Spending per student

My dad asked me to find out how much money was spent per student in the Phenix City School System, Lee County School System, & Russell County School System and compare that to the tuition at Trinity...

Here is what I found:

In the Phenix City School District, according to reports from 2008-2009. There are 5,040 children in the Phenix City School District.

- the revenue for the PCSD was $60,356,289.18.

- the expenditure for the PCSD was $68,819,557.83

- According to the state website, 63% of that money came from the State, 20.2% from local taxes, 2.3% from the local schools, 12.4% from Federal, and 2.0% was designated as "other"

- the PCSD spent approximately $8,791.90 per child in 2007-2008 (only records provided).

In the Russell County School District, according to reports from 2008-2009. There are 3,717 children in the RCSD.

- the revenue for RCSD was $34,862,406.60

- the expenditure was $34,639,409.29 (seems like they did a lot better than PCSD as far as budgeting...)

- 67% came from the state, 17.0% from local taxes, 1.6% local schools, 11.1% federal & 3.4% "other"

- the RCSD spent approximately $9,221.16 per child.

I would do Lee County, but the only schools in Lee County that I'm concerned with are the Smiths Station Schools and I don't have specific data on them.

Okay, so going with that theory, that the school district is spending somewhere between $8700 and $9700 per child, and there are 30+ students in the classroom.

At Trinity, our revenue should be $45,000. However, I have 3 students on scholarship, which comes to $11,250, so our total revenue in Tuition is $33,750. Tuition money, by the way, is the only guaranteed source of income. $27,322.50 goes to pay the faculty members, leaving $6427.50 for everything else, including instructional costs, operational maintenance, transportation, etc, etc. Our yearly expenses should be somewhere in the neighborhood of $41,000. We're spending approximately $3,476.88 per student.

Thoughts?

Summer is coming...

So, on Friday it will be April.

April... are you serious? April? April is one month before school is over for the summer. April is the fourth month of the year - seriously, we're already four months through 2011? And school gets out in a month, basically... how is that even possible? It sounds so incredibly cliche to say that this year has flown by, but thats the only way to explain it - I feel like its been one big blur. I've tried to stop and write about the steps of this year, the growing pains, the highs and the lows but I know I've missed some and I hope that I can get those written down before I forget them completely and the future generations of Trinity students will be able to read about the first year at their school.

In my heart of hearts, I know that God is going to send us the students we need. I know this because there is a large part of me (about 90%) that is at peace with it. But. Its so hard to wrap the 10% of my head left that He will. I'm not doubting Him, or His ability to send us the 25 students that we so desperately need... but I feel as if I have hit a brick wall. I have this list of students, potential ones and also those who have already registered, and that list numbers about 30... but I know that there are a few kids who are set in where they are, or their parents are set in where they are. Which is okay... they were longshots, but I don't know where else to get students. I know that word of mouth is key. I know that I've advertised and talked and facebooked and twittered my heart out... and I've prayed. So much more than I've ever prayed consistently in my life - God expand mine & Trinity's territory so that we may further Your kingdom - I had hoped to have a solid number by the end of school, so that I could focus this summer on hiring faculty members, choosing curriculum and doing all those other things that I need to do as an administrator.

And, I'm worried. God, I know you're listening. I know you're reading this with me as I type it out - I'm worried, Father, that Trinity won't get the number of students we need and that I will have to find alternatives to the plan. I'm worried that I'm not doing enough to advance the school. I'm worried that I'm doing something wrong, that the school is doing something wrong or maybe not wrong exactly, but something's causing us to not be blessed as much as You would bless us. God, you know these things as they weigh on my heart. You know the plan and the future of Trinity even now, and I know that whatever Your will will be done.

Please pray with me. We really could use them right now.

Pray that God will provide Trinity with 25 to 40 students. So much is riding on that number.

