Source: http://www.urbandigs.com/new-york-city-condo-bidding-war.gif

“…those who won our independence believed that public discussion is a political duty; and that this should be a fundamental principle of the American government.” Justice Brandeis, Whitney vs. California, 1927

“When government begins closing doors, it selectively controls information rightfully belonging to the people.” Judge Damon Keith, U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals

There are several points few educators and those who serve them would disagree with:

• Schools and staff are suffering under the onslaught of regulations, unfunded mandates and state expectations.
• Sharing information about those regulations and mandates is critical to the success of education initiatives, which directly impact students, faculty, the Community, and the well-being of our State and Nation.
• Information should be shared with as wide an audience as possible to ensure everyone knows what they are supposed to be doing…and new technologies that SAVE state agencies and public school districts SHOULD replace old, expensive, obsolete technologies.
• It is inappropriate for a state-affiliated agency to charge for needed information, and that practice should be abandoned, even if it means turning one’s back on a bankrupt information dissemination model.

That pretty much sums up the perspective of some educators I’ve interviewed in regards to the TETN, which has established itself at each of the 20 education service centers in Texas. Carol Willis shared at a recent TEC-SIG meeting:

We have the opportunity to communicate across our large state in ways that doesn’t cost a lot of money. Most states don’t have the footprint we have. TETN is a dedicated network supported by 21 members, it’s a consortium between TEA and 20 ESCs. It’s here as part of the long range plan for technology. It’s mainly about videoconferencing. We have a network of T1 in star topology that goes from the TETN network hub to every service center. A few years ago we had to upgrade the network, allowing school districts to participate in TETN events from that upgrade.

Using satellite technology that is expensive to maintain, financially support, and a business model that depends on brokering information from the Texas Education Agency that school districts need access to for compliance purposes (e.g. NCLB Technology Literacy assessment data for administrators is one example that comes to mind), some suggest that TETN’s model isn’t cost effective.

That’s NOT to say that ALL services TETN provides should be free, but those that involve re-distribution of TEA information intended for public school districts, information needed for their daily operations, should be. As TEA’s highly-respected Anita Givens shared at a TCEA TEC-SIG meeting earlier in 2008, “TEA updates are public information and we can provide it to anyone who wants it. You don’t have to get it from TETN. If you need public information, all we need to know is you need it and we can provide it. ” Unfortunately, TEA lacks the staff and the expertise to accomplish this, as Ms. Givens points out:

…we don’t always have the capacity to post audio…it depends on whether it is planned ahead of time and we record things so we can post audio or video if it’s not planned ahead of time…

That’s a service we need to plan for, budget for, and prepare for. I have to tell you we’re under-staffed, under-funded and running as hard and fast as we can trying to do what the Legislature asked us to do and you can help us help you by giving us suggestions on how we might serve you better. The Ed-Tech staff for the State of Texas at TEA is less than 10 people, I’m sorry but we’re doing the best we can and if you’ll help us understand what your needs are instead of chastising us for not meeting them. I’ll be perfectly honest with you…if school districts want us to give you the information we’ll be happy to work with TEC-SIG, TCEA and find ways that we can get this done. But until we heard that there was a problem, we haven’t had an opportunity to try and solve it.

At the time, Scott Floyd (A Piece of My Mind) asked in open meeting:

we have an instance of TEA updates of mandatory. At the May 9th, some people did audio record that and reposted it. Some people did not hear that information in spite of that and didn’t conduct the NCLB Technology Literacy Assessment.

This makes the point that even though TEA may provide information, if Districts can only access it exclusively through TETN broadcasts that Education Service Centers charge districts for, it means many WILL NOT have access to critical information. Who’s responsibility is it to make this information available–TEA, ESCs or TETN? And what role can TCEA and individual citizen-journalists play in helping the Texas Education Agency, which has been the target of several attacks by the Legislature to downsize or eliminate over the years (which I recall from my time working at the Education Service Center, Region 20), in disseminating critical information?

Scott Floyd (A Piece of My Mind) encourages us to consider the needs of public school districts caught in the crossfire of out-dated cost for services that should be free in a recent blog entry. Here is a relevant quote:

For those that follow my blog, you realize I have had an ongoing debate (mostly with myself and a few awesome commenters) about the fact school districts have to pay to receive TEA updates via the TETN video conference network. I have even started working with a few connections within the legislature to find a way to make this change…All I am asking for is that the updates from TEA (grants, policies, laws, textbook adoptions, etc) be offered as a free download from one archived point.

Who can argue with this perspective? Trading information for gain is an age-old, lucrative practice…it is as essential to our humanity as unconditional positive regard. Yet, in times when schools are hard-pressed, even oppressed, by a hard-nosed perspective that insists on peering down its nose at schools, it is time to rethink how some make money from public schools by selling them information they need to be compliant with the Law.

As we consider Scott’s points, he asks us to provide assistance one last time:

TETN has rebuilt their website. It is now showing a side of TETN that few knew existed. There are links to future uses of Web 2.0 tools. Imagine being able to subscribe to TETN’s blog to know what is happening on their network from one of the staff directly instead of an email forwarded to a person that was forwarded to a person…So, please join us in moving this project forward. We need to hear from you. “What consitutes a TETN session that should be a free download on the TETN site from a TEA?”

Two parting quotes…

“The only sure bulwark of continuing liberty is a government strong enough to protect the interests of its people, and a people strong enough and well informed enough to maintain its sovereign control over its government.” Pres. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Fireside Chat, 1938

“The liberties of people never were, nor ever will be, secure, when the transactions of their rulers may be concealed from them.” Patrick Henry June 5, 1788

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