This is Busted Pencils.
Fully Letted Education Talk.
Here are your hosts.
Dr. Tim Slecker and Dr. Johnny Luponacci
educated educators talking education.
Yes, it is.
Busted Pencils.
Fully Letted Education Talk.
Educated Educators talking education.
Home Room.
Yeah, here we are.
Gathered around.
Getting ready for a beautiful week.
But you always got to start the week
with gathering everybody together for a home room
to talk a little bit about the things that are going on.
Johnny Luponacci, Jess, my friends.
How are the two of you doing?
Johnny, you first.
I want to do a great man.
I mean, it is like a daily responsibility to just breathe.
And you know, and function at a regulated level for my students
for the, you know, the young people that I coach.
From my family, probably all of us can relate.
We're headed into a big election.
I mean, it is just getting more intense and intense as we go.
I mean, I'm hopeful and optimistic.
But at the same time, it's like I can't ignore that the energy
has got me like turned up in a good way.
But also, you know, sometimes good energy can be too much energy too.
So remember, and it's just take a breather.
Stay regulated.
And let's go because either way, and believe me,
I am hoping with every cell in my body, it goes one particular way.
Either way, there's a lot of work to do.
We're going to keep doing that work.
And so, you know, I keep taking those deep breaths
and having that mantra of like the work isn't changing.
It might be different, but it's not necessarily changing.
We got a lot of work to do.
Let's keep doing it.
And let's take care of ourselves and one another.
Tim, just how about you two?
How are you doing?
I'm a little on the dysregulated side.
I will be completely honest as we heard from educators amplified this past Saturday
here in the swing state of Wisconsin.
We're all a bit pitched up.
And you know, working in political talk radio, you know,
it's a little, we're all a little extra ampt here.
We're all a little excited.
And we're all a little nervous.
I won't say all.
I'm a little nervous here.
I'm a little nervous.
I'm a little touched up.
But you know, election is to my row.
Oh, my goodness.
Okay.
We'll take you to another swing state.
How are you?
I'm in another swing state.
Like I said, I tell you what, if I get one more,
which I know we're going to get another.
I know the text message is the emails, the voicemails.
You know, and again, nothing about which, so in mind,
it's Bernie Moreno, Sherrod Brown, Sherrod Brown is the senator,
hoping to hold on to the blue, you know, wall.
I don't know if you call it a blue wall, but I, as far as I know,
at least if you're only paying attention to the media,
neither one of these guys has anything positive to offer the world.
No goodness.
I mean, right.
And so you talk about being pitched up or how you say that.
It's like, of course, the anxiety, nothing about this election has any type of,
you know, boy, this is going to be a wonderful result.
Things are going to be sweet.
Things are going to be, you know, regulated.
We're going to move into it.
No, it's just like if this guy gets elected, all hell will break loose.
All the demons of hell will actually be released on America.
That's not, that is not like if the underworld could actually come to the surface.
We might be better off.
We might be.
We might be.
Anyway, I just saying it's just like, I, yes, I've, I've had enough.
And I actually am looking forward.
I hopefully with the fingers crossed to the results.
Speaking of the election.
A little election news, a little election news.
Let's ship into it, huh?
Let's do it.
First off, K-12 dive.
What's on state ballots for education in the 2024 elections?
As voters make their way to the polls on November 5th to cast their ballots in the US presidential election,
many around the country will also be voting on state or local education issues.
States are proposing measures to allocate funding for education in various ways,
such as through bonds or reallocating lottery funds.
Constitutional amendments related to school choice are also top ballot issues as our education leadership changes.
Here are three of the education related issues facing voters on election day.
School choice, school finance, and school leadership.
Now, I just want to pull our attention to this one paragraph that was really interesting regarding school finance.
In Colorado, Proposition KK would levy a 6.5% tax on firearms,
with proceeds going to mental health support for at-risk youth and for veterans,
as well as school safety and gun violence prevention programs.
