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Friday, April 23, 2010

Comments, scenes from state's first teacher strike of 2010 | California Watch

Comments, scenes from state's first teacher strike of 2010 | California Watch


Comments, scenes from state's first teacher strike of 2010

April 23, 2010 | Corey G. Johnson
Fed up with what they called "stall tactics," the teachers union at the Capistrano Unified School District has gone on strike. Courtesy of the excellent coverage by the Orange County Register, below are excerpts from day one of the strike – the first in the state this year.
At San Clemente High School:
Several classrooms were trashed Thursday morning, with desks thrown to the ground and papers scattered around. Student witnesses said about a dozen students were responsible for the damage and that it was the result of students reporting to classrooms that weren’t staffed by a substitute teacher.
"They did it because they could, because no one was supervising them," San Clemente High junior Anthony Saccone said. "We were supposed to do work, but there were no teachers around to tell us what to do.They said the curriculum wouldn't suffer, but it obviously did.
At Carl Hankey K-8 School:
We all feel almost victimized by what’s been going on,” said Hankey third-grade teacher Terry Chambers. “We don’t want to be out here. We tried everything to avoid being out here; we even gave in to an unreasonable pay cut well beyond any other district in Orange County. … They just drew a line with temporary versus permanent and forced our hand.”
At Aliso Niguel High School:
Many students were reportedly heading home by midday “because there was little instruction,” the teachers union said in a statement released Thursday morning. Some Aliso Niguel students were reportedly watching episodes of “The Office,” according to a KTLA posting on Twitter.
There's no point in going to school,” said Alia Bonetti, a senior at Aliso Niguel High School, who arrived at 6 a.m. and was planning to picket all day with the teachers. “The subs are not qualified. We're not going to learn. These people are our teachers. The subs just want money. Our teachers care.

At Las Palmas Elementary School:
Mariana Arredondo, a mother of a Las Palmas



California will need one million more college grads

by Louis Freedberg
The challenge for California is how to do more with less.
That's the fundamental issue that underlies a Public Policy Institute of California report released today, which projects that in 15 years California will have 1 million fewer college-educated workers than our state's economy will need.


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Oakland teachers furious about imposed contract

Oakland teachers furious about imposed contract

Oakland teachers furious about imposed contract

Nanette Asimov, Chronicle Staff Writer

Friday, April 23, 2010

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(04-22) 16:25 PDT OAKLAND -- In a rare move that has infuriated teachers, the Oakland Board of Education has quit labor negotiations and imposed a no-raise contract that will free the district to increase class size and save up to $3 million.

On Thursday, a day after hundreds of teachers stormed out of a meeting in which the school board unanimously approved the one-sided contract, Superintendent Tony Smith tried to soothe the fury and explain the district's unusual decision.

"It is an unfortunate and sad time," Smith said. Oakland teachers "are among the lowest paid in the East Bay. It's absolutely inadequate."

He said the district has to cut $85 million - about a quarter of its budget - but will not cut salaries or health benefits. Instead, dozens of teachers will be laid off, elementary class sizes will grow, and schools and programs will close, he said.

Smith, who arrived in Oakland nearly a year ago, said labor negotiations had gone on for two years and were at an impasse. He said it was necessary to impose a contract so that the district could immediately begin to cut costs.



Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/04/23/BA001D2TRE.DTL#ixzz0lvsQi4Cb
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California Budget Crisis Diaries: Bitter students take it to the Capitol

California Budget Crisis Diaries: Bitter students take it to the Capitol

California Budget Crisis Diaries: Bitter students take it to the Capitol

By Hoa Quach, SDNN
Thursday, April 22, 2010
San Diego:

Demonstrators calling for greater investment in public services march to the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, April 21, 2010. More than 2,000 people rallied to call on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and state lawmakers to stabilize the state's finances by lowering the two-thirds threshold for passing budgets, and imposing taxes on corporations and the wealthy.(Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

California Budget Crisis

It’s down to the wire, almost. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to release his proposed budget for next fiscal year in the coming weeks and while lawmakers pitch ideas — students continue to show their angst toward them.

But wait, it’s an election year too, so lawmakers better decide wisely. Read on to find out what students are saying, if Californians should expect more taxes and whether state employees will see another pay cut.

Another rally: About 100 students from San Diego City College joined thousands of other protesters in Sacramento Wednesday demanding money be restored in the public education system and social services.

The rally — which began as a march 48 days ago in SoCal and which City professor Jim Miller blogged about for SDNN — attracted thousands of protesters and filled three city blocks, according to the City on a Hill Press, a UC Santa Cruz student newspaper.

