ENGcons

You didn't answer my question:

Tell me what skill, other than computer literacy, will computers teach students better than books can?

In fact, you didn't answer anything I wrote in my post.

Let's see

How to do research on the internet.

How to build spreadsheets (business essential, and I could go on forever with examples in my business alone)

How to create a power point presentation (business essential)

How to build and control a database

How to use information to calculate financial information for the future(goes with spreadsheets, and esential in business)

How to use personal finance through online banking institutions (again , the future)

How to build a schedule

How to manage a personal planner

How to use email

Photo editing

Graphic design

Web page design

Design of building documents (Autocad)

Stock trading

Market research in real time

How to actually type a letter

Billing and reporting for people with clients

How to file taxes (you don't need an accountant these days)

I will think of some more as the day goes on, I have meeting.

Oh, H-Town Man! Where's your red pen?

This could prove to be instructional for those who are overly enamored of technology.

grammar police ooh ahh, wow, how original, yippee, how about adding something constructive?

I really can only imagine that the only people not for this are ones who are afraid of or intimidated by technology. It should be embraced because it is an ESSENTIAL requirement for anyone who wants a job that does not involve checking someone elses tire pressure. Computers are a learning tool, just like books, the internet is full of information. The world is changing if you don't change with it you will be left in its wake.

Klein ISD actually hired a company to plan and redesign their technology plan. I don't think they just out of the blue said we are going to give over 20,000 Intermediate and High School students a laptop. This was a plan that they gave much thought ans insight to. What do you mean by "look no further than those in charge of the construction of ne facilities in Klein?" Do you not like facilities in Klein ISD?

No the facilities are great, it is the management of the construction of the new facilities that is severely lacking. It is a personel problem the district has, they won't hire qualified people internally to run such things. And the district is not getting their money's worth on construction management. It is pretty clear to anyone who is paying attention.

Some of you need to get a whiff of reality... there is absolutely no problem with kids coming out of high school not knowing how to use computers. Kids acquire computer literacy on their own time - they need it to send e-mails, read about their favorite musicians, set up their myspace page, look at porn, etc.

What there IS a problem with is children who have never read a book in their life, and can't write a three page research paper to save their life. I teach freshman composition in college, so I know a little bit about this. And the culprit, in my opinion, is delusional high school teachers who put aside those "boring, old-fashioned" writing projects for "fun, advanced, exciting" technology projects.

Remember those days in school growing up when the teacher took you to computer lab? Every student in class knew it was a joke, and spent most of the class period playing games or stealing the rollerballs out of the mouses. There probably wasn't a day in the school year when you did less work or thought less hard. The irony is that the school district spent tens of thousands of dollars on those labs that could have been spent on important things, like hiring more teachers or putting more books in the library, and now they are determined to spend even more money, because they think that otherwise, kids won't learn how to use computers!

That is a pretty narrow view. Their are entire degree programs in college that require computer skills that you don't learn on your own time. My child 4 years old already has aquired many basic skills ont eh commputer that will aid her in her education. It is up to the parents to parnet their childredn on how they use technology, not the schools, it is however a positive step that the school is providing the means for some that normally wouldn't have access.

You act like books are going away, whcih is not the case, and is another narrow view. I think the only reason you don't embrace this is becasue your scare of change. We can't stay stuck in the past forever, the world is going to move on either with us, or without us.

I am well aware of the technology requirements in today's workplace - it's my job. Computer education is crucial, but it is not crucial to educate with a computer. Education in computer usage does not require handing out a laptop to every high school student in the district. A student should have access to or be issued a PC if the machine is fundamental to the acquisition of knowledge in a specific course. Handing out laptops to every student just so most can write a term paper in MS Word is an egregious waste of taxpayer

This was shot down in a previous Spring ISD Bond election - thank goodness. When are these school districts going to get down to the business of education and stop trying to be cool with technology. You don't think the PC manufacturers are behind this stuff? I've seen this time and time again (not just in the education fantasy world) where a slick salesman sells clueless management on some technology that becomes a huge albatross around the neck of the entire organization.

Please excuse the rant...as you can probably tell, this a hot button for me.

"Be cool with technology?" What do you think goes on in the work place these days? Business isn't run with a chief tablet and a #2 pencil, it is run with computers and high tech equipment, and it is only going to get more complex.