The Colorado General Assembly estimates this would bring in about $39 million in its first year.
Hmm, I wonder what the NRA thinks about this state issue.
First, address the concept, though, to Johnny.
States issues, school, we've put it out there multiple many, many, many times
when it comes to education and legal and policy.
Remember, it's a state issue.
And so all of these topics, school leadership, school finance, school choice,
are going to be decided through individual state ballots.
This thing, though, in Colorado, I say this is our best potential effort in the current atmosphere environment.
This is gun control in a way that says, you know what, we can't stop people from having guns.
But if you're going to buy them, we're going to tax you and then we're going to take that tax money.
We're going to put that tax money to good use.
I can see Johnny looking at going, I don't know if this is a positive or not.
Okay, I know it's not positive necessarily.
But I put the idea of going, if these guns are going to be sold, we're going to skim some money out
because God knows every time one of these guns are sold, it results in some form of mental health,
some form of gun restriction, school violence.
And you know what, we're going to put that money at least into some form of prevention, mental health.
I just, I like the approach to say, you know what, we might not be able to regulate guns,
but we can tax them and we can use that money to hopefully maybe educate and elevate and at least stop people
from using guns inappropriately too much, Johnny.
I mean, it's, I think your optimism is adorable in this case.
Maybe I'm wrong in the sense that maybe this is a step towards actual policy
that makes our classrooms and communities safer.
Again, remember a couple of things about my politics, I'm not anti-gun.
I actually think that is part of our rights and it is unique.
But I actually am pro-regulation of the kinds of guns and the ways we might have access to those
and the sort of freedoms around that.
And I put loose square quotes around those freedoms because it shouldn't just be anything goes
when it comes to something that's as dangerous as the kinds of guns we have in mass in our communities
combined with defunding mental health and these things.
So I think Tim, I'm going to expose a little bit as an ex-smoker, somebody who is quite the addictive thing.
I'm going to remind you that taxing cigarettes didn't stop us smokers from going and buying them.
So it doesn't change the access.
It doesn't actually change the amount of guns in our communities just saying like, hey, here's an opportunity to make more money,
which is also why we have a gun problem in this country because it's an industry like Salon Bikes or like Salon Bikes.
Headphones are anything it's seen as a commodity and not as one that should have any regulation
because of the way that it's also dangerous in improper use in our communities.
So yes to more education around safety and proper use of guns.
I would like to see actual policy that limits kinds of guns.
We can actually have in our communities in mass or even in general, right?
And I'm not sure that just making the taxes harder.
Like, hey, they're going to cost you more money.
I don't think it's the cost.
No, no, and I am not saying the money off those off the off the issue.
Yeah, I'm not saying that driving up the cost is going to actually stop people from buying guns because you're right.
The cigarette one you put out there again didn't stop anybody.
In fact, still isn't stopping people maybe stopping some people from starting potentially.
The actual policies and some policies.
Yeah, laws around it did.
And I also say I love the idea of taxing things that we know people are going to want.
And putting that money towards education.
Let's look in the same state of Colorado at the, you know, the weed money.
Big coffers of extra taxation on that stuff that has.
And is going into schools and into, you know, improvement of certain aspects of the state's well-being.
And so I think I mean, there's things there's just definitely a recipe here.
But to me, Tim, it just tells me it's like, hey, we're going to up the taxes on it because we know people are buying more guns.
Sure. I mean, that's exactly what's happening.
But, you know what?
And because of this, though, the idea that we can divert $39 million in the state of Colorado towards mental health support, gun violence prevention.
And veterans, okay, you know what?
At least it's moving in the right direction.
Colorado.
I say you go for it.
Vote yes on proposition KKK.
Lots of other things.
Those school choice school leadership.
I don't know.
What are we going to say about school choice?
Guess what?
It's on the ballot.
Johnny, are you surprised?
It's on the ballot in Colorado, Kentucky, Nebraska.
Right now all voting on some form of, you know what it is?
