Author: sherlockj
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The Relentless Push for Child Gender Transition
by James C. Sherlock On the odd chance you missed it, the Biden administration announced a flurry of new measures today, designated the Transgender Day of Visibility. (I need to keep up.) The Washington Post reported on the festivities. What that story did not report is the celebration’s most important “feature.” HHS today announced Biden administration support…
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Education Data Reporting is Very Expensive, Time Consuming, Important and Flawed in Virginia
by James C. Sherlock In government, there is seldom a dispassionate, objective assessment of what works and what doesn’t. Just eternal programs joined by new ones. We citizens all hope that in governance and budgeting Virginia rewards programs that prove effective and efficient and enforces a cut line for those that do not. But we…
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Bad Journalism and Echo-Chamber References Lead to Libel at UVa
by James C. Sherlock Mike Pence, agree with him or not on any issue, is a good man. He has traditional values that have formed the basis of his political and personal lives. He is also a gentleman, unfailingly courteous. Traditional values, traditional courtesy. Disconcerting, even threatening to some.
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FOIA Council Response on Open Meeting Requirements in Discussions of Local Government Contracts with Public Unions
by James C. Sherlock I submitted questions to the Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council concerning FOIA open meetings requirements applicable to local government sessions discussing contracts with unions. I received a very prompt and thorough reply. The following is the response of Alan Gernhart, Esq., Executive Director.
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Negotiating with Public Sector Unions in Virginia
by James C. Sherlock Some Virginia local governments will be negotiating this year for the first time with public sector unions. There is a lot of experience and recommendations documented in other states upon which those governments can draw. Recommendation #1 is that cities, counties and towns hire: law firms with proven experience representing municipal…
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Richmond, Its Unions and Taxes
by James C. Sherlock Richmond residents should note that: The number of employees at City of Richmond in year 2020 was 4,140. Average annual salary was $56,410 and median salary was $50,001. City of Richmond average salary is 20 percent higher than USA average and median salary is 15 percent higher than USA median. Median…
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Richmond Parents and Taxpayers, Welcome to Chicago Public Schools
by James C. Sherlock The gulf between what the City of Richmond School Board (RSB) and the Richmond City Council (RCC) on what will be negotiated with their public unions is actually an ocean. The RSB has authorized the negotiation of virtually everything about how the schools are run. It leaves nothing off the table…
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Know the Terms of Surrender in Negotiating With Teachers Unions
by James C. Sherlock Franklin Roosevelt thought collective bargaining agreements incompatible with public sector work. Today’s left, unburdened by the public interest, finds FDR’s principles at best quaint. Since May of last year collective bargaining is legal in Virginia for local government employees by local option, but for not state employees. The issues most people think…
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Modeling Success in Virginia Schools
by James C. Sherlock I recently spent considerable time reporting on competing methods of grading in Virginia public schools. The choice of grading system appeared to make no measurable difference in learning. Sometimes you just have to admit that someone else has built a better mousetrap. That is very hard to do concerning something…
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Is The Traditional Public School Grading System Racist? Part II: The Equity Card
by James C. Sherlock Virginia has a policy on grading of schools. As far as I can tell, it does not have a definitive policy on grading of students other than on statewide tests and assessments. That is left to the Divisions. Yesterday I attempted to explain standards-based grading (SBG). Today I will take on what I view…
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Is The Traditional Public School Grading System Racist? Part I: Standards-Based Grading
by James C. Sherlock Standards-based grading (SBG) is a way to view student progress based on proficiency levels for multiple standards within a specific grade level course of instruction. It contrasts with the traditional method of relying on a single grade representation as the sole measure of achievement for a grading period in a specific…
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The Post “Reports” On Something That Has No Chance of Happening
by James C. Sherlock Governor Youngkin gets to fill three existing vacancies on the Board of Education (BOE) and replace two more members whose terms expire on June 30 of this year. That makes five of a total of nine. Virginians have been watching the headline making depredations of the Democratic appointees on that board…
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The Richmond Times Dispatch, “Hate Groups” and Journalism
by James C. Sherlock The Hanover County School Board (HCSB) is seeking legal assistance in reviewing its transgender policy from the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a conservative legal organization that provides its services pro bono. ADF’s key values that it goes to court to defend are religious freedom, free speech, marriage and family, parental rights,…
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A Narrative About Virginia’s Rural Hospitals that Obscures the Facts
by James C. Sherlock Becker’s Healthcare, a widely read medical news organization, published a story on Friday, “892 hospitals at risk of closure, state by state.” Rural hospitals were the topic. It cited as its source a report from a non-profit named The Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform (CHQPR), which presents itself as…
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Virginia Policy in the Face of Inflation and Recession
by James C. Sherlock I now expect both higher inflation and a recession, perhaps a deep one. The West is at war, whether or not we are prepared for the effects on our federal and state governments. The bad guys have a lot of natural resources that help keep our economy running. They will cost…