The San Diego school board got a grim view last night of how the future might look if finances are as bad as they fear: the equivalent of 700 layoffs, bigger class sizes, and fewer nurses, counselors and janitors.
Some of the cuts would come in the middle of this school year, with others in the next.
"The school district could also bargain with its labor unions to try to delay or undo raises that kick in this summer, which will cost $21 million next year, or to extend furloughs," our Emily Alpert reports. "But San Diego Unified isn't including that in its budget plan because it can't make those cuts unless unions agree to them."
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- Math Gap Grows Between Black and White Students
The gap between math scores for black and white students in San Diego Unified grew wider on a national exam despite growing attention to math in the school district.
It's a troubling change that school officials are still trying to understand. While 58 percent of white eighth graders scored proficient or above on the math tests, only 8 percent of black students did. White students had improved continuously over years; black students improved and then dropped this year.
The math gap between poor students and their better-off classmates also grew. The results are especially disappointing because San Diego Unified devoted more attention to math last year, after Superintendent Bill Kowba announced that it would be a major focus for improvement.
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- Schools' Worst Case: Cutting More than 700 Positions
The school board got a glimpse tonight of just how bad things could get for San Diego Unified schools: More than 700 positions would be eliminated. Class sizes would increase in many disadvantaged schools. Schools would be cleaned less often and have fewer counselors and nurses.
California is slated to cut school budgets in the middle of the year if state revenues continued as projected.
San Diego Unified and other school districts have to start crafting their budgets before they get final word. So they are planning for the worst. If California makes midyear cuts, San Diego Unified would likely have to cut between $26 million and $30 million. It's 2012 budget, already facing major deficits, would look even worse.
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- Schools on the Brink: What's at Stake?
This week we're unveiling Schools on the Brink, a special five-part series of San Diego Explained examining the financial crisis at San Diego Unified, in partnership with NBC 7 San Diego.
In Part One, NBC's Catherine Garcia and I break down what's at stake, from the quality of education to the potential damage to our community and its reputation.
(Check back tomorrow for Part Two, which begins to examine the roots of the current crisis. NBC's 6 p.m. news cast will feature a new segment every day this week.
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- Fix Schools: It Should Be All About the Kids
We asked readers "If the state put you in charge of San Diego Unified School District, how would you fix things?"
Make Sure Kids Actually Learn Before They Move On, By Mark Lewis
Make social promotion illegal. Require that students achieve proficiency before being passed on to the next grade level. This would ensure that resources are realigned to achieve competency in the lower performing schools. The current situation is a travesty.
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- Fix Schools: The Myth of the Underpaid Teacher
We asked readers "If the state put you in charge of San Diego Unified School District, how would you fix things?"
Since I took my 5-year-old to the local government school to begin his formal education, there's been a constant barrage about the plight of the teacher.
"They are underpaid." "They are overworked." "They pay for their own supplies."
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- Letter: A Day Late and a Few Billion Dollars Short
Our system of education is antiquated and dysfunctional. The business community should fund internships for our students. So declare City Council President Tony Young and Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher after their seven month education listening tour. Fletcher further adding that he will work to build 21st century schools, promote career technical education (CTE), reform education budgets and reform curriculum testing. Gee, why does that all sound so familiar? Perhaps because in 2007, the governor's Committee on Education Excellence compiled a 44-page proposal for bold, coherent, systemic reform of structures in our education system, including governance, finance, teachers and administrators. The report was the culmination of two years worth of more than 20 independent studies known as "Getting Down to Facts."
The report concluded that its implementation would require "uncommon courage" from our political leaders in the state legislature, the predominant source of education funding in California. "Uncommon courage" has proven nonexistent among our legislative representatives. All 28 Republican assembly members, including Nathan Fletcher, have signed and abided by the Grover Norquist anti-tax pledge and almost all Republican state senators have signed the pledge, creating gridlock in our state capital that has led to Faustian bargains and draconian cuts to education and other services to children and families. The report also stated, "Everyone professes to put students first. But collectively, the results suggest otherwise." Instead of reinventing the wheel, I would recommend that Council President Young and Assemblyman Fletcher contact our local retired state Senator Dede Alpert who served as vice chair of the governor's Committee on Education Excellence.
With regard to 21st century education and CTE, I'd like to refer both representatives to AB 2648 — Multiple Pathways to Student Success, an assembly bill signed into law January 2009. This bill, sponsored by former Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, integrates core curriculum, career technical, work based learning, and student support services.
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