They're giving public monies to citizens to send their kids to private schools.
That's what this is all about.
The citizens get to vote for this.
If there's any past history to use, uh, use as a projection.
When voters get the opportunity to vote on school choice, they typically vote it down.
And so the idea that these are on the ballot.
Some people like this shouldn't even be on the ballot.
I know they maybe shouldn't even be on the ballot.
But history tells us that when you put these on a ballot,
we then get full exposure as to going people do not want school choice.
Colorado, Kentucky, Nebraska.
I don't know, Johnny, your thoughts?
I mean, Tim, I think it's more complicated than this again.
And you got to, and if you're a voter out there, you got to really read closely.
And you got to get into your voter guides.
And you got to know the facts on these issues.
Because if school choice ballot is also a green light or opening of the door for more charter schools.
Or private schools, which isn't always the case in a school choice ballot election.
Sometimes it's just the right in the ability to choose a school that's not in the community you live in.
And I'm going to tell you, Tim, if someone who's lived in communities by the only,
like that's where I was born, that's where I was.
And the school is not safe.
And it's not great.
Should I be able to have that opportunity to go to different school in theory and in big picture?
Yeah, we should be making all of our public schools great.
However, they're not.
And so I kind of make sure you dig into the issue.
Make sure it's not language that's saying, hey, you have a choice, but really it's not choice.
It's just a way to fund more private school vouchers and things like that.
But in the case of it being true that it locks you into having to go to school at a school that's not safe or that's not good.
I don't believe anybody should be in that position.
And I actually believe it's our human right.
And it's a children's right to have access to a high quality education.
And so if my neighborhood can't provide that, I should be able to choose,
go to a place that has that for me, for my child, for anyone.
We don't lock people into where they have to work.
This isn't communism.
As much as sometimes you mark this out there wanted to be America.
And we get to choose.
However, I'm putting it out there, Tim, some so so sadly choice has been utilized as a campaign is a misleading word.
And it's really meant funding more charter and private schools.
More charter and private schools that takes away money from the public schools.
And when you say if you've got a, you know, kind of faltering public school,
you got to figure out what's going on.
This is the thing though, Johnny, taking money away from struggling public schools does not make them better.
The reality though, what you're pointing out, it's I guess parents, kids, everybody, you have a right.
You have a right.
You have a right to an incredibly well-funded public education.
However, me as a parent, I do not have the right to take your tax dollars and use them to put my kids in private schools.
I think, you know, again here, there's some subtleties here obviously.
That's the actual crux of these all these ballots.
No, no, they're all different.
Yeah.
Of course, you get in there and read them closely because you got to separate it out.
Are you green lighting that what Tim is explaining is really, you know, further distancing the haves and the have-nots.
And we ought not to be practicing that.
But also we need our public schools to be great.
So if they're not, where do you go?
Because I'm telling you, you don't get to do, you don't ideally get to do eighth grade six times.
So you can't be like, well, that time he wasn't at a good school.
But I hope they start funding my school better so that I can learn and I'm safe.
I mean, if your school is unsafe and not able to perform its duty, we should be funding it.
But for too many kids, that's not apps actually the case.
Eighth grade more than a few times.
Just think of how awesome you would be playing eighth grade football though.
You'd age out before you were in.
Oh, Jess, so much going on.
Hey, make sure you're out there, though, looking at all those voting issues dealing with public education.
And whatever you're doing, though, make sure you're in some way supporting public education.
That's right.
We've got one more news story, though.
We do have one more news story.
Let's dig into it.
K-12 dive education department releases highly anticipated AI toolkit for schools.
The US Department of Education's Office of Educational Technology released its highly anticipated guidance to help K-12 leaders integrate artificial intelligence into their school districts.
The AI toolkit's development was prompted by President Joe Biden's October 2023 executive order, which called for his administration to create resources that would help teachers implement the technology.
The new federal AI resource comes as more districts look to use the technology in their classrooms or for business operations.