~Brooke

Spring Break ... part deuce

Well, it's still spring break, and although the beaches of Orange Beach are not exactly overcrowded with spring breakers, its still plenty busy for the onset of tourist season. We've been coming here about 20 years or so, ever since the triplets were teeny tiny and so I feel like I've grown up here a little bit. :)

Mom and Dad arrived safely this morning and woke me to the smells of seafood bisque, smoked tuna dip & shrimp from Blalock's (YUM!).

Mom and I hit the beach for a little reading and relaxation while Dad went off to fish on the pier... he didn't catch anything, but claimed the spanish were running... we shall see, Mikey!

Dinner was in with leftover bisque & tuna dip...

There is no place in the world where I feel more relaxed than standing on the pier, with a fishing pole in hand... my idea of heaven!

Spring Break

It's spring break... finally! I'm so glad I got to spend the weekend with Charlie & also that Charlie's brother, Trey, got to come with us. Tomorrow Mom & Dad are coming down to spend a few days... man, I really know how to throw down!! But I'm grateful that I have a place where I can go to and rest for a few days.

this man makes me happy. :)

Today, I'm simply grateful for life.

So, for the past 10 years or so I've been writing short stories. I think most of them are pretty terrible but thats because I'm the one who wrote them. But I finally put them together in a volume of work - along with essays, commentaries, and long epic poems and came out with The Wicker Swing. I think there's supposed to be a preview in here somewhere...

The Wicker Swing by J. Brooke Bowden | Make Your Own Book

">The Wicker Swing

So in this book are a few different short stories - The Wicker Swing, The Red Tomato, Hard Work, In spite of Love but also a few essays to. Its basically everything I've ever written.

Anyway. Its pretty darn cool - and even better in my actual hands. I ordered it in an "imagewrap" which only means that there isn't flaps like on usual hard-bound books. I have to say... its really flipping neat. I took the picture for the front and back cover too, in Oxford. I think we were at Penshurst place walking among the gardens when I came upon this door in the wall. It reminded me *so* much of A Secret Garden that I had to photograph it. It remains one of my favorite photographs period.

cried myself to sleep last night.

My best friend's father passed away this morning. It just makes you appreciate the people you love, and realize how short life is, and how you don't want to have any regrets in this life, because regrets linger, like cigarette smoke. My heart is heavy for her family and the many people who will miss her father. It makes me thankful for my own dad - and mom and siblings. Charlie. My friends. Even though I don't understand everything about this life, I do realize how short it really is. I mean, you only get one life, right? And so many people are held back by their fears - they're afraid to love, afraid to hurt, afraid to step out in faith, afraid to do anything different, be anything, move forward, whatever else...

I don't know. I'm just rambling tonight.

This morning five adults and nine teenage students met for more than an hour in prayer. What took place is something indescribable… it was a Facing the Giants moment… it was the start of a revival… it was God showing up, and showing out. He spoke through the students who prayed; He spoke through the adults. Having the opportunity to pray over each one of my students was the most special moment that I have experienced in my life. I don’t know what I said – but I know God spoke through me over each of them.

Something happened this morning… something that has been brewing for a long, long time. For a long time, I’ve felt like there is a spirit of revival among the teenagers in this city. They cry out and pray for a change – and its starts with one kid, one pebble affecting change. Revival is coming; there are teenagers who are crying out to Jesus to save them, to strengthen them, to give them courage. It’s something that I’ve experienced only one other time – in the summer of 2001 at Evangel Temple with the Alpha Chi Youth Group. It’s their time, their generation. What is beyond cool is that I get to be a part of it. I absolutely believe that revival is coming; and it started at Trinity this morning with these nine kids and five adults. They are going to take back their city, their country, their world and bring the blessed name of Jesus to the ends of the Earth.