While the traditional educational practices of reading, writing, math and science are essential and critical to the educational process in the ever changing world it has become crucial to teach with a computer. These are tools to be used, not replacements for teachers. I for one am really impressed with this program and glad to see it implemented.

Yep. Both these people have no experience in school zoning. In fact, the "consultant" they used was the fella who had the job Ricker has now and just retired. His school zoning formula consited of getting in his car and driving around.

Klein is soooooooo far behind the curve in managing a bond program it is absurd. They have no qualified people managing their construction, look at the gym additions at the elementary schools for an example. The one at Hassler was suppossed to be open by now and it has yet to have a roof completed on it. A good manager would have had a project like that completed by last Christmas. Now it won't be usable until next year.

I am getting tired of watching my tax dollars blow away in the wind becasue Klein refuses to go outside to hire qualified professionals to handle thier business. Most other districts that are in a growth pattern such as Klein hire consulting and managing firms to manage their bond programs.

Yeah they are not actually final until the Board approves them. And the board can also make alterations to the plan presented. I guess we will find out tomorrow night if this goes through. Ricker and Rimato are going to have egg on their face when once again they have screwed this up and overcrowded Frank Elementary on opening day to protect Hassler form the evil mobile home parks. Those two have no business zoning a school district. One is an Art Teacher, the other a Bus Barn Manager.

So Klein is shelling out at least another $70,000 to a firm that has already screwed this up once only to do it all over again. You must be freaking kidding me. Glad to see the wise use of tax dollars here. From my understanding a couple of residents puttogether better numbers than this group did. Just imagine if those neighbors didn't have real jobs since it appears they did it all in their spare time. The leadership in Klein is not showing me anything impressive here. They got caught with bad information by a group of concerned citizens and now think throwing more money to an already proven to be failed formula of conducting student surveys is going to solve it. This is pathetic.

Chris, your analysis of why the residents of GF were upset on this issue is wrong. At the max buildout of GF only 30% of the kids at Frank will be from GF. Other plans were submitted by GF residents that split the neighborhood more fairly using transportation, growth, and diversity as arguments to make the split.

Klein will not budge as usual when they make up thier mind and hopefuly the board will be wise enough to see the errors in Kleins numbers.

For example in the original proposal Klein had the numbers so off it was disturbing. When it was pointed out by residents they brought in a "Consultant" and I use that term very losely. And in 24 hours had new numbers to present, yet no boundries were changed. The perception in GF is that the district is trying to make Hassler an exclusive school by keeping the most expensive neighborhoods in the area zoned to it and moving others out. If you look in GF at the lines it becomes real apparant. This change that the District has made and will not change thanks to Dr. Cain, and Tom Ricker who is in way over his head here has changed Gleannloch forever and not in a good way imo.

Perhaps when you run for school board you can fix the mess the Cainand Ricker have caused.

This eyesore at the front of my neighborhood has been stagnet for almost a year. And for what it is worth, a problem with Utilities would not halt construction for that amount of time. Perhaps a probelm with payment to the Contractor would, but utility hookups are easily resolved and should not hold up any work. I will be glad when they finish.

I'll spend two cents here. I live in Klein and have some really close ties to the school district here and fel that some are taking their positions seriously and some are not. And the feedback I hear about Klein's Super is he is not earning his money. In fact I feel that way about some, but not all on the school board as well. There is a severe leadership problem with the klein district and it is really going to come to light when this zoning issue passes with all the grumbling from residents but the board will pass what ever Tom Ricker, (who is not qualified for the current position he holds imo) puts in front of them because few will take the effort to actually make their own assesment. But is start with Jim Cain. It is truly pathetic and come voting time I hope people in the district take a hard look at who their representation is and how they are utilizing their tax dollars.

Those APT's at 249 and Spring Cypress look like a carribean nightmare. Not only are they built cheap, they look cheap and hideous. I shudder and cringe every day when I pass them. Who ever designed the color scheme for those should be drug out a nd kicked in the groin multiple times in public view for drawing up that jamaican ghetto looking complex.

ChampoinAdam since you are unable to actually post a fact in your argument it has no credibility. My parents stay in Greenwood because they like the neighborhood, they have no more children in school and have lived in the house for years. Why move? The same question can be asked of you, if you are such a real estate guru why did you buy in Greenwood instead of a more stable neighborhood that would appreciate? There are plenty to choose from.

