The value of quality museums to education seems to be accepted common knowledge. Prior posts on this blog have cited references supporting the idea. Below are two more such related references.
The second reference describes a new City of Phoenix program
called Phoenix Great Start pilot program. It will provide free admission to
selected quality museums in Phoenix for some low income school districts. In
support of that program, Mayor Greg Stanton said; “A child’s earliest
experiences in life are important for their long term wellbeing. We know that”.
Eight museums are approved for inclusion on the Great Start
museum list. Why is the Arizona
Historical Society Museum not on the list? Arizona has spent tens of millions
of dollars on that museum. Why it is not
a quality educational museum?
If it still existed, the Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum
would most probably be on the list. School buses used to appear daily at that museum
and teachers considered it a vital resource. That museum already allowed free
entry to children, but Great Start funds might have been used for transportation
for low income schools that have no field trip budget.
Following a contentions public hearing, the Arizona Senate
voted to transfer the mineral museum to the Arizona Historical Society. The AHS
then closed it and destroyed it. Funds
were not an issue.
So, given tens of millions of tax dollars, the AHS has not
produced a museum with recognized educational value.
Given a top rated museum with recognized educational value,
the AHS destroyed it.
Yet, the AHS continues to receive millions of tax dollars
each year
Madness.
References:
Ogintx, Eileen, Why museums trips pay off in more ways than
just fun, http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2013/10/31/why-museums-trips-pay-off-way-more-than-just-in-fun/?intcmp=features
Scott, Eugene, Phoenix museum subsidy aids some low income
kids, Arizona Republic, Monday, April 29, 2013, page B1
There is no accountability at all in govenment. What does it take for someone to be removed? We know what is happening at the federal level and we hear at times about the state level when someone dies as with the problems with CPS. However, we very seldom hear anything about money mismanagement which is prevelent in many of our state agencies. Seems like Dr. Woosley needs to take a good accounting class and pass it. From reading this blog for the past several years it appears that Dr. Woosley stays a lot in her office and must pray a lot that things go right and things that go in a downward spiral are not discovered.
ReplyDeleteThe prior comment was so true! If this were any normal state agency heads would have rolled a long time ago. $1,400,000 of tax payers money wasted in the Rio Nuevo Boondoggle and several hundred thousand dollars wasted on the Centennial Museum mess would have brought on a major state investigation. The AHS Board either doesn't care or is totally inept. Their Board President in his Annual Meeting Letter spent most of his column space talking about the Ben's Bells project at the Charles O. Brown House in Downtown Tucson!
ReplyDeleteAnd their website is announcing a Mineral Exhibit in 2014. Guess they don't do Arizona History any more. In fact I don't see very many Arizona History artifacts being on display, but lots of data about a Holiday Party Craft making.
And the past comment was correct about Woosley not leaving her office! She has only been on local TV twice and does no history lectures and has no public face for the agency. No wonder she can't raise money for AHS.