Naomi Santa Cruz, a sociology student at City, attended the rally and past protests organized by San Diego’s college students. So what makes this rally different than others that have been held over the past several



Read more: http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2010-04-22/politics-city-county-government/california-budget-politics-city-county-government/california-budget-crisis-diaries-bitter-students-take-it-to-the-capitol#ixzz0lvsAucMh
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California Dumbs Down Tests | Spero News

California Dumbs Down Tests | Spero News
Commentary: Democracy and Human Rights

California Dumbs Down Tests

When it comes to education trends, as California goes, so goes the nation. Which is all the more reason to be concerned about the latest effort in California to dumb down standards. The University of California's Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools (BOARS) has launched another salvo in its long-running war against the SAT, the test used by many colleges and universities to assess academic achievement among high school seniors. This is only the latest in a series of moves by BOARS against the SAT, but this one may be a stalking horse to eliminate standardized tests in general, especially if they conflict with the goal of promoting racial and ethnic diversity.

BOARS has already eliminated a requirement that University of California applicants take at least two subject-matter tests in addition to the SAT Reasoning Test. Now BOARS is taking aim at the SAT directly. What makes the action more suspicious is that BOARS' own report notes that the SAT-R was developed specifically in response to testing principles it promulgated and that the new test "adds significant gains in predictive power of first year grades at UC." Nonetheless, BOARS is now recommending that students forgo the SAT in favor of the less-popular ACT.

Both tests have been accepted for more than 30 years and do a good job of predicting first-year grades. So why is BOARS now signaling preference for one test over another? After reading the report, it's hard to come away without feeling that the real target is standardized testing in general.

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Institute Says UC and CSU Must Admit More Students | KPBS.org

Institute Says UC and CSU Must Admit More Students | KPBS.org

Institute Says UC and CSU Must Admit More Students

BY TOM FUDGE
April 23, 2010
SAN DIEGO — A study by the Public Policy Institute of California is urging state universities to start admitting more students to meet new workforce demands.
The Institute says California State University should accept the top 40 percent of the state's high school graduates, up from 33 percent. Meanwhile the UC system should accept the top 15 percent of students, up from 12 percent.
Hans Johnson, who wrote the report, says the number of jobs that require college degrees is increasing. If admission policies remain the same, he says he expects California will have a
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No Time for Old Tactics

No Time for Old Tactics
No Time for Old Tactics
Management and unions must work together in the face of an unprecedented funding crisis for public schools.
By Eamonn O'Donovan
May 2010
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It has been another tough spring for school districts across the nation. The economic crisis of the past two years is hitting school systems hard as districts plan for the 2010-2011 school year. State support to schools continues to decline, and the “soft landing” afforded by federal stimulus monies is a thing of the past. School districts must cut costs but find their options constrained by restrictive labor agreements in addition to the collective bargaining process itself. If ever there was a time for a new approach to bargaining, it is now.

Many budget experts predicted that 2010-2011 would be the toughest year for schools. For example, more school districts in Orange County, Calif., have filed negative or qualified budgets than in previous years, meaning that they cannot maintain required budget reserves for the next couple of years. In other words, districts do not have the reserves, or savings account, to cover their deficit between increased expenditures and decreasing revenues. Even as state funding declines, school districts are locked into automatic pay increases for employees in the form of step-and-column advancement for longevity. In many places, freezing these pay raises can only be agreed to through the bargaining

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Staff, Students In State Capital Lobby Against Education Cuts - The Daily Californian

Staff, Students In State Capital Lobby Against Education Cuts - The Daily Californian

Staff, Students In State Capital Lobby Against Education Cuts

Photo: Lobbyists swarm the steps of the state's Capitol building to call for legislators to support public education. Six people kicked off the effort by marching from Bakersfield to Sacramento.
MARK COPLAN/COURTESY
Lobbyists swarm the steps of the state's Capitol building to call for legislators to support public education. Six people kicked off the effort by marching from Bakersfield to Sacramento.

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By SOUMYA KARLAMANGLA
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Friday, April 23, 2010
Category: News > City > Local Schools

About 300 Berkeley teachers and students gathered in Sacramento Wednesday along with thousands of others from school districts across California to rally against state budget cuts to public education.

Union leaders, teachers and students spoke out against proposed state cuts to public education-totaling $1.5 billion-before the crowd of approximately 7,500 people who gathered in front of the Capitol building.

The Berkeley Unified School District faces an estimated $2.7 million cut to its budget, which could force administrators to lay off staff members, curtail summer school funding and increase the number of district furlough days.

"Our state is basically in a state of emergency," said Cathy Campbell, president of Berkeley Federation of Teachers. "We're cutting education, while at the same time increasing corporate tax loopholes. This is a devastating formula in terms of a state, particularly for young people."

The rally was also the culmination of a 365-mile march sponsored by the California Federation of Teachers. Six people marched from Bakersfield to Sacramento for 48 days starting March 5 to "reach out to the Central Valley itself" about budget cuts, according to Jim Miller, a teacher at San Diego City College and one of the six marchers.

During the march's final mile, the six marchers were joined by thousands of people, about 50 of whom were

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