You just sound like a child who isn't getting their way. You choosing to where you buy a house is nobody's decision but your own, same with everyone else. It sounds like you are regretting it and want to cry on a message board about how you are getting screwed by the Big Bad Klein ISD Board who is out to get you and you and destroy your property value.

Instead of crying on a message board about your phantom issues try going to a school board meeting and presenting a credible argument in a constructive way. If you are upset Klein did not build a new HS down south or re zone Greenwood to Klein HS then you must be one of those people who want those evil minorities off your turf causing all those problems for you. You can forget it, the board made the right decision on how to spend the bond money at KF. Other areas in the district have far greater needs with overcrowding than what is going on at KF. Shame you are so wound up in your own mad cause that you won't/can't explain that is apparantly the KISD Boards fault. Sounds more like you are looking for someone else to blame for your own real estate problems. If the issues at KF that you have yet to speak of were so easy to solve don't you think they would be solved? Don't you think that every school district in the country that had a discipline problem at a school would take care of it easily if it were possible? Since you seem to know how to fix it, march down to the school boards office on Jan 9th at 7 pm and let them know. That is the next time they are meeting. Otherwise stay home on election day instead of voting no on bond issues that are needed just for spite, it is childish.

I support the residents of Northgate wholeheartedly. As a Greenwood Forest resident I can understand the frustration that they feel. While I could go on and on with the reasons why I feel both Spring and Klein have failed the homeowners in the area, I won't. Suffice to say I simply vote NO in the bond elections.

I am sorry to hear that, and I seriously doubt you can go on and on about how Klein has failed homeowners. I think the board is doing a pretty good job in dealing with the incredible growth in the area. I might disagree on some zoning issues myself but that is what School board meeting are for, and there is an opportunity for the citizens to speak at those. I grew up in Greenwood, graduated form KF in 1990, and my parents still live in Greenwood. It is unfortunate the decline at KF but that has nothing to do with the School Board, they have no control as to who moves into certain areas. The demographics at KF certinly have changed over the years, but how does voting NO in bond elections, which are needed so desperatly in Klein to build new schools for areas that are currently overcrowded solve your problem? Does holdng back on needed funds to upgrade facilities, and build new and better ones for kids solve your specific issue? No it doesn't, and your approach does not make sense. The rest of the district should not have to suffer because you are not a real-estate genius. Sorry, but the board did not tell you to buy your home where you did, and the board does not have a say in who moves into the Klein school district. You can always move.

any idea as to the timeframe on this?

All I know is that I was told that Construction would likely begin in 5 years on the next Klein HS with 2 years of construction.

Ok I got the skinny form the source. there will be an intermediate built as well. Estimated completion of he new buildings is 7 years from now. Also the plan is to have Cutten Road come all the way through to Spring Cypress to alleviate some traffic issues.

My understanding is that this is only a High School, not including an Intermediate. If it does have an Intermediate it would be great and it would solve the dilema right now with the new zones splitting Gleannloch between Doerre and Krimmel. And then some Doerre kids going to Klein, and other to Klein Oak. KISD has a littel mess going on with these zones and needs to patch it up. As it sits right now I am really not happy about hte new zoning for Frank, Hassler, and Doerre, Krimmel.

all that being said I am looking forward to the new HS, and hope those of us getting the short end of the stick on Hassler don't get it again on the new HS.

I'll go ahead and say that the folks in Northgate have zero chance of this happening. Call it a hunch, but no Klein School Board member would touch this mess ever. This won't be said out loud by the folks over there in Northgate but it is about not wanting their kids going to school with the minority crowd at Westfield. Klein is not going to get in the middle of their mess so it ain't gonna happen. You don't like the school district you live in, move.

I said it before KF is not nearly as bad as Westfield is, but I would laugh if Klein said ok come on in, and zoned Northgate to KF, and crushed their Klein Collins dreams.

This has been an ongoing issue for about a year I think. Northgate is sick of the SPring ISD leadership and thei inability to control the issue at Westfield. If they were annexed into Klein they would be inteh Klein Collins attendance zone. However, Klein gains next to nothing as far as a tax base, but takes on additional cost as afar as additional students, and possibly facilities for the annexation off this area and it would be a longshot if it happened.

Look at the bright side they get to root for one Hell of a football team.

