vote for or against it; our only opportunity to influence that decision is to contact the board members.

Whenever I am faced with an important decision, I ask myself a few questions: What are the expected benefits and consequences resulting from my decision, and can I afford it. We don't always have the luxury of knowing the results of trying something new, but if others have already made the change in question, I certainly like to evaluate the results of their decisions.  Fortunately, with  4K, there is longterm data available.

One basic question came to my mind regarding the 4K decision. If 4K is so important, so beneficial to a student's success in school, then why does our state only set the compulsory school age at 6 years old on Sept. 1? (That means students with a later birthday than Sept. 1 will start 1st grade at 7 years of age.)

The fact that children need not attend school until age 6 in Wisconsin made me wonder how our school age requirement compared to other states.

I found that answer and more in this article, Early Education Shows No Benefit - Compelling children to attend school at an earlier age does not yield expected results , by HSLDA, Home School Legal Defense Association. It is a treasure trove of information on the subject of early education.

The article stated in the section labeled: State-by-State Comparison:

A review of compulsory attendance laws across the nation shows that requiring young children to attend school may be largely unnecessary. Only eight states and the District of Columbia require attendance of 5-year-olds, and six of those nine allow exemptions for parents to withhold their children from school until age 6. The other 41 states allow parents to wait until their children are 6, 7, or even 8 years old before beginning formal education.²⁴

That information makes one wonder about the long term success of earlier and later starts in school. I read on in that section to find the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) test results from schoolchildren in all 50 states:

Scores of children from states that have low compulsory attendance ages (5-6) did not score any higher than children from the other states, and in some subjects their average was actually lower.²⁶

There was a link to All-Day Kindergarten Failing as Education Reform, which detailed information published by the Goldwater Institute:

All-day kindergarten fails to improve Stanford 9 reading, math, language arts scores

PHOENIX—A report published today by the Goldwater Institute examines Stanford 9 test scores and finds Arizona kindergarten programs initially improve learning but have no measurable impact on reading, math, or language arts test scores by fifth grade.

This test score information affirmed everything I had heard about the merits of earlier and earlier education, that it may initially seem to give kids a head start, but that head start does not translate into long term improvement. In fact, as a homeschooler, we were warned that too early of an introduction to school is counter productive. It actually causes burn out in the upper elementary grades through high school.

Earlier education does not benefit the underprivileged either. Head Start, the government early intervention program for at risk children, is often touted as the poster child for earlier education success. I mistakenly bought into this idea last year when I blogged, “You may be able to make the argument that early education is beneficial for inner city children, whose crack addicted mother may be passed out on the couch.” But now I see I was mistaken:

The most important goal of any education program is that children be educated. Studies of Head Start, however, demonstrate that early education produces no apparent academic benefits. In its early years, extensive studies were undertaken to prove Head Start worked. But the opposite turned out to be true. In 1969, the Westinghouse Learning Corporation found no difference in the behavior and educational achievement between Head Start and other underclass children.

Sixteen years later, the CRS Synthesis Project study, commissioned by HHS, came to the same conclusion. Although children showed “immediate gains,” by the second grade “there are no educationally meaningful differences.”²³

As I mentioned last year, I attended 4 year old kindergarten in the Shorewood school system. If 4K is so beneficial, shouldn’t Shorewood’s ACT scores be consistently higher than our school district’s that didn’t offer 4K? The data shows that this year was the first in the past few years that Shorewood edged out Elmbrook’s ACT scores by 1.23 points.  Of the top 10 schools in Wisconsin (Elmbrook consistently is in the top 10), at least 7 had no 4K program at the time those students tested started school. Incidentally, over 250 school districts have 4K so there should have been a better showing in the top 10 if it is so helpful.

All of this information presents quite a compelling reason to NOT start the education process so early. So when I saw last week's Brookfieldnow featuring those cute pictures of very young children enjoying 3K and 4K in the private school setting, it made me bristle. The article was misleadingly titled, "Learning early, 3-year-old kindergarten classes bring success to two schools".   

I ask you to look at the data, not the cute pictures in the Brookfieldnow article. What criteria are we using to measure success?

No one is arguing that young children do not enjoy an outing or activity from time to time. Our culture abounds with such opportunities. I still remember the Bible stories and making fun craft projects in Sunday School. My son used to enjoy his once a week, 2 hour visit at Elmbrook Church’s Moms and More (I did too!). Children love birthday parties, toddler gym classes, Park and Rec. programs, Library programs, trips to the zoo, and just doing things with mom! But all of these activities are not the responsibility of Public Education. Enjoyable? Yes.  Public Education? No.

The data just does not support starting school at age 4, and our state does not mandate it. The Brookfieldnow article shows that if these types of programs are wanted, there are plenty of opportunities for parents to avail themselves of them in the private sector.

The facts illustrate 4K is actually detrimental