While almost half of states have released their own K-12 AI guidance, education industry leaders continue to stress the need for more uniform advice from the federal government.
Well, we've been talking about AI.
And we said, you know, the need for policies, the fact that the federal government through the US Department of Education and the Office of Technology putting out, you know, some form of guidance on what we do in K-12 schools with AI.
Yeah, we know we need this.
I'm always though kind of thinking about this is Johnny, you know, we're talking about the issue that last week the student that was accused of using AI.
And then they failed, they didn't get into the right school.
And now the parents are suing because there weren't AI guidance and policies.
You know, this is the reality of the AI world we're living in.
So for the federal government to at least put out some form of an ability to steer us in a direction.
Now, the question will be though, um, will the states and we say there are at least a few states out there that are doing this on their own because Johnny, as we point out again, guess what it is actually the state's responsibility to take this on and do this work anyway.
I don't know, is it too much from the Department of Education to drop guidance suggestions or is this good practice, Johnny?
Well, I think it's a bit, it's best of both worlds.
Education is a state right, but so much funding does come from federal policy and from, and I think it's important.
As we've said, it is a little bit of a mess right now, you know, it is an educational tool.
It is also a workplace skill that our students need and that we have to engage in.
It's like AI is part of what we do on almost a daily basis now most professions, if not at least a weekly.
Students need to learn about it. It's part of their career readiness. It's part of their learning how we teach the kinds of assignments and the things that we'll do in classrooms.
They got a shift in change with new technologies.
And so I think it is helpful to have something from the federal level that also says, hey, states, I know you may or may not be responding to this, but you should have it on.
Tech and you should probably be responding to it.
So as a nation here, we're also saying that you have to have some policies.
You have to have some understanding of where and how it's used.
What's the appropriate use of it and where you're being relevant to career readiness for all of our students in this country.
So I do see it as a matter of national security.
Yeah, you do.
Prepared and educated students and AI is part of that.
I know there's a lot. And Tim, you and I beef over AI.
So I know AI haters out there.
I'm not one of them.
I believe it's a powerful tool. Tim believes it's a cultural like, you know, ideology of sorts. It's a religion.
But I'm just teasing him.
But no, you know, I'm glad to see this happening.
And I know my own institution and a lot of the schools in the districts I work with.
I see these kinds of surveys out right now. How often do you use AI?
How do you?
And I appreciate as well that they're forwarded by this question and this sort of statement that says,
Hey, we want to know how AI is part of your workspace, how in your life.
Do not worry.
We don't think it's cheating because ultimately as a culture, we've immediately pushed to.
Well, if you're using AI, you're cheating or you're somehow, you know,
it's enhancing. It's like, we are a culture of catching people doing wrong.
Oh, figuring out how we can work together better.
And so that cultural sort of bad side of us is coming out with AI.
So I'm glad to start seeing it become less stigmatized.
Hey, how are you using AI?
And it's okay to say you are.
Right.
How are you engaging with these technologies?
We want to know we're not here to punish you for putting them to use in your courses.
So I'm seeing these surveys come out.
And I know that that's to better form what kind of policies and supports.
We're putting into our state and our community in education to make sure that we are doing a better job as teachers.
Because it's here.
It's here today.
And I think improving our profession, but also like any great tool.
It has the potential to do damage.
So I like that we're spending time figuring out how we're going to harness this power for good.
Awesome.
Well, there we go.
Coming into the election, everybody, make sure you are out there and doing your civic duty tomorrow.
And yeah, everybody hold tight, man, loving this busted pencils, home room.
Make sure to, hey, and actually if you want to tell us how you are using AI, 608, 557, 8577 is the mailbag, you can let us know.
And I tell you what, though, man, loving this Johnny makes me think though, is this the opportune time to now talk about our moment of sin?
It is the citizenry rather than the government that is the ultimate source of power.
And the locomotive that pulls the train of government in the direction of equality and justice.
Thanks for listening to home room busted pencils stay in touch.
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