I am really not pleased withthe zoning of Frank ES especially in Geannloch. Frank was built to handle overcrowding at Hassler yet on the first day of school next year Hassler will still be overcrowded by almost 130 kids and Frank underused by 130 kids. It makes no sense, and it looks like some people inGleannloch do not want their kids going to school with some of the economically disadvantaged that will be attending Frank. Hassler will only handle the Gleannloch neighborhood south of Northhampton, in other words no one wit ha house less than $300,000 is not allowed.

It is merely a traditional thing that signifies the topping out of a building. Which simply means that is the top of the building. On major projects it is accompanied by a party of some sort for the crew, and others involved. It is a major milestone in the Construction of a project.

The Klein Oak Panthers football team, having just been named Regional Champions after beating Richardson-Berkner in Waco last Saturday, will take on the Garland Owls this Saturday at 4:00 p.m. in the brand-new Berry Center in Cy-Fair. This is the first time in the history of Klein Oak football that the team has ever made it this far! Congratulations to Coach David Smith and all of the Klein Oak Panthers! Let's fill up that new Berry Center with 10,000 screaming fans from the Klein area!!!

GOOD LUCK OAK!!!

GO PANTHERS!!!

Congrats to the Panthers. I have no idea how a 5-5 reguar season football team has made it this far but they have done it. Good luck up next week.

Klein ISD said they dont plan on building another High School untill 2009 or 2010. I think the location of HS #5 will be on a 136 acre trac of land on the corner of FM 2920 and Huffsmith Kuykendahl. The land was originally owed by a family who took Klein ISD to court over the 136 acres. The land will also house Elementary #27 and Intermediate #10. There was much fuss over the land because of its location. The land could actually be annexed to Tomball ISD according to some people. Klein ISD has already purchased land for Intermediate #9. Intermediate #9 will be located next to Metzler Elementary School in the Augusta Pines Subdivision on the corner of Kuykendahl and West Rayford Rd according to Klein ISD.

Actually HS #5 which is a couple years away from starting will be on a piece of land around 68 acres along Spring Cypress just East of 249. It will not have a new Intermediate, or Elementary on the property. The deal was just finalized. Redistricting will show that this school will affect directly areas that attend Klein Oak and Klein. HS #6 is planned but too far out to discuss.

U.S. Toll Activity Survey 1992-2006

Regarding the Grand Parkway;

"Financing is unknown at this time."

Harris County Commissioner's Court Agenda June 20, 2006

3. Harris County Public Infrastructure

a. Toll Road Authority

1. Status

A status report on the toll road system from Public Infrastructure is behind the

PID tab. The estimated cost of the TRA five-year plan is $618.4 million. A

list is included with a map showing the major projects.

The total five-year estimate does not include construction costs for three

potential joint projects with the Texas Department of Transportation. Those

are segments of the Grand Parkway or SH 99, the Hempstead Highway from

IH 610 to Huffmeister, and Beltway 8 NE from US 59 to US 90. The county

is a partner with the state on the Katy Freeway-IH 10 reconstruction project.

The county's share is $250 million. A final payment is due in June 2007.

The PID report addresses a funding agreement proposal from TxDot on the

three potential toll corridors listed above. Those projects would add 81.4

miles to the TRA system between 2010 and 2013 at an estimated cost of $2.1

billion. TxDot's proposal seeks a single payment from the county of $1.235

billion plus an undetermined percent of annual gross revenue over a period of

40 years. The PID director, after consultation with court members, will

prepare a response to the proposal.

The funds paid to TxDot, according to the proposal, would be used "to

advance" other state projects within the five-county Houston district, which

includes the counties of Harris, Fort Bend, Galveston, Montgomery, and

Waller.

(from pineda:

Has anyone heard the outcome of this proposal? What did the PID director decide? I remember at the time this came out, Art Storey was outraged at this proposal, but not long afterward, Steve Radack was on the phone with Gov. Perry trying to "get things moving". Since then, I haven't heard a thing.)

pine, I guess I am not registering this information properly, but what exactly am I reading here?

And what do you think bond debt is paid with? PROPERTY TAXES!

Well I guess Cy Fair residents will think twice when the next Bond Election takes place. I guess the residents of Cy Fair have no one really to blame but themselves. They passed the bonds, and they elected the school board members.

It sounds like, "I want to live in Cy Fair where the schools are great and the educational facilities are the best, but I really don't want to pay for these things." Cry me a freakin river.