$4000 of Motivation Is Difficult To Measure

From the Tampa Tribune, we surprisingly have another critique of the HCPS.

Looking For Inspiration, Local Schools Go Afar:

"It's not the first time the district used Title I funds to hire motivational speakers, but it is the most questionable. In 2007, records show, the district paid Tulane University professor Calvin Mackie $5,500 to motivate boys at five struggling schools - an expenditure that at least touched students directly. Sherman, by contrast, spoke only to administrators and teachers."

When I first saw the video of this little boy, my first thought was how long he must have practiced to get it right. I have heard many "motivational speakers" in my lifetime. Most of them were hawking a product of some kind, so the goal of their speech was to motivate the audience to spend money as a testament to how motivated the audience person had become. Success of the speaker could be measured by how much money the speaker made.

As far as $4000 goes, if you divide that by the however-many-billions-it-is dollars of the HCPS school board budget, we all know it is a small percent, which makes it an insignificant line item in the budget. However, if one were to apply that same $4000 to something like ESE evaluations or OT/PT services http://www.standadvocates.org/2005_OT-PT_State_Complaint_Response.doc then somehow the thought rises that $4000 could add up to real money.