I went to see the Grace Card tonight – yet another powerful message from God, how He has orchestrated all of these things to come together today… The first was Emily Pettitt came to me and asked me to start reading The Prayer of Jabez, and to begin praying it… “God that you would bless me and increase my territory, so that no harm will come to me. And God gave him his request.” The second was that my students began to experience tremendous spiritual warfare. This tells me that we are moving in the right direction because there is NOTHING that makes Satan more angry than a Christian who is bringing MORE Christians to know Christ. Attack me, bring me down, use my insecurities – but stop messing with my students. And so I started praying protection over my students at night, in the morning… I thought, if they were being attacked, then we must be doing something right. But, to stop the spiritual warfare, we chose to combat it with prayer and so we gathered this morning in the conference room. The third thing was that Pam Smith read Acts 2 to Eliza and Ally, where Peter is preaching and the numbers were added to the kingdom in great numbers – 3,000 in fact. God spoke to Eliza and told her that our numbers would not increase until we began to pray with each other. So simple, and yet, so incredibly powerful. Fourth, happened this morning, when we gathered together and prayed. I can’t explain what happened – but something did. All I can do is describe it, and recognize what it was: God.

The Trinity School is a ministry. It’s a vessel to spread the message of Christ’s love. I believe that vessel was created and started back in the summer of 2001 when I received my message from God. The story goes like this – I had a dream, where God called me on my cell phone – literally, the caller ID read out “GOD”. He said to me, “Hello Brooke, It’s me, God. I just wanted to know if you had any questions for me.” Me: “well, I do, but I can’t think of any right now.” God: “Well, if you think of any, you know where to find Me.” Me: Okay. God: I just wanted to tell you that you will do great things in My name. And then He hung up. It was so surreal, but I remember it like it was yesterday – now going on ten years ago. Trinity began then, when God called me to do “great things for Him.”

Wow. Talk about amazing, right? Something happened this morning, with these students and the adults, who came together for one specific purpose.

I’m going to close –as best I can –with some lyrics…

“you gotta start somewhere why not here
If you gotta start sometime why not now
If we gotta start somewhere I say here
If we gotta start sometime I say now
Through the fog there is hope in the distance
From cathedrals to third world missions
Love will fall to the earth like a crashing wave”
-TobyMac, “City on our Knees”
And this one, which has been on my heart all day…
“Revival fire, fall, Revival fire, fall;
Fall on us here with the power of Your Spirit,
Father, let revival fire fall.
Revival fire, fall, Revival fire, fall;
Let the flame consume us
With hearts ablaze for Jesus,
Father, let revival fire fall.

As we lift up Your name,
Let Your kingdom come.
Have Your way in this place,
Let Your will be done,
Pour out from Heaven
Your passion and presence,
Bring down Your burning desire.”

-Paul Baloche, “Revival Fire Fall”

Teacher of the Year

Okay, so I'm going to try to be *really* positive and not dog this chick out, but I just gotta vent for like .5 seconds...

There is a nominee for the teacher of the year who I absolutely think is the worst teacher. Yes, I've had her. Yes, she made me miserable. Yes, this was after I was in high school - I was in graduate school. She was my cooperating teacher for my very first practicum. And in the interest of knowing that people actually read this thing, I'm not going to mention who, or where, or when this occurred, but I will say that this woman made me question teaching because she literally chewed me out on paper, behind my back, to my professor and on my evaluation sheet. She told me that I had no classroom presence, that I needed to CHANGE my major, that I had NO business being in the classroom. To my face it was all "oh, you're doing great" and "really nice job today" and then when I went in for my final eval with my professor she wrote on both sides of the paper with complaints about my teaching - or, in her words, lack thereof.

I saw her recently, at the bookstore, actually - two days in a row - and a part of me literally quivered. I ducked my head, because I did NOT want to make eye contact with her and for her to recognize me.

And for what? She thinks she has the secret to education? To teaching these impressionable youth? Well, I have just as much education as she does. And as far as I'm concerned, she will never be considered "teacher of the year" in my book. Ever.

And yes, I'm bitter.

*By the way. I didn't write this to get attention or credit for Trinity and the job I'm doing there. I really just needed to vent a bit. OH and I can definently say that she did NOT contribute to my education or my success, however small, in the classroom.